Gerald Gardner is the man responsible for the revival of witchcraft in the modern West. His books for beginner neo-pagans are a real esoteric encyclopedia. But Gardner not only wrote "scientific works", he was actively engaged in magical practice, experiencing the power of magical spells on his own skin.
FROM WEST TO EAST
Fortune has been supportive of Gerald since birth. He was lucky to be born in a suburb of Liverpool on June 13, 1884. The name Gardner in England needs no introduction: Gerald's ancestors made themselves a huge fortune from the timber trade. The family tree of the Gardner family also included the mayor of Liverpool and Alan Gardner, a naval commander and later vice admiral and peer, who became known as commander-in-chief of the English Channel fleet and helped prevent Napoleon's invasion in 1807. However, Gardner's ancestors became famous not only for their service in the public arena. One of his great-grandmothers named Grissel Gardner went down in history as a witch who was burned at the stake in 1610 in Newburgh. Gardner's grandfather married a woman with a reputation as a witch. Many of the Gardners were believed to have psychic abilities.
Gerald's father was so rich that he could afford to do what his soul was in. He chose jurisprudence. All three of his sons also did not need anything, but according to family tradition, no one was allowed to sit back. The boys worked in the garden, helped their parents, studied languages, geography, history, mathematics. Gerald was the most science-minded, and spent days in the family library. But either the library dust, or poor health from birth led to the fact that the boy fell ill with asthma. Gerald's nanny Josephine McCombie convinced the parents of the need to take the child out in winter to a continent with a milder climate. Josephine traveled throughout Europe, leaving young Gardner to spend most of his time reading. When the nanny married a man who lived in Ceylon, Gerald went there with her. They eventually settled in Asia, where a descendant of a noble family spent most of his younger years. Later he moved to Borneo, then to Malaysia. There he met the locals and studied their religious beliefs, which made a tremendous impression on him. Even Christianity has faded in comparison with Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc. He was carried away by ritual daggers and knives as much as the Malay kris - a dagger with a wavy blade. Later, Gerald wrote a book about cold weapons, "Chrises and Other Malay Weapons," published in Singapore in 1939. She established him as a world authority on national daggers and remained a classic work on the subject.then to Malaysia. There he met the locals and studied their religious beliefs, which made a tremendous impression on him. Even Christianity has faded in comparison with Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc. He was carried away by ritual daggers and knives as much as the Malay kris - a dagger with a wavy blade. Later, Gerald wrote a book about cold weapons, "Chrises and Other Malay Weapons," published in Singapore in 1939. She established him as a world authority on national daggers and remained a classic work on the subject.then to Malaysia. There he met the locals and studied their religious beliefs, which made a tremendous impression on him. Even Christianity has faded in comparison with Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc. He was carried away by ritual daggers and knives as much as the Malay kris - a dagger with a wavy blade. Later, Gerald wrote a book about cold weapons, "Chrises and Other Malay Weapons," published in Singapore in 1939. She established him as a world authority on national daggers and remained a classic work on the subject.like a Malay kris - a dagger with a wavy blade. Later, Gerald wrote a book about cold weapons, "Chrises and Other Malay Weapons," published in Singapore in 1939. She established him as a world authority on national daggers and remained a classic work on the subject.like a Malay kris - a dagger with a wavy blade. Later, Gerald wrote a book about cold weapons, "Chrises and Other Malay Weapons," published in Singapore in 1939. She established him as a world authority on national daggers and remained a classic work on the subject.
NEW INDIANA JONES
Meanwhile, Gerald in every way multiplied the family wealth. From 1923 he worked for the British government as an inspector of rubber plantations, customs officer and inspector of opium establishments. There are photographs of him, which shows a lean man in khaki with a pistol on his belt, looking like some Indiana Jones!
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The service allowed the Englishman to amass a considerable fortune, and Gardner took up archeology, which was of great interest to him. Gardner spent most of his time on various archaeological expeditions in Europe and Asia Minor. In Cyprus, he found places that he had dreamed of before, which convinced him that he had lived here in a previous life. Gerald even managed to discover the deposits of the ancient city of Singapore, which he was always very proud of.
In general, Gerald was a real foam skimmer: he was also lucky in love. In 1927, he married Donna, an Englishwoman, and the marriage was extremely successful. The couple lived in perfect harmony for over 33 years. Donna was sympathetic to all her hubby's addictions, and to some pranks, which we will talk about a little later, she closed her eyes. Isn't this the secret of family happiness ?! And even the absence of children did not affect the well-being of the couple. Gerald turned out to be so addicted to nature that Donna had to babysit him like a child, and she did not suffer from the fact that she did not have children.
In 1936, at the age of 52, Gerald Gardner retired and the family decided to return to England. The married couple had more than enough money for Gardner to devote himself to what his soul was in - witchcraft. In England, the couple chose to live in the cute town of Highcliffe, located in Hampshire. From that time on, Gerald devoted himself entirely to magic.
TOP SECRET
Gardner had an interest in the occult throughout his entire adult life, but in those years he could only partially satisfy this thirst for knowledge. The fact is that until 1951, the so-called "Act of Witchcraft" of 1735 was in force in England - a law that prescribed all sorcerers, soothsayers, and spirit summoners to be considered fraudsters and punished accordingly. If anyone had a passion for this kind of work, he had to keep it a secret from others. Gerald Gardner was no exception. As soon as he hinted that in the quiet of his office he was performing witchcraft rituals, he would not have been saved either by his high position in society, or by the help of wealthy relatives, or by his services to his fatherland. Gardner even had to take a vow of silence. All his experiments were classified as "top secret".
Of course, he had like-minded people (despite the strictest prohibition, or maybe in spite of him, the interest in the occult in pre-war England was huge). They gathered in different places that only those close to them knew about. If someone from outsiders reported to the authorities about these gatherings, no one would be well. The audience conducted seances (Gardner himself was always skeptical of them), magic rituals, made presentations, shared experiences and even staged plays on occult topics. And all this is in the strictest secrecy!
It is curious that in 1940, before World War II, the Gardners, involved in the Brotherhood of Crotona, an occult group close to the Freemasons and, in particular, to the Masonic order founded by Miss Besant-Scott, daughter of the head of the Theosophical Society, Anna Besant, performed unusual ceremonies, which created obstacles for the Germans to invade England. During the seances, the Gardners and company found out information "from above" that Hitler was making far-reaching plans to capture Europe. But, apparently, the group was not diligent enough to create an invisible defense - the Germans later mercilessly bombed English cities. However, we must pay tribute to the sorcerers: they tried very hard, and five members of the community died shortly after the ceremony due to depletion of energy during the ritual. Gardner himself felt that his health was failing.
WICCAN
Within the Brotherhood of Crotona, there was a secret group that entrusted Gardner with the leadership role. Its members called themselves "Wiccans" and claimed to be hereditary witches and sorcerers to whom the practice of witchcraft was passed down through the centuries, not destroyed by witch hunts in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The group (or coven) met in the New Forest. The group included the famous sorcerer Arnold Crowther, as well as the equally famous Aleister Crowley. At first, the magicians became very close friends, but later, due to rivalry, their paths diverged. Plus, few shared Gerald's rather strange predilections. To be honest, he was considered a sadomasochist. During the rituals, he loved not only to copulate with other women, but also to watch scenes of violence. In addition, Gerald is considered almost the first nudist in the world. Yet his contribution to witchcraft was enormous, which the queen herself did not fail to note when in 1960 Gardner was invited to a "garden reception" at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his outstanding work in civilian services in the Far East. In the same year, his wife died, and then he again began to suffer from asthma. Gardner himself died four years later, returning home from Lebanon by ship. It happened on February 12, 1964, at breakfast, from heart failure. The great sorcerer was buried on the coast of Tunis on 13 February. The only one who accompanied him on his last journey was the ship's captain.then he again began to suffer from asthma. Gardner himself died four years later, returning home from Lebanon by ship. It happened on February 12, 1964, at breakfast, from heart failure. The great sorcerer was buried on the coast of Tunis on 13 February. The only one who accompanied him on his last journey was the ship's captain.then he again began to suffer from asthma. Gardner himself died four years later, returning home from Lebanon by ship. It happened on February 12, 1964, at breakfast, from heart failure. The great sorcerer was buried on the coast of Tunis on 13 February. The only one who accompanied him on his last journey was the ship's captain.
Vlad DRUGOV