As a person who is in my second decade of practicing Wicca, I was extremely pleased with the direct and informative style of Frederic Lamond's Fifty Years of Wicca.
Some of his observations about things that could be changed or improved upon are things that I have been doing for years, things that evolved out of my practice. I was delighted to discover that someone from Gardner's original coven has come to some of the same conclusions. For example, he notes that including methods such as drumming or Reiki training to coven activities can be valuable tools, even though the early Wiccan books never mentioned them.
His candor is refreshing, and no doubt, some of his opinions will be considered controversial, like his observation that initiation is really a process for bringing an outsider inside of a group, so that the more correct term for a solitary practitioner might be self dedication.
He has a keen eye for observing how our practice is tied to our personal lives, relative to heath, career and the environment.
I find his observations about various aspects of ritual to be refreshingly insightful, such as his comments on tools, nudity and books of shadows. It is encouraging that an elder who was there at the beginning is still open to meeting new people and exploring new ideas.
I think this is one of the best books on Wicca I have ever read. It will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone who has read other authors such as Philip Heselton, Ronald Hutton, Doreen Valiente or Patricia Crowther. It can also be a great addition to the libraries of many who have never read any other books by elder Wiccan authors, bound to stimulate thought and discussion.
Over the years, many people have speculated that Gardner was just an eccentric old man who spun fantastic tales. However, Lamond and some of these others amply demonstrate that what Gardner started is still growing and evolving 50 years later, and that's a lot more than can be said for some other movements. If there were no substance at the root of Gardner's work, Wicca would not still be growing, evolving and gaining in popularity.
I, for one, am grateful for these insights from the elders before they all cross the veil.
A few months ago I got a copy of Fred Lamond's new book, "Fifty Years of Wicca." It's a pretty neat book -- I devoured it in the first twenty four hours of getting my copy.
Fred Lamond was initiated into Gerald Gardner's coven back when Doreen Valiente was the high priestess. That makes him the last surviving member of that particular group who is still alive and practicing Wicca. (I wonder if that means there is someone from that group still alive who is no longer Wiccan?) In any case, he's the last of that particular group who is alive and has some interesting first hand experiences to relate. It's nice being able to read about what it was like working with Gardner back then as so much that is written about it now is by people who do not have first-hand experience with the man.
There are some things that Fred talks about that I suspect will send some of the rabid "traditionalists" into a tizzy, like the open admittance that Gardner likely made most of the stuff up or borrowed it from all over the place. There are still some who like to cling to the assumption that Gardner was passing on an intact pre-Christian religious system. Fred provides some interesting evidence to refute that idea.
He also points out that Gardner didn't intend for his Book of Shadows to be considered some unchanging Holy Scripture. He got his students to copy his own Book "just to get them started" but apparently expected those students to modify things and add or delete things as they saw fit. Somewhere along the line that seems to have been forgotten by some.
Fred also talks about some of his experiences with different people in the Wiccan and also larger Pagan and occult community. He's done a bit of travelling, so has met quite a number of interesting people. It's always good to hear what someone else has to say about the various "celebrities" we have in our community.
"Fifty Years of Wicca" is a good read and is one that I would recommend to anyone interested in the history of Wicca. It's one that I think will be an instant classic.
