Wiccans, where did Scott Cunningham get the information for his book?

Question

A lot of folks mention Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. Where did he get the information for it?

Answer 1

I always say Scott is the one who made eclectic acceptable. I encourage people to read "Whispers from The Moon", his story written by 2 closest to him. He was initiated into several different trads in his lifetime and as far as I can tell he utilized what he loved and discarded the rest.
I will end my comments now as to not offend anyone.

Answer 2

I have no idea (sorry I don't have an answer but I feel I have to say this) but be wary of Scott Cunningham's work. Not to say that he isn't a legit author (his works are quite valuable to anyone interested in Wicca), but you shouldn't take everything he writes as what every Wiccan believes.

I've read Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and it seems that he learnt just the way anyone would... he just became part of the religion. I'm guessing he joined a fairly good coven because his standing stone book of shadows actually has a lot of good stuff in it that he probably compiled from other coven members.

Answer 3

What other people have said. :-)

I usually recommend "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" to new people approaching non-initiatory Wicca for a few reasons:

1) It's the first book I purchased and worked from myself, and it gave me a pretty good start.

2) Regardless of the background of its author, it covers most of the basics. I don't agree with everything Scott says in it, but I agree with enough of it to put it out there as a start-up template.

3) I don't think it ever pretends to be the be-all and end-all book on Wicca -- to use the cooking analogy, it teaches you how to lay out your ingredients, measure them with the proper tools, make a basic meal, and clean up the kitchen, but doesn't go on to mention French cuisine and how to bake a souffle. There are plenty of other books out there for that, which the student can move on to after having worked with Scott's book for a while.

4) Scott did not originally write the book strictly for Wiccans; it was the publisher who convinced him to pitch it to that market. Nevertheless, as I said, I feel it's not a bad starting point as such things go -- certainly better than anything by Silver Ravenwolf in terms of its philosophy.

Answer 4

He was initiated into several established Craft Traditions. In 1980 he entered into the Aridian Tradition where he undertook a course of study on Witchcraft and Magick from Raven Grimassi. Then in 1981 he entered the Reorganized Traditional Gwyddonic Order of Wicca, an Ancient Pictish Gaelic Tradition. Additionally he was also an initiate of the American Traditionalist Wicca.

In other words, he got training from more experienced people...

He also, as far as we know, didn't go beyond initiation - that is to say, he didn't study long enough to become a Priest. Certainly if he only studied for one year in any particular Tradition, he didn't get elevated to the Priesthood, which means that he was missing a lot of what I've heard you refer to as "the good stuff".

That means, for those who don't know, that he didn't get *all* of what was available from the Traditions he was initiated into; he got the equivalent of the first year of a three-year (or more) course of study and work, at three different schools.

Scott's personality was such that he preferred working alone. A lot of folks are like that, and I don't have any problem with it.. The difference between Scott and a lot of the newer IRAB* neo-wiccans is that Scott FIRST got some sort of training from experienced people.

So even though Scott said that coven work, and initiation, wasn't important, it's what HE got. And apparently he saw some sort of value in it, or he wouldn't have been initiated into three different Traditions.

I read "Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner" years ago. In it, IMO, Scott sounds like a person who's taken one year of Culinary School classes at three different schools, who tells his readers that they can become Master Chefs without taking cooking classes at all, if they just tap into their creative talent and make up recipes.

OK, Scott. Whatever you say.


BTW, I am speaking from the perspective of someone who *had to* go to mythology, and Robert Graves, and Sir James Frasier, and Margaret Murray for *any* information at all, because in my youth there WERE no "how to" books on Paganism...so I not only was a "solitary practioner" for many years, I thought I was the ONLY "practioner" of Paganism in the world. Does that mean that I felt I had it all, because I had read books? Oh, heck no. When I had the opportunity to learn from people more experienced than I, I jumped at the chance.

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-Tz8tGkw6erK9EM5EmVJgYeNshj30?p=55



* IRAB= "I read a book"

Answer 5

Scott Cunningham learned about Wicca while still in high school and practiced elemental magic for twenty years. He experienced, researched, then wrote about what he had learned in his magical training. he then rewrote it, as many times as it took, it get it right by his high standards. Scott Cunningham is credited with writing over 30 books (both fiction and non-fiction).

Answer 6

you could no longer get a greater applicable answer than that of D Aravah. Hit the proverbial nail on the pinnacle, different than one factor Cunningham makes in his books. "Do what works for you". keep in mind you're in seek of stability and solidarity with the worldwide around you, attempt diverse rituals and factors (minding to stay faraway from that which will do injury), shop a e book of Shadows, and artwork to create a greater applicable worldwide for your self and those around you.

Answer 7

He took a lot of it from Doreen Valiente's work, also supposedly from some other pagan girl he met when he was young. However, there are rumors that he didn't write all of it on his own, but that can't really be confirmed.