Birthday of author Scott Cunningham in 1956

Author Scott Cunningham (June 27, 1956 - March 28,1993), created more than a dozen books on NeoWicca and modern Paganism. Born in Michigan, Scott spend most of his life in San Diego, California. In high school, he discovered Wicca, and was initiated into an eclectic Wiccan coven. In the early 1980s, he spent some time in a group led by author Raven Grimassi. It was from these experiences that Scott drew much of the information which was passed along in his books.

While Cunningham often comes under fire from lineaged Wiccans, who point out that his books are in fact about NeoWicca, rather than traditional Wicca, his works typically offer a lot of good advice for people who practice as solitaries. He frequently points out in his writings that religion is a deeply personal thing, and it's not up to other people to tell you if you're doing it right or wrong. He also argued that it was time for Wicca to stop being a secretive, mystery religion, and that Wiccans should welcome interested newcomers with open arms.

Interestingly, Scott was able to take his knowledge of natural magic and translate it into language that beginners to Wicca could easily understand. He shared his belief of the Divine, and of symbolism, and although he never dumbed it down, he managed to take complex information and explain it in a way that someone who had no prior understanding of Wicca could still absorb. It was this skill, perhaps, that made him one of modern Paganism's most popular writers. Even fifteen years after his death, Scott Cunningham's books continue to sell in bookstores around the world.

In 1983, Scott was diagnosed with lymphoma. He suffered from a variety of illnesses over the next decade, including meningitis, before passing away in 1993 at the age of thirty-six. Following his death, much of his material was repackaged by publishers and released posthumously.

-The Crafty Witch

What is NeoWicca?

Sometimes you may see the word "NeoWicca" used at About Pagan/Wiccan. It's one that appears often in discussions about modern Pagan religions, so let's look at why it's being utilized.

The term NeoWicca (which essentially means "new Wicca") is typically used when we want to distinguish between the two original traditional forms of Wicca (Gardnerian and Alexandrian) and all other forms of Wicca. Many people would argue that anything other than a Gardnerian or Alexandrian tradition is, by default, NeoWicca.

Much of the publicly available material labeled as Wicca in books and on websites is in fact considered NeoWiccan, simply because Gardnerian and Alexandrian material is generally oathbound, and is not made available for public consumption. In addition, to be a Gardnerian or Alexandrian Wiccan, you must be initiated - you cannot self-initiate or dedicate as a Gardnerian or Alexandrian; you have to be part of an established coven. The concept of lineage is also important in these two forms of traditional Wicca.

In general, someone who follows an eclectic path of magical practice, in which they incorporate practices and beliefs from a variety of different systems, would be considered NeoWiccan. Keep in mind that the term NeoWicca is not meant to imply any inferiority to these two original traditions, simply that a NeoWiccan is practicing something newer and therefore different than an Alexandrian or Gardnerian.

Many NeoWiccans adhere to the Wiccan Rede and the law of threefold return. These two prinicples are not typically found in Pagan paths that are not Wiccan.

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-The Crafty Witch