Thursday, May 27, 2010

Scott Cunningham

Solitary

Scott Cunningham was born at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA on June 27, 1956 He one older brother, Greg, and a younger sister, Christine.

He practiced a fairly basic interpretation of Wicca, often worshipping alone, though his book series for solitaries describes several instances in which he worshipped with friends and teachers.
Scott’s writing style was easy to understand being simple and direct, his teachings focused on encouraging people to employ whatever works for them in their religious, spiritual, and magickal endeavors.

He also believed that Wicca, which had been a closed tradition since the 1950s, should become more open to newcomers. He viewed the craft as a modern religion created in the 20th century, and thought that Wicca, while containing pagan folk magic derived of ancient times, should be stripped of it’s quasi-historical and mythological trappings and represented to the public as a modern religion utilizing ancient concepts. He also believed that Wicca, which had been a closed and secretive tradition since the 1950s, should become more open to newcomers. Due to his influence, the Wiccan religion shifted primarily from the hands of initiates into the public arena, and many eclectic traditions were formed as a result.

28th March 1993 he died of Lymphoma cancer. As an ambassador of the pagan way of life, his books today continue to influence us all.

Books

  • 1980 - Shadow of Love (fiction)
  • 1982 - [[Magical Herbalism: The Secret of the Wise
  • 1983 - Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic
  • 1985 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
  • 1987 - The Magical Household (
  • 1987 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic
  • 1988 - The Truth About Witchcraft Today
  • 1988 - Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
  • 1989 - The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews
  • 1989 - Magical Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent
  • 1991 - Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic
  • 1991 - The Magic in Food
  • 1993 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen
  • 1993 - Divination For Beginners
  • 1993 - Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
  • 1993 - Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects
  • 1993 - The Truth About Herb Magic
  • 1994 - The Truth About Witchcraft
  • 1995 - Hawaiian Magic and Spirituality
  • 1997 - Pocket Guide to Fortune Telling
  • 1999 - Dreaming the Divine: Techniques for Sacred Sleep
  • 2009 - Cunningham's Book of Shadows: The Path of An American Traditionalist* A rediscovered manuscript written by Cunningham in the late 70's or early 80's. Set to be released October 2009.[

Videos

Film references

Cunningham's Wicca book in the film Never Say Macbeth

Never Say Macbeth, a 2007 film, is based around a group of actors who battle the curse of Macbeth by using Scott's book, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. This film was released on DVD by Vanguard Cinema in August, 2008

Resources
http://www.controverscial.com/Scott%20Cunningham.htm

http://www.controverscial.com/Scott%20Cunningham.htm


part Two here http://www.wiccantogether.com/video/video/show?id=1070680%3AVideo%3A1675190
Sorry not sure how to get link into blog.





2 comments:

  1. I found his Guide for the Solitary Practitioner to be useful when first starting out.

    ReplyDelete