Review Of Gerald Gardner's 'Broom Closet'

Gerald Broussard Gardner was the first witch to come out of the “Broom Closet” after the repeal of the Witchcraft Act [1] in Britain in 1951. In the biography written by J.L. Bracelin, Gerald Gardner, Witch, he speaks of his experience being initiated into an existing “New Forest” Coven. The origins of this Coven remain a mystery although contemporaries who were close to him agree that it was probably true, but as to who initiated him and how long that group had been in existence is largely unknown. It is known that he had an unconventional upbringing and spent part of his adult life in Ceylon. His fascination with the indigenous religious practices influenced him. When he returned to England he settled in an area close to the New Forest

On his own, Gardner wanted the existence of Wicca to be acknowledged and the Witch Cult not to die out. To that end, he wrote five books and appeared on the BBC. He had a strong influence from Allister Crowley who was a friend and was a ritual magician and a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn. It was when he met with Doreen Valiente (The Mother of Modern Paganism) who became the High Priestess of his coven in 1953, that the ritual that is still used by covens today was written. Much of this is from materials sourced from the Order of the Golden Dawn, American folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland's 1899 work Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches and The White Goddess by Graves. Valiente was instrumental in writing much of the ritual using these sources as inspiration. Most famously The Charge of the Goddess, which has been published over the years in so many books it is not “hidden” from the non-Pagan public. It is now that we see the Goddess becoming a central deity in Wiccan Ritual. While Murray hadn’t mentioned a female deity in her books, although she was an avowed feminist, the beautiful poetry that Valiente added to the ritual, offered a feminine perspective that allowed for the spiritual feminism that followed in the 1960’s

He had considerable correspondence with Gardner and in 1963 asked to be initiated. Gardner arranged for Buckland to be initiated and then Buckland could initiate his wife and form a Coven. Just before his death Gardner received news of the US Coven and it must have gratified him that the Craft would grow in the United States. The letter he received from the Witch who initiated Buckland: “The American group is formed. Delightful people! And they are taking to the Craft like a duck to water. I have had to lead and teach everyone I brought in, but Robat & Rowen {Raymond and Rosemary Buckland} came with complete faith and delight in our rituals. We sent Robat back (to US) as HP with nearly a complete set of tools. He will bring in Rowen, and they are starting with a group of 8. I have also handed over all my American correspondence and they will handle it.” (Heselton, 2012, Vol. 2, p. 632)