Pagan Blog Project - B is for Buckland, Raymond

I'm still attempting to catch up on posts since my introduction to the Pagan Blog Project came a little late. As I'm sure you have surmised from the title and photo, Raymond Buckland is the subject of this post. I must admit that I started reading Buckland's books after getting my hands on and devouring some of the more frowned upon titles (gasp!). In fact, I still remember the look of horror on my mother's face when she picked up Bucky's Big Blue Book from my holds at the library. Talk about an interesting conversation!

Tomorrow's post will go into further detail on "Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft." For now, let me share with you a little bit about the man.

Raymond Buckland is often credited as being the man responsible for bringing Wicca from Europe to the United States. Born in London on August 31, 1934, Raymond developed an interest in spiritualism at a young age. His connection to Gerald Gardner seems to have started after he and his wide emigrated to the US in the early 1960s. He would eventually begin conversing with Gardner over the phone and via mail which led to his initiation into the Gardnerian tradition. Upon returning to the states, he and his wife established a coven. He would later develop his own tradition called Seax-Wicca.

Buckland's writing career began in 1969. He has written over sixty titles on a variety of subjects including Wicca, Witchcraft, candle rituals, and spirit communication, and has even tried his hand at a few fiction books. He is renowned for his place in Wicca's history among Gardner, Sanders, Valiente, and Monique Wilson. His contribution to the Pagan community will be felt for many years to come.

He moved to the state of Ohio with his wife, Tara, in 1992. It is rumored that he is working on an autobiography among a few other titles. While his website seems to have been nearly forgotten, he frequently posts updates to his Facebook account.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a discussion on what is arguably Buckland's most popular titles.