It began when Gerald Gardner was initiated into a coven of Witches in the New Forest in the 1930s. These people, so far as we know, were the first to call themslves Witches in modern times (rather than being called that by other people).
Gardnerian Craft has no dogma and works with a Goddess who represents life and summer and a Horned God that represents death and winter. We practise lunar and seasonal rituals in covens and work natural magic.
We use the word Witchcraft interchangably with the word Wicca, because Wicca is an Old English word which means Witch. That being said, Wicca usually refers to the initiatory tradition while witchcraft can refer to the practice of folk magic.
What is a Witch? The word witch means different things to different people. Without wishing to detract from anyone else's definition, for us, Witches are what witches do, and they do four things:-
1. They celebrate and re-experience the mysteries through the myth of the Wheel of the Year
2. They raise power to work magic
3. They practise the Great Work
4. They practise the arts magical- tarot, runes, scrying, dowsing etc.
Our training focuses on Witches are what Witches do.
We teach what it means to be part of a mystery tradition and how to experience the wheel of the year. We look at how to raise power and alter consciousness in order to practice natural magic. We teach people how to practise the Great Work, that process of knowing yourself and relating directly to the Divine. We also look at some of the arts magical including dowsing.
If you are interested contact us at suffolkwitchcraft@gmail.com