From:    Tim Maroney                            Area: Night Side
To:      Tony Dominello                          6 May 92 14:28:00
Subject: RE: Re: Crowley and Wiccans            UpdReq 

The history in your message is fabricated and inaccurate.  It is unclear that
the New Forest "coven" even existed as such, and Crowley was never thrown out
of it.  It is true that Gardner didn't know Crowley until Crowley was old; it
is also true, however, that it was not until after Crowley's death that
Gardner began to propound his system of witchcraft.  The borrowings direectly
from Crowley -- particularly the Gnostic Mass and the Book of the Law -- were
extensive and have been documented by the Farrars (and more recently by the
foolish Aidan Kelly).  As for the supposed theological gap between Gardner and 
Crowley, apparently it was not so wide as to prevent Gardner from being a high 
initiate in Crowle/y's O.T.O., as well as the holder of an initiatory charter
in that organization; nor did it prevent Gardner from signing his first book,
_High_Magic's_Aid_, with his O.T.O. motto and degree.
Modern witchcraft is a derivation from Thelema and the Golden Dawn, with
Margaret Murray as its mythic basis.


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From:    Bobby Meizer                           Area: Night Side
To:      Tony Dominello                          6 May 92 18:42:38
Subject: RE: Re: Crowley and Wiccans            UpdReq 

But Gardner was a member of Crowley's organization before he formed his own,
and not the other way around. This is not to say that Gardner 'stole' anything 
from AC, but it's undeniable that he was influenced by his older contemporary.


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From:    Bobby Meizer                           Area: Night Side
To:      Tony Dominello                          6 May 92 18:46:34
Subject: RE: Re: Crowley and Wiccans            UpdReq 

I just don't understand why you label Crowley and Gardner as thieves just
because they were influenced by others' writings. Who hasn't been influenced
by others? Did they pass off quotes from others as their own works? I haven't
noted such instances. For example the piece Crowley called Liber Librae is
derived almost verbatim from Golden Dawn, but AC was careful to mention this
fact in his Confessions.


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