Course Seven: Lore 341
Stewart Farrar (1916–2000)
Born in Essex, England,
Stewart Farrar was raised as a
Christian Scientist. In 1947, he
embarked on a long career as a
journalist and author. In 1969 his
magazine, the weekly Reveille,
assigned him to attend a press pre-
view of the film, Legend of Witches, for which
Alexander and Maxine Sanders, who had given tech-
nical advice, were present. Alex invited Stewart to a
Witchcraft Initiation. He found the ceremony moving
and wrote a feature story on it, which gained him
Sanders’s favor. Alex introduced Stewart to the pub-
lisher of his own biography, King of the Witches, where-
upon Stewart got the contract for What Witches Do.
He began attending Sanders’s training classes, and in
1970, Maxine initiated him into the coven, where he
met and eventually married the vivacious Janet Owen.
In 1970, the Farrars formed their own London
coven. What Witches Do clearly established Stewart
as a voice who promoted the Wiccan community,
resulting in many queries from people wishing to join
the Craft. After nine years of running a coven and giving
advice, the Farrars co-authored two books of ritual
and non-ritual material: Eight Sabbats for Witches
(1981) and The Witches’ Way (1984). They also wrote
The Witches’ Goddess (1987), Life & Times of a
Modern Witch (1987), and The Witches’ God (1989).Gwydion Pendderwen (1946–1982)
California-born, Tom DeLong
met Victor Anderson at the age of
13 and was initiated into his
magickal practices. Tom changed
his name to Gwydion Pendderwen,
as he was known for the rest of his
life. He majored in theater in col-
lege and was a superb actor and
dramatic reader. But he much preferred ritual drama,
sacred poetry, and music, which he created for the
Faerie Tradition that he and Victor developed. Gwydion
was very active in the Society for Creative Anachro-
nism (SCA) in its early years and became Court Bard.
In 1975, he produced the magickal community’s firstmusic album: Songs of the Old Religion. About the
same time, he purchased 55 acres of forest he called
Annwfn (the Welsh Underworld) on Greenfield Ranch
in Mendocino County, NorCalifia. I’d met Gwydion
in 1972, so when Morning Glory and I moved onto
the adjacent Coeden Brith (“speckled forest”) in 1977,
we all became deeply involved in creating a magickal
community together on the land.
Gwydion began holding annual New Year’s tree
plantings to reforest the logged-over land, and these,
along with Sabbats, soon grew to more than 100 people.
He chartered Forever Forests as a subsidiary Order of
the Church of All Worlds to sponsor these events. In
1976, Gwydion traveled to the British Isles, where he met
Alex Sanders and Stewart Farrar and was honored at the
Eistedffodd (bardic assembly) in Wales. His second
album, The Faerie Shaman, was produced in 1982, just
before his tragic death in a car accident at Samhain.Lesson 3: Living Wizards and Wise
Women: The Grey Council“I am Grey. I stand between the candle and the star.
We are Grey. We stand between the darkness and the light.”
(Delenn, B5, before the Grey Council, in “Babylon Squared”)“The Grey Council” is the legendary Council of
Wizards, Mages, and Sages that has been a recurring
theme through many tales and histories of Magick and
Wizardry. The “Grey” in the name connotes both the
notion of encompassing all shades of Magick (rather
than just black and white), as well as the grey in our
hair and beards that would seem to be a requisite for
the experience and wisdom we bring to this Council!
Membership in the Grey Council is not fixed, but
varies according to the projects and work we are doing
together at any one time. At this point in history, there
are more Wizards and Wise Women alive and practicing
than ever before. I cannot possibly begin to list all of
them. Members of the Grey Council are not just elders
of the magickal community; we are also all teachers
and mentors. Those indicated in bold, with bios
following, have specifically participated in the creation
of this Grimoire, contributing our best lessons as we
pass them on to our own students and apprentices.Frederic Lamond (1931-)
Raymond Buckland (1934-)
Nybor (1936-)
Nelson White (1938-2003)
Oberon Ravenheart (1942-)
Nicki Scully (1943-)
Richard Lance Christie (1944-)
Abby Willowroot (1945-)Amber K (1947-)
Morning Glory Ravenheart (1948-)
Luc Sala (1949-)
Andras Corban-Arthen (1949-)
P.E. Isaac Bonewits (1949-)
Raven Grimassi (1951-)
Donald Michael Kraig (1951-)
Ellen Evert Hopman (1952-)Lady Pythia (1952-)
Katlyn Breene (1953-)
Jesse Wolf Hardin (1954-)
Herman B. Triplegood (1958-)
Ian “Lurking Bear” Anderson (1959-)
Jeff “Magnus” McBride (1959-)
Trish Telesco (1960-)
Todd Karr (1965-)Current Members of the Grey Council
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