Scott Cunningham
Scott Douglas Cunningham (* June 27, 1956, † March 28, 1993 ) was the author of several popular books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects. Today the name Cunningham is synonymous with natural magic and magical community. He is considered one of the most influential and revolutionary authors in the field of natural magic.
Biography
Scott Cunningham was born in William -Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, United States and is the second son of Chester Grant Cunningham and Rose Marie Wilhoit. The Cunningham family moved in the fall of 1959 to San Diego, California. Apart from many trips to Hawaii, where he lived until his death in San Diego. Cunningham had an older brother, Greg, and a younger sister, Christine.
During his high school years he met a girl who moved in occult circles and Witches Coven. This classmate introduced him to Wicca and taught him the spiritual Wiccan. It was introduced and initiated into various eclectic coven.
He studied from 1978 at the San Diego State University literature. After two years, he had more work published than most of his professors, and left early the university to devote himself entirely to writing.
1983 Scott Cunningham lymphoma was diagnosed. Over the years, his health deteriorated watching and since 1990 he increasingly suffered several infections caused by the cancer. In 1993 he died at the age of 36.
Neo -Paganism
The religious faith of Cunningham was simple and easy to understand. He has practiced a fairly basic interpretation of witchcraft, often alone, though he describes in his book series for solitary practitioners as he practiced together with friends and teachers. Although his faith was quite simple, he has described in great detail and thoroughly religion. Cunningham has the rituals practiced extensively and verified that his explanations were clear and concise in his books. This is also illustrated his belief that religion is a deeply personal and very individual matter. In Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Cunningham's most successful book, he wrote: "Learn by doing and the Goddess and the God will bless you with everything you really need. "
He also believed that Wicca should point than previously secret religion for beginners more openness and acceptance. In the same book he wrote: " Wicca was until the past decade, a closed religion, now it is not anymore. The internal components of Wicca are open to anyone who can read and has the right mind to understand the matter. The only secrets of Wicca are the various forms of rituals, spells, names of deities and so on. "
It is reported that Cunningham 1980 Raven Grimassi, another popular neopaganen author studied the tradition. Grimassi confirmed that Cunningham was initiated in the three years in which he instructed him in the first degree of its tradition.
Bibliography
Credentials
- Several of Scott 's own books containment autobiographical text.
- Rosemary Ellen Guiley: The Encyclopedia of Witches & Witchcraft.
- Raven Grimassi: Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft.
- David Harrington: Whispers of the Moon: The Life and Work of Scott Cunningham, Philosopher - Magician, Modern - Day Pagan.