Upon learning today of the death of Isaac Bonewits, I reflected on the influence of his book ‘Real Magic’ on my development as an aspiring neo-pagan back in the late 1980’s. Around 1988 or so, many of the people in my social group were Wiccans. I had grown up in a very non-religious, but not anti-religious household. Religion just wasn’t a part of my life.
On several occasions, there were social gatherings that I would attend that preceded sabbats, and I would always leave prior to the ritual. One day, I decided to stay and participate. I stayed with the group for about 3 years before I felt that I had learned what I needed to, and moved on.
During this period, I read about magic extensively. Between the libraries at Indiana State University, and at Wyrd House, a monthly metaphysical social gathering I was active in at the time, I had the works of a wide selection of contemporary pagan authors at my disposal. I read Adler, Fitch, Cunningham, Cabot, Gardiner, Sanders, Bonewits, and many others. Isaac’s approach to magic really spoke to me, and it informed the structure and practice of my practice for many years.
Observations on fringe culture, science, epistemology, and the occult
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