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Pagan Pioneers: Founders, Elders, Leaders and Others
Dorothy Morrison
Written and compiled by George Knowles
Dorothy Morrison is an award winning American author and teacher of Wicca and Neo-Paganism. An author of more than twelve books on Witchcraft and associated subjects, she is a member of the Pagan Poet’s Society and has contributed many articles to leading magazines and journals. A teacher for more than 25 years, her practical down-to-earth approach to Witchcraft has inspired many on their paths to the Craft of the Wise.
Born in Texas on the 06th May 1955, her father was a small town Deputy Sheriff and later Chief of Police in Houston. Ancestrally through her mother Laura Belle Potter, Dorothy claims to be a direct descendant of William the Conqueror (William I - 1027-1087, King of England from 1066-87), and Robert the Bruce of Scotland (Robert I - 1274-1329, King of Scotland from 1306-29), plus various doctors, lawyers, ministers and other prominent people including: a Kentucky Governor, the first Poet Laureate of Texas and a charter member of the famous Texas Rangers.
As a child Dorothy grew up a tomboy, and able to ride a horse before she could walk, this was mainly due to her father who was a keen outdoorsman and horse rider. As an early member of the “Texas Trail Ride Association” he was naturally proud of his daughters riding abilities, particularly when at the age of just two years old, she was featured in a photo shoot for the Western Horseman magazine. Her father was also a keen mathematician and criminologists. He served in law enforcement for over forty years, and was one of the first Chief’s of Police in Texas to admit African-Americans and Hispanic police officers on the force.
Coming from a Catholic family, her junior schooling was spent at a Catholic school, during which time she consider becoming a nun herself. However, by the time she was ready for high school, the era of the swinging 60’s was well advanced and the Catholic Church was seriously at odds with the rest of society. Their stance on birth control and equality for women did much to alienate them from the rest of the public. Although still quite young at the time, such issues opened her eyes to the patriarchal nature of the Catholic Church and their attitude to female advancement and church clergy participation. With that in mind she decided she could no longer support their beliefs and dogmas. It was after this that she persuaded her parents to allow her to attend public high school, instead of entering a church seminary.
In 1973, her final year before graduating high school, Dorothy was introduced to a tarot card reader, who later invited her to a party. The party turned out to be a regular “Cake and Ale” party, the traditional way for a “Coven of Witches” to finish off their meetings or rituals. After the initial shock of being in a room full of witches had worn off (being a Catholic she was naturally weary), she soon began to relax and enjoy the evening. As the evening progressed she discovered (as was a common misconception held by many) that they were not about to sacrifice babies, indeed they appeared to be no different from anyone else, except that they held to a different set of beliefs: “an it harm none, do what you will”.
The tarot reader who befriended Dorothy turned out to be a member of the Georgian tradition of witchcraft, an eclectic form of modern day Wicca, so Dorothy determined to find out more:
“The Georgian tradition had been founded just a few years earlier in 1971, by George “Pat” Patterson aided by two women: Zanoni Silverknife and Lady Tanith. In 1972 the Universal Life Church had given a charter to the Georgian’s as “the Church of Wicca of Bakersfield”, which was later reorganised and re-chartered in 1980 as “the Georgian Church”. The Georgian tradition is an eclectic mix of Gardnerian, Alexandrian and British Traditional practices in that it’s members are initiated and bound by oath. Many of the rituals are similar to those published in various books, such as the Stewart and Janet Farrar Eight Sabbats for Witches and The Witches' Way, and the privately distributed version of what was later published as Ed Fitch’s Grimoire of the Shadows. The Georgian tradition is God and Goddess oriented tradition, and is both religious and magical in practice. They also celebrate the eight Sabbats in common with most other Wiccan traditions, while encouraging it’s members to learn from all available sources”.
The Georgian tradition happened along at just the right time for Dorothy, for as the tradition had no strict dogmas or “by the book” ways to practice its beliefs, after the restrictions of Catholicism and being ever a non-conformist, it allowed her to be who she wanted to be while stretching the bounds of her own creative beliefs.
After graduating from Columbus High School in 1973, Dorothy moved to Houston in Texas, then again to California. While in California she married her first husband and had a son, before moving on again this time to Missouri. It was in Missouri that Dorothy discovered she had a passion and a talent for Archery and Bow-hunting. This came about when someone gave her son an Archery set for Christmas, at the time they were seeking a family activity to share, so both she and her husband took it up too. By the time of their second year on the circuit, Dorothy had earned three bow-hunting State Championship titles (one each from Arkansas, Tennessee and Illinois).
“A Bowhunter’s Prayer To Diana” by Dorothy Morrison
Oh Silvery Huntress of the Night! Diana of the pale moonlight! Oh Goddess of the Silver Bow Smile on your humble child, below Come now to me and be my guest, And aid me in this hunt...my quest! In this endeavor, grant success. Grant me patience - grant kindness Watch over me and guide my steps As I walk into the forest’s depths. Protect me from all injury And close beside me, always be. Aid me as I track the deer. Through brush and thickets, far and near. When it comes time to draw my bow Grant me accuracy, here below Guide my arrows with speed and skill Grant painless death and swiftest kill. Silvery Huntress, I am your child... I hunt your forests, free and wild. Bless this hunt, I ask of thee Oh Great Diana, hear my plea Goddess of Wild Ones and the Night! Bless my table with food tonight!
It was during this time that Dorothy began writing; she worked on the staff of several Bow-hunting magazines and at the same time began contributing articles to as many Craft orientated publications as she could find. She was also good enough with a bow that a manufacturer signed her up as a Pro-shooter, and she began traveling the circuit giving demonstrations. Over the following few years before her shooting arm gave out, she shot for some of the leading equipment manufacturers: High Country, American, Oregon, Hoyt and PSE.
While all this had been going on Dorothy had continued to study and practice the Craft, but it wasn’t until the mid 1980’s that she completed her initiations and became a qualified High Priestess of the Georgian Church. In 1986 she hived off from her mother coven and founded her own: the “Coven of the Crystal Garden”. Since then she has spent many years traveling and teaching Craft subjects to students across the United States and as far away as Australia.
After she could no-longer shoot arrows for a living, Dorothy became an administrator for the Humane Society, and was responsible for two animal shelters in Missouri. It was a position that was both rewarding and distasteful, she say’s. The rewards were most satisfying as she watched people leaving the shelter having adopted a homeless animal. But sadly those rewards were tampered, for each day she was faced with putting down numerous perfectly healthy animals, for no other reason than that there was no place to keep or home them. “It was the hardest thing I have ever done, and I don’t think I could ever work somewhere like that again. It wasn’t the pleasant work I’d first envisioned, but it did much to deepen my relationship with the Dark Mother”.
“Founded in 1870, the Humane Society of Missouri has been dedicated to giving animals a second chance. They provide safe havens to all animals in need - large and small – who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Their mission is to end pet abuse and overpopulation through rescue and investigative efforts, spay and neutering programs, and educational classes. They also strive to create lasting relationships between people and animals through adoption programs, and endeavour to support those bonds by making available world-class veterinary care with pet obedience and behaviour programs: http://www.hsmo.org/m_aboutus/index.php”
Dorothy worked for the Humane Society for several more years, until the release of her first book “In Praise of the Crone” (1999). When the Humane Society discovered she had written a book about Witchcraft, they apparently took exception to it, and she was fired shortly after it was published. Initially upset by their treatment, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise and a turning pointing in her life, for it allowed her the freedom she needed to concentrate on her new career as a writer. She also had another interest in her life.
On Christmas Day in 1998, Dorothy had met her future husband Mark, and for the first time in her life came to understand the meaning of “perfect love and perfect trust”. She and Mark were married a year later in December 1999. They now live together in Northern Virginia with two Labrador retrievers called Sadie Mae and Jonah Know.
Since then Dorothy has been writing full-time and has authored some 13 books, plus the Whimsical Tarot Deck (illustrated by Mary Hanson-Roberts). Always eager to learn more about the Craft, Dorothy is currently studying with the “RavenMyst Circle Tradition” and has taken her second-degree initiation with their “Coven of the Raven” based in Michigan. Her main interests include: Tarot working, magical herbalism, stone working and computer networking.
End
Bibliography:
Bud, Blossom & Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardener's Handbook (2001) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 156718443X, ISBN 978-1567184433 The Craft: A Witch's Book of Shadows (2001) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 1567184464, ISBN 978-1567184464 The Craft
Companion: A Witch's Journal (2001) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 0738700932, ISBN 978-0738700939 Dancing the Goddess Incarnate: Living the Magic of Maiden, Mother & Crone with Kristin Madden (2006) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 0738706361, ISBN 978-0738706368 Enchantments of the Heart: A Magical Guide to Finding the Love of Your Life (2002) Career Books ISBN 1564145468, ISBN 978-1564145468 Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living (2002) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 1567184693, ISBN 978-1567184693 Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living (2004) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 0738702498, ISBN 978-0738702490 Everyday Sun Magic: Spells & Rituals for Radiant Living (2005) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 0738704687, ISBN 978-0738704685 Everyday
Tarot Magic: Meditation & Spells (2003) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 0738701750, ISBN 978-0738701752 In Praise of the Crone (1999) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 1567184685, ISBN 978-1567184686 Magical Needlework (2002) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 1567184707, ISBN 978-1567184709 Yule: A
Celebration of Light and Warmth (2000) Llewellyn Publications ISBN 1567184960, ISBN 978-1567184969 Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavoury
Notions (2008) Willowtree Press ISBN-10:
0979453313, ISBN-13: 978-0979453311
Sources:
http://www.dorothymorrison.com/ http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/author.php?id=24861 http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/recommendedreading/a/Morrison_Interv.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Morrison Penguin Hutchinson Reference Library Copyright (c) 1996 Helicon Publishing and Penguin Books Ltd Written and compiled on the 24th August 2008 © George Knowles
Best wishes and Blessed Be
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Site Contents - Links to all Pages
A Universal Message:
Let there be peace in the world - Where have all the flowers gone?
About me: My Personal Page / My Place in England / My Family Tree (Ancestry)
Wicca & Witchcraft
Wicca/Witchcraft / What is Wicca / What is Magick
Traditional Writings:
The Wiccan Rede / Charge of the Goddess / Charge of the God / The Three-Fold Law (includes The Law of Power and The Four Powers of the Magus) / The Witches Chant / The Witches Creed / Descent of the Goddess / Drawing Down the Moon / The Great Rite Invocation / Invocation of the Horned God / The 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief / The Witches Rede of Chivalry / A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality
Correspondence Tables:
Incense / Candles / Colours / Magickal Days / Stones and Gems / Elements and Elementals
Traditions:
Traditions Part 1 - Alexandrian Wicca / Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) / Ár Ndraíocht Féin (ADF) / Blue Star Wicca / British Traditional (Druidic Witchcraft) / Celtic Wicca / Ceremonial Magic / Chaos Magic / Church and School of Wicca / Circle Sanctuary / Covenant of the Goddess (COG) / Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) / Cyber Wicca / Dianic Wicca / Eclectic Wicca / Feri Wicca /
Traditions Part 2 - Gardnerian Wicca / Georgian Tradition / Henge of Keltria / Hereditary Witchcraft / Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (H.O.G.D.) / Kitchen Witch (Hedge Witch) / Minoan Brotherhood and Minoan Sisterhood Tradition / Nordic Paganism / Pagan Federation / Pectic-Wita / Seax-Wica / Shamanism / Solitary / Strega / Sylvan Tradition / Vodoun or Voodoo / Witches League of Public Awareness (WLPA) /
Other things of interest:
Gods and Goddesses (Greek
Mythology) / Esbats &
Full Moons / Links
to Personal Friends & Resources / Wicca/Witchcraft
Resources / What's a spell? /
Circle Casting and
Sacred Space / Pentagram
- Pentacle / Marks
of a Witch / The Witches
Power / The Witches Hat
/ An
esoteric guide to visiting London / Satanism
/ Pow-wow
/ The
Unitarian Universalist Association / Numerology: Part 1
/ Part 2 / Part
3 / A
history of the Malleus Maleficarum: includes: Pope
Innocent VIII /
The
papal Bull /
The
Malleus Maleficarum /
An extract from the Malleus Maleficarum
/ The letter of approbation
/ Johann
Nider’s Formicarius /
Jacob
Sprenger /
Heinrich Kramer /
Stefano Infessura
/ Montague Summers /
The Waldenses
/ The Albigenses
/
The Hussites / The
Native American Sun Dance
/ Shielding (Occult
and Psychic Protection) /
Sabbats and Festivals:
The Sabbats in History and Mythology / Samhain (October 31st) / Yule (December 21st) / Imbolc (February 2nd) / Ostara (March 21st) / Beltane (April 30th) / Litha (June 21st) / Lammas/Lughnasadh (August 1st) / Mabon (September 21st)
Rituals contributed by Crone:
Samhain / Yule / Imbolc / Ostara / Beltane / Litha / Lammas / Mabon
Tools:
Tools of a Witch / The Besom (Broom) / Poppets and Dolls / Pendulums / Cauldron Magick / Mirror Gazing
Animals:
Animals in Witchcraft (The Witches Familiar and Totem Animals) / Antelope / Bats / Crow / Fox / Frog and Toads / Goat / Honeybee / Kangaroo / Lion / Owl / Phoenix / Rabbits and Hares / Raven / Robin Redbreast / Sheep / Spider / Squirrel / Swans / Unicorn / Wild Boar / Wolf / Serpent / Pig / Stag / Horse / Mouse / Cat / Rats / Unicorn
Trees:
In Worship of Trees - Myths, Lore and the Celtic Tree Calendar. For descriptions and correspondences of the thirteen sacred trees of Wicca/Witchcraft see the following: Birch / Rowan / Ash / Alder / Willow / Hawthorn / Oak / Holly / Hazel / Vine / Ivy / Reed / Elder
Sacred Sites:
Mystical Sacred Sites - Stonehenge / Glastonbury Tor / Malta - The Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni / Avebury / Cerne Abbas - The Chalk Giant / Ireland - Newgrange /
Rocks and Stones:
Stones - History, Myths and Lore
Articles contributed by Patricia Jean Martin:
Apophyllite / Amber / Amethyst / Aquamarine / Aragonite / Aventurine / Black Tourmaline / Bloodstone / Calcite / Carnelian / Celestite / Citrine / Chrysanthemum Stone / Diamond / Emerald / Fluorite / Garnet / Hematite / Herkimer Diamond / Labradorite / Lapis Lazuli / Malachite / Moonstone / Obsidian / Opal / Pyrite / Quartz (Rock Crystal) / Rose Quartz / Ruby / Selenite / Seraphinite / Silver and Gold / Smoky Quartz / Sodalite / Sunstone / Thunderegg / Tree Agate / Zebra Marble
Wisdom and Inspiration:
Knowledge vs Wisdom by Ardriana Cahill / I Talk to the Trees / Awakening / The Witch in You / A Tale of the Woods / I have a Dream by Martin Luther King /
Articles and Stories about Witchcraft:
Murdered by Witchcraft / The Fairy Witch of Clonmel / A Battleship, U-boat, and a Witch / The Troll-Tear (A story for Children) / Goody Hawkins - The Wise Goodwife / The Story of Jack-O-Lantern / The Murder of the Hammersmith Ghost / Josephine Gray (The Infamous Black Widow) / The Two Brothers - Light and Dark
Old Masters of Academia:
Pliny the Elder / Hesiod / Pythagoras
Biographies
A "Who's Who" of Witches, Pagans and other associated People (Ancient, Past and Present)
(Departed Pagan Pioneers, Founders, Elders and Others)
Pagan
Pioneers: Founders, Elders, Leaders and Others
Abramelin the Mage / Agrippa / Aidan A Kelly / Albertus Magnus - “Albert the Great” / Aleister Crowley - “The Great Beast” / Alex Sanders - “King of the Witches” / Alison Harlow / Allan Bennett - the Ven. Ananda Metteyya / Allan Kardec (Spiritism) / Alphonsus de Spina / Amber K / Ann Moura / Anna Franklin / Anodea Judith / Anton Szandor LaVey / Arnold Crowther / Arthur Edward Waite / Austin Osman Spare / Balthasar Bekker / Biddy Early / Barbara Vickers / Bridget Cleary - The Fairy Witch of Clonmel / Carl " Llewellyn" Weschcke / Cecil Hugh Williamson / Charles Godfrey Leland / Charles Walton / Christopher Penczak / Christina Oakley Harrington / Cornelius Loos / Damh the Bard - "Dave Smith" / Dion Fortune / Dolores Aschroft-Nowicki / Donald Michael Kraig / Doreen Valiente / Dorothy Morrison / Dr. John Dee & Edward Kelly / Dr. Leo Louis Martello / Edain McCoy / Edward Fitch / Eleanor Ray Bone - “Matriarch of British Witchcraft” / Eliphas Levi / Ernest Thompson Seton / Ernest Westlake / Fiona Horne / Frederick McLaren Adams - Feraferia / Friedrich von Spee / Francis Barrett / Gavin and Yvonne Frost and the School and Church of Wicca / Gerald B. Gardner - The father of contemporary Witchcraft / Gwydion Pendderwen / Hans Holzer / Helen Duncan / Herman Slater - Horrible Herman / Heinrich Kramer / Isaac Bonewits / Israel Regardie / Ivo Domínguez Jr. / Jack Whiteside Parsons - Rocket Science and Magick / James "Cunning" Murrell - The Master of Witches / Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone / Jean Bodin / Jessie Wicker Bell - “Lady Sheba” / Johann Weyer / Johannes Junius - "The Burgomaster of Bamberg" / Johann Georg Fuchs von Dornheim - the “Hexenbrenner” (witch burner) / John Belham-Payne / John George Hohman - "Pow-wow" / John Gerard / John Gordon Hargrave and the Kibbo Kith Kindred / John Michael Greer / John Score / Joseph “Bearwalker” Wilson / Joseph John Campbell / Karl von Eckartshausen / Lady Gwen Thompson - and "The Rede of the Wiccae" / Laurie Cabot - "the Official Witch of Salem" / Lewis Spence / Lodovico Maria Sinistrari / Ludwig Lavater / Madeline Montalban and the Order of the Morning Star / Margaret Alice Murray / Margot Adler / Michael Howard and the UK "Cauldron Magazine" / Margaret St. Clair - the “Sign of the Labrys” / Marie Laveau - " the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans" / Marion Weinstein / Martin Antoine Del Rio / Matthew Hopkins - “The Witch-Finder General” / Max Ehrmann and the "Desiderata" / Michael A. Aquino - and The Temple of Set / Monique Wilson / Montague Summers / Nicholas Culpeper / Nicholas Remy / M. R. Sellars / Mrs. Maud Grieve - "A Modern Herbal" / Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Morning Glory / Old Dorothy Clutterbuck / Old George Pickingill / Olivia Durdin-Robertson - co-founder of the Fellowship of Isis / Paddy Slade / Pamela Colman-Smith / Paracelsus / Patricia Crowther / Patricia Monaghan / Patricia “Trish” Telesco / Paul Foster Case and the “Builders of the Adytum” mystery school / Peter Binsfeld / Philip Heselton / Raven Grimassi / Raymond Buckland / Reginald Scot / Richard Baxter / Robert Cochrane / Robert ‘von Ranke’ Graves and the "The White Goddess" / Rosaleen Norton - “The Witch of Kings Cross” / Rossell Hope Robbins / Ross Nichols and the " Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids" (OBOD) / Rudolf Steiner / Sabrina Underwood - "The Ink Witch" / Scott Cunningham / Selena Fox - founder of "Circle Sanctuary" / Silver Ravenwolf / Sir Francis Dashwood / Sir James George Frazer and the " The Golden Bough" / S.L. MacGregor Mathers and the “Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn” / Starhawk / Stewart Farrar / Sybil Leek / Ted Andrews / The Mather Family - (includes: Richard Mather, Increase Mather and Cotton Mather ) / Thomas Ady / T. Thorn Coyle / Vera Chapman / Victor & Cora Anderson and the " Feri Tradition" / Vivianne Crowley / Walter Brown Gibson / Walter Ernest Butler / William Butler Yeats / Zsuzsanna Budapest /
Many of the above biographies are briefs and far from complete. If you know about any of these individuals and can help with additional information, please contact me privately at my email address below. Many thanks for reading :-)
"FAIR USE NOTICE"While I have taken due care and diligence to credit all sources where possible, this website may contain copyrighted material which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. My use of making such material available here is done so in my efforts to advance our understanding of religious discrimination, the environmental and social justice issues etc. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this website for purposes of your own then you must obtain permission from the relevant copyright owner yourself.Any queries please contact me at email - George@controverscial.com
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