Isaac Bonewits
Isaac Bonewits | |
---|---|
Magic) | |
Occupation(s) | Public speaker, liturgist, songwriter |
Spouse | Phaedra Bonewits (m. 2007) |
Children | 1 |
Website | http://www.neopagan.net |
Phillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits (October 1, 1949 – August 12, 2010
Early life and education
Bonewits was born on October 1, 1949, in
Career
Early years
In 1966, while enrolled at
1970s: author and editor
His first book, Real Magic, was published in 1971. Between 1973 and 1975 Bonewits was employed as the editor of Gnostica magazine in Minnesota (published by
In 1976, Bonewits moved back to Berkeley and rejoined his original grove there, now part of the New Reformed Druids of North America (NRDNA). He was later elected Archdruid of the Berkeley Grove.[3]
1980s: founding of Ár nDraíocht Féin
Throughout his life Bonewits had varying degrees of involvement with occult groups including Gardnerian Wicca and the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn (a Wiccan organization not to be confused with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn).[7] Bonewits was a regular presenter at Neopagan conferences and festivals all over the US, as well as attending gaming conventions in the Bay Area. He promoted his book Authentic Thaumaturgy to gamers as a way of organizing Dungeons & Dragons games.
In 1983, Bonewits founded Ár nDraíocht Féin (also known as "A Druid Fellowship" or ADF), which was incorporated in 1990 in the state of Delaware as a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit organization.[3] Although illness curtailed many of his activities and travels for a time, he remained Archdruid of ADF until 1996. In that year, he resigned from the position of Archdruid but retained the lifelong title of ADF Archdruid Emeritus.
Musician and activist
A songwriter, singer, and recording artist, he produced two CDs of pagan music and numerous recorded lectures and panel discussions, produced and distributed by the Association for Consciousness Exploration. He lived in Rockland County, New York, and was a member of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS).
Bonewits encouraged charity programs to help Neopagan seniors,[8] and in January 2006 was the keynote speaker at the Conference On Current Pagan Studies at the Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA.[9]
Personal life
Bonewits was married five times. He was married to Rusty Elliot from 1973 to 1976. His second wife was Selene Kumin Vega, followed by marriage to
Bonewits' only child was born to Deborah Lipp in 1990.[3]
Illness and death
In 1990, Bonewits was diagnosed with
On October 25, 2009, Bonewits was diagnosed with a rare form of
Accusations of sexual assault
In 2018, accusations of sexual abuse against a minor rose against ADF founder Bonewits relating to his relationship with Moira Greyland when she was six years old.[12] Greyland said in her book, 'The Last Closet: the Dark Side of Avalon':
"Some people called him the Pagan pope […] I hated Isaac, and refused to be in the same room with him, even if the only way I could articulate my objections to him was to say ‘he tickled me.'"[12]
In light of this accusation, ADF, the lead pagan organization that Issac Bonewits founded, removed his name from their website and repudiated him.
"To preserve the health of our organization, we must cut out the blight that is Isaac Bonewits’ legacy. We sever the ties both historical and spiritual that bind us to him. For his actions against children, Isaac Bonewits will no longer be named as a beloved ancestor of ADF, nor is he welcome at our sacred fire.
May his memory and his dark actions fade with the rising of the sun."[13]
Contributions to Neopaganism
In his book Real Magic (1971), Bonewits proposed his "Laws of Magic". These "laws" are synthesized from a multitude of
Bonewits also coined much of the modern terminology used to articulate the themes and issues that affect the North American Neopagan community.
- Pioneered the modern usage of the terms "Meso-Paganism", and numerous other retronyms.
- Possibly coined the term "Pagan Reconstructionism", though the communities in question would later diverge from his initial meaning.[14][15]
- Founded Ar nDraiocht Fein, which was incorporated in 1990 in the state of Delaware as a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
- Developed the Advanced Bonewits Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (ABCDEF).
- Coined the phrase "Never Again the Burning".[16]
- Critiqued the Burning Times / Old Religion Murray thesis (in Bonewits's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca).
- In his book Real Magic (1971), Bonewits proposed his hypothesis on the Laws of Magic, which were then elaborated in his RPG supplement Authentic Thaumaturgy. The book makes it clear it is an adaptation of the ideas from Real Magic to gaming with the Laws presented being abbreviated from those in Real Magic.[17]
Bibliography
- Real Magic: An Introductory Treatise on the Basic Principles of Yellow Magic. (1972, 1979, 1989) Weiser Books ISBN 0-87728-688-4
- The Druid Chronicles (Evolved). (1976 Drunemeton Press, 2005 Drynemetum Press) (With Selene Kumin Vega, Rusty Elliot, and Arlynde d'Loughlan)
- ISBN 1-55634-360-4
- Rites of Worship: A Neopagan Approach. (2003) Earth Religions Press ISBN 1-59405-501-7OP
- Witchcraft: A Concise Guide or Which Witch Is Which?. (2003) Earth Religions Press ISBN 1-59405-500-9
- The Pagan Man: Priests, Warriors, Hunters, and Drummers. (2005) Citadel ISBN 978-0-8065-2697-3
- Bonewits's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca. (2006) Citadel ISBN 978-0-8065-2711-6
- Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism. (2006) Citadel ISBN 978-0-8065-2710-9
- Real Energy: Systems, Spirits, And Substances to Heal, Change, And Grow. (2007) New Leaf ISBN 978-1-56414-904-6. Co-authored with Phaedra Bonewits.
- Neopagan Rites: A Guide to Creating Public Rituals that Work. (2007) Llewellyn ISBN 978-0-7387-1199-7
Discography
Music
- Be Pagan Once Again! – Isaac Bonewits & Friends (including Ian Corrigan, Victoria Ganger, and Todd Alan) (CD) (ADF)
- Avalon is Rising! – Real Magic (CD)(ACE/ADF)
Spoken word
- The Structure of Craft Ritual (ACE)
- A Magician Prepares (ACE)
- Programming Magical Ritual: Top-Down Liturgical Design (ACE)
- Druidism: Ancient & Modern (ACE)
- How Does Magic Work? (ACE)
- Rituals That Work (ACE)
- Sexual Magic & Magical Sex (with Deborah Lipp) (ACE)
- Making Fun of Religion (with Deborah Lipp) (ACE)
Panel discussions
- The Magickal Movement: Present & Future (with Margot Adler, Selena Fox, and Robert Anton Wilson) (ACE)
- Magick Changing the World, the World Changing Magick (with AmyLee, Selena Fox, Jeff Rosenbaum and Robert Anton Wilson) (ACE)
References
- ^ a b c Aloi, Peg (August 12, 2010). "Isaac Bonewits (1949 - 2010) : A Tribute". Witchvox. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ Carlson, Jess (2010-08-12). "Isaac Bonewits Enters the Summerland". Jess Carlson. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ ISBN 9781438126845.
He also was the last to do so in the United States. College administrators were so embarrassed over the publicity about the degree that magic, witchcraft, and sorcery were banned from the individual group study program.
- ISSN 0362-4331.
Among June graduates at the University of California is Isaac Bonewits, who will receive a bachelor of arts in magic.
- ^ "Satanis". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved Jan 19, 2012.
- ^ Bonewits, Isaac (2005). "My Satanic Adventure". Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved Jan 19, 2012.
- ^ Bonewits, Isaac. "Isaac Bonewits' Biography". www.neopagan.net. Archived from the original on 2008-01-31. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ Bonewits, Isaac (2009). "Adopt an Elder". Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Conference on Current Pagan Studies". Archived from the original on 2016-12-03.
- ^ "Neopagan.Net 2007 Year-End Report and 2008 Donation Campaign - Views from the Cyberhenge". neopagan.net. Archived from the original on 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ Isaac Bonewits Diagnosed with Cancer Archived 2016-09-10 at the Wayback Machine, Jason Pitzl-Waters, The Wild Hunt
- ^ a b Greene, Heather (January 10, 2018). "Accusations of abuse surface against ADF founder Isaac Bonewits - News, Paganism, U.S." The Wild Hunt.
- ^ Hunt, The Wild (November 8, 2019). "ADF repudiates founder Isaac Bonewits - News, Paganism, The Wild Hunt, U.S., World". The Wild Hunt.
- ISBN 0-8065-2710-2. Author is unsure whether he "got this use of the term from one or more of the other culturally focused Neopagan movements of the time, or if [he] just applied it in a novel fashion".
- ^ McColman (2003) p.51: "Such reconstructionists are attempting, through both spiritual and scholarly means, to create as purely Celtic a spirituality as possible."
- ^ Bonewits, Isaac. "The Aquarian Manifesto with Historical Notes". www.neopagan.net. Archived from the original on 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2007-06-12.
- ^ Bonewits, Isaac (2005). Authentic Thaumaturgy. Steve Jackson Games. p. 58
Further reading
- Vale, V.; Sulak, John (2001). Modern Pagans : an Investigation of Contemporary Pagan Practices. San Francisco, Calif.: RE/Search Publications. pp. 70–77. ISBN 1-889307-10-6.
External links
- Neopagan Net (formerly "Isaac Bonewits' Homepage")
- The laws
- A Reformed Druid Anthology includes The Druid Chronicles (Evolved)
- "An Open Letter to Selena Fox"
- Advanced Bonewits Cult Danger Evaluation Frame