Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

HORNIMAN, Annie E F (1860-1937)

A notable occultist at the turn of the century and the inheritor of her father's private ethnographic collection which became the Horniman Museum at Forest Hill in South London. A one-time student of the Slade she used her influence to persuade her father to employ S L MacGregor Mathers for a time as museum curator and, in doing so, facilitated his marriage to Moina Bergson.

Annie Horniman joined the Isis-Urania Temple and was made the first initiate member of the Second Order of Golden Dawn (see HERMETIC ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN) when the Vault was inaugurated in December 1891, subsequently funding several of S L MacGregor Mathers overseas studies of the Occult.

She was regarded as difficult and tactless, gaining the nickname 'Pussy', and she resigned her position with the Isis-Urania Temple in London at the end of 1896, disillusioned with MacGregor Mathers pecuniary demands on her and was promptly expelled from the Order. She was reinstated by W. B. Yeats when he took over as Chief but, in 1902, continuing political unrest over the existence of Secret Groups within Golden Dawn, which she strongly opposed, persuaded her to resign for good.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc

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