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

WITCHES' HOUSE MUSEUM

Curated by Cecil Williamson at Boscastle in north Cornwall, the museum contains a collection of exhibits that are claimed to be associated with Hereditary Witchcraft and folk Magick, mostly applicable to, and drawn from, the English West Country.

Although the museum contains a wide range of artefacts, documents and photographs, many of the exhibits are without proper provenance and are therefore of questionable authenticity and origin. The museum was formerly located at Box Bush House, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire where it was founded as the Museum of Witchcraft.

Williamson was also the founder of the Museum of Magic and Witchcraft, later purchased by Gerald Gardner, at Castletown in the Isle of Man.

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