Raymond Buckland, whose craft name was Robat, was an English writer on the subject of Wicca and the occult, and a significant figure in the history of Wicca, of which he was a high priest in both the Gardnerian and Seax-Wica traditions.
18 Facts About Raymond Buckland
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Raymond Buckland later formed his own tradition dubbed Seax-Wica which focuses on the symbolism of Anglo-Saxon paganism.
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Raymond Buckland was of mixed ethnicity; his mother was English, and his father was Romanichal.
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Raymond Buckland was raised in the Anglican Church but developed an interest in Spiritualism and the occult at about age 12, after encountering it from a Spiritualist uncle.
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When World War II broke out in 1939, the family moved to Nottingham, where Raymond Buckland attended Nottingham High School.
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Raymond Buckland went on to be educated at King's College School.
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Whilst living in the United States, Raymond Buckland worked for British Airways.
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Raymond Buckland soon read the books The Witch-Cult in Western Europe by Margaret Murray and Witchcraft Today by Gerald Gardner, which gave him an insight into Wicca as it is commonly known.
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Some sources relay that Raymond Buckland had established a relationship with Gardner when he was living on the Isle of Man and running his witchcraft museum; it seems this relationship was by correspondence.
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Raymond Buckland met and befriended Margaret St Clair, author of the occult classic Sign of the Labrys.
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In 1968 Raymond Buckland formed the First Museum of Witchcraft and Magick in the United States, as influenced by Gardner's Museum of Witchcraft and Magick.
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In 1973, following his separation from his wife, Raymond Buckland moved his museum to Weirs Beach in New Hampshire.
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Raymond Buckland formed his own Wiccan tradition, Seax-Wica, based upon symbolism taken from Anglo-Saxon paganism.
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Raymond Buckland published everything about the movement in The Tree: Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft.
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Raymond Buckland then began a correspondence course to teach people about Seax-Wica, which grew to having around a thousand members.
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Raymond Buckland's health began failing in 2015, as he suffered first from pneumonia and then a heart attack.
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In 1969 Raymond Buckland published his first book, A Pocket Guide to the Supernatural.
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Raymond Buckland followed this in 1970 with Witchcraft Ancient and Modern and Practical Candleburning Rituals, as well as a novel called Mu Revealed, a spoof on the works of James Churchward, which was written using the pseudonym "Tony Earll".