Patricia Crowther (Wiccan)
{{Short description|British occultist and Wiccan}}
Patricia Crowther (born 14 October 1927) who also goes by the craft name Thelema, is a British occultist considered influential in the early promotion of the Wiccan religion[http://www.thewica.co.uk/Elders.htm Elders of the Wica] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228090501/http://www.thewica.co.uk/Elders.htm |date=2014-12-28 }}. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
Early life
Crowther was born in Sheffield in 1927, then as Patricia Dawson. She was initiated into Witchcraft by fellow well-known Wiccan Gerald Gardner.{{cite web |title=A glimpse into history: “A Spell of Witchcraft” radio programs re-released |url=https://wildhunt.org/2015/04/a-glimpse-into-history-a-spell-of-witchcraft-radio-programs-re-released.html |website=The Wild Hunt |access-date=14 April 2025}} Her handfasting to husband Arnold Crowther (1909–1974) took place in 1960.Philip Heselton, Witchfather. A life of Gerald Gardner. Volume II, Thoth Publications, Loughborough, Leichestershire, 2012
Career
Along with Doreen Valiente, Lois Bourne, and Eleanor Bone, Crowther is considered{{Cite web|title=Patricia Crowther|url=http://www.controverscial.com/Patricia%20Crowther.htm|access-date=2021-02-09|website=www.controverscial.com}} to be one of the "early mothers" of modern Wicca. Patricia and her then-husband, Arnold Crowther, founded the Sheffield Coven in 1961, of which they were High Priestess and High Priest.{{Cite web|title=Arnold Crowther|url=http://www.controverscial.com/Arnold%20Crowther.htm|access-date=2021-02-09|website=www.controverscial.com}} Crowther has promoted Witchcraft through a number of book publications, contributions to occult magazines and journals, and through a number of interviews with local and national newspapers. She has also appeared several times on television.
In 1971, both Patricia and her then-husband Arnold wrote and presented A Spell of Witchcraft, a radio programme produced and broadcast by BBC Radio Sheffield in six 20-minute parts. The radio programme, the first of its kind in relation to modern Witchcraft as a religion, explored the history and folklore of Witchcraft and presented elements of a local coven's activities and practices within the community.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrUmzSKIyNA|date=December 2012
Books
- 1965 - The Witches Speak (with Arnold Crowther)(Athol Publications)
- 1973 - Witchcraft in Yorkshire (Dalesman) {{ISBN|0-85206-178-1}}
- 1974 - Witch Blood (The Diary of a Witch High Priestess) (House of Collectibles) {{ISBN|0-87637-161-6}}
- 1981 - Lid off the Cauldron: A handbook for witches (Muller) {{ISBN|0-584-10421-9}}
- 1992 - The Zodiac Experience (Samuel Weiser Inc) {{ISBN|0-87728-739-2}}
- 1992 - The Secrets of Ancient Witchcraft With the Witches' Tarot (Carol Publishing) {{ISBN|0-8065-1056-0}}
- 1992 - Witches Were for Hanging (Excalibur Press of London) {{ISBN|1-85634-049-X}}
- 1998 - One Witch's World (Robert Hale) {{ISBN|0-7090-6222-2}} (published in America under the title High Priestess. Apart from the title, they are the same book) (Phoenix Publishing) {{ISBN|0-919345-87-5}}
- 2001 - High Priestess: The Life & Times of Patricia Crowther (Phoenix Publishing Inc.) {{ISBN|978-0919345874}}
- 2002 - From Stagecraft to Witchcraft: The Early years of a High Priestess(Capall Bann) {{ISBN|1-86163-163-4}}
- 2009 - Covensense (Robert Hale) {{ISBN|9780709087205}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/c/crowther_patricia_c.html The Mystica site on Patricia Crowther]
- [http://www.thewica.co.uk/Elders.htm The Wicca - Website with some information about Patricia Crowther.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228090501/http://www.thewica.co.uk/Elders.htm |date=2014-12-28 }}
- [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLERh-OV_Nfkf-2OiYZp0YXscbUi_Y3k2w Patricia Crowther personal recording from her book Zodiac Experience]
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