Frederic Lamond, 1931 — 24 May 2020.

Very sad news. I first met Fred in the 1990s and I have many happy memories of him. I also have all of his books. We had great conversations about Wicca and other things and he told me stories about the early days of Wicca. Usually this was around the campfire. I have lit a candle for him. I was also on several mailing lists with him (in the era before Facebook). We wrote a piece together on secrecy in the Craft, which is included in my book (with credit to him).

He will be warmly greeted in the Summerlands by those who are already there. Condolences to Hildegard and the coven. Blessed be.

Fred was one of the members of the original Bricket Wood coven. His marriage to his first wife, Gillian, was (according to Ronald Hutton) probably the first known Wiccan wedding.

He was the author of three books: The Divine Struggle, Religion without Beliefs, and Fifty Years of Wicca.

The Divine Struggle describes his theory that the divine masculine is a destructive force that tries to shake things up, and the divine feminine is a nurturing force that tries to preserve things.

Religion without Beliefs is a philosophical exploration of Wicca as an experiential religion. It discusses some interesting questions, such as why Wicca spread first to mainly Protestant countries, and reveals Fred’s early visions of the Great Goddess.

Fifty years of Wicca is an account of the first fifty years of Wicca as experienced by Fred. He shares some thoughts on its development and where it might go next.

There can’t be that many of the first generation of Wiccans left now. Treasure them all.

Hail the goer. Blessed be.