With that ‘too-long-didn’t read’ header I might have said it all — or nothing. I know I might be opening a can of worms — or maybe addressing the elephant in the room. But before I go into it, let me clarify two key points:

The above DOES NOT equal: ‘Abuse/predatory behaviour does not happen in Gardnerian Craft’. We are not going to pull the typical ‘Oh well, if he did that, then he never reaaally was a *true* Gardnerian’. (Very) unfortunately, it does happen — and we have to own that.

There IS a place in Gardnerian Craft for sex. If you have read enough about the Cult, you probably have a slight idea. But there is a place, a context, and a form for it. More below.

Now, let’s cut to the chase. I recently came across with Sarah Anne Lawless’ articles on abuse in the community and Neopaganism (they also led me to Greer’s article). If you have read them, you can I guess how I felt: devastated.

If you have read them you will probably assume that I felt really attacked, and that this entire post is just a #NotAllCovens. No BS in this article…Of course I felt attacked for the first 2 seconds — when one holds something very dear (even sacred) and someone else portrays it in a different way that one has experience it, this is meant to happen.

After those 2 seconds, and probably due to my involvement on consent culture (and probably as well to my corporate growth mindset) I switched to ‘What can I do?’: ‘Should I clarify it?’ (Because mansplaining always works y’know), or ‘Maybe I can say that’s not welcomed!’ (Because that helps a lot, of course). At the end I just decided to tweet the article. I also took the chance to try to stand up against dear Shelley Rabinovich, who tried to show off her alleged Gardnerian-ness and WitchQueen-ness in order to defend one of the men named in the article (and I say alleged because, nope, as crazy as it may sound, receiving a copy of Gardner’s BAM from Doreen when you visit her, or claiming lineage via the nonexistent Mary Buckle, does not make you a Gardnerian).

Then I felt absolutely powerless.

In all this conversation (not just the articles) there was a clear call out on the lack of action from so-called leaders. I have been raised, Craft-wise, in a consent-aware environment. I am not a leader, nor a BNP, I don’t have a big audience, and I doubt the majority of members of own tradition even know who I am.

Because of how the cult is shaped, my authority extends (as I like to say) ‘just about 9 feet away’ — nor more nor less. I keep addressing and stressing it in the articles I write in Spanish for seekers. Also driving the consent conversation in different fora.

There are no specific names mentioned in the articles so I cannot drive a conversation in the community around specific individuals.

Right. That’s what I have done, or what I can’t do. Now, what CAN I do?



I can speak up. I can listen. I can provide advice. I can offer my support/help. I can confirm/clarify.



I have been listening to all the discussions on these topics (and open to listen to more). I am speaking up. Let me clarify some aspects, and end up with the advices. The support for help is an ongoing one.

Now, before I ‘clarify’ I want to make something clear. The below is not intended to make a victim feel like an odd exception. Repeat with me ‘Abuse DOES happen’ yes, in Gardnerian Craft too. This is not ‘Oh, I guess it happens…It never happened to me, though…’. These are points for Seeker who are still in doubt about some aspect on Gardnerian Craft and sex:

Gerald Gardner/BDSM: As a victorian man, he was definitely against homosexuality. There is an account about him being very fond of some-BDSM practices in ritual. I am not going to ‘defend his virtue’. What needs to be clear is that he did not pass down BDSM as a form of sexual practice, or practice to generate any form of arousal. To put it very bluntly, having someone getting randomly aroused in the Circle, or getting sexual in it would be weird AF — and I would ask the person to leave immediately.

There is a place for Sex in Gardnerian Craft: And that place is a place of consent; usually between partners and in private. And I say ‘usually’ because there might be consenting coven members who might decide and agree to raise sexual energy together. Never seen or heard of it, but who knows. The part that is not ‘usually’ or negotiable is consent.

As Sarah mentioned in her article about other traditions, in Gardnerian Craft is one single initiatory rite where sex might take place — usually between partners. Always consensual. Never by surprise. Always discussed first. Never a requirement — most (if not all) covens, offer alternatives for that rite. Consent is (should be) embedded in Gardnerian practice: Usually, it’s the controversial bits that are highlighted: the nudity, the sex, the BDSM-style of some practices… But, in fact, and maybe because of that, Gardnerian rituals are shaped, from the very beginning, in a consensual manner.

One of the most vulnerable rituals, when the candidate is first brought in, is full of milestones and consent questions where the candidate is asked over and over again if they want to continue to the next step. They have to provide explicit, verbal, consent to virtually every single step — being the first time they are in the Circle. On top of that, each candidate is assured that they can, at any time, stop the ritual and leave —without any animosity from the group’s side. Nudity does not equal consent: Yes, we practice naked. No, that does not mean permission. If nudity doesn’t mean permission in a gym’s showers, or at the beach, it certainly doesn’t mean permission in the Circle. Consent is an ongoing discussion: Gardnerian initiates talk, a lot. We just love talking and discussing. We have initiates-only platforms where we discuss. Guess what’s a recurrent topic: consent. This is an ongoing discussion. Like, literally, right now, there is an ongoing discussion on of the platforms about consent on a low level as greeting-hugging.

The main takeaway from the above should be: While there is room for sex and nudity in Gardnerian Craft, consent is paramount and non-negotiable.

And just so that we don’t loose the thread and think we are glorifying how consensual Gardnerian Craft is to erase any accounts of abuse events, let us repeat again: Abuse DOES happen — even in Gardnerian Craft.

Now, the tips/advice:

Call the police: Sarah already mentioned this on her article. But, in case there is any shred of doubt: CALL THE POLICE. If you think, for a moment, that doing it is going to be the cause of enmity between you and the wider Gardnerian community — Stop.Thinking.That.

However, I do empathise with the fact that not everyone feels empowered to that themselves — or the abuse is not clear enough. Proceed to second point and we will help you call the police. Reach out: We are here. Even if you have already gone to the police, let us know. Name them. This is not out of sheer curiosity — WE NEED TO KNOW. We need you to enable us to tackle this in parallel to the authorities. We don’t have a central authority and, as I said above, my own authority might only extend ‘about 9 feet’. But we are damn good witches, and we will make sure, to the best of our ability, that no Seekers are sent on that person/group’s way. We cannot ‘undo’ an initiation. But we definitely can, and will, outcast abusers from every single possible place.

Where can you do this?

You can reach out to us, public (and sometimes loud!), members of the High Priesthood, who are willing to support Seekers on this. We will make sure to socialise and give it the right amount of visibility. Verify, verify, verify: While this might not completely prevent abuse from taking place (because, as we have said, abuse does happen) it might reduce the chances. There are two things you will want to verify: That the person is a proper initiate: Whether they are truly Gardnerians. That the person is a proper person: Whether they are initiates or not, you want to make sure there haven’t been issues in the past with them.

Where? Again, you can reach out to us, anytime.

All of the above will not make up for those who have already suffered abuse. If it can prevent a single person from falling into it, I should be content, for my means are limited.

I guess this entire text could have been reduced to: Abuse in Gardnerian Craft should not happen, but it might and does happen. There is not a lot we can do, but we can do something.

The de-centralised, autonomous, mystery, hermetic, initiatory, character of Gerald Gardner’s cult (together with certain aspects like nudity), makes it an excellent place to foster and safeguard the most vulnerable, yet thrilling, and transforming, experiences. Unfortunately, the same character also makes it an excellent place to foster abuse in the form of gaslighting.



What we can do is let you know we are here, and we can help.

NB: Some interesting reading for Seekers that also tackles some of this topics and gives tips on identifying traditional groups ‘safely’ (also gives tips on first-contact, etc.) is @thornthewitch​‘s ‘Traditional Wicca: A Seeker’s Guide’



