In 1974, Raymond Buckland wrote in “Earth Religion News” (Vol 1 Issue 5) pag. 44:
Editorial
A special word of thanks is due publishers of Earth Religion News for the opportunity to launch a magazine of the Seax-Wica within the main body of their magazine. Earth Religion News has already, in a relatively short time, established itself as a valid voice of and for the Craft.It is hoped that the Seax-Wica will be as readily accepted.
All indications are that the Saxon tradition will become a strong part of the Craft. There has been an excellent response to founding of the Seax-Wica, from the moment the introductory article appeared in Issue #1 of Earth Religion News. It is especially enlightening — and distressing — to find that the “power-trip problem” is very wide-spread. Any numbre of people, writting for further information on the Seax-Wica, have spoken of their disillusionment in other traditions. This is an extremely unfortunate situation and one of which all coven leaders should take note.
MANIFEST
Without wishing to go to extremes of Christian Ten Commandments we would like to put foward the aims of the Seax-Wica in the following Manifiesto:-
(i) To worship the God and Goddess of the Old Religion*, whether as part of a group (Coven) or as an individual.
(ii) To aid others in learning of that worship.
(iii) To combat the untruths and straighten the misconceptions of the Craft held by many outsiders.
(iv) To work for harmony among the different traditions of the Craft.
(v) To work for a happier relationship between Man/Woman and other aspects of Nature (for we are all a part of Nature).
(vi) To help members progress and improve themselves mentally, physically, and spiritually.”
Page 45. Raymond Buckland answered some questions:
Do you think Saxon Witchcraft is better than Gardnerian?
We don’t think that any one tradition is “better” than another,…only that it is more suitable for certain people. It is the whole “my tradition is better (or “older”, or “more genuine”, or whatever) than yours” attitude which does so much harm to the Craft as a whole. There is no one religion that is right for all people. In the same way there can be no one Craft tradition which is right for all Witches. Some people, naturally, will prefer a tradition which leans towards Ceremonial Magick; others will prefer simpler rituals; still others will be more interested in emphasizing magick over religion; or the emphasis of the Goddess over the God; and so on.
We dont suggest you hop around changing from one tradition to another, “shopping”! We do, however, suggest that you investigate as many traditions as possible, as deeply as possible, before committing yourself. But always remem-ber–whichever one you choose does not mean that the others are wrong…they are absolutely right, for someone else.
Since the rites of the Seax-Wica are not secret, is it really a Mystery Religion?
In the strict sense of the word, no, it is not a Mystery Religion. But it is still a Religion of Initiation–whether it be by coven initiation or by self-dedication–but there is no Oath of Secrecy involved. This may not please some people, but then those people have plenty of other traditions from which to choose which do feature an Oath of Secrecy.
Since the Seax-Wica is a new tradition, are Saxons real Witches?
When King Henry VIII had his disagreement with the Pope, and parted from the Roman Catholic faith to form the Church of England, there must have been many Catholics who felt that the British were no longer true Christians. This, however, did not greatly bother the British, nor seriously retard the advancement of the Church of England. Such has been the case with the starting of many new religions/sects/traditions. The Saxon Witch knows that he/she is worshipping the Gods of the Old Religion as sincerely as anyone else. Whether or not that someone else belongs to some other more ancient tradition, another (but different) newer tradition, or anything else, is completely beside the point. Ťhe Seax-Wica makes no questionable claims to antiquity–it is new…but its Witches are sincere. Sincerity is what matters.