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Our History

In 1999, a group of Initiates in Hermetism met with Raymond Buckland to unveil the mysteries of the Wicca. This first encounter was in the Official Seax-Wica of yahoogroups. Our people shared a lot with others gesiths in that group, and we checked that a lot of matters of hermetism are relate with the practice of Wica by Buckland. On 2001, seven members decided perform the self-dedication and become in Seax-Wica(n)s. In those times, all communication was by e-mail, a couple of Seax-Wica(n)s from New York, USA, planned their trip to Perú on february 2002. Ethan and Sofia Lauber did tourism and met with the Circle of AU – Thot´s Scribes Hermetic Order. In this long meetings between Initiates, they conclued that was necessary do the Initiation by them, because is the way in hermetic tradition, and they had a connection with Raymond Buckland for the formation that they had. In this way on May, 1st 2001, the seven members was Initiated by the Laubers and the first Priest was known as Mars and the first Priestess was known as Roselynn in the country of Perú.

I am Juan Manuel Espinoza Guzmán, one of the first members of the first Seax Wica Coven in Lima – Perú, as known as Duan Manael and I performed the self-dedication on November 2001 and took the initiation on May 2002. I am who wrote this website and let me tell you our story.

My Seax-Wica name follow a palingenesis progress, Duan Manael changed to Ariel Phoenice, then changed to Nimrod and finally I changed it to Rasgæl Hræfenwulf.

Raymond Buckland only had two Stiweards under his own election.
 
The first was Michael Butler Smith (1993-2001), who followed the Seax-Wica until 2008, then he felt the need to back to his own roots in the spiritual path that he feel more comfortable. He back to the Isis worship and in the last years he back to the “Isian Wicca” or Isis Witchcraft, that was materialized in a Book called : Embracing Isis: A Witch’s Guide to the Great Goddess.
 
The second was Mark Ventimiglia (2002), who in the same year that he was chosen by Buckland, he began to provoke some members of “Theodish Belief” (Saxon Heathens) for practice the “animal’s sacrifice” and tried to involve all gesiths in his “witchwar” in the internet. The Seax-Wica tradition teach do not attack anyone and do not be “Anti” something, the Seax-Wica teach be “Pro” something. And we need to respect some customs of other traditions, because is their system and their beliefs, based in a reconstructionist past where the original people practiced. The other situation that he did and finished with a “keep at a distance” of him of all Gesiths, was the promotion of the “homophobia” and that affected a lot of members in our religion who are gays, lesbians, transgender, bisexual, etc.
 
This fact, Buckland felt dissapointed with Mark. Sean Percival High Priest of Spiral Seax Coven- UK, Oldbury, UK; Daven, High Priest & Theressa, High Priestess from The House of the Morning Star ; and finally Kevin Swaney from Hearth Fyre Coven made a internet document to ask the “NOTICE OF DISASSOCIATION WITH MARK VENTIMIGLIA” in 2003.
 
In 2004, Sean Percival set a internet Forum (in proboards and withdraw the Official Seax Wica Group of Yahoo that worked since 1999) to gather the Seax Gesiths around the world and tried calm down all this situation and re-join the people to the activity in the Seax-Wica forgeting the situation with Mark Ventimiglia.
 
The forum was called : International Confederation of Seax Wica Coven , where the Seax Wica Peru Coven was member in these forum. The object was share with everybody knowledge of the tradition and some aspects of the culture of the anglo-saxons (Sean Percival did it).
 
In 2006, the members of the Forum, thought a lot to try to order us under a organization where support people in the tradition and guide ceorls, share the information free with the solitaries and coveners and continue the task that the “Stiweartship” had in the basic idea of Raymond Buckland.
 
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Be a Stiweart is not and was not a “monarchy” or a “hierarchy” in the concept, because we respected the autonomy of the covens and the solitaries , as is in The Tree.
But to us, the people who felt the need to have a “spokesperson” who represent us in some matters (without bother Buckland to do it), we felt the need to have a “Witan” to do that.
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In 2007, the Forum was upgraded to “Seax-Wica High Witan” and the people who elected Sean Percival as our “Democratic elected Stiweard” were : Australia, Germany, UK, USA and Perú, and some Gesith solitaries. With this election born the “Eorlship” as regional representantion of the Seax-Wica in other languages as for example in German, Spanish and English. In resume Seax Gesith Wulfeage was the 1st elected Stiweard by us.
 
This was respecting the precepts of The Tree, that each Coven is autonomous, but democratically, we had freedom to join a “guild” (if is correct this word), and under this “supra-council of Elders” we took some opinions or discussions about our practice and organization (only to us and not was coercitive but was voluntary the application of our agreements”.
 
In October 2008, the forum of Seax-Wica High Witan was closed then a Year of hard work among us. The reason of this closing was a problem with one gesith in US, who claimed that the stiweardship can not be in UK. We respected this position and we decided disolve the High Witan, but as a good remember, we preserved our positions to continue working helping people and informing them.
 
To us, each year and a day we would elect a new Stiweard among the members of the forum. But this only went on a year of existance as a High Witan. Now-a-day, we have not a elected Stiweard, because the covens never meet again.
 
More Gesiths lost contact with others, but some people kept communication as long as we could.
When the Seax Wica High Witan was closed, we continued the task of support new gesiths and keep bridge of communication with others. Then passed 3 years since then, I communicated with Raymond Buckland to request about a “Stiweard” and he answer me the following:
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21/11/2011 11:14
Raymond Buckland
Juan, the joy (to my mind) of Seax-Wica is that there is no main leader; all groups can worship as they wish – following Seax-Wica principles, of course – and there can be no power plays or ego trips. If your coven is still going that is wonderful and I congratulate you. You don’t NEED any so-called “Head”. Just do what you think is right. Keep in touch by posting on your web site or your Facebook page, to let people know who you are and what you are doing. Groups come and go and when the time is right you’ll find that you are contacted by individuals and other groups. Don’t give up. Trust in the Lord and the Lady. Bright blessings to you.
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Raymond Buckland and I (Juan Espinoza) began worked together to clarify some aspects of the tradition and the practice of it. The product of this sharing was The Guidelines of the Seax-Wica.

Around 2012 to 2017, Raymond Buckland refered all seeker to Juan Espinoza, to orientate. All the time that Juan spent to seekers in Perú and international was free of charge. He, asked Michael B. Smith his view about the Seax-Wica, charge money for teaching and if Seax-Wica need leaders because people lost in the path alone usually. 

Michael B. Smith answered  on 2013 to Juan the following:

“In response to your other less specific concern: Wicca is not a monolithic religion like Christianity is. There is no central authority, therefore charging or not is a matter of conscience of each individual. Gardnerianism has strict written laws that no money can be collected. Other traditions may or may not follow this rule.
Ray always charged for teaching Seax-Wica. For him this did not break any rules. On a personal note, I always charge when I teach Wicca. Originally, many people misunderstood that this idea of ​​not charging that it only concerned initiations and extended it to everything related to the teaching of Wicca. Just like Ray and I, teachers like Raven Grimassi, Christopher Penczak, Laurie Cabot, Lady Sabrina from Our Lady of Enchantment Seminary of Wicca, and Witch School International all charge to follow their courses. This is quite common here in the US. We charge for our many years of instruction, knowledge, and expertise. Many of us are published authors, our time is as valuable as that of any professional. Still, none of us charge for initiations. The one you charge for Wicca, herbalism or tarot classes is your choice.
You need to start trusting your inner guidance and stop seeking external authority. He gets out of your mind and into your heart. This is the true essence of Wiccan spiritualism.
Blessings,
Michael”

 

On 2014 was interviewed by Alaric Albertsson as a reference of the Seax Tradition. He participate in the anthology book titled “Witcraft Today: 60 years on” with the essay titled “The Seax Tradition”, where Alaric reffered and quoted Juan acknowledged as a Gesith. You can read this essay in the blog of the website of the publisher: https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/blogs/moon-books/witchcraft-today-60-years-on-the-seax-tradition/

Since 2012, in the Guidelines of the Seax-Wica, we have suggested the existence of a space for those sympathizers of the Saxon gods. After testing some dynamics in Peru through the Meomerswiell Seax Coven with Juan and Adriana (Priest Rasgæl Hræfenwulf and Priestess Aubrey), in June 2017 they met with the priests of the other seax covens led by Renzo Medina (Xerox), Freedy Obregón ( Iarvin Frey), Luis Lopez (Freyjoy) and Manuel Yañez (Thrakenn), where the introductory material was finally formulated for those people who did not want to be “Initiates” and exercise the Seax priesthood, but wanted to be part of the community without major commitments to cultivate his faith to the Mighty Ones.

This material was presented to Raymond Buckland, being this approved for being something simple, simplified and that he considered could fulfill the expectations of the people within the little time that they may have for their spiritual moment. In this way, we add the Seax-Treów label, to refer to the believer of the Saxon Gods, who can share with the Seax-Wicans the external aspects of the Seax tradition and can participate in the Sabbaths / Symbels and Esbats (depending on activity) .

On September 27, 2017 Raymond Buckland passed away and left a deep emptiness in our hearts, many people who followed his practices and some English-speaking Seax initiates began to look to Juan for some answers to their doubts about the practice of Seax-Wica. Although Seax-Wica allows its free development, people needed to trust themselves, being Juan’s job, guide them to that end and be able to choose their path or develop more within the tradition.

From that date until the year 2020, Juan tried unsuccessfully to try to apply the spokesperson system that once worked in the year 2005-2007, but he realized that any position that puts the label of “representation” could be toxic for the majority, who did not wish to be weaned from this normal dependence that occurs in this environment of the spiritual. The ego-trip and the power play that Buckland sought to avoid was precisely in the leadership of the masses, this detail is vital for our future generations, to avoid being caudillos. It is difficult to understand, but it is in the autonomy not only of the covens, but of the same people trying to understand each other regardless of their training as equals. Seax-Wica is a religious path and as such it is individual, but these freedoms proposed by Buckland cannot lead to debauchery or autarky, that is, we cannot change the Seax essence of what Seax is.

An example of breaking with the Seax, would be a person who claims to be gesith, but does not worship Saxon gods but Egyptian gods in his rites. This is definitely not right, for it would not be conducted with the egregor of tradition. Likewise, a gesith who is an oppressor of freedoms, such as an apologist for communist terrorists or even pretending to be a moralist conservative or a radical of women’s rights, since these extremes despite their “good intentions” limit and coerce the individual freedom. Seax-Wica promotes our individual freedom, respecting our limitations with reality and our society. We cannot force anyone and no one should be forced to do anything. Respecting the freedom of others is our rule, allowing to be the right person or not, it is our obligation, we are not to criticize them, but if you want help, we can help them in our possibilities, in our own free will and accord.

Finally, I try to continue bring support to seekers, seax-treows, theows, ceorls and gesiths around the world with this website where you may find all the last teachings by Raymond Buckland.

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