Today's forget-me-not is someone with whom most of us are familiar. I ask that each of you take a moment to hold him in your heart, if only for the time you read this, and bring him honor and remembrance.
I did not personally interact with him, but he did have an impact in my studies and on my life.
I also invite you to send me your own "Forget-Me-Nots" for next Friday (Samhain)'s personal tribute to our loved ones. Please email me (do not Facebook message me, please) with the name(s) of your loved one(s), any tribute you like to make, and a photo (optional) by Monday, October 28th, and I will happily add your tribute to the post. Please put "Forget Me Not" in the subject line. Thank you :)
Scott Douglas Cunningham
(June 27, 1956 – March 28, 1993)
Born in Michigan, Scott was one of three children to Chester Grant Cunningham (an author in his own right) and Rose Marie Wilhoit Cunningham. Rose Marie had health issues which required the family move to a milder climate in San Diego, where Scott would live for the rest of his life.
He showed a strong penchant for rocks and minerals, plants and other earth-sciences at an early age. His first interest in the occult came through reading a book called The Supernatural, by Douglas Hill and Pat Williams.
His work Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, is one of the most successful books on Wicca ever published; His books on Wicca led to a steady rise in his popularity, and he soon became one of the best-read Wiccan authors of his time.
According to controverscial.com,"Sales of his most popular book Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (Llewellyn, 1988), reached over 400,000 copies by the year 2000"
His writing style was easy, and he connected with readers on a personal level. He was one of the first authors I had ever encountered who emphasized that in The Craft, what works for you is what works.
"While essentially a self-styled Wiccan and a solitary practitioner, he was initiated into several established Craft Traditions. In 1980 he entered into the Aridian Tradition, where he undertook a course of study on Witchcraft and Magick from Raven Grimassi. Then in 1981 he entered the Reorganized Traditional Gwyddonic Order of Wicca, and the Ancient Pictish Gaelic Tradition. Additionally, he was an initiate of the American Traditionalist Wicca" (Knowles).
He wrote over 30 books on the occult, with nearly half of them being about Wicca (see bibliography below).
Scott died in 1993 of AIDS-related cryptococcal meningitis.He has made a profound mark on many within the Pagan community, and is sorely missed.
He is loved.
He is remembered.
Bibliography
1980 – Shadow of Love (fiction)
1982 – Magical Herbalism: The Secret Craft of the Wise (ISBN 0-87542-120-2)
1983 – Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic (ISBN 0-87542-121-0)
1985 – Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (ISBN 0-87542-122-9)
1987 – The Magical Household: Spells and Rituals for the Home (with David Harrington) (ISBN 0-87542-124-5)
1987 – Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic (ISBN 0-87542-126-1)
1988 – The Truth About Witchcraft Today (ISBN 0-87542-127-X)
1988 – Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (ISBN 0-87542-118-0)
1989 – The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews (ISBN 0-87542-128-8)
1989 – Magical Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent (ISBN 0-87542-129-6)
1991 – Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic (ISBN 0-87542-131-8)
1991 – The Magic in Food (ISBN 0-87542-130-X)
1993 – Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (ISBN 0-7387-0226-9)
1993 – Divination For Beginners (ISBN 0-7387-0384-2)
1993 – Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (ISBN 0-87542-184-9)
1993 – Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects (with David Harrington) (ISBN 0-87542-185-7)
1993 – The Truth About Herb Magic (ISBN 0-87542-132-6)
1994 – The Truth About Witchcraft (ISBN 0-87542-357-4)
1995 – Hawaiian Magic and Spirituality (ISBN 1-56718-199-6)
1997 – Pocket Guide to Fortune Telling (ISBN 0-89594-875-3)
1999 – Dreaming the Divine: Techniques for Sacred Sleep (ISBN 1-56718-192-9)
2009 – Cunningham's Book of Shadows: The Path of An American Traditionalist (ISBN 0-73871-914-5) – A rediscovered manuscript written by Cunningham in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
Controverscial.com
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
Wikipedia article