Ed Fitch
Encyclopedia
Edward "Ed" Fitch is an occult author and a High Priest
of the Gardnerian Wicca
tradition, and was a leading figure in the rise of contemporary Wicca
and Neo-Paganism in America. He presently lives in Orange County, California
.
, and a United States Air Force
commissioned officer, eventually retiring with the rank of Captain. He holds a master’s degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California
. His military service took him to Japan
, Viet Nam, Thailand
, and several posts in the United States
. After completing his three year term of service, he returned to the US as a civilian, and took employment as a technical writer and electronics engineer in Washington D.C.
in 1967, while stationed in Hanscom Air Force Base
in Massachusetts
. He is one of the creators (along with Joseph Bearwalker Wilson
and Thomas Giles) of "The Pagan Way", an outer court neo-Pagan tradition. He was one of the editors of The Waxing Moon, a magazine founded by Joseph B. Wilson in 1964, and the first magazine devoted to Witchcraft in America (later re-named The Crystal Well). In the mid 1970s, Fitch also helped to organize and chaired two Pagan Ecumenical Councils to establish the Covenant of the Goddess
(COG) as an international umbrella organization representing Pagans. Through the 1980s Fitch continued to perform as a Gardnerian High Priest, but his researches also led him to initiation in a number of other traditions and orders, including: Faerie faith
, Mohsian, the Order of Osiris, the Order of the Temple of Astarte, Norse, and Ceremonial magick.
(FAA) in Washington DC, before returning to the aerospace industry in California in 1997.
High priest
The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste.-Ancient Egypt:...
of the Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
tradition, and was a leading figure in the rise of contemporary Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
and Neo-Paganism in America. He presently lives in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
.
Military service and education
Fitch was a graduate of Virginia Military InstituteVirginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
, and a United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
commissioned officer, eventually retiring with the rank of Captain. He holds a master’s degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. His military service took him to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Viet Nam, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and several posts in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. After completing his three year term of service, he returned to the US as a civilian, and took employment as a technical writer and electronics engineer in Washington D.C.
Influence in Neo-Paganism
Fitch, who has also gone under the name "Ea", was initiated by Raymond BucklandRaymond Buckland
Raymond Buckland , whose craft name is Robat, is an English American writer on the subject of Wicca and the occult, and a significant figure in the history of Wicca, of which he is a High Priest in both the Gardnerian and Seax traditions.According to his written works, primarily Witchcraft from the...
in 1967, while stationed in Hanscom Air Force Base
Hanscom Air Force Base
Hanscom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of Bedford, Massachusetts. The facility is a joint use civil airport/military base with Hanscom Field which provides general aviation and charter service.The host unit at Hanscom is the non-flying...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He is one of the creators (along with Joseph Bearwalker Wilson
Joseph Bearwalker Wilson
Joseph Bearwalker Wilson was a shaman and witch, founder of the 1734 Tradition of witchcraft, toteg Tribe, Metista, and a founding member of the Covenant of the Goddess....
and Thomas Giles) of "The Pagan Way", an outer court neo-Pagan tradition. He was one of the editors of The Waxing Moon, a magazine founded by Joseph B. Wilson in 1964, and the first magazine devoted to Witchcraft in America (later re-named The Crystal Well). In the mid 1970s, Fitch also helped to organize and chaired two Pagan Ecumenical Councils to establish the Covenant of the Goddess
Covenant of the Goddess
The Covenant of the Goddess is a cross-traditional Wiccan group of solitary Wiccan practitioners and over one hundred affiliated covens . It was founded in 1975 in order to increase co-operation among Witches and to secure for Witches and covens the legal protection enjoyed by members of other...
(COG) as an international umbrella organization representing Pagans. Through the 1980s Fitch continued to perform as a Gardnerian High Priest, but his researches also led him to initiation in a number of other traditions and orders, including: Faerie faith
Faerie faith
Faerie Faith is a Neopagan tradition that branched off from the "Old Dianic" tradition through the work of Mark Roberts and his high priestess, Epona....
, Mohsian, the Order of Osiris, the Order of the Temple of Astarte, Norse, and Ceremonial magick.
Other activities
Besides being the author of several books on magic and Neo-Pagan topics, his employment over the years has included being a technical writer and electronics engineer in Washington D.C., working as a private detective, as a shopkeeper at Disneyland, California, as an editor for a small publishing house, and as a trouble-shooter for the Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) in Washington DC, before returning to the aerospace industry in California in 1997.
External links
- http://www.controverscial.com/Edward%20Fitch.htm
- Ed Fitch: Revealing the Craft by Sylvana SilverWitch
- Ed Fitch
- http://www.oldways.org/paganway.htm
- Joe Wilson: Warts and all