Ed Buczynski: Dreamer of Welsh Poetry and Minoan Bull-dancers

The modern occult movement in the United States has been fortunate to have grown strong on the dreams of intelligent and energetic people in the period from the 1960s through the 1980s. One of the more interesting and controversial actors on this stage was Ed Buczynski. In the heady days of the 1970s and early 1980s, when a spiritual renaissance was picking up steam in the urban centers of the United States, Ed was a leader in the Witchcraft community of New York City.

Buczynski owned and operated the Warlock Shop in Brooklyn Heights with his lover Herman Slater, and later helped Herman operate the Magickal Childe in Manhattan. Both shops were fundamental contributors to the development of the modern occult movement. Many famous (and infamous) people passed through their doors, including Raymond Buckland, William S. Burroughs, John Lennon, Francis King, Simon, Norman Lear, and Hans Holzer. The Magickal Childe played an important role in the revitalization of the Ordo Templi Orientis in the United States. For a time, these shops operated perhaps the largest occult supply mail-order business in the country.

An initiate of Lady Gwen Thompson’s Celtic Traditionalist Witchcraft, Buczynski struck out on his own in 1972 to develop a tradition of Welsh Witchcraft. His spiritual descendents include many Witches in the metropolitan New York City area. Ed was active in Gardnerian Wicca and was also a member of the Church of the Eternal Source. In 1977, Buczynski founded the Minoan Brotherhood in order to give gay and bi men an unfettered venue in which to practice Witchcraft and the male Mysteries. He assisted in the development of the Minoan Sisterhood to provide a place for women to celebrate their Mysteries. Both lineages continue to this day. Ed retired from active participation in the occult community in 1981 to continue his education full-time at Hunter College SUNY, and later at Bryn Mawr College. He earned an MA in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology before his untimely death from complications due to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in 1989. Herman Slater followed Buczynski to the Summerlands in 1992.

Eddie authored only one book before his passing - “The Witchcraft Fact Book.” Herman Slater wholly incorporated Eddie’s book into “Pagan Rituals III: Outer Court Training Coven” along with Outer Court Wica materials that were also written by Eddie. There are rumors that Eddie may have played a significant role in writing the manuscript for “The Necronomicon,” but this is unsubstantiated.

A biographical research project is underway to study the life and times of Ed Buczynski. “Bull of Heaven” is tentatively scheduled for release in 2007. With sources spanning four continents and topical areas ranging from occult history to the gay liberation movement, AIDS, and Aegean archaeology, this biography promises to provide a crosscut of a turbulent and fascinating time in U.S. history as never before discussed. The author is searching for people who personally knew Ed Buczynski or Herman Slater, including friends, fellow students, family members, and business associates who would consent to be interviewed for this project. He is also looking for letters, papers, and photographs documenting these gentlemen.

Michael Lloyd (c) 2006 CE
Originally published in the Summer 2006 issue of Circle Magazine.