DISC-0104 / ITEM-0060

Exposed First-Degree Initiation and Book of Shadows preservation warning

Gardnerian Wicca in the exposed Book of Shadows recension · British-origin ritual texts; later exposed web compilation

Disclosure date: 2012
Date precision: Year
Disclosure method: Exposure publication
Extent: Partial
Record review: Reviewed

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Restricted material and access

An exposed ritual script with a confidentiality oath, binding, a blood-marked measure and scourging.

Material type: Restricted scripture
Restricted to: The exposed oath permits disclosure to a vouched-for, properly prepared person within the ritual circle
Restriction mechanism: oath, controlled_access
Stated reason: The warning portrays secrecy and destruction of writings as protection from persecution; its historical narrative is not independently established
Tradition origins: Not recorded

Recorded practice status

Unknown

Status as of: Not recorded
Status claims: Not recorded

Disclosure dates, source publication dates, tradition origins and dates of practice are separate.

What this disclosure covers

Edition notice; The Warning at printed p. 22; First-Degree Initiation at pp. 43–45.

2012 is the stated web-edition year, not the first exposure or a verified manuscript date.

The source

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows, Global Grey web edition ↗ (SRC-0114; authenticity: Uncertain)

Author: Attributed to Gerald E. Gardner; web edition by Global Grey
Original publication: Not recorded
Linked edition: 2012
Format: Book
Provenance: published_exposure → archival_collection
Rights of source work: Unknown
Identifiers: Not recorded
Source content hash: Not recorded

Captured the 68-page PDF and read the edition notice, printed p. 22 and pp. 43–45. Visually checked printed p. 44 (PDF p. 50). The notice identifies Global Grey 2012. Original manuscripts, whole-recension fidelity and dates assigned to individual sections were not authenticated.

The imprint claims a Creative Commons-style licence; authority to license all underlying text was not established. Headings such as 1953 and 1957 concern attributed composition, not a proven first public release. The mirror’s name is not evidence of ritual authenticity.

File or recording · Document

Open artifact / recovery route ↗

Artifact ID: ARTF-0023
Inspection: Partial
Inspected parts: PDF p. 3 edition notice; printed p. 22 and pp. 43–45; printed p. 44 visually checked
SHA-256: a2aead6cf15a235e9c5427560a2e201b3e3a6b1bc5a499bd26cf860912cdb262
IPFS CID: Not recorded
BitTorrent info-hash: Not recorded

Complete 68-page PDF captured, selected sections inspected. A mirror file, not an authenticated Gardner manuscript; the stated licence’s scope is unverified.

Claims about this item

These claims may cite other sources for the same restricted item. Supporting and contradicting evidence remain separate.

CLM-0236 · Content

The exposed first-degree oath limits disclosure to a vouched-for, properly prepared person within the ritual circle.

Claim support: Single source
Record review: Reviewed
Period: Exposed recension in the stated 2012 web edition; composition dates unverified
Locators: SRC-0114: printed pp. 44–45 (PDF pp. 50–51)
Sources counted as independent: Not recorded

Supporting sources

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows, Global Grey web edition ↗ (SRC-0114; authenticity: Uncertain)

Contradicting sources: none recorded.

Checked as a restriction stated by this exposed script. Manuscript fidelity and use in an actual coven remain uncertain.

SRC-0114: Source authenticity is uncertain; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0114: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
SRC-0114: The source text's rights have not been established.
ARTF-0023: Artifact inspection is partial; use only its recorded inspected portions.

CLM-0237 · Content

The script prescribes binding, a blindfold and a body-measure cord marked with the postulant’s blood.

Claim support: Single source
Record review: Reviewed
Period: Exposed recension in the stated 2012 web edition; composition dates unverified
Locators: SRC-0114: printed pp. 44–45
Sources counted as independent: Not recorded

Supporting sources

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows, Global Grey web edition ↗ (SRC-0114; authenticity: Uncertain)

Contradicting sources: none recorded.

Checked the cited passage. Attribution and historical limits are retained; no independent corroboration or present-day applicability is established.

SRC-0114: Source authenticity is uncertain; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0114: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
SRC-0114: The source text's rights have not been established.
ARTF-0023: Artifact inspection is partial; use only its recorded inspected portions.

CLM-0238 · Content

The script calls for scourging as purification and asks the postulant’s willingness to undergo the ordeal.

Claim support: Single source
Record review: Reviewed
Period: Exposed recension in the stated 2012 web edition; composition dates unverified
Locators: SRC-0114: printed p. 44
Sources counted as independent: Not recorded

Supporting sources

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows, Global Grey web edition ↗ (SRC-0114; authenticity: Uncertain)

Contradicting sources: none recorded.

The page image was checked. A scripted statement of willingness does not establish informed consent or actual performance.

SRC-0114: Source authenticity is uncertain; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0114: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
SRC-0114: The source text's rights have not been established.
ARTF-0023: Artifact inspection is partial; use only its recorded inspected portions.

CLM-0239 · Content

The Warning requires guarding handwritten copies, memorizing material and destroying writings when danger threatens or a holder dies.

Claim support: Single source
Record review: Reviewed
Period: Exposed recension in the stated 2012 web edition; composition dates unverified
Locators: SRC-0114: printed p. 22, The Warning
Sources counted as independent: Not recorded

Supporting sources

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows, Global Grey web edition ↗ (SRC-0114; authenticity: Uncertain)

Contradicting sources: none recorded.

Checked the cited passage. Attribution and historical limits are retained; no independent corroboration or present-day applicability is established.

SRC-0114: Source authenticity is uncertain; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0114: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
SRC-0114: The source text's rights have not been established.
ARTF-0023: Artifact inspection is partial; use only its recorded inspected portions.

CLM-0240 · Stated reason

The warning justifies concealment through a narrative of persecution and torture.

Claim support: Single source
Record review: Reviewed
Period: Exposed recension in the stated 2012 web edition; composition dates unverified
Locators: SRC-0114: printed p. 22, The Warning
Sources counted as independent: Not recorded

Supporting sources

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows, Global Grey web edition ↗ (SRC-0114; authenticity: Uncertain)

Contradicting sources: none recorded.

The text’s own justification, not independent proof of a continuous ancient witch cult or of the events it evokes.

SRC-0114: Source authenticity is uncertain; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0114: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
SRC-0114: The source text's rights have not been established.
ARTF-0023: Artifact inspection is partial; use only its recorded inspected portions.

CLM-0241 · Other

The editorial introduction attributes compilation to Aidan A. Kelly, describes a 1990s Internet-file origin and calls the section dates estimates.

Claim support: Single source
Record review: Reviewed
Period: Undated editorial web copy inspected 2026-11-04
Locators: SRC-0115: editorial introduction before the contents
Sources counted as independent: Not recorded

Supporting sources

Gardnerian Book of Shadows: editorial index ↗ (SRC-0115; authenticity: Unassessed)

Contradicting sources: none recorded.

The introduction itself varies between early and mid-1990s wording. No precise original posting date, official universal text or verified manuscript identity is asserted.

SRC-0115: Source authenticity is unassessed; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0115: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
SRC-0115: The source text's rights have not been established.
ARTF-0024: Artifact inspection is partial; use only its recorded inspected portions.

Evidence qualifications

SRC-0114 · source_authenticity_uncertain: Source authenticity is uncertain; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
SRC-0114 · source_without_content_hash: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
SRC-0114 · source_rights_unknown: The source text's rights have not been established.
ARTF-0023 · artifact_partial: Artifact inspection is partial; use only its recorded inspected portions.

Reviewed means checked against a source. It does not establish source authenticity, independent corroboration or present-day practice.

Item notes

Scope basis: explicit secrecy oath in SRC-0114, printed pp. 44–45, and restrictions on custody of writings at p. 22. Prescriptions are not proof of performance or consent in any actual coven. The copy’s editorial and manuscript fidelity remain uncertain.