Leo Ruickbie is a British historian and

sociologist of religion Sociology of religion is the study of the beliefs, practices and organizational forms of religion using the tools and methods of the discipline of sociology. This objective investigation may include the use both of quantitative methods (surveys, ...

, specializing in exceptional experiences, paranormal beliefs, magic,

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

and

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...

. He is the author of several books, beginning with ''Witchcraft Out of the Shadows'', a 2004 publication outlining the history of

from ancient Greece until the modern day. Ruickbie was born in Scotland and took a master's degree in Sociology and Religion at the

University of Lancaster , mottoeng = Truth lies open to all , established = , endowment = £13.9 million , budget = £317.9 million , type = Public , city = Bailrigg, City of Lancaster , country = England , coor = , campus = Bailrigg , faculty = ...

. He then studied at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

and was an awarded a PhD for his thesis entitled ''The Re-Enchanters: Theorising Re-Enchantment and Testing for its Presence in Modern Witchcraft''. On

Samhain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

2007 he launched Open Source Wicca, a project inspired by the

open-source software Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software and its source code to anyone and for any purpose. ...

movement aimed at making the founding texts of Wicca more readily available by releasing them under a

Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...

licence. In 2008 and 2009 he exhibited on the subject of witchcraft in France.Un expert en sorcellerie partage son savoir, L'Ardennais, 17 février 2009.
He is also a council member of the

Society for Psychical Research The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to co ...

, a professional member of the

Parapsychological Association The Parapsychological Association (PA) was formed in 1957 as a professional society for parapsychologists following an initiative by Joseph B. Rhine. Its purpose has been "to advance parapsychology as a science, to disseminate knowledge of the fie ...

, the

European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism The European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE) is Europe's only scholarly society for the study of Western esotericism. Founded in 2002, the society promotes academic study of the various manifestations of Western esotericism f ...

, is on the committee of the Gesellschaft für Anomalistik. In 2021, he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

and in 2022 a Fellow of the

Royal Anthropological Institute The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) is a long-established anthropological organisation, and Learned Society, with a global membership. Its remit includes all the component fields of anthropology, such as biol ...

. He is the current editor of the ''Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research''.

Bibliography

Books

''Witchcraft Out of the Shadows'' (2004)

''Witchcraft Out of the Shadows'' begins with a survey of historical influences from classical times, northern European paganism, and medieval and early modern Europe. It then describes the roots of modern

neopagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...

witchcraft in groups such as the

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ( la, Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae), more commonly the Golden Dawn (), was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th ...

and individuals such as

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

and

Doreen Valiente Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente (4 January 1922 – 1 September 1999) was an English Wiccan who was responsible for writing much of the early religious liturgy within the tradition of Gardnerian Wicca. An author and poet, she also published five b ...

. Particularly important is the critical analysis of the claims made by

Gerald Gardner Gerald Brosseau Gardner (13 June 1884 – 12 February 1964), also known by the craft name Scire, was an English Wiccan, as well as an author and an amateur anthropology, anthropologist and archaeology, archaeologist. He was instrumental in bri ...

about

, as well as a detailed discussion of the liturgical content of Gardner's ''Ye Bok of Ye Art Magical'' and its sources. The final part of the book is an overview of modern neo-pagan witchcraft belief and practice, drawing principally on Ruickbie's own doctoral research. Using both original research and secondary analysis of a broad range of anthropological and sociological findings, Ruickbie gives estimates for the numbers of people involved in neo-pagan witchcraft in the UK, their age, gender and income distribution. He also asked participants in his own research about the nature of their religious experience, their relationship with the gods, their practice of magic and their beliefs about its effects. ''Witchcraft Out of the Shadows'' was listed under 'Further Reading' in Owen Davies' 2009 book ''Grimoires: A History of Magic Books''.

''The Re-Enchanters'' (2005)

''The Re-Enchanters: Theorising Re-Enchantment and Testing for its Presence in Modern Witchcraft'' is a sociological analysis of modern

(including

) that builds a theory of re-enchantment using

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas p ...

's famous

disenchantment In social science, disenchantment (german: Entzauberung) is the cultural rationalization and devaluation of religion apparent in modern society. The term was borrowed from Friedrich Schiller by Max Weber to describe the character of a modern ...

hypothesis and then tests this using a sample group drawn primarily from practitioners of modern witchcraft and other forms of contemporary

paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

''Open Source Wicca: The Gardnerian Tradition'' (2007)

Original ritual texts of the Wiccan Gardnerian Tradition from 1949 to 1961, released under a

Attribution-Share Alike licence similar to that which is used in the

community.

''Faustus: The Life and Times of a Renaissance Magician'' (2009)

Biography of Faustus (aka

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

) published by

The History Press The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

presents new information on the life and death of Faustus. ''Pagan Dawn'' magazine said of the book: 'Leo Ruickbie's solid tome does something unexpected. It rehabilitates someone with one of the worst reputations in history; Georgius Sabellicus Faustus Jnr, better known as Faust'.

''A Brief Guide to the Supernatural'' (2012)

An introduction to supernatural phenomena, beliefs and experiences published by

Constable & Robinson Constable & Robinson Ltd. is an imprint of Little, Brown which publishes fiction and non-fiction books and ebooks. Founded in Edinburgh in 1795 by Archibald Constable as Constable & Co., and by Nick Robinson as Robinson Publishing Ltd in 1983 ...

''A Brief Guide to Ghost Hunting'' (2013)

A detailed examination of the history and practice of

ghost hunting Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost-hunting team will attempt to collect evidence supporting the existence of paranormal activity. Ghost hunters use a variety o ...

also published by

. Reviewing the book for the Magonia Review of Books, Peter Rogerson called it 'comprehensive and remarkable good value for the price', adding that 'this is an interesting and useful book one can recommend to ghost hunters and psychical researchers'. It is recommended reading by the chairman of

the Ghost Club The Ghost Club is a paranormal investigation and research organization, founded in London in 1862. It is believed to be the oldest such organization in the world, though its history has not been continuous. The club still investigates mainly gho ...

and

Rosemary Ellen Guiley Rosemary Ellen Guiley (July 8, 1950 - July 18, 2019) was an American writer on topics related to spirituality, the occult, and the paranormal. She was also a radio show host, a certified hypnotist, a board director of the "National Museum of Mys ...

''The Impossible Zoo: An Encyclopedia of Fabulous Beasts and Mythical Monsters'' (2016)

From the publisher's website: "The Impossible Zoo is a biology of the supernatural - a study of the life of things that never lived. This world of mermaids and unicorns, now confined to fantasy, but once believed to exist, is a world of the imagination that still affects us today. Wonderfully illustrated throughout, it also provides sources as a guide to further study and exploration." It is recommended by Dr

Karl Shuker Karl Shuker (born 9 December 1959) is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist and author. He lives in the Midlands, England, where he works as a zoological consultant and writer. A columnist in ''Fortean Times'' and contributor to various magazine ...

and Revd Lionel Fanthorpe, FRSA, author and president of the

Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena The Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP) is a United Kingdom-based learned society, education and research charity, dedicated to scientifically investigate alleged paranormal and anomalous phenomena, with a view ...

. The book has been translated into Estonian and is published by

Tänapäev Tänapäev is an Estonian publishing house established in 1999 and headquartered in Tallinn. The main subjects it publishes are translated and original fiction, history, politics, biographies and children literature. In the year 2000, Tänap� ...

''Angels in the Trenches: Spiritualism, Superstition and the Supernatural During the First World War'' (2018)

A narrative history of the First World War examining paranormal beliefs and experiences both on the Home Front and the Frontline. Published by Robinson, an imprint of Little, Brown for the Centenary of the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

in November 2018.

Articles

* 'Weber and the Witches: Sociological Theory and Modern Witchcraft', ''JASANAS'', 2 (February 2006), 116–130. * 'Is it Time to Sell Your Soul?', '' Pagan Dawn'', 171, (Beltane 2009), 22–23. * 'Haiti's "Devil Pact"', ''Paranormal'', 46 (April 2010), 10. * 'Sympathy from the Devil', ''Paranormal'', 49 (July 2010), 56–59. * 'Talk of the Devil: Part 1', ''Paranormal'', 51 (September 2010), 28–33. * 'Talk of the Devil: Part 2', ''Paranormal'', 52 (October 2010), 34–39. * 'Child Witches: From Imaginary Cannibalism to Ritual Abuse', ''Paranthropology'', 3.3 (July 2012), pp. 13–21.

Exhibitions

La Sorcellerie en France

This public exhibition explored the history of witchcraft in France with a special focus on the Ardennes region. In a series of highly illustrated panels it covered topics such as what is witchcraft, where was witchcraft to be found, the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

Gilles de Rais Gilles de Rais (c. 1405 – 26 October 1440), Baron de Rais (), was a knight and lord from Brittany, Anjou and Poitou, a leader in the French army, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known for his reputation and later c ...

, the legal and theoretical writers on

demonology Demonology is the study of demons within religious belief and myth. Depending on context, it can refer to studies within theology, religious doctrine, or pseudoscience. In many faiths, it concerns the study of a hierarchy of demons. Demons may ...

, famous

demonic possession Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and r ...

cases, legends of the Ardennes, witch trials in the Ardennes, plants used in witchcraft and stones (precious and semi-precious) used in magic, popular superstitions like the

horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human ...

and

. It was held at the following locations: * 15–29 June 2008, Bureau de Tourisme, Le Colombier, Place du Colombier, Mouzon,

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

Champagne-Ardenne Champagne-Ardenne () is a former administrative region of France, located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium. Mostly corresponding to the historic province of Champagne, the region is known for its sparkling white wine of the ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. * 02 - 24 August 2008, Salle des Fêtes, Saint-Antoine,

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées (; oc, Miègjorn-Pirenèus or ; es, Mediodía-Pirineos) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by a ...

. * 21–22 March 2009, Printemps des légendes,

Monthermé Monthermé () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. Geography The river Semois (or Semoy) joins the river Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in ...

Television

Mysteries at the Castle

Ruickbie has appeared in two episodes of Mysteries at the Castle, Season 3: 3.7: "Prince's Plight; Mad King Ludwig; Falling for Love". Here he talked about

Dunrobin Castle Dunrobin Castle (mostly 1835–1845 — present) is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland, as well as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie and approximatel ...

, Scotland, said to be haunted by the ghost of 'Lady Margaret' 3.9: "Deadliest Chess Game; Gustav III Assassination; Shot in the Heart", in which he presented

Ruthven Barracks Ruthven Barracks (), near Ruthven in Badenoch, Scotland, are the best preserved of the four barracks built in 1719 after the 1715 Jacobite rising. Set on an old castle mound, the complex comprises two large three-storey blocks occupying two sid ...

, Scotland, where

Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, Alasdair Mór mac an Rígh, and called the Wolf of Badenoch (1343 – c. 20 July 1405), was the third surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland and youngest by his first wife, Elizabeth Mure of Rowallan. He w ...

was said to have played chess with the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

. He also appeared in one episode of Mysteries at the Castle, Season 2: 2.3: "Faust; Pirate Queen; First Versailles".'Faust; Pirate Queen; First Versailles', https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4568170/, accessed 24 June 2019.

References

External links

Leo Ruickbie's education and research website specialising in witchcraft and Wicca

Leo Ruickbie, ''Weber and the Witches''

''Witchcraft Out of the Shadows'' (Publisher's website)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruickbie, Leo Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of King's College London Scottish male writers Scottish non-fiction writers Scottish occult writers Scottish sociologists Male non-fiction writers Pagan studies scholars Parapsychologists Writers from Edinburgh