The 1734 Tradition
The 1734 Tradition was a tradition established between 1960 and 1970 by Joseph B. “Bearwaker” Wilson in the United States. In his own words:
It is a mystical witchcraft system considered by modern scholars to fall beneath the Cochrane branch of Traditional Witchcraft. Unlike many strains, however, Joseph Wilson never intended it or its materials (but especially not his correspondences with Robert Cochrane) to be “secret”. Nor was it ever intended to be hierarchical, or have an initiation or even a lineage structure.
A member does not need a pedigree of initiations leading back to Wilson, Cochrane, or Tubal Cain and Naamah, in order to be true to the 1734 Tradition. Instead, initiation into the 1734 Tradition has, traditionally, only consisted of a “kit” that contains copies of Roy's letters, an introduction to the spirits, and "a boot in the rear"; as Wilson notes:
Those who are grabbed by the Spirits of the tradition are those who are 1734. It is the methods of teaching, the philosophy, and the Spirits that are important within the tradition, not who initiated who, or how. Any physical initiation rituals themselves are merely inductions into the group itself, and nothing more. They are not spiritual initiations in and of themselves- which is in direct contrast to Wicca and unique even among many branches of Traditional Witchcraft.
Sean called the way of developing it, learning to think in "poetic logic". Roy referred to it in his letters to Bill Gray as "abstract thinking" and related it to the alchemical process of turning dross into gold. It's a means of strengthening oneself and in the process of opening oneself up in a manner that allows communication with spirit and spirits without delusion while maintaining control. In a nutshell it is the skill of understanding and communicating in the language of poetic metaphor, the true language of the spirits.
A few people can do this naturally, some have some talent at it that can be awakened and used, and some will have to work very hard to even get a glimmer. This is what Cochrane was referring to when he wrote that: ‘A Crafter is born not made, or if one is to be made, then tears are split before the Moon can be Drawn’.
An interesting facet of the 1734 Tradition is the explicit prohibition against oaths. This is explained by the fact that an oath is a solemn, formal declaration or promise to fulfill a pledge- often calling on God, a god, or a sacred object as witness. As Wilson explains that this was explained to him:
This was later confirmed similarly to him by Cochrane in a letter, via teachings from Cochrane’s own mentor.
Main Sources
- 'General Introduction'' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson
- 'What Is 1734?' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson
- '1734 Lineage' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson
- 'Who Is / Is Not Valid 1734?' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson
- 'On Oaths and 1734' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson
- 'Riddles' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson
- 'The First 1/3 of 1734 ~ Sean' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson
- 'The Second 1/3 of 1734 ~ Ruth' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson
- 'The Final 1/3 of 1734 ~ Roy' article by Joseph “Bearwaker” Wilson