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A rough draft of the spiritual autobiography of Joseph B Wilson. The history that lead to Toteg Tribe.
Copyright 2003 by Joseph B Wilson
Most of the people who wrote in response to my advertisement were searching for a way to get
involved in this alternate form of spirituality. Some were just curious. I published whatever
information I could, and wrote personal letters to everyone who wrote to me. I'd often explain that I
couldn't do much for them, but I could sometimes put them in touch with other people in their
geographical area so they could form their own study groups. None of my American
correspondents claimed any first hand knowledge of the Old Religion, though some did say they
were familiar with the movement in England. In 1965 I listed an advertisement for Pentagram in
TWM, and placed an advertisement for The Waxing Moon in that publication.
I received about 30 letters from people in England who had read my advertisement. I recognized
one of them, Robert Cochrane, as a regular contributor to Pentagram. His writings were mystical,
and at odds with what he said was the simplistic approach the Gardnerian Wicca writers seemed
to have. He claimed to be a member of a family that had secretly kept these practices since
before the persecutions of non-Christians in the dark ages. He called his group the "Clan of Tubal
Cain." I seriously doubt his historical claims now, but then I believed him. We corresponded for
about six months before he died by his own hand.
Cochrane, whose real name was Roy Bowers, agreed to teach me as much as he could by mail
as a supplement to what I'd been learning through "Sean". During our correspondence I learned
that his viewpoint was similar to "Sean's" -- in fact except for the fact that it was oriented to English
soil, it blended and supplemented "Sean's" teachings quite well. Much of the way he taught was
through mystical questions such as "What two words were not spoken from the Cauldron?" The
answers to the questions were less important than the process of answering them, and he was
relentless about emphasizing the importance of that work.
His mythos included a combination of mixed theological references, some from the Book of
Genesis (Tubal Cain and Naamah), some from the Anglo Saxon history of the British Isles
(Weyland Smith and Goda), and some whose origins I haven't been able to identify with any
certainty (Lucet, Carenos, Node, Tettens). It included use of hammer and tongs and other
implements more closely related to a blacksmiths trade, or shamanism, than to ceremonial magic.
It was while studying with him that I concentrated on mystical experience and spiritual growth.
During 1964 and the first half of 1965 I made other contacts which significantly affected me during
the next few years. Among those were Ruth Wynn-Owen, a Welsh actress, living in England, who
practiced a form of the religion she called the Plant Bran, since her family claimed descent from
the Welsh god Bran. I kind of adopted her as a substitute mother. Another was John Score, an
English Gardnerian. John was inspired by my starting The Waxing Moon, and said he wished they
had something like that in England (since PENTAGRAM had ceased publication) I told him to start
one like I did, and so he did, and called it The Wiccan.
My most significant contacts in the United States were Bill and Helen Mohs then from Culver City,
near Los Angeles; Ed Fitch, an Air Force captain; and John and Jay Hansen, of Chicago. All of
these people became close friends with me, first by correspondence, and later through personal
meetings and association.
Bill and Helen were developing their own religion due to an experience with an Ouija Board -- this
was based upon their concepts of Aphrodite and Pan. They called it "witchcraft".
Ed Fitch had been initiated into Wicca by Rosemary and Ray Buckland and was actively seeking
others who were interested in the same sort of path.
John and Jay Hansen claimed to be members of a group whose practices were similar to the
teachings I'd been getting from "Sean" and Roy Bowers.
In 1965 the United States was getting more and more deeply involved in the Viet Nam war.
Hundreds of troops were sent from McConnell AFB to Southeast Asia, first on 90-day temporary
duty assignments, and later full-scale deployments of one-year remote tours. Since Daisy was
pregnant again I was able to avoid being shipped over until after Bryan Devin, my second son,
was born on April 2nd. Then I re-enlisted a year early in order to request and get a base of
preference assignment. I requested, and got assigned to, Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan.
My reporting date was early January, 1966. I thought I'd be staying there for a few years. Hah!
Daisy got pregnant during our move from Wichita, Kansas to Oscoda, Michigan. Although I didn't
realize it, that was a lucky thing.
Within four months of my arrival at Wurtsmith Air Force Base I got orders for a one year
assignment in Da Nang, Viet Nam. Since Daisy was pregnant I was able to get the orders
canceled. Monica Lynn was born August 17, 1966 and six weeks later I again received orders to
be shipped to Southeast Asia -- this time to the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon, Thailand. I
figured I should either take my family and become one of the deserter/protesters in Canada, or
accept that assignment. It was a struggle, but I finally decided to take the assignment and face
whatever life had to offer.
