Introduction
Leo Ruickbie is an historian and sociologist of religion, specializing in paranormal beliefs, magic, witchcraft and Wicca. He is the author of several books, beginning with Witchcraft Out of the Shadows, a 2004 publication outlining the history of witchcraft 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. He then studied at King's College London 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 2007 he launched Open Source Wicca, a project inspired by the Open Source software movement aimed at making the founding texts of Wicca more readily available by releasing them under a Creative Commons licence. In 2008 and 2009 he exhibited on the subject of witchcraft in France. He is also a member of the Parapsychological Association, the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism and is on the committee of the Gesellschaft für Anomalistik. He is the current editor of the Paranormal Review, the magazine of the Society for Psychical Research.
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, Joan of Arc, Gilles de Rais, the legal and theoretical writers on demonology, famous demonic possession cases, legends of the Ardennes, witch trials in the Ardennes, plants used in witchcraft and stones (precious and semi-precious) used in magic, popular supersititions like the horseshoe and Wicca.
It was held at the following locations:
- 15–29 June 2008, Bureau de Tourisme, Le Colombier, Place du Colombier, Mouzon, Ardennes, Champagne-Ardenne, France.
- 02 - 24 August 2008, Salle des Fêtes, Saint-Antoine, Gers, Midi-Pyrénées, France.
- 21–22 March 2009, Printemps des légendes, Monthermé, Ardennes.
- 25 mai 2008 Archived 29 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
- 25 mai 2008 Archived 28 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
- Mouzon: Les sorcières s'invitent au colombier, L'Ardennais, 19 juin 2008
- 'Monday 11 August to Sunday 17 August 2008', Goingoutinfrance.co.uk, retrieved 12-08-08.
Television
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, 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, Scotland, where Alexander Stewart was said to have played chess with the Devil.