I've thought long and hard about how to explain this influence here. 

It's not easy. 

Nothing I learned from him and his family was taught in a formal classroom sort of way. There were no "lessons", no mass of things to memorize and quote back, no "this is the right way to do it, this is the wrong way to do it." 

We were friends and associates. We did things together, went places together, worked together. That's how I learned. 

Yes, he told many anecdotes about his family. Things his parents and grandfather had told him, each illustrating some important principle of life, and of respect, for family, for the land, for people, and for the divine through all of those things. I could retell those stories here, but I won't. I've seen what people have done to other traditions when the stories were written down -- taking them, rewriting them because they liked the story but didn't like the lesson, disrespecting them. It's not the stories that are important anyway; it's the lesson, the attitude, and the growth that came from them that is important. Much of what I gained from my association with him is contained in my How To Develop A Natural Spirituality article. I learned those things from other sources as well. He also guided me in some of the folk magic techniques and methods that he learned in his family and from his neighbors. Very similar information can be found at cat yronwode's site, and there will be more available at the new site, josephbwilson.

The following is a list of the books he had me get and read: 
 

The White Goddess by Robert Graves 
The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazier 
The Witch Cult in Western Europe by Margaret Murray 
The Magic Arts in Celtic Britain by Lewis Spence+ 
Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling by Charles Godfrey Leland 
Etruscan Magic and Occult Remedies by Charles Godfrey Leland 
Amulets and Talismans by Wallis Budge 
A Treasurey of Witchcraft by Harry E Wedeck 
The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses 
The Eight Ninth and Tenth Books of Moses 
Albertus Magnus' Egyptian Secrets 
Legends of Incense, Herbs & Oil Magic by Lewis de Claremont 
The 7 Keys to Power by Lewis de Claremont 
7 Steps to Power by Lewis de Claremont 
The Magic of Herbs by Henri Gamache 
The Master Book of Candle Burning by Henri Gamache 
Pow-Wows or The Long Lost Friend by John George Hohman 

My real debt to Sean comes from the deeper teachings, that which is so much harder to explain, but must really be experienced. 

For example, how can I explain the lessons of "involvement" gained in 1962 by doing such things sitting in a dark car night after night voluntarily guarding the home of a black family from the KKK thugs who had burned a cross in their yard? Experience is the only real teacher. 

I tried to pass on to others through 1734 the heart of the oral tradition that I gained from him. In essence it is nothing more that personal integrity: The need to do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do -- regardless of whether it is popular or not -- regardless of the personal cost. That's the essence that I learned from him. That's what I tried to include in 1734. 

Some people have learned it from me, from my examples. For that, I'm glad. 
 

Joseph B Wilson 
1734 Founder 
 

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