Phew! I’ve been busy, but things are slowing down now. Beltane has come and gone, rituals and magic done, botanica’s run and shamelessly promoted… Tonight’s news feature’s a common theme — pagan literature. I’ll start off with the end of Pan Gaia magazine and it’s new incarnation as a part of newWitch magazine, and then move on to the wonderful Pomegranate journal and how it relates to the latest interviewee on The Wigglian Way Pagan Podcast. And lastly, some sad news from the occult publishing world.
Pan Gaia Merges with NewWitch Magazine
The last issue of Pan Gaia magazine has been published. After the current issue, the authors and columns of Pan Gaia will now be merged into NewWitch magazine – both magazines are published by BBI Media who also publish Sagewoman and Crone magazines. Issue 50 will be the last, featuring an interview with Carl Llewellyn Weske, yes of Llewellyn books; an article by the lovely Jason Pitzl-Waters from over at The Wild Hunt blog titled “Today’s Most Influential Pagans”, which of course lists the Wigglian Way as one of the ‘new media mavericks’ (you made Mojo & Sparrow squeal Jason!); and this issue also features articles on the Otherkin and Satanism (in my head I’m saying *no furry jokes, no furry jokes*). It is sad that now that Mojo and I have just discovered this cool Neopagan magazine that it will no longer exist, but I find comfort in the fact that there are so many great pagan magazines being published right now. Farewell Pan Gaia, we just met, but I was starting to like you (*phew mad it with no furry jokes*).
Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies
The Pomegranate was the first academic peer-reviewed journal on Pagan studies ever published. It is the brainchild of author Chas S. Clifton and Fritz Muntean who was also one of the founders of the NROOGD tradition along with old guard Aidan Kelly in California. Mojo and Sparrow interview Fritz and his high priestess Louise, in Episode 49 of The Wigglian Way. Fritz tells tales of the good old days, the founding of the group that spawned NROOGD, the creation and legacy of the Pomegranate Journal, and of course his life experiences along the Wiccan path and how he fell into teaching Paganism at University. If you’ve ever just wanted to sit down in front of an elder and have them share their own journey, advice, stories, teachings, knowledge, laughter, jokes, and more with you… then reading the Pomegranate is a taste of that and listening to Fritz talk in an interview is like being there.
Author Hanz Holzer Dies
Some sad news, famous author Hanz Holzer died on April 26th at age 89. He was well known for his writings on the supernatural and is known by many as a ghost hunter. He wrote many works on ghosts and hauntings, but also many books on witchcraft and the beginnings of Wicca in America. His books are now pieces of witchcraft history. He met and interviewed big name pagans before their names were known and many people have one or two of his books on their shelf without realizing the author’s long history in the occult. If you happen to come across a second hand gem like The New Pagans: An Inside Report on Mystery Cults Today, snatch it up!
New Book Release
I’ll end with some happier news. I recieved Owen Davies’ Grimoires: A History of Magic Books in the mail today from the lovely people over at Oxford University Press. Owen Davies is a historian and author I’ve had my eye on for a long time now, but have never had the opportunity to read or review one of his books. Right now Mojo and I are peeking through it’s pages…

Filed under: Books - Non Fiction, Magazines, News, Podcasts | Tagged: Hans Holzer, newWitch, Owen Davies, Oxford University Press, Pan Gaia, The Pomegranate | 3 Comments »