Category: Interviews

1. What is Waning Moon Publications?
Waning Moon Publications is a home-based bindery and publishing company for occult and related materials. We (mostly my fiancé and I) specialize in producing artistic hand-bound titles using leather and decorative papers. It is very much a magical project as much as it is a business since I find that books are themselves magical tools on many levels.

2. What made you decide to start it?
I love to collect books and I took up the hobby of bookbinding so I could eventually rebind my favorite books in leather. First I started to publish just my own books, but then I began to meet other authors who had great ideas but either lacked the encouragement needed to bring them to life, or could not find a publisher to take on the project. You see, publishers invest quite a bit of money to release a book so need to really take profit into account. They can’t afford to take risks. In my case, I have the luxury of taking risks when I believe in the author’s work because this is not my primary source of income. In fact almost all the profit I make goes back into the company so I can fund the next project. It’s nice to have that level of freedom to say the least! It’s also a great feeling to produce something fresh and exciting. For example, The Consecrated Little Book of Black Venus is the first English translation of a little known grimoire. Later this year we’ll be releasing the first fresh translation of Dee’s Hieroglyphic Monad in 50 years and this will be by magicians and scholars of Dee!

3. So, why are your books so expensive compared to the books at my local bookstore?
Currently all my books are hand made using “archival quality” materials, which means the books will last longer than we will. Start-to-finish, it takes a few weeks to a month to create a book, and that does not include all the editing and layout that is needed long before printing – that takes months! So between time and materials, the production costs ad up quickly. For example one goat skin costs between $90 and $115 depending on size and can only cover a few books since I have to cut around defects.

Once I start expanding into mass-produced books for certain titles, I’ll finally be able to offer low cost books, but not all my titles will be mass produced. Some books are better released in small quantities since its scarcity adds to its mystical context. Some things should not be easy to obtain. There is something to be said for having to seek and work toward obtaining information. Sometimes I feel the internet, despite all its benefits, has caused us to take information for granted and thus dulled it’s impact on the psyche. Anyone who practiced magic before the rise of the internet can probably appreciate what I am talking about, and how the excitement of discovering new material or new contacts had much more impact than today where much material is one Google away.

4. Can you walk us through the basic process of hand binding a book?
Well, after the prerequisite editing, typography and layout, there’s the printing. I hate that part. I basically sit in front of my printer – a special $3000 unit that does color, duplexing, and can handle the abuse. I need to inspect every page for defects and the printer is s-l-o-w and quite evil (I swear it knows when I walk away before it messes up).

Then I fold the signatures (usually 4 sheets), punch small holes in the fold for the sewing, trim edges of the text block, sew the signatures together by hand, and then glue the spine of the text block. This part is relaxing but takes the most time and just can’t be rushed.

Next comes prepping the spine. This is where I use a special press to hold the book while I use a backing hammer to slowly smooth and (for thicker books) curve the spine. I then add spine support using mesh and craft paper as well as add the headbands, ribbon for book mark, etc. This is a very important part which also takes much time. The spine is what you see when the book is on the shelf and is the backbone of the book so must be formed well.

I then add the boards, put the leather on, then cover paper, and finally the inside cover paper. This is usually a 2 to 3 day process since glue must dry well while sitting in a press between each step, but it is when you start to see a book come to life so is very exciting!

Finally, I treat the leather with a special oil, add spine title when there is room, do a final trim of papers when needed, and inspect book for defects. The book then has to sit in a press for a week or two to ensure all the moisture from the glue has dried so the book does not warp.

You would be amazed at how much glue is used! I typically use 4 to 5 different types of glue through the whole process and quite a lot of it.

Well that’s the gist of it at least, of course I have to measure and cut all materials which eats up time. I also treat the book binding process as a magical working so often start projects on certain days, seasons, or phase of the moon, use incense and oils of the proper attribution, add powdered herbs to the glue, and often inscribe sigils on the cover boards before covering them with leather.

5. What is your favorite book that Waning Moon has ever bound?
Ah, that would be the one I am doing now: The Consecrated Little Book of Black Venus. It has been a massive project and is the culmination of all the techniques I have learned while binding my other books. I can’t wait to send the authors their copy! Not only does it look great but it has never been translated into English before and is a not very well-known work grimoire so this is history in the making!

6. What book or writer that you haven’t published or bound would you like to?
I like the grimoiric feel of Michael Ford’s books. I think some of his work would look great in a special edition. Also Joseph Petterson has edited some great translations of various grimoires and I would love to work with him one day on a new project. Material-wise, I am hoping to eventually find a more “witchy” book to publish. Not a witchcraft 101 but rather a type of Book of Shadows ala the 1970’s style of witchcraft or perhaps Sabbatic Witchcraft.

7. I know that due to the time it takes to publish you’re selective about submissions. What do you look for in potential Waning Moon Publication book?
I definitely have a small checklist I keep in mind when reviewing material. Unique or personalized systems of magic catch my attention the most. The material must be internally consistent, as in, well thought out with a nice flow. I prefer scholarship over opinion unless backed by significant personal experience. Grimoires should be practical – a record of work done, and not theoretical mumbo jumbo that sounds nice but has never been tried. And finally it has to be something that makes sense being published as a hand bound limited edition. A novel with a magical theme for example would be better as a mass produced title. This is also why my book on Wiccan Ethics is only in paperback.

So I guess it comes down to being material which is alive, not dead – something that has value to the reader and the writer alike and not just a book to sell for money.

8. You wrote a book called “Ethics and the Craft”. Can you briefly tell us your thoughts on the evolution of Wiccan ethics?
I find it fascinating how much Wicca has changed over the years and how certain authors and books have lead that change for better or worse. What also amazes (and frightens me) is how easily details on Wicca’s roots are getting lost as the first wave of elders (like Doreen Valiente) pass away. We know so little about the early days due to secrecy, petty politics, and personal bias and it seems very little emphasis these days is placed on its history.

9. Folio, quarto, or octavo?
I ~love~ folio (especially extra large folio) and hope one of these days I have a book which makes sense to publish in such a large format. There is something exciting about handling an oversized book. The trick is finding something that can be printed on large paper but also have some decent thickness to it. This is actually the inspiration behind my super-limited “High Priest” editions.

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question?
Hmmm… the boxers vs briefs in an intriguing one but I’d love to know what your favorite book (any subject) is and why.

Okay first, what most of our readers don’t realize is that the tenth question comes with an explanation that we edit out upon publication. It says, “This question cannot be changed. We ask everyone this one question. You can ask anything, even silly stuff like who is your favorite boy band or boxers or briefs!” Hence, the reason that the boxes vs briefs comment was made.

As to the actual question, “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeline L’Engle. It was the book that got me into reading. I love it as much today as when I first read it in fifth grade. “Wild nights are my glory….” (Close seconds are “Different Seasons” by Stephen King. The intro to “The Body” in that book blew my mind. “The most important things are the hardest things to say.” Also, the comic series “The Sandman”. If I need to tell you why, you haven’t read it.)

John J. Coughlin has been a practitioner of the Occult Arts since the mid-1980’s. In that time he has worked with several groups, although he primarily prefers to walk a solitary, eclectic path. Also associated with the Gothic scene, John has incorporated his personal aesthetics and ideals into his spirituality giving him an often unique perspective.

Preferring to consider himself an “obscure occult writer” due to his distaste for self promotion, John believes those who will benefit from his work will eventually stumble across it when the time is right. Professional writers are cursed with having to sacrifice their integrity to please the majority in order to sell their work to the masses. John does not seek to make a living off his writing and is therefore free to write about what he finds interesting and important regardless of its trendiness or political correctness. Much of John’s work remains in private distribution within the various magical groups with which he works.

John is also webmaster of waningmoon.com which is the mother site for his various web projects geared mostly to Gothic and Pagan audiences including the Gothic, Pagan and Vampire personals. John is also editor of the NYC Pagan Resource Guide which has been serving the NY, NJ, and CT area since 1996.

As a rogue scholar of sorts, John Coughlin has been researching the history and evolution of Wiccan ethics in order to show how the religion’s perception of ethics has developed since its inception and to promote true scholarly research into the Craft’s history.

1. What drew you to Wicca?
When I was a child I was wild about Greek and Roman mythology. Back in the late sixties when I was a teenager, I was exploring various different religions, not really knowing what I was looking for, developing an interest in Celtic lore. Then I came across Diary of a Witch by Sybil Leek. And there it was. I’ve been a Witch ever since.

2. What made you decide to become a police officer?
There was a military history on my father’s side of the family (and for many generations on my mother’s side as well). My father had been a flight sergeant in the RAF during WWII and wanted me to become an officer, gentleman and pilot, something he hadn’t achieved. I went off to do that in the Canadian Armed Forces, then realized once I’d got there that it was his dream, not mine. I had a high school associate who had gone on to be a Vancouver cop and this interested me. I signed up with the VPD and spent nearly 29 years there.

3. Why was it important to you that people knew you were a Wiccan and a police officer?
When I first became a cop I didn’t realize until I’d told some people about my beliefs that I was the first Wiccan cop to “come out of the closet.” I found out pretty quickly and defending myself turned into two and a half decades of anti defamation work for the Pagan community. It was important for the police and the public to see that I didn’t resemble the stereotypical image that was being presented by our detractors. Officers of Avalon is an extension of that, showing the world what Pagans in the emergency services are doing for the public on a daily basis.

4. What was the biggest surprise when you started letting people know your religious preference?
The reaction outside of the court rooms was one that comes to mind. I recall the first occasion that I used an affirmation in court, rather than taking an oath on the Bible. Afterwards I was approached by one of our detectives outside of the courtroom and the following conversation took place:
“So, you’re an atheist?”
“No.”
“But you took an affirmation. You aren’t religious.”
“I’m very religious. In fact, I’m a priest.”
Similar incidents occurred almost every time I made a court appearance for the first few years. It is interesting how many people in this culture equate Christianity with religion or religion with scripture. Many of those who challenged me over my practice of taking affirmations did not seem to grasp the fact that a person could be religious and not Christian.

5. Can you tell our readers a little bit about the Officers of Avalon?
On 15 December 1999 Corporal Tricia Mullensky of the University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth) Police Department created the Yahoo e-group Officers of Avalon as a “way for Pagan law enforcement and emergency personnel to talk, discuss, vent or ask questions to others of like mind. In its infancy Officers of Avalon was a small e-group where Pagans in the emergency services could chat. Its obscurity protected it from the predators and proponents of “spiritual warfare”.

That all changed on 12 May, 2002, when Tim Flanagan (Bogota (NJ) Police Reserves) posted the following on the Officers of Avalon e-group:

“The black officers have their organization, the Irish, the gays, etc. Why not us? They all started with just a few members. Don’t you think it’s about time we came out of the closet?… We are good people, and I know that there are many, many of us across the Us who don’t know who to turn to, … This small group can be the start of something big for every Wiccan police officer in the US…”

The initial burst of enthusiasm expanded the membership. Things looked promising: A person came forward to set up a web site. There was a lot of discussion about incorporation, conventions, and other exciting prospects. This all got us a lot of publicity in newsletters, web sites and Llewellyn’s 2003 Wicca Almanac. Suddenly Officers of Avalon wasn’t simply an obscure e-group any more.

Little else changed however, and that became a problem. I had joined Officers of Avalon in March of 2001. I was asked to be a spokesperson and accepted. I was content to sit back and let others run the show as I already had a very full schedule. Unfortunately, at that stage in the development of Officers of Avalon, things were being decided by the time consuming process of consensus. The result was that many of these marvelous ideas did not move forward.

Then things started to really go wrong. The webmistress suddenly disappeared. She dropped off the e-group, did not respond to any form of communication (e-mail, snail mail, phone). I won’t speculate as to why she did this: We really have no idea. The web site stopped working and no one could fix it as the webmistress was the only person with the passwords. There were concerns expressed about this on the e-group but little action was taken. The leadership at the time continued to send messages to the webmistress that went unanswered.

Ultimately the domain lapsed. The webmistress chosen by the leadership had obtained the domain name for our organization, and no effort had been made to turn it’s ownership over to the organization. So when the domain expired the former webmistress was the only one who could have renewed it. When she did not, a Russian entrepreneur snapped it up immediately and offered to sell it back to us for $1200 US.

Meanwhile, as columns by Christian journalist Michael Coren in the Toronto Sun proved, some radical elements within the evangelical Christian community had noticed the existence of Officers of Avalon. They weren’t happy about it. Some of them had been trying for years to defend their position by claiming that the followers of religions other than Christianity were all dysfunctional flakes. Officers of Avalon is living proof that they are wrong. Our members are professional emergency services personnel and an example of the possibilities open to the Pagan community. As a result we became a target for such fundamentalists. Radical Christian web lurkers began to pop up, post and run on our old e-group. A fundamentalist Christian used my name in an e-address for a hate literature site called the “Encyclopedia of Satanic Wicca”. This was brought to our attention by a Christian expert on the occult, Tony Kail. The world isn’t a simple place and it became painfully obvious to us that a simple e-group wouldn’t meet our needs any more.

As a result of all this quite a number of members were starting to write to me, both on and off the e-group, asking me what to do. I was not part of the leadership structure at that point, just a spokesperson and a very visible personality in the community. There obviously wasn’t an effective leadership. I contacted Mullensky and voiced my concerns. She had a lot going on in her life at the time and agreed to let me take the mess over and try to straighten things out.

I took over immediately. I set up a Preceptory system and appointed a Grand Preceptory (our board of directors). We got down to work. Our Chancellor General began to draw up our bylaws. We got the control of the original e-group turned over to the organization and secured all of the other domains available (officersofavalon.com and .net). The organization at this point had no funds at all, so it wasn’t possible to buy the original domain back. When the Russian entrepreneur that had grabbed our original domain name saw that we weren’t going to buy the original domain name back he handed it over to a Spanish porn site webmaster, likely as a means of pressuring us to cave in to his demands. We did not bow to this pressure. Our Inspector General, assisted by Tara Ravensong, a member of the High Tech Services Unit (HTSRU) of the Orange County Sheriff‘s Department Reserve, created a new web site at www.officersofavalon.com.

Our second objective was to build the organization that Tim Flanagan first proposed and turn it into an effective tool to further our interests. On 11 September, 2003, the Grand Preceptory of Officers of Avalon learned that we had succeeded in our efforts to incorporate our organization: We are now incorporated in the state of Nevada and have a mailing address in our Treasurer’s home town in Wisconsin. What had been talked about for two years we accomplished in a little over 2 months. Our Treasurer General set up a bank account and began to collect dues.

This is just a start. Together we’ve responded to people like Michael Coren. We’ve joined forces against fanatic “occult experts” disseminating misinformation to our non-Pagan colleagues in our work places. Our combined efforts shut down the objectionable “Encyclopedia of Satanic Wicca” web site. Yet there is a lot more problems to be solved and we are uniquely situated to deal with them.

Officers of Avalon isn’t just an e-group anymore. It has become a benevolent association for Pagan professionals in the emergency services. As always, we will continue to offer Pagan cops, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and rescue personnel a safe place to vent, to share ideas and to disseminate information that affects us. We will move beyond the electronic realm and provide opportunities for our members to interact in person, through gatherings and conventions. We are a network like the IPA that can offer members contacts and refuge in cities around the world. A newsletter is being planned and we are looking for organizations and individuals willing to sponsor us. At the time of writing a number of fund raising schemes are being set in motion to help us achieve these goals. Through our disaster relief project, Avalon Cares, we supply funds to people all over the world who are in need.

As Coren and the Toronto Sun discovered, we are spokespersons for the Pagan community. We are proof that many of the guardians of our society are Pagans. We are a shining symbol to the Pagan community of infinite possibilities.

At the time that I first went public about my Wiccan beliefs I didn’t know I was the first police officer to do so. I found out very quickly. It was a lonely feeling. Nearly 25 years later, in March of 2001, I discovered Officers of Avalon and said goodbye to that loneliness. It has become my second family. I’m very protective of it.

6. I’ve started asking many of our interviewees this question. What challenges do you see facing the Pagan community? How can the community resolve those issues?
This community is both growing and aging rapidly. It’s not just a few people meeting in isolated living rooms any more. We have to find large sites to celebrate the turning of the year, create services for people of all ages in the community, provide leadership, counseling and chaplaincy duties, legally marry people and legally bury them in Pagan grave sites. We need to put differences aside and embrace these responsibilities.

7. You’re a frequent contributor on The Witches Voice website. What do you find appealing about that community?
It’s an excellent venue to disseminate information. It’s creator, Fritz, has done an excellent job in creating and maintaining it.

8. TJ Hooker, Miami Vice, or The Shield?
I’m laughing as I read this. You’ve no idea how many people ask my opinion on police shows like these, assuming, I suppose, that if I spend all that time out there on the mean streets I must love police work so much that I’m going to go home and watch all of these shows. The very last thing that I want to do after a stressful shift is go home and watch programs that (a) remind me of the stresses I’ve been facing all day and (b) in no way resemble actual police work. I must confess that as a result, I’ve only a vague idea of what these shows you name are about or who the characters are. I was proud to have served and protected my communities (mundane and Pagan) as a patrol officer, an ERT team member, a hostage negotiator, a gang squad officer, a child abuse investigator and an officer in the mental health emergency services unit. I still do as a police dispatcher. I leave it up to you to decide.

9. You’re such an inspiration to so many people, who inspires you?
In no particular order: Sun Tzu, Miyamoto Musashi, Charles Dickens, Bruce Lee, Gerald Gardner, Amber K, Margot Adler, Selena Fox, Doreen Valiente, Ann Moura, Kristin Madden, Christopher Penczak, Edain McCoy and Fritz Muntean.

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question?
Ask you a question? OK. How am I doing?

Excellent.

Kerr retired from the Vancouver Police Department in November 2005 after serving with them for 29 years. He was awarded the Governor General’s Exemplary Service Medal. Kerr’s past job assignments within the VPD include the Emergency Response Team, Hostage Negotiator, Child Abuse Investigator, Gang Crime Unit, and the Mental Health Emergency Services Unit. Kerr is currently working as a police dispatcher for ECOMM for Southwestern BC . Kerr has been a Wiccan for 39 years and has been involved in anti-defamation activism and hate crimes investigation for the Pagan community since 1986. Kerr was awarded the Shield of Valor by the Witches League for Public Awareness. Kerr is the author of the Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca, Wiccan Warrior, Full Contact Magick, Witch Hunts, and Magickal Self Defense, with more on the way. Kerr has a column on anti-defamation issues and hate crimes on The Witches’ Voice web site called Witch Hunts (http://www.witchvox.com/_x.html?c=whs). Kerr is the current Preceptor General of Officers of Avalon (www.officersofavalon.com), an organization representing Neo-Pagans professionals in the emergency services (police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians).

Coming Soon

1. What brought about the creation of The Grey School of Wizardry, of which you are the Headmaster?
Perceiving the need for providing a basic and universal magickal education for the “Harry Potter” generation, many of whom will presumably come looking for the real thing after being turned on by the HP books and movies. Actually, I’d been talking about this issue in workshops and articles for many years, as I was concerned that virtually all magickal training programs and groups refused to admit anyone under 18, and I was watching generations of our own kids growing up reliant entirely on what their own families could provide in magickal home schooling, and a very few books which seemed to me to be woefully inadequate. In 1989, I created a kids’ magazine supplement to Green Egg (called H.A.M.—“How About Magick?”) just to address this issue.

And over the years I’ve been making notes as to what information I wish I’d had when I started out on this path—say, at age 11 (the age Harry Potter is when the books begin…). And the idea that came to me was a kind of “Boy Scout Handbook” (or “Junior Woodchuck Guide,” for all the Carl Barks Donald Duck fans…) of Wizardry. New Page books agreed to publish such a book if I put it together, so in 2002 I convened the Grey Council, bringing together a number of the mages and sages, elders and teachers, of the worldwide magickal community to serve and a body of contributors and an advisory council, and with them all looking over my shoulder and offering counsel and input, I compiled the Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard (2004), and its sequel, Companion for the Apprentice Wizard (2006).
The book was designed in the form of a textbook for a real-life version of a Wizard school like the fictional “Hogwarts.” And inevitably, this required the creation of such an institution in reality, which I began doing as the book was being completed. The Grey School of Wizardry (www.GreySchool.com) opened its virtual doors on Aug. 1, 2004. As of this date (Nov. 1, 2007), the Grey School offers over 270 classes, in 16 Departments (with Majors and Minors), at 7 “year-levels.” We have over 30 teachers, and nearly 1,000 students!

2. Do you have any thoughts about the public outing of Albus Dumbledore’s, another wizard school headmaster, homosexuality?
Well, in a series of books written for teenagers, in which sexuality and sexual relationships of adults are never mentioned, and don’t come into the story at all, I think that proclaiming anything involving the sexual activities or inclinations of any of the adult characters is entirely inappropriate. In the first place, we’re not talking about flesh-and-blood people here (as we might do if we were discussing the private lives of the actors in the movies). We’re talking about fictional creations on paper, who have no existence at all outside of the pages of the books. And pre-teen readers really don’t need to be told about the private (and imaginary) sex lives of these fictional characters, as it is entirely inappropriate for kids to be exposed to the sexuality of their school teachers—whatever it may involve. I don’t discuss my own personal sexuality with the students in the Grey School, and I believe that’s as it should be. I shudder to think what comes next: Severus Snape outed as a BD/SM dungeon master and leatherman? Minerva McGonagal as a dyke dominatrix? Sirius Black into wild orgies? Such matters are outside of the scope and context of these stories, and should stay there, in my opinion. Whatever anyone may imagine in their own private little fantasies, I feel that such “revelations” (or speculations) are inappropriate in stories intended for kids.

3. Is there any chance of me getting on the Grey Council?
Well, lessee: Are you old enough to have some grey in your hair? Are you a widely-recognized Elder and teacher in the worldwide magickal community? Have you founded groups, written books, and/or done other things of significant service to the community at large? Are you well-enough known to the other members of the Council to garner a nomination, sponsorship, and approval? People are invited to join the Grey Council by members thereof. Prospective nominees are discussed at some length before they are extended an invitation, and any opposition among extant Council members constitutes a veto until/unless it can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. Although fairly exclusive, the Council is open-ended, and new members are invited to join from time-to-time, as the Council comes to feel they should be. Let’s get to know you…

4. Let me list these, and I’m sure I’ll miss some. At some point you have been or still are all of these things: artist, clergy, teacher, publisher, headmaster, author, public speaker, and unicorn breeder. What haven’t you done yet that you would like to try?
Astronaut; hang glider; hot-air balloonist…
And you can add to the above list: editor, publisher, husband, father, SCUBA diver, adventurer, homesteader…and of course, Wizard.

5. To me, and I’m sure many others, you are a living legend. I imagine you day and night in your full wizardly glory. Do you do normal stuff? Do you ever go, well today I need to do the laundry, hit the grocery store, and pick up the house?
Well, sure! I go to the Post Office and grocery store nearly every day. I spend hours at my console answering e-mail. About once a month I stop by my favorite comic book store and pick up my subs. We go to all the fantasy/adventure/sci-fi movies as soon as they come out (often we dress in costume for movies involving pirates or wizards). We record and watch a few favorite TV shows (Heroes, Pushing Daisies, Smallville, Stargate, Eureka, CSI…). We put on DVDs of our favorite movies, from our huge collection. I read—a lot! And every few months we completely redecorate our home for the seasonal parties we throw for our friends. We attend parties our friends throw. Folks come to visit, and we put them up in our guest rooms, and take them around to our favorite places. We manage the day-to-day work of running our family business, Mythic Images (www.MythicImages.com): taking orders, shipping, billing, creating new designs, etc.

And last night—Hallowe’en—we took our 15-month-old granddaughter trick-or-treating for her first time! She dressed as an adorable little Witchlet, MG was the “Fairy Grandmother,” and I just wore my normal Wizard regalia—which everyone seemed to think was a costume.

6. I’ve started asking people this question and I’m keenly interested in your thoughts. What challenges do you see facing the Pagan community? How can the community resolve those issues?
I think our biggest challenges revolve around our exponential growth in numbers, as we are now a worldwide phenomenon, and said to be the fastest-growing religious movement in the English-speaking world (and also beginning an explosive growth in many other countries). And yet, inexplicably, we still remain almost entirely invisible to the mainstream world. But at some point they will inevitably notice us. How will the magickal and the mundane worlds adjust to each other? Especially the churches who have actively persecuted us for centuries as they attempted to wipe us from the face of the Earth? As far as I know, they have not repented or apologized to this day, and we cannot assume their benign acceptance as we claim our place at the table of world religions.

For such a large religious movement—and such a high level of general education and intelligence—our economic status compared to other religions is dismally low. Why is this? We own very little property, and have very few temples or other religious buildings. One cannot help but look at other religions and wonder: where are our Pagan churches, schools, hospitals, orphanages, monasteries, retreat centers, seminaries, food banks, halfway houses? We do have a large number of bookstores and occult shops—which is good—but little else to show for ourselves in comparison with other religions. I strongly believe we must seriously support our religion the way others do—with tithes, bequests, and charitable donations. Until we achieve parity in this regard, we will remain marginal.

Nor do we provide much in the way of services to our surrounding communities, such as public weekly worship services, soup kitchens, day care centers, etc. A few Pagan groups are beginning to do some of those things, which I applaud, but we’re way, way behind most other groups—such as the Moonies, Scientologists, or Krishna Consciousness—that originated around the same time (the ‘60s).

Another thing, of course, has been the embarrassing competitive jockeyings for pre-eminence among far too many of the supposed leaders of our community—who should know better. Thankfully, I believe that the worst of that is over, having achieved epic and disastrous proportions in the notorious “Witch Wars” of the final decades of the 20th century. The single greatest antidote to those internecine power struggles has certainly been the amazing proliferation of gatherings and festivals.

And finally, I would address our raising up of the next generation—to which I am devoting the current phase of my own life and work.

7. What book are you currently reading?
At the moment, having just finished writing my latest book, A Wizard’s Bestiary, I’m taking a little break from research and re-reading Time Enough for Love, by Robert A. Heinlein. Wonderful!

8. Thanks to a big celebrity push, everyone these days seems to be talking about our relationship with the environment. You were thinking about this well before the first celeb drove their hybrid to the Oscars. Would you share with my readers the Gaea Thesis?
Simply stated it is this: The entire biosphere of Earth is one single vast living organism. It is all descended from a single original cell, fertilized 544 million years ago in the “Cambrian Explosion,” and all shares the same DNA. Just as we as human individuals begin our existence as a single fertilized cell, or zygote, yet retain our identity as single organisms even when the proliferation of cells in our bodies becomes trillions—so has the entity we humans call Gaea, Hertha, Pachamama, or Mother Earth, retained her identity as a single organism whose trillions of component “cells” are her myriads of plants and animals; including ourselves. And as every living organism is by nature sentient, so is the living Earth: Anima Mundi, the Soul of Nature, the Great Mother Goddess revered by all Pagans.

I received this revelation on Sept. 6, 1970, and it has profoundly shaped every aspect of my life and work ever since. You can read my original thesis, “TheaGenesis: the Birth of the Goddess” on the Church of All Worlds website at: www.caw.org/articles/theagenesis.html. While I still intend to write an entire book on this topic, the best realization of this Vision that I have produced to date is my sculpture figurine of The Millennial Gaia: www.mythicimages.com/product_page.php?product_id=1

9. I understand that you create sculptures of goddesses, many of which I see on the Mythic Images website. I’ve been trying to find a unique Kali statue, any chance we’ll be seeing one from you?
No. I’ve focused on creating images that are not available elsewhere—just because I wanted to have them myself! Beautiful Egyptian, Chinese, and Hindu votive figurines are widely available. I could not possibly duplicate these—and certainly not at a competitive price! Nor would I want to, as I have plenty to do that no one else is doing already. Just go online and look for a figure of Kali—our major competitor, Sacred Source, would certainly be a good place to start.

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question?
Sure. What is your own Mission? What are you here for? I feel this is the most important question that every one of us needs to ask ourselves…

I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to finding out.

Brief bio:
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (1942- ) is a modern-day Wizard, and a leader in the worldwide magickal community. Oberon is a true “Renaissance Man:” a shaman, psychologist, metaphysician, naturalist, theologian, artist, sculptor, teacher, author, and Priest of Gaia (Mother Earth). He has earned college degrees in sociology, anthropology, psychology, education and theology.

Inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 visionary science-fiction novel, Stranger in a Strange Land, Oberon co-founded the Church of All Worlds in 1962. (www.CAW.org) An initiate in several different Magickal traditions, he has created and participated in many interfaith groups and projects, including the Council of Themis, the Council of Earth Religions, the Universal Federation of Pagans, the Pagan Leaders Summit, and the Grey Council.

Oberon has played a major role in the unity of the magickal community and in reclaiming the spiritual heritage of pre-Christian Europe. In his award-winning magazine, Green Egg (1968-) (www.GreenEggzine.org), he was the first to adopt the words “Pagan” and “Neo-Pagan” to describe the newly emerging Nature religions of the 1960s. In 1970, he first developed and published the thealogy of “deep ecology” which has become known as “The Gaia Thesis”—the premise that all life on Earth is a single vast living Being, known as Mother Earth, or “Gaia” to the ancient Greeks.

Oberon met and fell in love with Morning Glory, his soulmate and wife of 34 years, at the Gnostic Aquarian Festival in 1973, where he was a keynote speaker. From 1977 to 1985 they lived in a 5,600-acre intentional community in the mountains of northern Califia, creating a rural homestead and magickal retreat center. In February of 1979, they created and led a ritual with other Pagan leaders to celebrate the solar eclipse at a full-scale restoration of Stonehenge in Washington State, a transformative event attended by over 3,000 people.

Oberon and Morning Glory’s research into arcane lore and ancient legends resulted in the “Living Unicorn” project, begun in 1980 and culminating with the leasing of several of their authentic Unicorns to the Ringling Bros./Barnum & Bailey Circus. The Zells also traveled around North America exhibiting their Unicorns at Renaissance Faires.

Continuing to explore fables and mysteries, in 1985 Oberon organized a video diving expedition to Australia and New Guinea to solve the mystery of the Mermaid. Other legendary journeys have taken Oberon to Peru, Hawaii, Alaska, and ancient oracles and archaeological sites throughout Europe and the Aegean. In 1999, he visited England for the final total solar eclipse of the Millennium, which he celebrated with local Pagans at an ancient stone circle in Cornwall.

For over 40 years, Oberon has written and published many articles on history, Gaian thealogy, magick, shamanism, mythology, anomalies, archaeology, cosmology, and related topics. His Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard (New Page Books, 2004) is an essential basic reference work that will continue to serve as a resource throughout the reader’s lifetime. This book was followed by Companion for the Apprentice Wizard (New Page, 2006) and Creating Circles & Ceremonies (with Morning Glory; New Page, 2007). His latest book is A Wizard’s Bestiary (with Ash DeKirk; New Page, 2007)

As a follow-up to the Grimoire, Oberon founded the online Grey School of Wizardry: www.GreySchool.com. The Grey School provides authentic classes and lessons on myth, magick and mystery, as presented by dozens of highly-qualified teachers, and Oberon, as Headmaster, has been called “the real Albus Dumbledore to aspiring Harry Potters!” (Lee Prosser, Fate Magazine)
Oberon’s favorite art project is his ongoing sculpture series of Gods, Goddesses, and mythological creatures, presented as “The Mythic Images Collection.” www.MythicImages.com His masterwork is “The Millennial Gaia”—a visionary representation of Mother Earth.

Websites:
Grey School of Wizardry www.GreySchool.com
Church of All Worlds www.CAW.org
Mythic Images www.MythicImages.com
Green Egg magazine www.GreenEggzine.com
Oberon Zell www.OberonZell.com