''Green Egg'' is a
Neopagan
Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...
magazine published by the
Church of All Worlds
The Church of All Worlds (CAW) is an American Neopagan religious group whose stated mission is to evolve a network of information, mythology, and experience that provides a context and stimulus for reawakening Gaia and reuniting her children thr ...
intermittently since 1968. The ''
Encyclopedia of American Religions
''Encyclopedia of American Religions'', renamed ''Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions'' in the eighth edition, is a reference book by J. Gordon Melton first published in 1978, by Consortium Books, A McGrath publishing company. It is curre ...
'' described it as a significant periodical.
First version, 1968–1976
''Green Egg'' was created by
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (born Timothy Zell, November 30, 1942, St. Louis, Missouri; formerly known as Otter G'Zell) is a Neopagan writer, speaker and religious leader. He is the co-founder of the Church of All Worlds.
Education
Zell earned a Bac ...
, who was the editor from 1968 to 1974. It started as a one-page
ditto sheet. It continued under another editor for two more years, by which point it had grown over 80 issues into a 60-page journal. According to
J. Gordon Melton
John Gordon Melton (born September 19, 1942) is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently the Distinguished Professor of American Religious History with the Ins ...
in the ''Encyclopedia of American Religions'', it became "the most significant periodical in the Pagan movement during the 1970s and made Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, its editor, a major force in Neo-Paganism". It became dormant in 1976.
Margot Adler
Margot Susanna Adler (April 16, 1946 – July 28, 2014) was an American author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess, and New York correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR).
Early life
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Adler grew up mostly ...
's sociological study ''
Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today'' was first published in 1979, shortly after the first incarnation of ''Green Egg'' ceased. (Adler's work was revised and updated in 1986, 1996, and 2006.) Adler used ''Green Egg'' as one of the main ways of distributing her survey, and received hundreds of responses from its readers. ''Drawing Down the Moon'' repeatedly refers to ''Green Egg'' as formative in modern American Paganism. "It took a catalyst to create a sense of collectivity around the word ''Pagan'', and in the United States the Church of All Worlds and its ''Green Egg'' filled this role." The magazine created a communication network (in pre-internet days) among the many
earth religion Earth-centered religion or nature worship is a system of religion based on the veneration of natural phenomena. It covers any religion that worships the earth, nature, or fertility deity, such as the various forms of goddess worship or matriarchal ...
s that were coming into being. Adler was impressed by the "free-ranging and diverse" views found in its pages, commenting that, "There was less common ground assumed in ''Green Egg'' than in any other publication I had ever seen." It was highly synergistic, bringing together hundreds of groups and ideas for debate in print, covering subjects relating to "ecology, ethics, tribalism, magic, science fiction, and the relationship of human beings to the planet". Adler reports that some Pagans told her in the late 1970s that they were glad of its demise, because there would be less bickering between various factions. She, however, judged it "key to the movement's vitality".
Later versions, 1988 onwards
Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Rosemary Ellen Guiley (July 8, 1950 - July 18, 2019) was an American writer on topics related to spirituality, the occult, and the paranormal. She was also a radio show host, a certified hypnotist, a board director of the "National Museum of M ...
states in ''The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca'' that it was Zell's two wives,
Morning Glory Zell and Diane Darling, who revived ''Green Egg'' at
Beltane
Beltane () is the Gaelic May Day festival. Commonly observed on the first of May, the festival falls midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The festival name is synonymous with the month marking the ...
1988. Morning Glory is credited with coining the term "
polyamory
Polyamory () is the practice of, or desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. People who identify as polyamorous may believe in open relationships wit ...
", in an essay in ''Green Egg'' entitled "A Bouquet of Lovers". Once more it took its place as "a leading Pagan journal", according to Adler. Eventually Darling left, Zell-Ravenheart was ousted, and the magazine—thriving until 2001—folded again.
In March 2007, ''Green Egg'' was restarted as an
ezine
An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer magaz ...
, available online at greeneggemagazine.com. In 2008, an anthology of art and articles was published, entitled ''Green Egg Omelette''. In 2013, ''Green Egg'' announced a
print on demand
Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology and business process in which book copies (or other documents, packaging or materials) are not printed until the company receives an order, allowing prints of single or small quantities. While oth ...
service, and was digitising its back catalog.
Oberon (formerly Otter) and Morning Glory Zell were the subjects of the book ''The Wizard and the Witch: Seven Decades of Counterculture, Magick & Paganism'' (2014), which includes a fuller story of ''Green Egg'' and the Church of All Worlds.
In January 2015, Monserrat and Donohue retired.
In spring 2020, Church of All Worlds resume online publication of Green Egg Magazine under the direction of Rev. Alder Moonoak.
See also
* ''
Harvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
'', a neopagan magazine
References
External links
*{{official website, http://www.greeneggmagazine.com/
1960s in modern paganism
Magazines established in 1968
Modern paganism in the United States
Modern pagan magazines
Online magazines published in the United States
Online magazines with defunct print editions
Religious magazines published in the United States