It was reported on the Wild Hunt that “Carl Llewellyn Weschcke had passed away on Nov. 7 at the age of 85. Carl was the Chairman of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, the “the oldest and largest publishers of New Age, Metaphysical, Self-Help, and Spirituality books in the world.” He was a pioneer in the publishing world, a student of metaphysics and an author, himself. ”
Carl Llewellyn Weschcke
Many TC Pagan “old timers” had met Carl, or certainly knew of him. It is surprising to me how many TC Pagans would not recognize his name without the Llewellyn in the middle. He had a major impact on the development of Pagan thought and direction nationally, and certainly locally. I am republishing Elysia Gallo’s bog post of remembrance because it reflects on his nature as a person more than his accomplishments. For those, research Carl online. – Nels
Thank you , Carl
by Elysia Gallo (LLewellyn Senior Aquisitions Editor)
Let’s start by saying I can’t believe I’m writing another remembrance on this blog. I’ve lost too many authors in the 10 years I’ve worked for Llewellyn, and now I’ve lost my boss Carl Llewellyn Weschcke. We allhave lost a very special person – not just his family, not just the Llewellyn family, but all of the Wiccans, Witches, Pagans, and magicians that I acquire books for, under his mighty imprint. So this is not going to be short.
Carl was a natural-born leader, the kind of person with so much enthusiasm for an idea or a project that others got caught up in it, too. He was a kind, intelligent person who was always looking to expand other people’s minds, by starting with his own. A lot of my fundamental training here at Llewellyn was simply having conversations with him; there was not a single esoteric, metaphysical, or alternative concept that he was not familiar with. He’d photocopy chapters from interesting books for me, or send all of us packets of articles to read. He wanted to spread knowledge and enthusiasm for our topics and our world.
On the evening of Friday September 18, 2015, Lola Moffat passed away less than a year after being diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. She was only 37, and is survived by her sister, Katie Daly, and a niece and nephew. She was a talented massage therapist, graduating from Centerpoint School of Massage this year. She was an active and beloved member of the Paganistan community. A member of the Wiccan Church of Minnesota, and regular attendee of the Earth House Midsummer Gather, she touched the lives of many Twin Cities and upper Midwest Pagans. Known for being a kind and loving person, the community was able to come to her aid after her diagnosis with a fundraiser last May.
Lola received a healing blanket and necklace at her fundraiser and healing ritual in May.
Some community members shared these remembrances of Lola: Continue reading →
The Earth Conclave Gathering is coming up October 30 – November 2, 2015. Additional Registrations are needed and due by September 18, for the event to continue. If you are considering attending please reserve a spot this week! Register / RSVP at https://events.smartcrowdz.com/ManifestingSocialJustice .
Earth Conclave is a Non-Profit Pagan and earth based community that does functions twice a year and we collectively decide upcoming events based on community interest. This Falls theme is Manfiesting Social Justice. This is an open event at a beautiful location in Southwestern Wisconsin. Meals, lodging, workshops, meditations, and all other activities are included in the event price. We have a self determined sliding fee scale of $125 – $235 and ask for $65 down at RSVP by September 18, 2015. The $65 is paid toward the total cost and is totally refundable if the event is cancelled.
We feel that this theme really resonates with a large number of people due to the current media focus. This will not be political focused but individually focused. The goal is to heal human kind one person at a time with common techniques such as: the ripple affect, law of attraction, web weaving, prayer flags, focused energy raising, and healing support to victims of social injustice.
On June 30th Circle Sanctuary issued a statement in response to the early closure of their largest event, the Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG) due to flash flooding. Besides other measures “Circle Sanctuary is offering a gift to all 2015 PSG paid registrants who request it — a $100 certificate ($50 for minors aged 12-17) that can be used toward any Circle Sanctuary event, including future PSGs, through June 21, 2020. This is a gesture of commitment to our community, to do what we can to promote healing. Please understand that this is a gift, not a refund or compensation for any loss.” The early closure was the first in 35 years of PSG, and the Circle community has rallied in support of the organization, and for the healing of those most effected by the waters and trauma of the flooding.
I spoke with Bob Paxton, Circle web and email administrator, an ordained Circle Sanctuary minister for seven years, current PSG assistant manager, and a Circle Sanctuary land maintenance volunteer each week.
N: What went into the decision to offer this gift?
Bob: After we unloaded the truck and started to think about things going forward we as an executive committee met, and had a long in person conference and tried to figure out what the best way forward would be, not just for Circle Sanctuary but for the PSG community as a whole. There were things that we knew we would do as church relative to the community, such as mobilizing our ministers to provide spiritual counseling. When people come to PSG they bring a years worth of spiritual work they intend to get done. To a substantial degree that work was short circuited by events.
There was a need for energy work and spiritual healing, and so we put out a call to the community to send in requests that they had We held full moon, our regular circle, and had it focused on healing and recovery from the events at PSG. There was a healing altar and about three dozen people in attendance, and we did an energy working to bring peace and solace to those effected.
Thirdly we decide because so many had lost so much during PSG, not just physical loss but the opportunity to do the work that happens there, to give a gift to the community for those who felt they needed it, a certificate toward admission to future Circle Sanctuary events. Good for not only for PSG but for future events on Circle Sanctuary land.
Why is a gift appropriate?
Bob: There are two sides of that. A refund is an actual return of money. You gave us X number of dollars, we are giving you X number of dollars back. The reality is that PSG is Circle Sanctuary’s single largest fund-raiser, but Circle is pretty well diversified in activity to bring in funds year around. As we looked at the numbers we saw that we could not give a refund of any sort without severely impacting the work that Circle Sanctuary does for the community year around. There are people who approach the entry fee to PSG as a simple purchase. Most events have a calamity befall it do not provide refunds because of an act of nature. An act of nature occurred that rendered the PSG site as unsafe for occupancy so we elected to close the gathering early. The gift certificate is a gesture to help people severely effected by the flooding to come to future events.
[Disclosure: This is more of an editorial than an article as the author is friends with the subject and was unable to be unbiased and objective.]
Lola is one of the kindest, sweetest, most positive people you will ever meet. And a few months ago she was diagnosed with terminal Stage 4 Melanoma.
Here is her story in her own words:
Lola was welcoming to me when I first came to Paganistan. She was unfailingly kind, and always available to hang out when I needed a friend. Lola gave me an incredible gift when after not being able to give for a long time she let me offer her hospitality to her when she needed it. Being able to offer her a meal and a place to crash on occasion was a huge boost to my self-esteem and spirituality and I am so grateful to her for that. She is one of the finest people I know.
When I spoke to Lola for information for this post she was cheerful and happy. She was helping her sister’s children prepare a Mother’s Day surprise for her sister. She never mentioned her pain, her needs, or her personal desires. She spoke to me of the financial commitments she had made to her sister, of her love for her sister, and of her desire that her sister not suffer financially while Lola copes with terminal cancer.
Lola and Katie celebrating getting the keys to the home they currently share.
Lola told me about how she and her sister were roommates years ago, and how close they have remained over the years. Her sister is a single mom who wanted a better place to raise her children and needed help to do that, and she and Lola were so excited to be living together again. Before she realized she was sick Lola told me about how excited she was to be there for her family, to be more present in their lives, and to be creating this new future with her sister. You can hear the love in her voice when Lola talks about her family, and you can hear that for her the most devastating thing about this dire prognosis is the impact it will have on the people she loves.
Lola was told at one point that she might not make it past May, but she is looking forward to attending EarthHouse’s midsummer festival and finally making it to Pagan Spirit Gathering. She is a fighter, and her spirit is indomitable. She is living wholeheartedly in spite of her advanced cancer. She is still working as a massage therapist. She is still devoted to her family. She is still a positive influence on her many friends. She is amazing and she needs our help.
Lola is trying to raise funds to help her bridge the gap until her disability kicks in this August. She can no longer work full-time, her sister depends on her help to make rent and pay utilities, and she is facing losing her car within the next week. She needs love and support, but she also really needs cash to make it through the next few months. She’s not even really asking as much for herself as she is to help honor the commitment she made to her sister.
A fundraiser and healing ritual for Lola is being held Saturday, May 30th, 2015 at Michael Servetus Unitarian Society in Fridley, MN from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. From 11 to 1 is a “buy a bowl” fundraiser potluck with an all-you-can-eat bowl for $5, and the healing ritual will take place from 1:30 to 2:30. There will be a silent auction and lawn games for both adults and kids. A beaded necklace is being made for Lola and you are encouraged to bring a bead to add to it. The dinner is a potluck and you are also encouraged to bring a dish to share.
To contribute an item to the silent auction, or for any other questions, you can e-mail Nikki at nikki.wakal@gmail.com.
If you can’t attend but would still like to contribute to the fundraiser you can make a donation on Lola’s YouCare page: Help My Sister After I Pass On.
If you can’t attend or donate online sharing this information via social media is a great way to help out.
It is my hope that Lola isn’t only able to raise the funds to meet her needs, but that the community can support her in living to the fullest as she battles terminal cancer. I hope Lola can to go to the festivals she wants to go to and over the next few months feel the love and support of her community.
My thanks to PNC:MN for sharing this with the community.
Pagan Newswire Collective - Minnesota Bureau 