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Marion
Weinstein
(The Halloween Witch of New York)
Written and compiled by George Knowles
Marion Weinstein was a Dianic Witch and High Priestess, an
author, radio host and comedienne. She
was born during a new moon on the 19th May 1939 in Queens, New York,
and was the oldest of three daughters raised in a Jewish family.
Her mothers name was Sylvia
Linder Weinstein. From an early age
Marion identified herself with Witchcraft, and had a lifelong affinity with the
Goddess Diana. Her favourite time
of the year was always Halloween (Samhain), which beyond the usual
trick-a-treating, she felt was a time of magic and mystery. Throughout her early schooling Marion excelled in writing,
and at High School had an article called "The Witch's Cat"
published in a national magazine, for which she received $50.
After finishing High School, Marion took a holiday trip to Pompeii, an
ancient city in Italy, and there while walking among the excavated ruins, she
felt an instinctive connection with ancient Paganism and the Old Religions. On her return home she enrolled at Barnard
College, a women’s Liberal Arts College, connected with Columbia University in
New York. While there, as
part of her creative studies, she wrote and produced a musical comedy about
witchcraft called The Girl from Salem.
After graduating with a BA degree in English literature, she took several
courses in film at Columbia University before moving to Los Angeles, and spent
the following two years working as a commercial artist and animator. On returning to New York, she took further studies in acting,
dance and voice, and then joined a theatre troupe, which began her career in the
entertainment industry. In the late 1960’s, Marion founded the Earth Magic
Dianic tradition, an eclectic tradition whose members met regularly to
celebrate the Sabbats. Marion
always promoted positive magic in her workings, both in public ritual and within
her own tradition, encouraging people to raise positive energy for world peace,
and healing energy to regenerate the earth.
Her stand on this led to her informal title as the “Ethics Witch”. At Halloween in 1969, Marion began working in radio,
combining her entertainment talents with spirituality in a regular show called Marion’s
Cauldron. Broadcast live by
WBAI radio in New York City, she conducted interviews with experts on religion
and spirituality, taught ritual, Tarot, I Ching and numerous other occult
techniques, and of course explained her own beliefs about Witchcraft.
Such was the popularity of the show it ran continuously for fourteen
years, ending as it began at Halloween in 1983.
Later when computers became commonplace in our homes, she was one of the
first Pagans to have a regular weekly internet radio show, and later produced
internet videos for a series on You Tube. Marion’s first book Positive Magic (1978) was an
immediate success, and today continues to be a popular practical guide to Pagan
spirituality, theory and practice. In
it she documents her own system of working with 5 deities, these include:
Diana, Selene and Hecate as the triple Goddess, balanced by Kernunnos and
Pan, each representing one of the five points of pentagram, the common symbol of
Witchcraft. Towards the end of the 1970’s Marion began working as a
professional stand-up comedienne and soon became a well-known figure in New York
nightclubs, popular for using Witchcraft as part of her routines.
There was a serious side to her nature however, for throughout her
working life she was a keen activist for World peace, Religious freedom and
Pagan rights. She presented
lectures and workshops on practical magic, led public rituals, and regularly
spoke out in the media in her efforts to counter negative disinformation about
Witchcraft and Paganism. Later it
became a tradition in New York City for her to host and produce an annual
Samhain celebration on Halloween night.
“Marion
celebrating Halloween in 2007, an annual tradition held at Miss Mamie’s
Spoonbread Too Restaurant in New York City.” (Photo by David Kaplan).
In 1979 Marion started her own production company called
Earth Magic Productions, through which self published her second book Earth
Magic: A Dianic Book of Shadows.
Initially she only had the one book to start with, but then formed a
partnership with Robin Bernardi and started mail ordering her first book Positive
Magic. Thereafter they produced
all of Marion’s later books, videos and audiotapes (see bibliography). Throughout her working life and although most of it was
spent in New York City, Marion also
loved nature. She was a long
time friend of Selena Fox and supporter of Circle Sanctuary, the Pagan Nature
Preserve near Barneveld in Wisconsin. In
her later years she lived, wrote and networked from her family home near
Atlantic Beach on Long Island, New York, where she was active in animal rescues
and cared for many cats and dogs. She
also enjoyed gardening, swimming and taking walks along the beach waters. Sadly after a long illness, Marion passed
away on the 01st July 2009. On
the 01st August, a private memorial service was held at her the
family home in Long Island, New York, and on the following day, members of her
coven and other close friends held another private memorial at a home in New
York City’s upper West Side. Later
on Saturday the 26th September, as part of the Pagan Pride Day
celebrations at Battery Park in New York, a public memorial led by Mama Donna
Hennes and Margot Adler was held in her honour.
Finally, as a long time supporter of Circle Sanctuary, and according to
her own wishes, a custom designed granite pentacle marker was placed in Circle
Cemetery, now part of Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, and dedicated to her
memory on the 31st October 2009. Bibliography:
Books: 1978
- Positive Magic (re-issued 1981, 1985, 1994, 2002) 1979
- Earth Magic: A Dianic Book
of Shadows (re-issued 1981, 1994, 2003) 1985
- Racewalking (with William
Finley - 1985) 1991
- The Ancient Modern Witch (revised 1993) 1991
- Magic for Peace: The Invisible Realities of War Peace (re-issued 2007) 2008
- Words Of Power, Transform Your Life - The Art of Manifestation 2000
- Marion Weinstein's Handy Guide to The I Ching 2000 - Marion Weinstein's Handy Guide to Tarot Cards Videos: Stand-Up Witch: Live at the Village Gate! Audio Tapes: 1997 - Personal Magic: The Role and the True Self (Audio Cassette) 2000 - How to Use Words of Power (Audio Cassette) 2000 - How to Use The I Ching (Audio Cassette) 2000 - How to Read Tarot Cards (Audio Cassette) 2000 - Divination: Beyond Tea Leaves (Audio Cassette) 2007
- How to Use The I Ching (Audio CD) 2007 - Divination: Beyond Tea Leaves (Audio CD)
Sources:
The Encyclopedia of Witches &Witchcraft - by Rosemary Ellen Guiley http://www.dreamseeker.org/vol01/issue02/authorinterview2.html http://www.circlesanctuary.org/memoriam/mweinstein.htm http://www.twpt.com/weinstein.htm
Best wishes and Blessed Be
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