IN MEMORIAM: The "FATHER OF THE NEW AGE", CARL LLEWELLYN WESCHCKE

The "Father Of The New Age Movement", Carl Llewellyn Weschcke

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 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical and paranormal community.

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The “Father Of The New Age” movement,  Llewellyn Worldwide publisher Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, passed away at the age of eighty five on November 7, 2015.  Even though we had never met him, like many in the worldwide metaphysical community, we were profoundly affected by the news of his passing.  

 While discussing why his death impacted both of us so intensely, we came to the conclusion that without Weschcke’s life-long work, our own lives would be very different. As children of the 1970’s, both interested in anything and everything esoteric and occult oriented, the wealth of knowledge he provided through his publishing company gave us permission to pursue our nascent “woo-woo” interests.  Though we were certainly not unaccompanied in these pursuits, it was easy to feel isolated during this time because our primary interests as teenagers definitely went against the grain of the societal norm. Since there was no social media back in those days- or Internet for that matter- Llewellyn’s books provided us with the knowledge we so avidly sought. Perhaps more importantly (on a personal level) the information he published provided a validation for our outré interests; it was through his work that we realized that we were not alone. What a revelation it was to realize that there were not only others like us, but that they had been seriously studying -and writing about- these ancient practices and disciplines for longer than we had been alive.

On the off chance that you are not familiar with Weschcke, and his work, perhaps this thumbnail sketch of his extraordinary life will allow you to become familiar with his accomplishments. An eternal student of spiritual, metaphysical and occult subjects, in 1961, Weschcke bought the original Llewellyn publishing company, which had been founded in 1901 by George Llewellyn. He relocated the company to his house in St. Paul, Minnesota, which was presumed to be haunted and was the subject of many paranormal investigations and news stories through the 1960’s and 1970’s. The books he published- covering a wide range of metaphysical subjects ranging from Astrology, Paganism and Magick, to Parapsychology, Eastern practices, Tarot, Yoga and Wicca and beyond- were groundbreaking in those days, during which the very first stirring of what would come to be termed The New Age Movement was coming to life.

 A former Wiccan High Priest, Weschcke was absolutely instrumental in the rise of Wicca and Paganism during that time. In 1973, he helped organize the Council of American Witches and became its chairperson.  Apparently tireless, he also sponsored the popular Gnosticon Festivals, opened an occult school and bookstore, and published the occult newspaper Gnostica.  In addition to of this, he co-authored ten books with Dr. Joe Slate of Athens, Alabama, while continuing to publish the work of others. In more  recent years, Llewellyn Worldwide has been widely known as one of the leading proponents of anything related to the esoteric.

 His wife Sandra, son Gabe, and daughter-in-law Michele survive Weschcke. Sandra is President and Treasurer of Llewellyn Worldwide , Gabe is Vice President; Michele works in Accounts Payable. They plan to carry on Carl’s legacy by championing alternative approaches to mind, spirit and body.
May you rest in peace Mr. Weschcke, your dedication and spiritual beacon are missed.

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 For more information on Llewellyn Worldwide,  the company's history or to order products, please visit their website:
http://www.llewellyn.com/about/index.php

 

Crystal & Pleasant

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