Over the course of the last year, I have become much more acquainted with other local (and many none local) Pagans who I have made invaluable connections and friendships with. One of those is local online magazine creator, Quinn. The magazine is Pagans of the North Magazine. Over the last few months, I have provided articles for her magazine, and she has very kindly allowed me to interview her for this blog. So here goes, in her own words – straight from the witches mouth..
What inspired you to start an online Pagan magazine?
I knew that Lockdown was going to make people feel quite isolated and especially so in a small local community like paganism.
When I discovered a Midlands magazine for pagans and witches, I was instantly inspired and asked around in local groups and searched online to see if there was a north magazine at all. There wasn’t. Well, I thought what way to bring a local community together under lockdown, than to start a northernly magazine, and I think it’s worked.
Are you a pagan yourself?
I am. I have been a Pagan for about a decade now. I started out as wiccan for around three years before moving to secular paganism and witchcraft, and have learned a lot along the way.
Have you always followed a pagan path?
Only the last ten years, before that my childhood was atheism, my family also are atheists. It wasn’t until I was 16, I discovered goddesses and that led me to paganism and polytheist religions. What did I learn in R.E? Certainly not female focused religions, sadly.
Do you work with anyone on the magazine?
I do! I work with a team of pagans/witches and they are all people I have met through local Facebook groups, many of them, replying to a post I made asking if anyone wanted to help me make a magazine. There are currently four active team members (not including myself) all from different paths and walks of life and even different parts of the North. They’re all so lovely and active and really make this magazine work as well as it does. (thank you, Jen, Sam, Vicky & Anne-Marie)
How often do you publish a copy?
We try to publish a new issue a few days before an important Sabbat, so usually an average of a month between issues.
Do you aspire to have paper issues?
That would be the dream! One day it will happen and have them in local pagan/new age stores!
What do you hope the magazine will achieve?
Our focus is on local traders, suppliers, stores and creators, so the biggest hope is that we have put a focus on them for people to find them, especially since these stores and services are few and far between. Not only that, but to have localised information on what’s happening in the North, stories and rituals/spells at their fingertips, for free.
Have you noticed readers growing?
Yes! The last few issues we have been getting around 100 readers within the first 24 hours of an issue being released! Compared to the first issue where we got 20 readers, it’s a huge success, and people keep coming back too, with each issue, more and more people know about us, it’s very exciting!
Is content provided by volunteers?
Yes, and also readers. Anyone is free to provide content for the magazine, I like to think of the magazine as ‘for the readers, by the readers.’ People can provide articles written by themselves, poems, pictures, rituals, and so much more! It makes the magazine so much more interesting, honestly!
You must enjoy putting the magazine together?
I do, myself and the team, do very much. It’s a lovely moment when the magazine is finished and we release it, and get people commenting about how they loved reading it. It makes us feel happy.
How long have you been putting the magazine together? Only since March. Our first issue was out for Ostara.
Is there anything about your own path you would like to share?
My own path has changed a lot as time as went on. I now consider myself a secular pagan but also a witch (green witchcraft) but I am also so curious and love to learn and grow, and I think that’s something we all should allow ourselves to do, as we age and time goes by.
How do you get your magazine “seen” by potential readers?
Mostly it’s all through Facebook on our page but also its advertised in the local groups and then word of mouth, shared by our readers and also shared by local shops who are part of the magazine.
Is there anything generally about pagan paths you would like to say? I
I love how diverse it can be, how unique and wonderful and open these paths can be, how different it can be for everyone. No one path is usually the same and remember that your path is not how someone else may practice.
Do you add content to the magazine yourself?
I do, sometimes I’ll include the odd article here and there. In the last issue I posted about waning moon magick, I also sometimes write articles with information about the upcoming sabbats, so I don’t just edit, I help out in all ways.
Is there anything else generally you would like to say?
I love how welcoming the pagan community has been to the idea of a local magazine, we are very involved in the north east, and down to Yorkshire, but the North west is somewhere we are still trying to be involved in and get to know and I am sure we will in time as the magazine continues.
Thank you, Ginger Witch for providing such lovely blog content for the magazine too.
So there you have it, some behind the scenes and interesting information about the coming to life of an online local magazine and the aspirations of the creator for the magazine’s future. Thank you so much Quinn for giving us some of your time.
Obviously you’ll want the link for the magazine, which is https://www.pagansofthenorth.co.uk/magazine. You can also find details at https://gingerwitchinnorthumberland.com/pagans-of-the-north-magazine/.
Stay Wild.
Blessed Be.
Ginger Witch.
