Thorn Issue 3 is now available. Asphaltia. Caffeina. Squat. Skram. Slick. The advent of technology has changed our lives- and the gods we find in them. Who are these gods of the modern world, and how are they changing the face of Paganism? Check out a preview of our feature article and more below!

ALSO INSIDE: fiction by Catherynne M. Valente; the Officers of Avalon; PanGaia, Green Egg, Mezlim and journalism's future; Seattle: City of Gods.

Features

Defending Religious Freedom and Serving Pagans in Need: Officers of Avalon
A charity organization of Pagan first responders from EMTs to police officers to firefighters, the Officers of Avalon aids in disaster relief at home and aboard when others are turned away. | Sarah Conti Wilson

Gods from the Machine: In Search of the Urban Deities
Asphaltia. Caffeina. Squat. Skram. Slick. The advent of technology has changed our lives—and the gods we find in them. Who are these gods of the modern world, and how are they changing the face of Paganism? | Robert S. Curry

Of the Fourth Estate
With the merging of PanGaia and newWitch, two of the largest Pagan perdiocals, where does Pagan journalism find itself? We talked to the former editors of PanGaia, Green Egg, and Mezlim to find out. | Jack Lux with Michael Night Sky

Pagans and the Beanstalk: ARIS
The American Religious Identification Survey shows that the Pagan religions are growing at a considerable rate. Three essayists discuss the problems of dealing with our newfound visibility.

Opening the Mystery | T. Thorn Coyle
Witchcrafting for the Future | Michael Howland-Davis (Full Preview!)
Whither Paganism | Jeff Mach

Streams

Grapevines
They said that? A collection of recent quotes from and about the Pagan community.

Othala: Intoxication
Intoxication and consciousness-altering substances in the Greek mystery cults and the scholars who insist on their importance, the communal toasting of the Norse, and the cup of red ale served by Ireland’s sovereignty goddess.

The Means to an End: Altered States of Consciousness in Hellenic Polytheism | Sarah Kate Istra Winter (Full Preview!)
The Heron of Forgetfulness: Drink and Moderation in Germanic Religion | Joseph Bloch
The Intoxicating One: Medb and Celtic Sovereignty Goddesses | Phillip A. Bernhardt-House

Phos: Visualizing Pagan Beauty
As daylight fades, the streetlights wink on-- and the city goddess comes to phosphorescent life. Every street echoes with her presence. | Model: Gabrielle Gothe; Photographer: David Watkins (above)

Facets

What I Did on My (Pagan) Summer Vacation
The dream trip to Hawaii can wait. Try these recession-friendly and equally refreshing alternatives to expensive vacations during your week off from work. | Catherine Kane

Seattle: City of Gods
In our March survey about the new gods, several responses referred to the city of Seattle, WA. Here are two of the spiritual presences modern Pagans have found there. | Zwahk & Brian Fairbrother

Of Druids & Neuromancers
Cybermagic, online ritual, and internet metaphysics, oh my! Take a glimpse into the rituals and workings joined by Pagans around the globe in the online virtual environment Second Life. | Eden Auxifur (right)

The History of Enochian, Part 2: The Golden Dawn
Our series continues with the reformations of the Golden Dawn and the entrance of Crowley. | Dan Keys

Recurrences

Letters
Discordia is spotted in our layout while another reader objects to our March 09 cover. Editor Chip O'Brien responds.

Dialogues: Hyperlinks or Hype
A response to Edwin Chapman’s “Hyperlinks of the Gods” in our December 08 issue. | Erynn Rowan Laurie

Creation Myth: Nature's Skin Protectors
Sick of dodging sunlight and mosquitoes, then resorting to chemical-laden goop to soothe the inevitable sunburn and bug bites? Use these natural skin protectors that you can find in your kitchen cabinet. | Chrissie Vazquez

The Wild Hunt (Full Preview!)
On the border of the culture wars: examining Pagan views on abortion in light of George Tiller’s murder and “Third Wave” evangelists. | Jason Pitzl-Waters

Astrology for the Rest of Us: Saturn and Uranus
People in the pagan and metaphysical communities often mention paradigm shifts and the evolution of consciousness. That is exactly what this alignment represents. | Elizabeth Morgan

Of Green and Glass: Where Down to Earth Solutions and a Glass Edge Meet
How to honor the pagan dead with funerary rites we may have to make for ourselves and the delicate interplay of discipline, control, and the Rede in martial arts. | Goewin GreenWitch

Building Pagan Community: In Person, Online, or Both?
Are online Pagan communities invaluable tools for creating real-life fellowship, or are they distractions from our true goals? Stewart asks DarklyFey of The Dark Side of Fey Pagan podcast. | Geoffrey Stewart

Zeitgeist

Artist Spotlight
The surreal mythic landscape of Pagan dream-poet and painter Matt Benson-Parry (left).

Thread: A Triptych
A short piece of fiction about Ariadne, how she was sold in a land where people called her Annie Smith, and what happened after. | Catherynne M. Valente

Book Reviews | Lupa
Reviews of the latest releases from the Pagan publishing houses.

Crafting Magick with Pen and Ink, Susan Pesznecker
The Art and Practice of Geomancy, John Michael Greer
Kissing the Limitless, T. Thorn Coyle
Seeking the Spirit of the Book of Change, Master Zhongxian Wu

Holy Whatsit, Mr. Brown
It isn't hard finding ways to criticize the work of Dan Brown: his tepid writing style, his sloppy research, his weak characterization. But his irresponsible treatment of religious movements may lead to worse consequences. | Diotima

Marriott, or Maybe Not (Full Preview!)
Come dance with the fairies in the mystical land of... Baltimore? FaerieCon may be a grand place for enthusiasts and fans, but where are the fae to be found? | Anne Johnson

Issue 3 of Thorn is ready to ship! Get your copy and help us continue delivering cutting-edge news and analysis for your Pagan community.

Special Note: The Future of Thorn

Gentle & brutish readers alike, the time has come for a heart-to-heart.

First & above all: it is an honor to work with the many talented writers and illustrators who have chosen our magazine as a venue for their profound & challenging material and to present this fine collection of work to you. Small and young as it is, our little rag has garnered accolades from some of the most influential Pagan leaders and thinkers today, and we are ferociously proud to have served as a voice for some of the most thought-provoking material produced in Paganism.

Second: perhaps inevitably, certain market forces have caught up with us at last: the declining economy and the ailing state of print journalism in general. Despite strong enthusiasm for and interest in the work we're doing, businesses have been unable to afford extra expenses for advertising and potential readers have had their pockets stripped by the Great Recession. Coupled with the usual enormous cost of printing and the spiraling postage rates, these circumstances have finally cornered us into an inescapable conclusion: we no longer have the cashflow available to continue printing this quarterly magazine. The October 2009 issue, Vol 1 Issue 4, will be our last in print.

Now: ready for the good news?

Thorn will continue publishing on a quarterly basis, freely available to all.

After the last print issue is distributed, the magazine will transition to an online-only format presented on this website. Our primary funding will be through individual patronage (via micro-payments or one-time gifts), so individual readers can join our efforts to maintain a dynamic and relevant magazine, and advertisements of businesses or individual artisans and Etsy shops.

More good news: the monthly online issues shall return! A few changes: these will now be 'Highlights of the Month,' linking to the best-written and most fascinating work in the blogosphere as stumbled upon in our reading or as suggested by our readers, plus an original interview by Pax each month with a noted Pagan community builder. If you're not already on it, you can join our mailing list via the Contact page. Look for the first resurrected online issue in early September.

Our available print issues will continue to be sold until the last box is emptied. If you are still owed issues on your subscription, send an email to thornreactions@gmail.com for either a refund at $5 per issue owed or to let us know you'd like the rest of your subscription to go toward a patronage of the new online magazine. Our current site is a tad primitive, so we'll pause a few months to implement a new site design. Tentatively, we're scheduling the first online-only quarterly issue to go live in February '10.

It could be, when we first imagined Thorn as a print magazine, that we chose to jump onto a sinking ship. It could be we weren't aggressive enough in expanding our subscriber and advertiser ranks, or this was simply a terrible time to begin a new business. But the future format promises to become a far better format for helping spread the exchange of ideas we desperately need to discuss as the Pagan movement gains visibility: it's accessible to all regardless of financial circumstances and involves no production costs but writers' payments and site hosting, allowing for more ambitious stories-- even video and audio coverage!

Thoughts or questions? Email us at thornreactions@gmail.com. Thanks for reading with us through a year of print issues-- we're eager to continue publishing the most penetrating material for the Pagan movement, where everyone can join the exchange.

--Your Faithful Editors