Pentacle Magazine
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| 'Pentacle' | |
|---|---|
| Editor | Jon Randall |
| Categories | Pagan |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Total Circulation | 15,000 |
| First issue | Imbolc 2002 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | [1] |
| ISSN | 1753-898X |
Pentacle Magazine was started in February 2002 by Marion Pearce with assistance from Jon Randall. It is a quarterly magazine published on the dates of the old festivals of Imbolc, Beltaine, Lammas and Samhain and claims a worldwide readership of 15,000[1]. It was conceived to provide an independent voice for today's Pagan not wanting to be told what to believe by the two main Pagan magazines of the time. Since its initial print run of 2,000 copies, it has an expanded its page count and is now the leading independent Pagan magazine in the UK, outselling both the magazines it was designed as an alternative to[2]. It has, however, maintained its independent status and will ensure this is always the case.
Pentacle publishes articles on folklore, ritual, magic, archaeology, pagan-related crafts and much more. Articles cover all aspects of pagan traditions, from heathen to Wiccan and Druidry and many other classical traditions. The magazine also includes announcements of workshops, conferences, moots, festivals, activities, training, groups and exchange magazines. Most of the articles are aimed at the intermediate level reader and many are written by academics and elders of the Pagan community. It also includes the well known comic strip Oh My Gods!. Furthermore it contains a high level of Pagan and visionary art throughout and, being full color, is one of the few Pagan magazines to show commitment to this field.
Marion Pearce, the first editor, and now the publisher, had a high remit for the inclusion of art, animal welfare and poetry. She also included many articles on archaeology and historical folk practices. She stood down as editor in 2006 to allow the magazine to grow internationally.
The current editor, Jon Randall, is looking to further expand the remit of the magazine to include herbalism, counselling and science-backed therapies. This will be done alongside a more rigorous academic methodology, contrasted by a more hands-on approach to Paganism as a religion and life choice. His style is more hard hitting than the previous editor and he tends to "call it as he sees it", leading to the inclusion of more controversial articles.
In March 2008 Pentacle went 100% environmentally friendly, moving to a printer that uses alcohol-free vegetable based inks, and Chlorine free sustainable paper.
There is also a campaigning element to Pentacle. It is fully behind the PaganDASH initiative to have Paganism included on the UK Census 2011. Pentacle Media is also a member of PEBBLE through the activities of Pentacle Website and various camps and event support it provides.
