I have just learned that Marion Weinstein, author of Positive Magic, has passed into the Summerland. May she be born again, at the same time, and in the same place, as those who love her.
Positive Magic was a sweetness-and-light book that I have often criticized, but there’s one kick-ass spell in it that I have recommended many times.
On a personal note, it was through Marion’s help that Isaac was able to get diagnosed with the chronic illness he has. This was in 1990, when we were still married and the parents of a really cute new baby. Isaac had been getting a run-around from doctors who were uninterested in his very weird symptoms, when we read an article about a rare disease in Marion’s newsletter. The symptoms matched Isaac perfectly. He called Marion and she connected him to the author. The author had this sort of tone that I could hear from across the room; doctors can’t love getting calls from hypochondriacs who think they have whatever disease they’ve read about most recently. Clearly she thought this was just such a call, but because it was Isaac Bonewits, and because it had come through Marion, she listened. And listened to the point where she realized Isaac was really sick and gave him the information he needed to take to an MD and get diagnosed.
Maybe that isn’t such a big deal, but it meant a lot to us and I’ve always felt fondly towards Marion since then. I am sad to hear of her passing, and hope sincerely that her sojourn in the Summerland is delightful, and that her loved ones find comfort.
I used to listen to her on WBAI radio all the time. I liked her alot.