Remembering Wiccan priestess and NPR Correspondent Margot Adler

By Alison Lesley --
06 Aug 2014 --

Pagan Journalist Margot Adler, famous for her public association with Wicca and reporting with NPR, passed away July 28.

Margot Adler passed away on July 28 from endometrial cancer at the age of 68. Her death is felt by many who appreciated her journalism, integrity, and unique wit. She played an important role in spreading the truth about Wiccan religious traditions.

Margot Adler was an early public celebrity Wiccan Priestess in United States. She was also popular as the author of Drawing Down the Moon, which is a groundbreaking study of contemporary American Paganism. She started working as an NPR journalist in 1979, where she preferred to write on cultural and political topics.

Margot Adler was born on April 16, 1946. She appreciated journalism since childhood, which motivated her to become a professional journalist. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in political science from Berkeley and a Master’s degree for journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School. Her grandfather was reputed psychiatrist Alfred Adler, and he was a major influence in her decision to become a successful journalist. After she started working for NPR as a general assignment reporter, she wrote reports about a wide variety of topics including the AIDS epidemic, the Ku Klux Klan and the Harry Potter craze. She was also able to reach each and every corner of American life through her voice of journalism. In the meantime, she maintained a personal commitment to nature spirituality and paganism as well.

In 1979 Margot Adler started working as an NPR reporter, and she also wrote Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today. It was a major turning point in her life because it made her a leading voice in the pagan community of America. Her qualities of appreciation, intimacy, and warmth led her to become a successful story writer as well.

Margot Adler is recognized as one of the most beloved figures of Paganism in the recent past. Her impish sense of humor was fun and made her relatable. Her thoughtful writings inspired many to follow her leadership and expanded the vocal Pagan community. Her early willingness to publicly admit to being witch was one of the most notable and inspirational moments in her life. She quickly dispelled almost all the distorted stereotypes of Wiccans as being wacky spinsters and Satan worshippers. Her writings helped a lot to eliminate such misconceptions from society.