Hans Holzer
January 26, 1920 – April 26, 2009
I was privileged to enjoy the friendship of Hans Holzer for fifteen years and will
miss his company. I visited him from time to time at his home in New York and loved
our time together. Hans made himself comfortable on his easy chair, his cat Isis on
his lap.
"You need to touch your animals," he would say. "That'’s why they’re called pets."
The room was filled with artifacts collected from his travels and from local flea
markets over the years. We rarely shared meals. Hans was a lifelong vegan and his
diets were difficult to follow.
My friend enjoyed talking about his busy, event-filled life. I would bring my latest
finds for him to sign – any of his out-of-print books I had discovered in used-book
stores. Hans wrote an amazing number of books, around one hundred forty or so,
maybe three or four a year, and an incredible number of articles and scenarios.
 He may be most famous for his ghost-hunting TV series and for the Amityville Horror
books and films. But for "Old Religion" witchcraft and newer Wicca communities, Hans
Holzer's work had special significance. He provided information about the Craft
when publishers didn't have much taste for the subject and interest was surfacing.
The Witches’ Almanac, first published in 1971, was one of the few available sources.
One of the author's books most important to the Craft is Witches: True Encounters with Wicca, Wizards, Covens, Cults and Magick.
The huge book has terrific basic information, with chapters including material on what witchcraft is,
the place of the Old Religion in the modern world, how to become a witch. There are interviews with
key practitioners. Hans asked me to contribute photos and discussions of my own practices.
 My friend enjoyed a matter-of-fact, demystifying attitude about pagan beliefs.
According to Hans, "To people untrained in such practices, favorable results
sometimes seem 'miraculous,' although they are merely natural. There is, after all,
nothing in this universe that is supernatural – only natural laws not fully
understood."
We have been very lucky to have had Hans Holzer's ideas within the Almanac’s pages
in recent years. In the 2007/2008 issue, check out "Wicca and Christianity: A Personal
Perspective." In the 2009/2010
issue you'll read an insightful biographical interview by Robin Antoni.
Andrew Theitic
April 2009
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