Honoring the Mother of Magic: Happy Birthday, Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart
Pour yourself a goblet of jasmine tea, light a bundle of sweetgrass, and settle into your favorite velvet armchair. Today is May 27, 2023, and the stars are aligned to celebrate what would have been the 75th birthday of one of modern Paganism’s brightest, boldest guiding lights: Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart (May 27, 1948 – May 13, 2014).
Though she sailed her silver ship to the Summerlands nearly a decade ago, her untamed spirit, radical love, and deep devotion to the Earth Mother continue to ripple through our community.
“We are the weavers, we are the web.” Morning Glory didn’t just practice magic; she lived it with every breath, weaving a reality where myths walked the earth and the Goddess was alive.
A Life of Sacred Rebellion
Born Diana Moore in Long Beach, California, Morning Glory grew up in a strict, traditional household. But the wild woods and the ancient spirits were already calling her name. At just fourteen years old, she fiercely broke from her upbringing after arguing with her minister grandfather that animals absolutely have souls and go to heaven. (We agree, Morning Glory. They definitely do.)
By seventeen, she was fully practicing witchcraft, inspired by the legendary Sybil Leek’s Diary of a Witch. She later shed her birth name, diving off a Big Sur cliff into a pool of water in a ritual of self-initiation, emerging reborn as Morning Glory.
In 1973, she met her magical soulmate, Oberon Zell, at a festival. Together, they became the ultimate counterculture wizard and witch power couple, co-leading the Church of All Worlds, editing the legendary Green Egg magazine, and even raising living “unicorns” on their Northern California homestead.
| Morning Glory’s Lasting Legacy | What She Gave the World |
| Coining “Polyamory” | In her 1990 essay A Bouquet of Lovers, she co-created the literal term for ethical, multi-partner love, reshaping modern relationship dynamics. |
| Goddess Revival | She was an avid historian who curated a collection of over 300 goddess figurines, teaching women how to reclaim their divine feminine power. |
| Ritual Mastery | From massive eclipse gatherings at Stonehenge replicas to reviving the ancient Greek Eleusinian Mysteries, she made ritual theater spectacular. |
| The Grey School | She served as Headmistress of the Grey School of Wizardry, passing down ancient wisdom to the next generation of seekers. |
Tending the Morning Glories
Morning Glory is buried at the top of the Upper Meadow at the sacred land of Annwfn in the misty mountains of Mendocino County. Her grave overlooks the very campfire circle where she danced, drummed, and led Beltane rituals for decades.
If you want to honor her today, you don’t need a massive ceremonial altar. Plant some morning glory seeds in your garden. Raise a glass of Irish whiskey (Tullamore Dew was her favorite). Love fiercely, challenge rigid boundaries, and remember that the Earth is a living, breathing being.
Blessed be, beautiful souls. Keep the cauldrons bubbling.
Magickally yours,
Moonzie