It was on the 16th October 1988, that the first issue of ASH magazine was published. The team had been gathered by stalwart Essex earth mysteries researcher and cunning man Dave Hunt. He began to recruit team members from a diverse source: from Earthquest, the local witchcraft scene, from his own questing group 'New E.R.A' and from the esoteric Christian community.
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L - R. Dave Hunt, Claire Capon and Ian Dawson
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Picture credit: Claire Capon-Hawley
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L - R. Jim Kirkwood, Ian Dawson, Alex Langstone and Dave Hunt
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Picture credit: Claire Capon-Hawley
We all had our own ideas and we quickly became an interesting, productive and creative hub. We also attracted some well known names to write for us, and due to the broad subjects we were covering, we had a broader appeal than some of the other counter-culture and earth mysteries magazines of the 1980s.
Many side projects were spawned. Psychic quests manifested, music was written, marsh-magic was conjured and art was created, both out in the landscape and in the studio. A good time was had by the liminal shore.
At the magazine's height, two successive, successful 'Esoterica' conferences were staged, plus a book launch for Bega and the Sacred Ring. It was the time where the seeds of future aspirations were being sown upon the shore of dreams.
The original team were: Dave Hunt, Ian Dawson, Jim Kirkwood, Claire Capon and Alex Langstone, with others joining us later, including Yuri Leitch as illustrator.
Look out for the hashtag #ASHMag30 on social media for more memorabilia.
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Artwork by Yuri Leitch, capturing the spirit of the Michael Line Rally, 1991
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Jim Kirkwood's striking cover art for ASH no.9
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