Philip Emmons Isaac Bonewits, October 1, 1949 – August 12, 2010

Isaac sits with the Shining Ones and eats from Dagda’s Cauldron. The mortal world is a poorer place without him.

There will never be another Isaac. Those of us who knew him well could easily think of him as just Isaac: Character, goofball, ladies man, punster, life of the party, pain in the neck, singer, priest, friend and ex-husband (in my case). But Isaac was so much more than that.

The press release gives you an inkling of his importance to the world. One of my favorite memorial posts comes from The Wild Hunt:

[The] vision of the ADF, written by Bonewits nearly thirty years ago, captures what was so vibrant and vital about him. The audacity of expecting excellence and success from himself, his coreligionists, and his peers.

“Audacity of expecting excellence”—O, yes, that’s Isaac.

I cannot begin to say how much I loved and love Isaac. As a husband, he drove me crazy. I don’t regret ending our marriage, and I know he was very happy with Phaedra, whom he married in 2004. He loved her very much and I am so happy he had that. Still, Isaac and I were married for ten years (1988–1998), and I’d qualify nine of those years as happy ones; only at the end did things break down, and our unhappiness was short-lived; we quickly became good friends.

Isaac was a wonderful, loving, proud father. He had a perverse sense of what made a good lullaby. Certainly, the baby slept better for him than for me, despite being sung to sleep with “The Internationale.” As Arthur grew, Isaac always treated him as an intelligent being and spoke to him with a rich vocabulary even when he was a toddler. In the end, it was Arthur caring for Isaac. I am proud of my son, and I know that Isaac was and is as well.

He was an extraordinary High Priest in the Craft, as well as a Druid. He had a unique ability to move energy. When he called the Gods, They came. I was already a High Priestess of the Craft, albeit a young one, when we began dating in 1986, but I consider that only half my training was done. The rest I learned from him. He was a gifted teacher, exploring the nuances of every aspect of ritual and worship. Elements of Ritual could not exist without Isaac’s influence.

What Isaac loved the most was serving the Pagan community. He loved a good fight, he loved to get down and argue, to make trouble, to stir the pot. And he did it, always, on behalf of the community. He did it to make the world better, and more Pagan, and to serve the Gods. His love of the Gods was always at the forefront of who he was. His service to the community, to the Gods, and to his work as a priest was in every decision he ever made.

In the end, I look at Isaac, and I look at someone who was fundamentally good. He was not without his flaws, but he was without moral blemish. Isaac was honest, kind, charitable, generous, forgiving to a fault, open to new ideas, tolerant, attentive, amiable, and selfless. I assure you, I have thought over every one of those adjectives carefully, and every one applies to almost every moment of Isaac’s life. I could list negatives if I wanted to, but none of them are moral failings. I believe, truly, that the Gods will look upon this man and embrace him as one of their own.

It was a privilege, Isaac. I hope we get to do it again.

12 comments

  1. S. Nichole says:

    Deborah, my condolences on the loss of your friend.

  2. […] are many more, including tributes from Deborah Lipp, Chas Clifton, Ruby Sara, Frater Barrabbas Tiresius, and Peg Aloi at The Witches’ Voice. […]

  3. Tracy says:

    He is loved and will be forever missed.

  4. Ian says:

    Thank you for a wonderful tribute. In it I saw the Isaac I knew.

  5. Robin Culain says:

    So sorry to hear of Isaac’s death, and for your loss. He was a good man, and though we haven’t seen him for years, the world felt better with him in it. I miss him already.

  6. Jayne Clancy says:

    My condolences to you and Arthur on the loss of Isaac. He was a most wonderful man. I had the opportunity to meet him only once a few weeks ago. And you are rightfully proud of Arthur, he was a wonderful caregiver. My thoughts are with you both.

  7. Ruthann Mekita says:

    Deborah,

    Ken and I met Isaac only a few times, a couple of them outside of Craft events, and it was always a pleasure. The last time we saw all of you was at your home. What a loss to you, Arthur, and the community at large!

    Our condolences to you, Arthur, Phaedra, and the rest of the family. He will be missed.

  8. Chris Moore says:

    Hi Deb, Those were Truly Lovely words, I am very sorry to hear of your loss.

  9. […] works and through the lenses of the words and works of the many, many people whose lives he touched; those he knew directly and those he […]

  10. Domi O'Brien says:

    What can I add? Isaac will be sorely missed. (((((((((Deborah)))))))))
    Domi

  11. Bianca says:

    I just found out tonight. I wish to send my heartfelt Condolences and I hope you and Arthur are doing ok.