Paul Beyerl

Rev. Paul Beyerl (born 1945) was an author, educator, and prominent figure in Wiccan and neopagan communities, recognized as a Wiccan priest. He co-founded The Rowan Tree Church and The Hermit's Grove with his partner, Rev. Gerry Beyerl, establishing them on an 11-acre retreat and educational center in southeastern Minnesota known as The Hermit's Grove.

Beyerl also developed and taught extensively in the field of herbal medicine, recognized as a Master Herbalist. His publications include numerous books on Wicca, herbalism, and related subjects, and he also published a long-standing Wiccan newsletter, "The Unicorn." Beyerl passed away on December 30, 2021, at his home in Houston, Minnesota.

In the 1970s, Paul Beyerl established The Rowan Tree Church, a Wiccan organization representing The Tradition of Lothloriën, alongside a challenging clergy training program called The Mystery School. He later founded The Hermit's Grove, initially as a supportive nonprofit organization incorporated in 1994, which merged into the Church in 2011. This center served as an administrative hub, guest lodging, and housed a significant research library and an extensive collection of botanicals. The Hermit's Grove also encompassed the Church's publishing house and a comprehensive Master Herbalist Program, reflecting Beyerl's expertise.

Paul Beyerl was recognized as a Master Herbalist and dedicated himself to teaching herbal medicine programs from the 1970s onward. His passion for botany extended to the creation of an extensive Master Herbalist Program offered through The Hermit's Grove. Beyond his work in Minnesota, Beyerl shared his knowledge through numerous appearances across the United States, as well as internationally in Canada and Portugal, solidifying his reputation as a respected educator in both spiritual and botanical disciplines.

Beyerl's prolific writing career included the launch of the Wiccan newsletter "The Unicorn" in 1977, which achieved the distinction of being one of North America's longest-running Wiccan newsletters in continuous publication. His literary contributions span a wide range of topics, including "The Master Book of Herbalism," "A Wiccan Bardo, Revisited," "Painless Astrology," and "The Symbols and Magick of Tarot." These works, published through The Hermit's Grove and other presses, explored themes central to Wiccan practice, esoteric knowledge, and botanical medicine.