Odyssey Magazine (South Africa)

Odyssey Magazine is a South African Conscious Living magazine launched in July 1977.

Odyssey Magazine is in its 47th year. Once a journal for like-minded souls, it has matured into the primary and only conscious living magazine in Southern Africa today with print, digital and mobile enabled versions.

Jill Iggulden Stevens, who established Odyssey Magazine in 1977, handed over the baton to daughter-in-law Debra (Stevens) Robins, Editor, on 23.11.2018 in Cape Town, following the purchase of Odyssey Magazine from Chris and Silke Erasmus who had nurtured this beautiful publication for 18 years.

The inspiration for Odyssey Magazine came to Jill in February 1977 while she was putting together the Maryland Reader, a 16-page booklet for learners who had just learnt to read through the Lubach ‘Each-One-Teach-One’ literacy training programme. Jill had so enjoyed this project, in which she was able to inspire other teachers to write articles to motivate the newly literate readers, that Jill pondered the prospects of bringing out a magazine. On July 7 that year, her dream of having a conscious living magazine was realised:

“I thought how wonderful it would be… a magazine with articles on religious philosophy, a new approach to education, alternative technology, parapsychology, holistic healing and the inter-relationship between thought and manifestation,” remembered Jill. She went on to say: “It seems like yesterday that Gerald Moskovitz and I emerged from the premises of Associated Press carrying our first few copies of Odyssey Magazine, literally hot off the press. The bulk of the 5 000 print copies ordered would be delivered to CNA’s warehouse manager at Buitengacht Street and the rest would be distributed by Mossie, on foot, to his established distribution network.”

Seven years later, a healthy and well-established publication was handed over to a new team – Rose de la Hunt and Jean Mitchell; Rose with a 10-year tenure as a counselling director at Lifeline, decided to take the leap of faith.

Rose’s 17 years as editor of Odyssey coincided with a period of enormous growth and change in the world of spiritual ideas and experience. Rose described it as “truly a time of the ‘rebirth’ of the sacred” and during her tenure Odyssey was the only magazine of its kind in South Africa. In 2001 the magazine was taken over by Chris and Silke Erasmus following a deterioration in Rose’s health.

Before her passing to spirit, Rose wrote:

“For me those 17 years were incredibly rich and fulfilling, though I worked extremely long hours, the deadlines were relentless and things were not always easy. I really loved my work. And I felt blessed by the opportunities it brought me to meet many great and beautiful souls, visiting luminaries and ‘forerunners’ of a new kind of spirituality.”

In 2004, Namaste Magazine merged with Odyssey Magazine and they teamed up to become one. Namaste’s aim was to empower individuals to take full responsibility for their own lives – on every level – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual – a vision that is still infused in Odyssey magazine today. Following the incorporation of Namaste into Odyssey Magazine and the opening of a Johannesburg office, Odyssey grew rapidly between 2005 and 2007. In 2007, rather than publish monthly, a collective decision was made to retain Odyssey as a bi-monthly publication. In late 2008, Simply Green was launched and Odyssey reached its all-time circulation high of over 18 000, with a print readership roughly 10 times that number. Silke Erasmus shared her experiences with us, stating:

“the global downturn of 2008-09 hit Odyssey magazine and its sibling as severely as any other print publication, but both ultimately rode out the storm. Emerging stronger. With fewer competitors and Simply Green having won an eco-journalism award in 2010, Odyssey and its sister magazine were actively at the forefront of making the move to digital media consumption. In early 2013, both launched full time into digital. Whilst difficult and challenging, as well as requiring a whole range of new skills, the move proved to be almost immediately and dramatically successful in terms of producing highly readable and free digital publications. Issue 5 of December 2013 achieved a remarkable reach of over 366 000 reads and impressions within 30 days of going live and ultimately achieved in excess of 450 000.”

Odyssey has maintained its place steadfastly with many long-time loyal readers. As it moves into its fourth set of caring hands, the publication, now one of South Africa’s longest-standing magazines, continues its legacy of consciousness-raising content aimed at the self-empowerment of all.

Debra Robins of Mindful Media Publishing (Pty) Ltd. is the fourth custodian of this well-read and much-loved magazine that has not only survived, but thrived, over four decades.

The magazine went digital with the publication of its April 2013 issue, stating in its newsletter that the change was "driven by imperatives ranging from the much smaller carbon footprint of digital publications, through to the ease of access to a far wider audience using any existing digital platforms". Internet users can access the online magazine for free on the Issuu website.