Author Jan De Vries, Wrote Of The Occult

by Jim Nicholson, Daily News Staff Writer POSTED by the Philadelphia Inquirer: April 21, 1997

Jan De Vries, an author, editor and psychic counselor whose interests and activities ranged from homeopathic medicine to shamanism, the occult and Native American lore, died Friday after battling cancer. She was 52 and lived in Media. De Vries, who was born in New York City, was the daughter of novelist Peter De Vries and Katinka Loeser, a poet and short-story writer. De Vries was the author of the book Shouting at the Wolf, described as a guide to identifying and warding off evil in everyday life. It carried a warning to people who frivolously dabble in the occult and bring harm to themselves and others. She was the co-author of Lightseeds: A Compendium of Ancient and Contemporary Crystal Knowledge, which was translated into several languages. She wrote under the name Anderson Reed. De Vries was an authority on the Bach remedies of homeopathic healing. Her interests also included the environment. She often wrote about the way humans have damaged the environment. Humankind is here on earth as guests of the planet, not overlords, she wrote in a guest column for the Daily News about a year ago. We are meant to join in the life-dance here as equals to the non-human inhabitants of this realm. Instead, we have become the slumlords of a ravaged, dying world. For many years she was a freelance book editor for Avon and Ballantine Books in New York City. She was also a sought-after psychic who gave private readings for people in distress. She often lectured and wrote on the subject. She studied shamanism with Michael Harner, the anthropologist and author of The Way of the Shaman. She also participated in Native American ceremonies with the Bear Tribe, an Indian tribe that accepts non-Native Americans as members. De Vries grew up in Westport, Conn. In her younger years, she was an actress and model in New York City. Survivors include two brothers, Jon De Vries and Derek De Vries; her former husband, John Morrison, a desk editor at the Philadelphia Daily News; and three stepdaughters, Heather Morrison, Holly Morrison and Robin Frost. A memorial service will be held at a later date.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Sep 24 2019, 15:41:12 UTC