About ELYSIAN Magazine

ELYSIAN is a women’s lifestyle magazine for the discerning reader. By showcasing the successes of exceptional women and revealing a world defined by graceful living, we embolden our reader to live purposefully, appealing to her appreciation for luxury and beauty, and her desire to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

Published quarterly and circulated nationally, ELYSIAN uncovers the very best in Arts & Culture, Philanthropy, Inspiring Women, Travel, Living, Health & Wellness and Style & Beauty.

We invite you to join our circle of discerning readers and discover a world that is guided by striking visuals and compelling stories – those that both empower and captivate.

You may wonder—as many people do— why our magazine was named Elysian.  It is not a common word.  It is, in fact, uncommon and rarely used.  The best way I can explain why the word captivates me is by telling you something about it, and what it means.

“Elysian” is an adjective and, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, means 1) Home of the blessed [Latin];  2) God’s oath [Hebrew];  3) blissful, delightful.  Of these three, No. 3, “blissful, delightful,” explains one of the feelings we hope to evoke through the images and words we publish in our print, as well as online, editions.

Homer, the Ancient Greek who is presumed to have written the two epic poems, the  Illiad and the Odyssey in the 8th century BCE, referred to “Elysian Fields” as the beautiful meadow in the Underworld where the favored of the god Zeus enjoy perfect happiness, the ultimate Paradise, reserved for the heroes and virtuous men immortalized by the gods in classical mythology.  ‘Elysian’ is found in Shakespeare’s Henry V.  And the great English writer Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) is the first to summon ‘elysian’ as an adjective describing the blissful quality emanating from bucolic places that evoke feelings of paradise.

We live in a complex and ever-changing world that is fraught with turmoil and dissension.  Finding bliss—whether it is in a moment, a place, or within your spirit—is more important now than ever before.  I find bliss at home and work.  I find my paradise in solitude when I can contemplate, process, and feel gratitude.  Seven years ago, Elysian came to life.  It is in our pages that I am able to share stories of women who have inspired me, taught me, and have helped me grow as a person.  My elysian, my happiness, is bringing the stories of “women inspiring women” to you, our readers, in the pages of our beautiful magazine.

—KAREN FLOYD, Publisher