Drawing Down the Moon (86 page)

Web site:
www.cog.org

Covenant of the Pentacle Wiccan Church—ATC.
Founded in 1994, and led by Reverend Velvet Rieth, Covenant of the Pentacle Wiccan Church promotes Wicca throughout the Gulf South region. CPWC established the first Wiccan ministry for inmates in Louisiana. Reverend Rieth is an activist who works with women and native peoples, as well as on issues of choice, religious freedom, and gay rights. She also works with law enforcement agencies. Sabbats are open to the public; Esbats are by invitation. Classes on history, anthropology, circle protocol, and Wicca as it is practiced today. Classes open to new students every quarter. CPWC has satellite circles throughout Louisiana. Sponsors many events, including charitable food, clothing, and toy drives. Address: Covenant of the Pentacle Wiccan Church, P.O. Box 23033, New Orleans, LA 70183. Phone: 504-828-7169.

Web site:
www.swampwitch.net

Covenant of Rhiannon: The Witches of Cape May.
The community began in 1976 with Starlight Coven. The Coven was re-formed in 1981 and renamed Covenant of Rhiannon by Robert Bitting and Grace Kemelek. The Covenant of Rhiannon tradition is a blend of Victor Anderson's Feri Tradition and Sybil Leek's Horsa Tradition. It is one of the oldest continuously practicing covens in New Jersey. C.O.R. follows the traditional methods of teaching the Craft through mentoring/apprenticeship in a coven setting. An outgrowth of the Covenant of Rhiannon is the Church of Ravenstar, which was formed by Robert Bitting and William Wiggins in 2001 as a platform for Gay Men's Spirituality. Address: C.O.R., 10 Sunray Beach Road, Del Haven, NJ 08251. Phone: 609-889-3422.

Web sites:
www.covenantofrhiannon.org
;
www.raven-star.org

Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS).
Over the last eighteen years, CUUPS has become one of the largest Pagan organizations in the world. It is unique in its connection to a mainstream church, being an interest group of the UUA and therefore giving Pagans full fellowship within the structure of the church without the necessity of changing, or hiding, their religion. CUUPS is a “revolving-door” resource, offering entry-level information on Paganism to people involved in Unitarian Universalism who are drawn to Earth-centered spirituality, and offering information on the beliefs and practices of Pagans to those within the UUA who are perhaps not interested in pursuing such a path but may be curious about it. CUUPS members and chapters have become active in local Pagan communities, offering a unique perspective and the resources of their host churches to further the cause of interfaith and intrafaith understanding among various kinds of Pagans and their non-Pagan communities. CUUPS has now more than eighty active chapters across the United States, as well as several hundred individual members in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and other parts of Europe. The Covenant publishes a quarterly newsletter, provides Pagan and Earth-centered programming at the UUA General Assembly (GA), hosts a public Summer Solstice ritual at GA, as well as teaching workshops on Paganism, and is active in seeking to enrich UU worship using the resources of music, dance, and creative ritual. Cakes for the Queen of Heaven, the first formal program of Goddess studies in any mainstream church in America, celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2006. Current membership rates are $35 for an individual membership; $30 for a chapter registration or renewal. Address: CUUPS, Inc., 8190 A Beechmont Avenue, Suite 334, Cincinnati, OH 45255-6117. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.cuups.org/content/support/membership.html

Crossroads Lyceum/Fellowship of Isis.
The Crossroads Lyceum is a Mystery school within the Fellowship of Isis. It offers home-study programs, magi degrees, priesthood training, and initiate levels. Founded in 1993, the Lyceum has become one of the largest centers within the FOI. It provides an eclectic, self-directed course of study that honors all pantheons, traditions, and goddesses equally. It offers weekly attunements, group rituals, as well as the
Crossroads Torchlight
, a newsletter written by both staff and students. There is also a Crossroads Iseum, an FOI “hearth of the Goddess.” Address: Crossroads Lyceum, P.O. Box 19152, Tucson, AZ 85731. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.crlyceum.com

Cultural Survival.
An organization that works to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities around the globe. The organization has projects all over the world to work with and for indigenous people to help them secure land and political, social, economic, and basic human rights. It publishes
Cultural Survival Quarterly
, a magazine that focuses each issue around a central theme that is supported by articles, news briefs, and reports from the field on important issues facing indigenous peoples today. Membership is $45 or more ($25 for students) and includes a subscription to the quarterly. Address: Cultural Survival, 215 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139. Phone: 617-441-5400. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.culturalsurvival.org

Daughters of the Goddess Womyn's Temple.
This is a Dianic, Womyn-only Goddess Temple dedicated in the Spirit of Aloha to the preservation and perpetuation of Goddess culture, public ceremony, ritual, and Womyn's Mysteries. “We are not a coven but a dynamic community of like-minded womyn honoring Goddess in all Her incarnations. We are located in the Bay Area of Northern California and are led by our High Priestess, Leilani Birely, who was initiated by Z Budapest in 1998. We hold open public circles for all womyn, and one of our visions is to call as many of Her names as possible in this lifetime.” Address: Daughters of the Goddess, 3527 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, #353, Lafayette, CA 94549. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.DaughtersoftheGoddess.com

Daughters of Kali.
This is a teaching and training circle run by SHARANYA (see page 563), a non-profit religious organization based in San Francisco and India, whose core tradition is based on the tenets of the Craft and the Shakta Tantrick path of esoteric Hinduism. The circle is open to women and men, and participants can gain an understanding of Kali and other fierce goddesses (those who are powerful and often misrepresented) through ritual, myth, historical perspective, lecture, readings, discussion, and group work. In the spirit of the Sha'can tradition, classes require outside reading, participation, and commitment to exploring Eastern and Western practices. They offer a year-long course, which can lead to initiation, and can facilitate one's own mythic journey into and out of the underworld. “An opportunity for you to come together with others to learn, laugh and live the presence of the Divine.” The Daughters of Kali also teaches and supports those who wish to facilitate mentorship circles around rites of passage and coming of age for girls and boys. Address: (post only) Daughters of Kali, 859 36th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121. Phone: 415-505-6840. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.sharanya.org

The Deep Root Community Lending Library.
Founded in 2004 by a collective of Wiccans, Magicians, and other Pagan folk, the library is one of only a half dozen Pagan lending libraries in the country. It has a growing collection of more than 650 magical-metaphysical books, tapes, and videos. It is open to the public. A small membership fee or cash deposit is required to check out materials and helps maintain the library and replace lost items. The library trust welcomes donations of items from individuals, authors, and publishers and/or funds to purchase new titles. Address: Deep Root Community Lending Library, c/o Sekhet Bast Ra Oasis Temple, 2714 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73107. Phone: 405-816-5176. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.sekhetbastra.org

The Delaware Valley Pagan Network.
A secular, non-profit organization founded in 1999 to support the Pagan community of the Delaware Valley (southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and the state of Delaware). DVPN provides networking opportunities in the form of gatherings such as the Crystal Ball and the Summer Social; online discussion forums, announcement lists, and an event calendar; and charitable works such as the Philadelphia AIDS walk, blood drives, and food collection for the homeless. Community outreach programs include sponsoring the local Pagan Pride Day and supporting creative and performing arts with the Pagan Arts Initiative. Address: DVPN, P.O. Box 34596, Philadelphia, PA 19101. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.dvpn.org
.

Community Forum:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dvpn-discuss

Diana's Grove.
A spiritual community that welcomes men and women. “We honor the unknown, the unknowable, and the quest to discover. We have been welcoming people from all traditions since 1994. Our spiritual practice is dedicated to developing healthy communities and relationships. We offer a yearly Mystery School that invites you to step into a myth and take a journey of self-discovery in a community of seekers and spiritual adventurers. Using earth-centered practices and the magic of ritual, the work that we offer focuses on personal growth, community building and leadership development.” Diana's grove has 102 acres of dedicated land, a monthly online magazine, and a large selection of gatherings, often with guest presenters. Housing and meals is included. Address: Diana's Grove, P.O. Box 159, Salem, MO 65560. Phone: 573-689-2400. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.dianasgrove.com
.

Dievturība.
The reconstructionist Pagan tradition of Latvia. The name means bearer of the divine. It was established in 1925, but was suppressed during the Soviet period. The religion is based on ancient Latvian folklore, folk songs, and stories. It sings the dainas, ancient hymns believed to be the Baltic Vedas. It also celebrates the solar (solstices, change of seasons) and human ritual cycles, based on extant folkloric models. It publishes a journal called
Labietis.
Dievturība is legally recognized as a traditional religion in Latvia. It does not follow Western models and has avoided contact with Western Paganism. It is a member of the World Council of Ethnic Religions and does not consider itself to be Pagan. It reformed the ancient Latvian religious system, creating a monotheistic trinity of a God and two Goddesses. Since Latvia gained independence from the Soviet Union, the new generation of Dievturība members has opted for full Latvian polytheism, causing generational tension in the organization. In North America, there are local groups in Chicago, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Montreal, New York, Seattle, and Toronto. Address: Dievturība, c/o Alenes Janis, 3170 Sherbrook Street, Lachine, Quebec H8S 4G8 Canada.

The Druid Network (TDN).
An international organization, TDN aims to be a source of inspiration and information about the Druid tradition, ancient and modern. Founded by Emma Restall Orr, it is definitively not an Order itself, instead bringing together Orders, Groves, and individuals, offering a forum for sharing skills and teachings, inspiration and experience, supporting environmental and community projects, camps and public rituals, encouraging the creative active expression of living Druidry in its many forms. The magical heart of the Network is the Druid Order of the Yew. Address: TDN, P.O. Box 3533, Whichford, Shipston on Stour, Warwickshire CV36 5YB, U.K. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
http://druidnetwork.org

The Earth Conclave, Inc.
A non-profit educational organization dedicated to bringing together people from many different paths and traditions to share ideas, work together, experiment, and bring results back to each of their home communities. “Some of our main interests are integrating the personal, political, and spiritual; creating, developing, and nurturing sustainable cultures of beauty, balance, and delight; and understanding our roles as co-creators of the multiverse along with all the other co-creators (all beings, animate and inanimate, physical and ethereal, etc.). We are committed to living as if these worlds of wonder were already here, alive and growing. We also have a deep dedication to fun, be it in our workshops, trances, magic, and meals at our twice-yearly events, the Spring Conclave and the Fall Conclave, or as we simply go about our daily lives.” The Earth Conclave is based in the upper Mississippi Valley. Address: The Earth Conclave, Inc., P.O. Box 934, Kenosha, WI 53141-0934. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
http://danenet.danenet.org/conclave/

The Earth House Project, Inc
.
A tax-exempt, non-profit, volunteer community attempt to build a resource center in the Twin Cities area for people of all nature-reverent spiritual paths. Sponsors a bimonthly Coffee Cauldron in the Twin Cities area and provides service to other organizations. Address: The Earth House Project, P.O. Box 141251, Minneapolis, MN 55414-9998. E-mail: [email protected].

Web site:
www.earthhousemn.org

Earth Religions Assistance List (ERAL).
Dedicated to investigating and providing assistance to Earth Religionists facing legal problems associated with their religion. It is an international network of Earth Religion Rights activists on the Internet helping facilitate action through individuals and organizations in the real world. There are key members of most other Earth Religion rights organizations among its members. Most members are Earth Religionists, but helpful members of other faiths, such as attorneys, law students, or ordained clergy also belong. For further details, see ERAL's Web site:
www.conjure.com/ERAL
. There are also frequently updated topic-specific Web pages for finding help:
http://members.aol.com/lcorncalen/helplink.htm
. To subscribe, go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ERAL/
.