Litha Blessings this beautiful Summer. I hope you are enjoying the long lazy days of summer, and are spending time appreciating the light half of the year.

Dusty and I were able to enjoy the beautiful month of June at his family home in Ohio. I was surrounded with generations of the Dionne family in historical Kent (home of the infamous Kent State University shootings), discussing wedding plans, and making the most of the few days that I will get to enjoy my nieces’ pre-school years. In the Dionne family, traditions are important. They share stories with me about who was born in which historic house, and who fought in which wars, all the way back to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the founding of New Amsterdam. Patriotism and good citizenship is a defining part of this family’s history, and it reminds me of our own rich history in the Aquarian Tabernacle Church.

The ATC has been a steward of the craft since 1979. We have defined Wicca with coming up on 40 years of keeping the old ways alive. We fight for and protect the legal rights of Pagans, making it safe to worship worldwide. We have staunchly fought to keep the old ways alive here in the US, and with our brothers and sisters around the world. That fight still happens each day, as people reach out to us for help in places where it is still not supported to legally worship. We are currently helping people worship in Italy, India, Romania and now in Kenya. The ATC is a worldwide organization that helps people worship the Lord and Lady, and nurture Her communities. It is important that we carry forward the mission of the church into the future. Together, in this way, we magically transform our world.

Two important traditions we carry forward within the ATC are Hekate’s Sickle and Spring Mysteries Festival. Spring Mysteries Festival went fabulously this year. Thank you for your kind letters and words of encouragements. There is scheduled to be an article released on the event in Witches & Pagans Magazine by the beautiful and beloved Natalie Zaman, look for it in the winter issue. Bella Balducci’s will be back with more options next year. The Most Reverend Don Lewis of the Correllian Tradition, Magick TV, and Witch School will be joining us this year, as well. You will not want to miss it. Homer and Ovid will be hosting. It will be exciting to see what observations and comments they have to add. We have registration open early, and have the ability to reserve the cabins this year for those who want them. http://SpringMysteries.com

Hekate’s Sickle Festival is this October 20th - 23rd, at Cornet Bay in Deception Pass. This year Cerridwen and Cernunnos take us into the Wildwood and share the mysteries of the Celtic Totems. Early Bird special ends July 14th. The Professors of WiccanSeminary.EDU are our special guests this year. We also have a musical guest, Mama Gina. Lu & Lou’s will be running a professional kitchen with home cooked, harvest meal options starting at $5 a plate (menu coming soon). http://Sickle.Me

Speaking of festivals, the Lammas Monologues are July 30th. Whether you are interested in participating in either of our lovely festivals as cast, or if you just want to see the parade of amazing presentations in honor of the Gods, this is an event you won’t want to miss. If you want to be considered for festival cast, please come and present your monologue. But, remember, you don’t have to be cast to present and you don’t have to present to attend. It is potluck. We invite you to come and support the Eleusinian Priesthood.

We had a lovely time at Pantheacon this year. It was good to reconnect with the larger Pagan community and see some old friends. We hosted a hospitality suite this year, and had some fun and well received events. We expect to go back next year and hope that we see more of you there.

We’ve had a couple of good fundraisers this year. The calendar and t-shirt “thank you” gifts have been pretty successful, and, yet, we still need donations. It’s important to change the way we, as a community, think about supporting our Wiccan churches as a whole. For our spiritual communities to thrive, each of us needs to help support the institutions that make it up - the churches, covens, local businesses, witchy book clubs, and everything in between. We have many talented, wonderful, people, trapped in the cycle of poverty. A few helping hands from a caring community can help lift that person into a new life. If each of us budgets even a $1, $5, or goddess bless us, a percentage of our income from our budget to give to the Pagan or Wiccan group of our choice each month, it will change our world drastically, almost overnight. The ATC of today is making huge strides with the small amount of finances we are able to raise. I imagine the wonderful priests and priestesses, who serve us worldwide, would make a much bigger difference with more financial ability. Please think about this when you send whatever financial support you can to the Mother Church each month, thank you.

The Church has several business that are getting off the ground to help support the work that we do. WiccanPress.Org, formally Pathfinder Press, is moving forward with publishing several books by the end of the year. We are working on a new release of ‘The Twelve Maidens’ by our spiritual grandfather Stewart Farrar. Dusty Dionne’s children’s book on Animal Totems, ‘My Name is Cernunnos’ was our first release. To be followed quickly by a 2nd Edition of ‘Awakening Spirit’, and two other books from me; Attuning to the Wheel’ and ‘Pagan America’. We also have several of Pete’s writings coming out soon, as well as some formal ATC Liturgy books and WiccanSeminary.EDU Textbooks. We are super excited about revitalizing the publishing house, and look forward to providing opportunities for the writers in the church to have their works be known.

Panegyria.Com is in transition to focus on supporting a wider audience, and returning to print. If you are interested in publishing articles to Panegyria, please contact the editor with a sample of your work.

WiccanCauldron.Com, formally The EarthFireWaterAir Store, offers you ATC, WiccanSeminary.EDU and Wiccan related products. The proceeds from which go to support the church. There are also several collegiate products and lots of fun ways to show your love for the Goddess.

The online circle, Sacred Cauldron, on Secondlife.com, is still offering online worship in a 3D virtual reality. It’s an amazing world of Witches and worship. If you haven’t seen it, you should take the time to make your avatar and attend a ritual or two. The students of WiccanSeminary.EDU put on an amazing array of daily rituals, events, activities, dances, and classes. Are you a priest or priestess of the craft? You might consider signing up as a student and entering formal magical training.

SpiralScouts.Org is doing wonderful work with our kids. If you have children that would like to be in a Pagan scouting program, get in touch with SpiralScouts, there are many ways to participate, and groups all over the US.

The Tab has become a Wiccan monastery, where Witches live in full time service to the Goddess. We have a dedicated staff working each day to make the Tab a beautiful, sacred, world-renowned, Mother Church. Witches are moving to Index, and the surrounding area to be closer to the Mother Church, and with all the new members, we need more room. Until we have it, houses are for sale and rent in Index, if you check the internet. There are also a variety of rooms and cabins close to the Mother Church that you can rent for short trips.

This summer we will be getting with the bank to finance the property loan and prepare to build the new house on the new property: Pathfinder Manor. On the back left corner of the new land, we will be building a new addition with: Meeting spaces large enough to comfortably accommodate you and the rest of the membership, three two-room apartments for caretakers, a large storage area, and 8 smaller bedrooms. These rooms will be rented out, or sponsored by members, who are interested in creating beautiful, sacred, overnight, spaces dedicated to the Gods. If you would like to sponsor a room and have your own overnight area at the Tab, please let me know at bella@aquatabch.org. There are only 5 out of the 8 left. They are going quickly, so act now. Our sponsors and renters are vital to the financial prosperity of the church, and will be pivotal in establishing our ability to purchase the land to build Eleusis.

One of the new social media upgrades, Facebook Live, has been a lot of fun. We have enjoyed sharing what’s happened on the road. Look forward to seeing more of the daily happenings at the Tab: daily devotionals, rituals, events, and classes.

If you haven’t been to Index in the summer to lay in the river, hike, hunt mushrooms, do some wild herb-crafting, rock hunting, rock climbing and in general reveling in the magical bosom of the Goddess, you should plan a trip. Dusty, Cassie, and I are looking forward to spending the Summer in the beautiful PNW Paradise we have come to know as home. We invite you to join us, there will be camping space at Lammas, and all of the Greenman events. We hope to see you there.

Until then, I bless you that the Goddess holds you in her safe and nurturing embrace, that you have all that you need, that you are loved, and cherished, that you know your value, and feel good about the person you are and are becoming.

Blessed be.