Aquarian Tabernacle Church
The Aquarian Tabernacle Church is an interfaith church of Wiccaand Earth Religions, formed in 1979 in Index, Washington, by Pete “Pathfinder” Davis, to support the Wiccan and Pagan communities.
The Aquarian Tabernacle Church, or “Tab,” as it is known, is recognized as a church in the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland and South Africa. David is Archpriest and Deborah K. Hudson is Archpriestess. Membership is open. Davis, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, was initiated into the Dorpat tradition, a small and secretive tradition of the Craft, on August 14, 1974, in Patterson, New Jersey.
In 1976, he relocated to the Seattle area and established the Tab based on English Traditional Wicca. In 1983, he was initiated into the Coven of the Stone and Staff of the New Wiccan Church. The Tab grew in size, attracting Wiccans and Pagans from diverse traditions. In 1984, a Moonstone Circle of tall standing menhirs was constructed and dedicated for the Tab. Liturgy was formalized the following year. Tax status as a church was obtained in 1988.
The role of the church has expanded, and it has been involved in gaining acceptance for Wicca as a religion in Washington prisons; coordinating Wiccan and Pagan interests in the Interfaith Council of Washington State (Da- vis has served as president); establishing SpiralScouts for youth; and establishing the Woolston-Steen Seminary for the training of clergy.
Janet and Stewart Farrar established the ATC-Eire church in Ireland in 1999. The church was a leader in the Pentacle Quest campaign to allow Wiccan and Pagan veterans to put symbols of their faith on their headstones. In 2006, Davis and his working partner, E’bet Tennis, were initiated into the third degree in Alexandrian and British Traditional Wicca.
FURTHER READING:
- The Aquarian Tabernacle Church Web site. URL: https://www. aquattabch.org/about/atc/pagantree.php. Downloaded October 12, 2007.
See also
SOURCE:
The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 1989, 1999, 2008 by Visionary Living, Inc.