Aquarian Tabernacle Church

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The Aquarian Tabernacle Church, abbreviated as ATC, is located in Index, Washington and is considered "the first Wiccan church with full legal status and recognition by the governments of three nations," the United States, Canada and Australia. It was founded as a coven by Pete "Pathfinder" Davis, the current archpriest, in 1979. The current archpriestess is Deborah Hudson, and Reverend Barbara Lauderdale is the Director of Institutional Pastoral Care Services.

The church is based on English Traditional Wicca but the purpose is to provide services to the larger Pagan (or Neopagan) community, such as open worship, festivals, and a lending library. The policy of open attendance assists this goal. Festivals include Hekate's Sickle Festival (Samhain) and Spring Mysteries (a recreation of the Eleusinian Mysteries). In 2002, Raymond Buckland wrote that "the ATC has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the most respected Wiccan institutions in the country, if not the world."

[edit] See also

Wicca Portal

[edit] References

Buckland, Raymond (2002). The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca and Neo-Paganism. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 1-57859-114-7. OCLC 47658763.