THE ARCANE ARCHIVE
	a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.

To: alt.religion.all-worlds
From: magickwomyn@yahoo.com (angie)
Subject: Re: Questions about CAW
Date: 26 May 2002 16:31:47 -0700

Dave:

Thanks for your quick response. I just got the following in my email
this morning. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to what it's all
about. It looks, er, "schismatic" to me:

---------------------------------------

Dear _____________________

The following document proclaims the living reality of a Church of All
Worlds Tradition independent from any organization. It is currently
very much a work in progress in need of you input. It was inspired by
a brilliant insight that came to Morning Glory in a meeting she and I
had with Oberon. Although of course I have sought their input and
approval in what I am doing, I am proceeding on my own initiative. I
am not sure whether it is better for Oberon and Morning Glory to be
among the authors or in the first group of signers and I am open to
your input.

Please read through the document and let me know at your earliest
convenience how you would like to contribute.

This is a tentative plan for how to proceed with this document: I am
choosing a small group of people, probably less than twenty, to sign
this document and give input into it. I also would like your
suggestions concerning who you would like to see in this group. After
the first group is satisfied with the document and those who are moved
to have signed it, I will give a larger group an opportunity to sign.
After this second group has had an opportunity to sign, the document
will become public and anyone can sign. I ask you to keep this whole
process confidential I decide with input from you and others, that the
right time has come to release it. Please do not show this document to
anyone of speak of this document to anyone except its signers without
checking with me first. This document will have the most power if it
is offered public ally at the best time and in the best way, and that
is something we need everyone?s suggestions about.

I am not attached to being the central figure in this effort if
someone else would like to work with me and if I am truly convinced
that they can and will see this project to its best fruition in a
timely and graceful manner.

Whether or not you choose to be public ally associated with this
statement, I hope you will receive it in the spirit in which it is
intended, as an affirming and empowering action for all contributors
to our common visions and values.

Thou Art Gods and Goddesses,
Liza Gabriel Ravenheart


The Future of The Church of All Worlds Tradition 

We, the signers of this statement, long term practitioners and friends
of The Church of All Worlds, have come together to celebrate and
proclaim what we see all around us, that the practices, traditions,
and values of the Church of All Worlds are now a tradition of
Neo-Paganism, like Wicca, and no longer centered in any one
organization or under any one authority. (We honor the contributions
of the people who choose to be affiliated with the legally
incorporated church called The Church of All Worlds, as well as all of
those people who follow this tradition and choose other affiliations
or no affiliation at all.)

We proclaim this in affirmation and support of all who identify with
the principles and practices of the Church of All Worlds Tradition
regardless of their chosen organizational affiliation. We wish
everyone who wants to have a nest of this tradition, or to practice in
this tradition or to build an organization in this tradition to be
empowered to do so, just as Wiccans and other traditions have room for
many expressions. We want everyone of this tradition to feel free to
express this tradition in his or her own way, answering only to the
authority, institution or organization that each individual feels
truly called to.

The signers of this document do so for the sake of clarity and
empowerment of all people practicing and cherishing the Tradition of
the Church of All Worlds and in honor of all the loving and caring
contributions to this tradition by people who may no longer identify
with any particular organization. The NeoPaganism religion is growing
fast. Deep within in it is the founding and seminal influence of The
Church of All Worlds Tradition and the generations of Pagan leaders it
has produced. Let us rejoice in our diversity and celebrate our common
heritage!

As free Practitioners of the Church of All Worlds Tradition, we
proclaim the values and practices as central to our tradition and in
so doing acknowledge every group and individual?s freedom to interpret
these and shape them to their current context. We do not know what
contexts future generations will encounter!

After reading the statements below, we invite you to join us in
affirming the Beauty and Magic of The Church of All Worlds Tradition
and to empower all of its practitioners by sending your name, any
comments, and, if you like, your contact info to:
____________________________________



Basic Principles of the Church of All Worlds Tradition

The Church of All Worlds Tradition is an eclectic tradition of
NeoPaganism. Its practices are intended as a means towards the best
outcome for all. The Church of All Worlds tradition is ever-evolving
with basic, inclusive practices as follows:

Reverence for the Earth
Practitioners of the Church of All Worlds Tradition revere, honor, and
protect the Earth. Most believe that our planet is a conscious living
being.  Most revere Her as a manifestation of the Great Mother Goddess
worshipped by human beings from the dawn of time.

Thou Art God/dess
Practitioners of the Church of All Worlds Tradition honor the God
and/or Goddess as immanent in every human being, voiced in the common
greeting, ?Thou Art God,? or ?Thou Art Goddess.? The deepest
experience of the divinity in other people and things comes through
the process of ?grokking.? Literally, ?grokking? means drinking. In
practice it means expanding ones identity to include the whole being
of another person or thing.

Sharing Water
In harmony with the process of grocking, the water that is essential
to all life is the primary Sacrament of the Church of All Worlds
Tradition. Water is Blessed and passed in a chalice, or otherwise
shared. Often the last drops are offered to the Divine. Usually when a
chalice is passed, the person passing blesses the person receiving the
chalice by saying, ?Never Thirst,? ?Though Art God,? ?Drink Deep,?
?Don?t spit in the cup,? or other appropriate words. This ritual, more
than any other, is the common practice of the Church of All Worlds
Tradition.

Water Kinship
The intention of the Water Sharing ritual is to affirm bonds of
kinship. Depending on the intimacy of the circle, four levels of this
bond are common:

1.	Affirming our connection to each other and to all life;
2.	Affirming belonging to a tribe or tradition;
3.	Affirming friendship;
4.	A lifelong Commitment of deep communion, friendship, love, and
compassion, which may or may not have an erotic component.

Nests
Nests are the basic grouping of the Church of All Worlds Tradition and
are usually composed of at least three people who have a consistent
commitment to the tradition. At least one member, the nest
coordinator, has at least one year experience and the blessing other
long-term practitioners of the tradition.  A nest may begin with no
experience and work towards the ideals of nesthood. Some Nests are
families. Others are social networks, or ritual working groups. They
are usually small and intimate. Sometimes several Nests may form a
branch.

Freedom of Expression in Intimacy, Family and Community
The Church of All Worlds Tradition is associated with open attitudes
towards intimacy and sexuality.  How this is practiced differs widely
from person to person and nest to nest. Practitioners of the Church of
All Worlds Tradition affirm and support the broadest diversity of
intimate and familial expression consistent with a sustainable and
ethical life. For example, Church of All world Practitioners support
same-sex bonding through marriage, handfasting or other means. While
quite a number of practitioners of the church of all worlds Tradition
are monogamous, all support the full range of choice in relationship,
including intimate relationships and familial bonds that contain more
than two adults, in other words, polyamory.

A Tradition that Looks Equally to Future and Past
Four of the five practices above derive directly from Stranger in a
Strange Land, the 1961 science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein in
which the name ?Church of All Worlds? first appeared. Some members of
the Church of All Worlds Tradition glow with pride over this fact,
while others are embarrassed and do not wish to be identified with the
book. There is no question that many aspects of the book are
increasingly outdated.

What will never be outdated, however, is the Church of All World
Tradition?s embrace of the mythology of the future and of science and
technology as sources of wisdom as valid as the sacred traditions of
old. The Church of All Worlds Tradition honors the ancient past and
looks, with equal reverence, to the future.

Fun
Humor, enjoyment, play, fantasy, and all forms of pleasure are central
to the ways that practitioners of the Church of All Worlds Tradition
come together.

Practices of Other NeoPagan Traditions 
Commonly Shared by the Church of All Worlds Tradition

1.	Polytheism. Most but not all practitioners of The Church of All
Worlds Tradition believe that divinity takes many forms and worship
whatever form is meaningful to the individual. The Myths and Mysteries
of many deities provide deep sources of initiation and wisdom for
practitioners of the Church of All World Tradition.

2.	The Wheel of the Year. Like almost all NeoPagan traditions, the
Church of All Worlds Tradition celebrates the cycles of the seasons,
especially the traditional quarters and cross quarters: Ostara,
Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, Samhain, Yule, Oimelc.

3.	Magic Practitioners of the Church of All Worlds Tradition sometimes
use traditional and untraditional means to influence the course of
events through the focus of personal will. They acknowledge, honor and
use unseen forces beyond rational human understanding.
 
4.	Most Church of All Worlds practitioners support the Wiccan Rede as
a foundation: ?An it harm none, do as you will.? However, in the
Church of All Worlds Tradition, it is understood that all magic
whether it serves personal ends or not is intended to move towards the
best outcome for all. The Church of All Worlds Tradition looks beyond
the perennial spiritual value of nonharming, and actively contributes
to the evolution of the whole. What form this takes varies widely.

5.	Casting a Circle. Practitioners of the Church of All Worlds
Tradition frequently cast a circle by ritually drawing it with a
blade, wand, or other power object. The circle then serves as a place
of protection, holiness, and power in which religious and magical acts
are accomplished. The ideal of every action and relationship inside
the circle is perfect love and perfect trust.

6.	The Five Elements. Practitioners of the Church of All Worlds
Tradition often use the traditional elements, Air, Fire, Water, Earth
and Spirit and the corresponding directions East, South, West, North
and Center as important parts of religious practice.

7.	Evoking the God and Goddess. Practitioners of The Church of All
Worlds Tradition often choose individuals in their circles to serve as
focal points and expressions of the divine male and female. Divinity
is also invited into the ritual circle on its own without being
invited into a particular individual.

8.	Bardship. The Church of All Worlds tradition is a rich source of
song, chant, ritual, art, lore, scholarship, vision and so on. The
practitioners of the Church of All Worlds Tradition who have made
major contributions to the creative life of the NeoPagan Movement and
the broader culture are too numerous to name. Innovation and
creativity are valued and nourished.

9.	 The Influences of Other Traditions The Church of All Worlds
Tradition enjoys and embraces influences from all the world?s
religions and traditions in ways that complement its basic principles
and practices.

Conclusion

The skilled and wise practitioners of The Church of All Worlds
Tradition are also too numerous to count. We know that many of them
will join us in signing this affirmation of our tradition and
heritage, and in addition will teach, write, and create their visions,
answering to their own authority in the freedom and embrace of our
evolving tradition. We are counting on these people to contribute
their rich and diverse wisdom to the world for the good of all. Our
hope is for a cooperative and diverse honoring of our common values,
heritage and practices.

So, in the vision of these signers, It Is.

Note to possible contributors: 
By becoming a signer of this document at this stage, you are allowing
yourself to be counted in a small group whose I hope will help me
drafting this document while it is still a work in progress. This will
help others who may wish to contribute to know the power of this
effort. If you do not wish to sign or do not wish to sign yet, you may
contribute your input anonymously.

Thanks for your kind attention and for your devotion to our common
values,
Liza Gabriel Ravenheart