On this side of the page you will find the following topics and information:
*DONATIONS
*THE REV. HUMMINGBIRD & THE REV. SPARROWHAWK'S BABY
*PAST & UPCOMING EVENTS
*LUNAR RITUALS
*ESBATS
*FELLOWSHIP OF THE SACRED MOON
*MOON SCHOOL
*PAGANS IN RECOVERY (ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!!)
*PAGAN NEWS
*LESSON OF THE WEEK
To make a donation to Church of the Sacred Moon click the "DONATE" button.
You may also donate to our organization by mailing your free-will contribution to:
Church of the Sacred Moon
P.O. Box 462
Selah, WA 98942
Our Baby's Progress
Past & Upcoming Events
YAKIMA COUNTY
PAGAN PRIDE DAY,
2010
Merry Meet!
Church of the Sacred Moon hosting 'Yakima County Pagan Pride Day' in 2010 in Yakima, WA. This will be a major event with lots of vendors, entertainment, open Circles, workshops, children's activities, information booths, and world renown Pagan authors.
Since we are in the beginning stages of planning the event we will need volunteers to help set things up. We need help with finding vendors, entertainment, and local covens who would like to participate. We also need people to assist with planning.
Remember, this is not a small gathering of Pagans. This is a very large Pagan Pride Day event, which may have as many as 200 Pagans in attendance at one time.
If you would like to help make our 1st Pagan Pride Day event a huge success, then please contact us at (509) 945-6586. Or, send an email to ycppd@yahoo.com. We will be posting more information at myspace.com/ycppd and myspace.com/sacredmoonchurch and www.sacredmoonchurch.orgwww.sacredmoonchurch.org and www.witchvox.com.
We will update this information as we progress. So, keep checking our MySpace pages to stay up to date on what is happening. Blessed Be!
Brightest Blessings,
Board of Directors
YCPPD, Inc.
Selah, WA
Twice (sometimes thrice) a month we host Full Moon rituals & Dark Moon rituals. These are held to honor the Goddess and are open to all study group members. Sometimes, our Esbats will coincide with the Lunar rituals.
Our Esbats may take place as often as every week. Sometimes they are performed during our Lunar rituals. The purpose of our Esbats is to meet together, one with another, to share our joy of life and to reaffirm our feelings for the Gods.
FELLOWSHIP OF THE SACRED MOON
Merry Meet!
We are an established eclectic Pagan discussion and study group located in the Yakima valley dedicated to the continuance of the Old Religion.
Our studies include basic, intermediate, and advanced Witchcraft (or whatever each individual prefers to name their path) . We have videos, crafts, field trips and other projects that are open to anyone interested in networking and learning with other Pagans.
We are hoping that anyone who wishes to study and learn the Ways of the Old Religion will contact us and perhaps even join us in group study.
We also have ordained clergy within the group who are ready and willing to assist people throughout the world.
If you have an open mind and wish to participate you are more than welcome to contact us. We hope to hear from you soon. Call us at (509) 945-6586. Blessed Be!
Brightest Blessings!
Board of Directors
Church of the Sacred Moon
Selah, WA
(509) 945-6586
‘Church of the Sacred Moon’ is inviting local Pagans to bring their children to ‘Moon School’.
We have set aside space for our children to enjoy a multitude of learning activities.
The children’s activities are coordinated and supervised by responsible adults.
Activities are Pagan oriented and include coloring, puzzles, crafts, stories, sing-alongs, etc.
For more information please contact the Rev. Sparrowhawk at (509) 945-6586, or send an email to sacredmoonchurch@yahoo.com, or visit us on the web at www.sacredmoonchurch.org or www.witchvox.com
Brightest Blessings,
Board of Directors
Church of the Sacred Moon
Selah, WA
(509)945-6586
NOTE: Moon School is not a daycare. Parents are responsible for their children’s behavior. The purpose of Moon School is to provide Pagan oriented activities that are age appropriate.
The only requirement for membership is a desire for recovery. We all identify with the same problem regardless of how our addiction may manifest. Our members come from a variety of spiritual traditions, beliefs, paths, recovery programs, etc. We gather here to share how our recovery may work in harmony with our spiritual paths. If we read from the literature of one program or another we must look for the similarities rather than the differences.
As 12-Step programs are sometimes based in a Christian-biased atmosphere; our aim is to assist and support Pagans working these programs. We wish to explore questions particular to Pagans in recovery such as: How do we empower the self without empowering the self that led us to our addiction?
Whether divinity as you may understand it lies within the self or without; whether it be male, female, many, singular, the energies of the earth, or the higher self within; we as Pagans commonly accept the responsibility for being the threshold through which the Godhead or Higher Power may express itself in our universe.
We meet every (To be announced) in Yakima, WA. Children are welcome. However, we ask that parents control their children so that they do not interrupt the meeting.
If you are interested in getting help to overcome your addictions please contact us at (509) 945-6586, or e-mail the Rev. Sparrowhawk at revsparrowhawk13@yahoo.com.
YAKIMA -- It may not be what you believe, but it's still a religion.
Pagans say they're usually misunderstood and rarely given a fair shot.
This is no movie, no Hollywood set, no game of dress-up.
You're going inside a very real and very reclusive religious ritual, performed by Pagans.
They call themselves Wiccans.
You know that to mean Witch.
But, they want you to understand what that means.
"We don't go around sacrificing virgins, or killing goats, we don't ride on brooms, but if we did it would definitely save on gas," Wiccan, Kevin Cline, said.
They're members of The Church of the Sacred Moon.
People often confuse them with devil-worshipers.
"We don't believe in the devil or absolute evil for that matter, that's a completely separate religion all together," Church founder, Reverend Melvin T. Neifert, explained.
"We worship nature and the things that Mother Earth holds for us and the gifts that we receive from her," Church member, Kris Allan, said.
Wiccans don't believe in one God, they believe in many, or a God and a Goddess.
They do use spells and magic.
"They're ritual tools used to direct energy," Allan explained.
They say it's a way of healing and prayer.
"Wicca is a religion that's based off a closeness with mother nature," Church member, Kasey Hudson, said.
They don't celebrate a traditional Easter and Christmas, instead, they hold 8 seasonal rituals called Sabbats, which mean celebration.
Reverend Melvin T. Neifert is the founder and president of Yakima's only recognized Pagan Church.
Born and raised in Selah, the Reverend says, he grew up going to St. Michael's Episcopalian Church with his family.
By his early teens, he realized he needed a change.
He says, in his 20's, he discovered Paganism and used the internet to find others like him in town.
"What I was seeking was like-minded people who wanted to learn about the Old Religion, Paganism, Wicca, Witchcraft," Neifert explained.
Melvin says it wasn't easy.
He says early portrayals of Witches left a permanent and tainted view on the way they're looked at today.
Members of his group say, it's hard to break away from the stereotypes.
"Wands are nothing like you see on Harry Potter or anything like that," Allan joked.
Members of the church say their practice is about peace and over the centuries, more and more religions have become accepted.
But, they say they're still fighting for the freedom to express theirs.
"I've lost jobs, I lost one just because I was wearing a ring that had a pentagram, which is a symbol of our religion, I don't think it's right that everybody else gets to wear their religious symbols and we don't," The Reverend said.
He believes Paganism is becoming more recognized throughout the world, but not in Yakima.
"If you tell someone you're Wiccan, all of a sudden, sometimes, you get the occasional, oh get away from me," Hudson said.
"You get that feeling when somebody doesn't want to sit by you on the bus because they see ring or a necklace or you say something," Allan added.
"We're not out to hurt anybody, we just want to be left alone and allowed to practice as our constitution guarantees us that right," Neifert said.
The Church holds regular group meetings on Sundays, they invite anyone from any religion to come in and listen.
Aired at 6pm & 11pm PST on 04/28/2008 on KIMA News Channel 29
Adherents are positive about Paganism
By GORDON KING
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic
Pagans in the Church of the Sacred Moon celebrate the Dark Moon ritual recently in a Selah backyard. Melvin Neifert and Jennifer Morgan light candles at each compass point -- north, south, east and west -- as they begin the ceremony. Neifert's dog, Paige, wanders through the ceremony's sacred circle during the ritual.
Melvin Neifert is no devil worshipper.
But he is a witch.
He's heard the criticisms. Devil worshipper. Evil. Anti-Christian. As the president of the Church of the Sacred Moon, the Yakima Valley's only Pagan church officially recognized by the state, Neifert knows the stereotypes. None of them are true, says the 31-year-old Neifert. Pagans don't believe in the devil. They don't do evil, believing if they do, it will come back to them. And, he says, "I don't hold any animosity against Christians -- just those people who have abused our religion."
The Pagan church is loosely organized with no central doctrine or scriptures. Common themes are, however, woven through Pagan beliefs. They believe in environmental stewardship. Also, Pagans have the freedom to do what they want, knowing they must take responsibility for their actions. They subscribe to the idea that whatever you do comes back to you several times over. "If we send out positive energy, then it comes back to us," Neifert says.
They celebrate eight main holidays each year. The celebrations invoke many ancient Celtic traditions and are tied to seasons and lunar phases. And while Paganism draws on many pre-Christian, tribal and mystic beliefs, its adherents are decidedly 21st century, with Web sites, blogs and MySpace postings dedicated to Paganism. There's also a Pagan 12-step recovery group.
The Church of the Sacred Moon has its own Web site. The church is incorporated as a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization with a set of bylaws and a board of directors.
Members of the Church of the Sacred Moon consider themselves Wiccans, which is a denomination within Paganism. Paganism is an umbrella term that encompasses many ancient beliefs, says Neifert.
The church is small; there are only five initiated members now. It's by choice, says Neifert. "We are really, really careful who we bring in." It's not enough that prospective members attend study groups and learn the details of Paganism and Wicca. "We take everything into consideration -- the group dynamics, personal energy, etc.," Neifert says.
There are other Pagans in the Yakima Valley but it's hard to determine just how many because, says Neifert, "networking Pagans is like herding cats." They're often individualistic, with little inclination to join in organized worship.
The same holds true nationally and worldwide. Estimates range from 100,000 to 4 million, according to adherents.com, a compilation of religion statistics.
The Church of the Sacred Moon holds a study group on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at Neifert's Selah home at which anything related to Paganism is discussed. The study sessions, along with the holiday celebrations and lunar rituals, are all open to the public. The rituals are held "where we feel like doing them," including backyards and parks, says Neifert.
Though he's never been harassed by believers in other religions, Neifert thinks he has lost at least one job because of his religious beliefs. He has no concrete proof of job-related religious discrimination, simply a suspicion that it was the real reason he was fired from a job.
Paganism gives Barry Andrews of Naches something he couldn't find in other religions. He felt torn between what are considered more traditional denominations. Then a year and a half ago the 40-year-old came to Paganism and Wicca, and it clicked. "I can now relate to a higher power up there that makes me a better person."
Brandy Rintoul, 25, says she "never liked going to church because it was always closed in, always inside." "I like being out in the air, under the trees and stars. It's all so peaceful," she says. Paganism, with its emphasis on nature, let her be outside. Unlike other religions, Paganism doesn't tell her what to do, says Rintoul. "It gives me a choice. It's more real to me than what's written in the Bible."
In February 1999, Neifert says he was at a low point in his life. Trying to kick drug and alcohol addictions, he admits, "I hit bottom. At that point I needed something. "I tried the Christianity thing but something was missing. It just wasn't for me." Upon the recommendation of friends, he began to explore Paganism and "it just hit home for me," says Neifert.
To view an audio slideshow of the 3rd Annual Beltane Celebration CLICK HERE.
Lesson of the Week
CORRELLIAN NATIVIST TRADITION
History
The Correllian Nativist Tradition is based upon the teachings of members of the High-Correll family. The High-Correll family were descended from a line of Cherokee Didanvwisgi who intermarried with a line of Scottish Traditional Witches, whose descendants were further influenced by Aradian Witchcraft and by the Spiritualist Church.
The founder of the Tradition is the blv. Orpheis Caroline High Correll. She is said to have founded the Tradition as an entity separate from her ancestry, on September 4, 1479 Pisces (1879 AD).
Blv. Caroline High Correll,
founder of the Correllian Tradition.
Shown c. 1530 Pisces (1930 AD).
Orpheis Caroline was a practicing psychic, spiritual healer, and herbalist, and spent many years with the traveling circus which she owned with her husband, John Correll.
In creating Correllian Nativist Wicca, Orpheis Caroline drew upon her Native American heritage, as well as ideas of European Witchcraft, Spiritualism, and Hermetic thought.
The early history of the Correllian Tradition is somewhat unclear, with familial and religious structures wholly interconnected. The family followed a very formal, matriarchal and matrilinear structure with its roots in Cherokee custom, from which the current offices of the Correllian tradition derive their form.
Lady Orpheis called the Tradition simply Nativist, and this would remain the Tradition’s primary designation until the appellation of the term “Correllian Nativist” in 1592 Pisces (1992 AD), or as we now more commonly call it; Correllian.
Blv. Orpheis Caroline High Correll,
shown in the mid 1490s Pisces (1890s AD).
It was during these years that the blv.
Caroline was active as a circus fortune
teller.
Lady Orpheis’ Nativism was a highly political and deeply synchretic form of Pagan universalism, which stressed the need for the world’s Native (Pagan) religions to unite in the face of colonial Christianity.
Whether Correllian Nativism was originally a branch of what would later be called “Wicca” or not is a matter of debate. Correllianism’s claim to Wiccan status rests both upon Lady Orpheis’ claimed Scottish Traditional lineage, and also upon her Aradian lineage, which she acquired in 1504 Pisces (1904 AD) through Lydia Beckett, a student of Charles Leland. We would say that any such debate would be only a matter of semantics anyway.
There have been many changes instituted in the Tradition over the years, particularly in the Council of 1579 Pisces (1979 AD) and the Council of 1592 Pisces (1992 AD) both of which struggled with the necessities involved in adapting the Traditions forms to the modern world and to the needs required for a public Tradition.
The Correllium, symbol of the Correllian Tradition,
was originally a personal symbol which came to be
used as a familial crest by Lady Orpheis' Cherokee
ancestors.
Today the Correllian Tradition has two Join-Heads designated as First Priestess and First Priest, whose powers are represented by the office of Chancellor. This is based upon the traditional Cherokee clan structure which was used by the High-Correll familial Tradition. The Tradition has always had both a Matriarchal Head (in Cherokee the Agayv Gigagei) and what might be termed a Fraternal Head. The Matriarchal Head of the Tradition was usually the oldest woman, the Fraternal Head her brother or son. Below is a list of persons who have served in this capacity during the Tradition's existence, ending with the current Joint-Heads.
William High
Frank High-Correll
William High-Correll
Don Lewis-Highcorrell
HOW THE LESSONS CAME TO BE
On Candlemas of 1579 Pisces (1979 AD) the Regent LaVeda, of beloved memory, convened the Correllian Council of Elders for what would prove to be a momentous meeting.
This meeting ended the blv. LaVeda’s Regency, acclaiming her cousin Krystel High-Correll as the new Head of the Correllian Tradition. The Elders also acclaimed Lady LaVeda’s son, Donald Lewis-Highcorrell, as Co-Head of Tradition.
The Blv. Regent LaVeda
Krystel and Don's first act as Heads of Tradition was to declare the Tradition open to the public and to inaugurate a series of outreach programs. One of these outreach programs was to be a series of correspondence lessons in Correllian Wicca. Rev. Don began work on them at once. Lady Krystel, Lady LaVeda, and Lady Gloria -then First Elder of the Tradition- all took part in the compilation of these first lessons.
The draft copy of these lessons was finished and approved by summer of 1586 Pisces (1986 AD), but little was done with them. Proposed revisions were delayed by the passing of key members of the Tradition, as well as the success of other Tradition projects.
By the winter of 1590 Pisces (1990 AD) the revisions had been completed and plans were made to produce both printed and video-taped versions of the lessons. A working partnership was established with Ed Hubbard (who had not yet entered the Tradition) and his company, Psychic Services Incorporated, with a view toward producing and disseminating the material. In January of 1591 Pisces (1991 AD) filming began on the video-taped versions of the lessons, only to be halted when Rev. Don suffered a serious accident which would leave him bed-ridden for months and in recovery for several years.
During the First Priest’s illness the lessons were set aside. By the time Rev. Don was able to again turn his attention to the lessons, it was decided that the original materials were outdated, and needed a second revision.
Work began on the revisions in 1597 Pisces (1997 AD), and the first of the revised lessons would be presented to the Tradition in 1598 Pisces (1998 AD).
The new lessons were much deeper and more thorough, with a stronger emphasis on the inner nature of Correllian teachings. After twenty years, the Lessons in Correllian Wicca were finally completed early in 1599 Pisces (1999 AD).
The first Correllian Cleric to be trained under this system was Cweord, of Chicago’s Holy City Temple, who was initiated as a First Degree Priest on November 11, 1599 Pisces (1999 AD). Cweord was the last Correllian initiated in the old century, and it is fitting that he should have been the first to come in under the long awaited lessons.
For more information about the Correllian Nativist Tradition please go to www.correllian.com
I am the Rev. Sparrowhawk, founder and president of Church of the Sacred Moon. I am also the president and Local Coordinator for Yakima County Pagan Pride Day, Inc.
You may have noticed that we have decided to give Church of the Sacred Moon and YCPPD their own MySpace pages under their own email addresses. They are located at www.myspace.com/sacredmoonchurch and at www.myspace.com/ycppd.
Our study groups continue to grow day after day. Our Moon School youth activity groups are growing larger, as well. If you would like to learn more about our coven, our study groups, or our upcoming Pagan Pride event, go to the links above and add us as a MySpace friend.
If you have an open mind and wish to participate you are more than welcome to contact me at (509) 945-6586. Blessed Be!
Bright Blessings!
The Rev. Sparrowhawk
President
Church of the Sacred Moon
Selah, WA
For Church of the Sacred Moon's incorporation info CLICK HERE
To make a donation to Church of the Sacred Moon click the "DONATE" button.
You may also donate to our organization by mailing your free-will contribution to:
Church of the Sacred Moon
P.O. Box 462
Selah, WA 98942
IMPORTANT UPDATES!!!
Church of the Sacred Moon has been undergoing drastic changes over the last couple of years. Some of the board members have left for personal reasons. Others have been removed by majority vote. The new Board of Directors are listed as follows:
President: The Rev. Melvin T. Neifert
Vice-President: The Rev. Leanne M. Schwartz
Secretary: The Rev. Christopher P. Roberts
Treasurer: The Rev. Kristine Allan
Registrar: Kristina M. Wakefield
Former board members have spent countless hours helping Church of the Sacred Moon grow into the fine organization that it is today. We offer our deepest thanks and gratitude to those individuals for their support over the past few years of our existence.
May the gods keep all of you well and in good graces for the remainder of your incarnations. Blessed Be!
YAKIMA – Darlene Grace Neifert of Yakima went to be with her Creator on January 30, 2007 at the age of 54. Darlene was born September 27, 1952 in Eugene, Oregon to Ralph and Virleen Proudfoot. While living in Eugene she attended Elles Parker Elementary, Spencer Butte Junior High, and East Eugene High School.
As a teenager Darlene picked berries and green beans, rode her horses, Cindy & Socks, and enjoyed pleasant trips with her parents and her brother to the beach every summer. She moved to Moxee in July, 1970 and graduated from East Valley High School in 1971.
After Darlene moved to the Yakima valley she began attending Perry Technical Institute where she met Clayton L. Neifert in the early summer of 1974. They fell in love and were married on August 22nd of that same year.
Darlene trained horses while her husband, Clayton, worked at the Yakima Valley School in Selah. During their free time together, they would ride their horses, Lovable Red and Vech. In August of 1975 their son Melvin T. Neifert was born. Two years later Darlene gave birth to their daughter, Virleen D. Neifert. Darlene began working with her mother selling and fitting shoes at Proudfoot’s Foot Comfort Store. She did this for many years until her mother retired.
Darlene loved all animals and was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother. She enjoyed fishing, camping, reading novels and comic books, crocheting, needle point, playing video games, spending time with her grandchildren, and taking care of her plants and animals. She was always ready and willing to help others whenever they needed it. Darlene and Clayton often helped others by providing them with a place to sleep and food to eat. She was a true humanitarian with a slapstick sense of humor. Many of her younger friends would call her ‘Mom.’
During the last year of her life she became a member of ‘Church of the Sacred Moon’ where she studied ancient pre-Christian religious practices and grew increasingly spiritual. She helped her close Circle of family and friends at ‘Church of the Sacred Moon’ collect donations for the needy around Yakima, WA. She also assisted the children in ‘Moon School’ with their craft activities and made a huge impact on the lives of the people within her Circle.
She is preceded in death by her father, Ralph Proudfoot, Sr. and her mother, Virleen Proudfoot. Darlene is survived by her husband, Clayton L. Neifert of Selah; her children, the Rev. Melvin T. Neifert (& the Rev. Jennifer L. Morgan) of Yakima, Virleen Neifert (& Kevin Nesmith) of Selah, and her brother, Ralph Proudfoot, Jr. & his wife, Brenda of Moxee. She is also survived by three grandsons; Joseph and Alexander Neifert of Yakima, and Kyle Youngblood of Selah, and one granddaughter; Morgan Neifert of Yakima. Darlene is also survived by her best friend’s Cheryl and Ron Vernon of Selah, her circle of friends at ‘Church of the Sacred Moon,’ her dog, Nikki, and many other friends and family members whose lives were magickally touched and changed by her unconditional love.
Darlene was a great and loving person who had a deep and lasting impact on the lives of everyone around her. She had a very large circle of friends and family who will always love her and miss her dearly.
Dearest Mom,
You came into our lives with love in your heart
You brought with you joy and cheer
You tickled us daily. That was your art
And, lived with us year after year
You gave to us comfort and delicious warm meals
And, made all of our lives complete
Your love kept us safe, and your hugs helped us heal
Your skills had brought many proud feet.
Now, that your gone your love still remains
Along with these memories so sweet
We love you and miss you. And, though we feel pain
We know that in time we will meet.
THE CORRELLIAN NATIVIST TRADITION
Who I'd like to meet:
The city where our covenstead is located.
Mt. St. Helens ash cloud heading for Yakima, WA on March 8th 2005!
A Red-tailed Hawk near Yakima.
Cave paintings from the Indian Rock State Park right outside of Yakima, WA.
Yakima photos taken by rniles@wunderground.com (Thanks rniles!).
This comment was sent by your friend via the Truth Box app. To block this app and all communications from it, click Here.
-------------------------------------------
this app is so cool... here you can read people's secrets, get rated in Hot Zone and send anonymous messages to anyone...
The city where our covenstead is located.
Mt. St. Helens ash cloud heading for Yakima, WA on March 8th 2005!
A Red-tailed Hawk near Yakima.
.jpg)
.gif)
.jpg)
