Phoenix Arising: The 3rd Resurrection of the Church of All Worlds
Presented by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart.
Founded in 1962 by Oberon Zell and Lance Christie, the Church of All Worlds
(CAW) became the first Pagan church to achieve full legal recognition in the
US and Australia. It was also the first to identify as "Pagan." Through the
publication of 136 issues of Green Egg magazine over a 32-year span, CAW was
a major catalyst in the growth and unification of the worldwide Pagan
community; its influence acknowledged in Drawing Down the Moon and many
other books on the history of the Pagan movement. But in 2000, Green Egg
ceased publication, and with the transfer of HQ to Ohio, the entire Church
was restructured in a manner inimical to its founders. At Starwood 2004,
Oberon made a presentation on the decline of CAW, for which the President of
the CAW Board threatened to sue him and everyone in sight. Within two
months, that man had died, and the remaining BoD members voted to dissolve
the Church itself. But CAW remains strong and active in NorCalifia and
Australia, and with the dissolution of the Ohio branch, members in those
places are now resurrecting their beloved Church, with Oberon at its head
once again. Oberon will speak of the Phoenix Cycle of CAW, and present a new
Vision for its future.
