{"collection":"bos","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bos/bos300.htm","path":"bos/bos300.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bos/bos300.htm","text":"Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999]\n \n \n \n Divine Circle of The Sacred Grove ***SCAM**\n Office of the Preceptor\n P.O. Box 66311, Seattle, WA, U.S.A. 98166\n \n THE FOLLOWING IS FOR PUBLICATION;\n \n To the Pagan Community:\n In July of 1991, ADF sent out a Druid Alert about an\n organization called the Divine Circle of the Sacred Grove. ADF\n began investigating this group because they were using ADF\n letterhead, membership forms, advertising copy, and other\n materials with their names substituted for ours. Prior to raising\n any public issues, ADF's Preceptor, Domi O'Brien called the group\n and talked to their Scribe, Kal Mannis. Mr. Mannis told her that\n if she had questions, she could come to a public meeting on July\n 2nd, 1991, in Seattle, and ask them there.\n Domi, Bwca, Erynn and members of 4 other Traditions and\n organizations attended their talk. We noted with increasing\n amazement their claims and their views of the interrelationship\n of Druidism and Wicca, and after they mentioned Isaac Bonewits,\n Domi challenged some of their staements, as the ADF Preceptor.\n The DCSG literature going back to 1988 was examined, along with\n other staements which have been made to us or others. Janette\n Laverna Garcia a/k/a Gordon a/k/a Copeland, born 2/9/1942,\n Houston TX,; Richard Norman Ian Garcia a/k/a Gordon a/k/a\n Copeland, born 8/12/1940, Prescott, AZ; Jerry Eugene Everett\n Wayne Reamer a/k/a Prophet, born 8/12/1948, Pottstown, PA; Kalman\n Mannis, Nancy Brown, Brenda Matarazzo, David Trippey, Donovan\n Cotton; Dr. Jay Tibbles, Mary Ernst, and others affiliated with\n their group were examined for legitamate mundane and magickal\n credentials. The only person whose credentials we were able to\n verify was Dr. Jay Tibbles.\n Janette's claims, as given in her various peices of\n literature, and as made to us, or to persons whose credentials we\n were able to verify, include: Hereditary Witch and Druid; Pipe\n Carrier for the Lumbee, the Sioux, the Cherokee, and the Chumash;\n member of the MotherGrove and Board of Directors of the ADF, as\n well as group marriage to the entire ADF Board of Directors;\n membership and 3rd Circle status in the British Circle of the\n Universal Bond; training by Ross Nichols, 3rd Degree Celtic and\n Egyptian Priestess; 3rd Degree Alexandrian Priestess, New York,\n 1973; 3rd Degree Gardinarian Priestess, New York, 1965;\n incorporation of her organization in 14 states; training by\n Rhuddlwm Gawr, and training by Grandmaster Eli (Barney Taylor, of\n the Druidic Craft of the Wise), marriage to Eli, as well as being\n both Eli's daughter and graddaughter. She has also claimed to be\n a registereed nurse, a cosmetologist; a paralegal; a professional\n writer of romance novels, and a Vietnam Veteran. Ms. Copeland (?)\n claims that she has 10,000 people on her mailing list, groves all\n over the United States, and that she was born in London during\n the Blitz, although she has alos claimed that she was born in\n Houston TX. Ms Garcia (?) claims that her father, a U.S. Army\n Major on Eisenhower's staff during WW II (not, by the way,\n Grandmaster Eli), and her mother, a nurse now resident in\n Atlanta, were both members of the Circle of the Universal Bond.\n She claims that she was raised by a Cherokee grandfather. She\n claims to have been teaching Wicca, which she says is a\n simplified version of Druidism for the masses, since 1954, when\n she was 12 years old.\n \n \n 1508\n \n \n Ms Gordon(?) took Lady Sabrin's course from Our Lady of\n Enchanment in 1987 and 1988, giving totally different information\n about herself then she gives now. According to Lady Sabrina,\n Janette has been selling Sabrina's courses as her own ever since.\n We have examined lessons from Janette's and Sabrina's courses,\n and they are indeed substantially identical, except that Sabrina\n can spell.\n Janette joined ADF in 1987, giving yet another set of data\n about herself, claiming no leadership positions, newsletters, or\n other affiliations. A check of the material on her application\n shows it to be substantially false.\n In checking Janette's claims, we contacted the Secretary of\n state, and Board of Nursing Registrations in the 14 states in\n which she claimed incorporation. Her organization is incorporated\n only in Washington and California. She is not listed as a\n registered nurse anywhere we checked. She and her group were\n offering BA's, MA's, and PhD's in Washington State until directed\n to cease and desist by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.\n They later obtained a religious exemption by saying that they\n were offering degrees only in Divinity and Theology. Former\n mebers of their organization state that most of their claims in\n their catalog as to available courses and faculty credentials are\n false.\n In examining their other claims we contacted over two\n hundred persons and groups in this country and abroad in an\n effort to authenticate their initiations and organizational\n affiliations.\n No one we contacted verified any of the DCSG's claims. All\n stated that they had never trained or initiated any known\n officers or members of the DCSG. Most had never even heard of\n them. Furthur, former members of her organization have mentioned\n paying thousands of dollars for courses, and additional thousands\n paid out on \"tithes\" -- 10% of their annual income to support the\n work of the Order of Melchizadek (demanded in the middle of their\n initiation or elevation rituals). We have also been contacted by\n Social Serrvices, Education, Law Enforcement and other\n authorities for other information about DCSG, and/or its members.\n ADF and some other Pagan groups and organziations are\n cooperating fully with these investigations, and have made it\n clear to the investigators that we do not regard these people as\n legitamate members of the Pagan community, since none of their\n alleged training and initiations can be verified, and may have\n been directly disproven. As Pagans, whatever our path, we can\n ill-afford to remain silent while groups knowingly steal and sell\n courses written by others, claiming training ties to the most\n senior and respected members of our community that they do not\n have, and engage in questionable behaviour presenting themselves\n as our kin, elders, and representatives to the world at large.\n \n Domi O'Brien T. Bwca Erynn Darkstar\n DTG Priestess Elder, NECTW Greenleaf Coven\n CWO Priestess Inis Glas\n Preceptor/Vice ArchDruid, ADF\n \n \n 1509\n \n \n By: Domi O\n To: Lewis Stead\n Re: Details, please.\n \n Lady Sabrina was initiated by Bob Moshier and Dorothy Trion in\n Tuscon Arizona in 1978, according to what she says. She was in\n Danville, California for a\n while, near San Franscisco; and was in COG (I have not checked\n this); she then studied with Gavin and Yvonne in New Bern for 1 and\n a half years; then moved to Billerica, Mass; then to Hudson, NH;\n then Nashua, NH. I was in Epping, NH when a Gardnerian friend and\n fellow NH College administrator, Gerry Reilly, introduced me to\n Sabrina. Since I am Daughters of the Triple Goddess and Celtic\n Wiccan Order trained, Gerry's brand of witchcraft and Sabrina's\n struck me equally weird.\n \n I talked to Gavin and Yvonne last week; they feel Sabrina has\n borrowed heavily from them but they don't have an issue with it and\n they don't consider their organisation and hers to be connected.\n In 1987 Geraldine Gumm aka Gerri Garcia aka Queen Druid aka Laura\n Copeland aka Janette Gordon aka Janette Copeland aka Laverna Gordon\n aka Laverna Copeland aka Gerry Garcia aka Gerri Gunn aka Gerri Teah\n Garcia aka Jerry Leah Garcia took Sabrina's course; in winter of\n 1989 she began advertising a coorespondence course in Wicca, which\n according to Sabrina is Sabrina's. I've looked at them; they are\n very much alike. The Frosts and Sabrina both teach non-mainstream\n Wicca and charged for Craft when no one was doing that. I have\n heard far more negative things about some far more mainstream\n figures; both the Frosts and Sabrina are very public and really\n seem to have nothing to hide. What they teach isn't my Craft, but\n I will defend their right to practice their version and teach it\n as they see fit. Or did you mean something else ?\n Domi of ADF\n \n By: Domi O\n To: Corwynt\n Re: ADF letter\n \n Indeed it is from us. Since then, we have gotten \"Janette's\" arrest\n and conviction records from New Mexico and word from a usually\n reliable source that her real name may be Geraldine Gumm, and real\n date of birth may be 2-9-40. I am also informed by a law\n enforcement source that she has other records in several states.\n These range from child neglect to unlawful touching of dead bodies\n to kidnapping.\n \n Her group was investigated in 1975 in Arizona for dead bodies and\n missing persons, moved a bit over a hundred miles as the crow\n flies, and she and her husband were arrested in New Mexico in 1978.\n The children involved were returned to their parents, two being\n kept in social service custody while it was determined to whom they\n belonged, and two members of the group were \"deprogramed\" by Ted\n Patrick. She was calling herself \"Queen Druid\" then and initiating\n folks as \"WI\" or \"witch one\". I have a lovely pile of court papers\n and newspaper clippings I will gladly share with anyone who'd like\n to send me $4 for photocopying and postage...\n Domi O'Brien \n Box 66311\n Seattle, WA 98166\n \n \n 1510","title":"Internet Book of Shadows: Divine Circle Scam","type":"page"}