TYPE 4

pagan fraud

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To the Pagan Community:

In July of 1991, ADF sent out a Druid Alert about an organization called the

Divine Circle of the Sacred Grove. ADF began investigating this group because

they were using ADF letterhead, membership forms, advertising copy, and other

materials with their names substituted for ours. Prior to raising any public

issues, ADF's Preceptor, Domi O'Brien called the group and talked to their

Scribe, Kal Mannis. Mr. Mannis told her that if she had questions, she could

come to a public meeting on July 2nd, 1991, in Seattle, and ask them there.

Domi, Bwca, Erynn and members of 4 other Traditions and organizations

attended their talk. We noted with increasing amazement their claims and

their views of the interrelationship of Druidism and Wicca, and after they

mentioned Isaac Bonewits, Domi challenged some of their statements, as the

ADF Preceptor. The DCSG literature going back to 1988 was examined, along

with other statements which have been made to us or others.

Janette Laverna Garcia a/k/a Gordon a/k/a Copeland, born 2/9/1942, Houston

Richard Norman Ian Garcia a/k/a Gordon a/k/a Copeland, born 8/12/1940.

Prescott, AZ;

Jerry Eugene Everett Wayne Reamer a/k/a Prophet, born 8/12/1948, Pottstown,

Kalman Mannis, Nancy Brown, Brenda Matarazzo, David Trippey, Donovan Cotton;

Dr. Jay Tibbles, Mary Ernst, and others affiliated with their group were

examined for legitimate mundane and magickal credentials.

The only person whose credentials we were able to verify was Dr. Jay Tibbles.

Janette's claims, as given in her various pieces of literature, and as made

to us, or to persons whose credentials we were able to verify, include:

Hereditary Witch and Druid; Pipe Carrier for the Lumbee, the Sioux, the

Cherokee, and the Chumash; member of the Mother Grove and Board of Directors

of the ADF, as well as group marriage to the entire ADF Board of Directors;

membership and 3rd Circle status in the British Circle of the Universal

Bond; training by Ross Nichols, 3rd Degree Celtic and Egyptian Priestess;

3rd Degree Alexandrian Priestess, New York, 1973; 3rd Degree Gardinarian

Priestess, New York, 1965; incorporation of her organization in 14 states;

training by Rhuddlwm Gawr, and training by Grandmaster Eli (Barney Taylor,

of the Druidic Craft of the Wise), marriage to Eli, as well as being both

Eli's daughter and granddaughter. She has also claimed to be a registered

nurse, a cosmetologist; a paralegal; a professional writer of romance

novels, and a Vietnam Veteran. Ms. Copeland (?) claims that she has 10,000

people on her mailing list, groves all over the United States, and that she

was born in London during the Blitz, although she has also claimed that she

was born in Houston TX. Ms Garcia (?) claims that her father, a U.S. Army

Major on Eisenhower's staff during WW II (not, by the way, Grandmaster Eli),

and her mother, a nurse now resident in Atlanta, were both members of the

Circle of the Universal Bond.

She claims that she was raised by a Cherokee grandfather. She claims to have

been teaching Wicca, which she says is a simplified version of Druidism for

the masses, since 1954, when she was 12 years old.

Ms Gordon(?) took Lady Sabrin's course from Our Lady of Enchanment in 1987

and 1988, giving totally different information about herself then than she

gives now. According to Lady Sabrina, Janette has been selling Sabrina's

courses as her own ever since.

We have examined lessons from Janette's and Sabrina's courses, and they are

indeed substantially identical, except that Sabrina can spell.

Janette joined ADF in 1987, giving yet another set of data about herself,

claiming no leadership positions, newsletters, or other affiliations. A check

of the material on her application shows it to be substantially false.

In checking Janette's claims, we contacted the Secretary of state, and Board

of Nursing Registrations in the 14 states in which she claimed incorporation.

Her organization is incorporated only in Washington and California. She is

not listed as a registered nurse anywhere we checked. She and her group were

offering BA's, MA's, and PhD's in Washington State until directed to cease

and desist by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

They later obtained a religious exemption by saying that they were offering

degrees only in Divinity and Theology. Former members of their organization

state that most of their claims in their catalog as to available courses and

faculty credentials are false.

In examining their other claims we contacted over two hundred persons and

groups in this country and abroad in an effort to authenticate their

initiations and organizational affiliations.

No one we contacted verified any of the DCSG's claims. All stated that they

had never trained or initiated any known officers or members of the DCSG.

Most had never even heard of them. Further, former members of her

organization have mentioned paying thousands of dollars for courses, and

additional thousands paid out on "tithes" -- 10% of their annual income to

support the work of the Order of Melchizadek (demanded in the middle of

their initiation or elevation rituals). We have also been contacted by

Social Services, Education, Law Enforcement and other authorities for other

information about DCSG, and/or its members.

ADF and some other Pagan groups and organizations are cooperating fully with

these investigations, and have made it clear to the investigators that we do

not regard these people as legitimate members of the Pagan community, since

none of their alleged training and initiations can be verified, and may have

been directly disproven. As Pagans, whatever our path, we can ill-afford to

remain silent while groups knowingly steal and sell courses written by

others, claiming training ties to the most senior and respected members of

our community that they do not have, and engage in questionable behavior

presenting themselves as our kin, elders, and representatives to the world at

large.

Domi O'Brien T. Bwca Erynn Darkstar

DTG Priestess Elder, NECTW Greenleaf Coven

CWO Priestess Inis Glas

Preceptor/Vice ArchDruid, ADF

By: Domi O

To: Lewis Stead

Re: Details, please.

Lady Sabrina was initiated by Bob Moshier and Dorothy Trion in Tuscon Arizona

in 1978, according to what she says. She was in Danville, California for a

while, near San Franscisco; and was in COG (I have not checked this); she

then studied with Gavin and Yvonne in New Bern for 1 and a half years; then

moved to Billerica, Mass; then to Hudson, NH; then Nashua, NH. I was in

Epping, NH when a Gardnerian friend and fellow NH College administrator,

Gerry Reilly, introduced me to Sabrina. Since I am Daughters of the Triple

Goddess and Celtic Wiccan Order trained, Gerry's brand of witchcraft and

Sabrina's struck me equally weird.

I talked to Gavin and Yvonne last week; they feel Sabrina has borrowed

heavily from them but they don't have an issue with it and they don't

consider their organisation and hers to be connected.

In 1987 Geraldine Gumm aka Gerri Garcia aka Queen Druid aka Laura Copeland

aka Janette Gordon aka Janette Copeland aka Laverna Gordon aka Laverna

Copeland aka Gerry Garcia aka Gerri Gunn aka Gerri Teah Garcia aka Jerry Leah

Garcia took Sabrina's course; in winter of 1989 she began advertising a

correspondence course in Wicca, which according to Sabrina is Sabrina's. I've

looked at them; they are very much alike. The Frosts and Sabrina both teach

non-mainstream Wicca and charged for Craft when no one was doing that. I have

heard far more negative things about some far more mainstream figures; both

the Frosts and Sabrina are very public and really seem to have nothing to

hide. What they teach isn't my Craft, but I will defend their right to

practice their version and teach it as they see fit. Or did you mean

something else ?

By: Domi O

To: Corwynt

Re: ADF letter

Indeed it is from us. Since then, we have gotten "Janette's" arrest and

conviction records from New Mexico and word from a usually reliable source

that her real name may be Geraldine Gumm, and real date of birth may be 2-9-

40. I am also informed by a law enforcement source that she has other

records in several states.

These range from child neglect to unlawful touching of dead bodies to

kidnapping.

Her group was investigated in 1975 in Arizona for dead bodies and missing

persons, moved a bit over a hundred miles as the crow flies, and she and her

husband were arrested in New Mexico in 1978.

The children involved were returned to their parents, two being kept in

social service custody while it was determined to whom they belonged, and two

members of the group were "deprogramed" by Ted Patrick. She was calling

herself "Queen Druid" then and initiating folks as "WI" or "witch one". I

have a lovely pile of court papers and newspaper clippings I will gladly

share with anyone who'd like to send me $4 for photocopying and postage...

Domi O'Brien

Box 66311

Seattle, WA 98166

BLESSED BE.