Author Archive Mary

The start of a new decade also marks a new era for the Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Canada (ATCC). Nearly three decades after its inception as a registered institution, ATCC is appointing a new Archpriestess in April, 2020 at the annual Spring Mysteries Festival hosted by the ATC Mother Church. High Priestess Mary Malinski of Circle of the Sacred Muse, Vancouver Island, Canada, will be joined by her husband High Priest David Malinski and many of her family and friends from Canada and the US to receive her elevation to Archpriestess of ATC Canada.

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Canada was established by the outgoing Archpriestess Michèle Favarger at the request of the former Archpriest and Founder of the Mother Church, Pete Pathfinder Davis, in 1990. Michèle, originally a solitary and eclectic practitioner, has a long history within the pagan community of Vancouver Island, circling with many who went on to form the renowned 13th House Mystery School.  Michèle received her Third Degree in the British Family Tradition in which she was trained, the Aquarian Tabernacle Church Tradition, and was also recognized as a Third Degree by Shadowhawk and Blacksun in their Star-Wyrm tradition. Michèle and her spouse Third Degree Priest Erik Lindblad, along with the Elders of ATCC, Heather Botting O’Brien, Gary Botting, and Doris Windrim, saw to it that ATCC was officially incorporated under the Societies Act of BC, recognized by Vital Statistics to sanctify marriage in the province, and authorized to allow Wiccan clergy to minister to the inmates at William Head Institution, where Michèle volunteered for 14 years. These accomplishments, along with many other great successes and achievements, have ensured that Mary’s induction into Archpriesthood will be a smooth transition.

Mary’s journey to Priesthood reads like a fairy tale. We all dream about what we want to be when we grow up, however not all of us get to make that dream come true. Mary did. Her journey began in small town Minnesota where she was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church and taught Sunday school throughout high school. She learned about the Goddess in her late teen years and longed to serve as a Priestess, though she never thought it would actually be possible. After marrying and moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, she learned more about Goddess spirituality and Wicca through attending a local women’s spiritual circle. When life brought her and her growing family to Vancouver Island, she sought a similar group to attend. Finding no groups but several like-minded individuals, she started her own circle, Circle of the Sacred Muse, and thus became a Priestess. Her impossible dream had come true.

In 2006 Mary attended the 21st Annual Spring Mysteries Festival at Fort Flagler, WA, where she met Michèle Favarger and Pete “Pathfinder” Davis. From there on in she was headed for Archpriesthood, though that was not in her sights at the time. In the following years she received her First Degree Initiation in the Aquarian Tabernacle Church (Canada) tradition, joined the Board of Directors of ATC Canada, and entered studies at the Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary where she is now an instructor in Wiccan Law, Meditation, and Greek Mythology. By 2012 Mary received her Second Degree initiation and soon after was appointed Maiden of ATCC. On April 12, 2017, Mary Malinski received her Third Degree Initiation in the Aquarian Tabernacle Church (Canada) tradition and recently received her Second Degree in the WISE tradition under the tutelage of the Archpriesthood of the Mother Church, Belladonna LaVeau and Dusty Dionne. In addition to holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Wiccan Ministry, Mary also has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre from the University of Minnesota Moorhead where her interest in Greek Mythology blossomed.

Currently Mary Malinski supports her family and her ministry through several self-employed ventures while working at the local theatre where she’s been employed for over 14 years. Through her own website Walks Within, Mary offers tarot readings, life coaching, guided meditations, and can be booked for Usui Reiki instruction. Every Sunday during the warmer months Mary can be found doing tarot readings and selling her wonderful recycled sweater-coats at the outdoor market in Campbell River, BC. All while volunteering her services to foster a Wiccan community for northern Vancouver Island and support the growth of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Canada. It’s easy to see how she inherited the moniker Prosperity Priestess.

As for the future, Mary hopes to see the ATCC grow and serve communities all across Canada. She is currently working on connecting with other Pagan groups across the country so that together they can help each other grow. Mary’s background and education, along with her lifelong devotion to the Goddess and to Wiccan ministry, makes her a most suitable candidate for Archpriestess and Pete Pathfinder Davis, for one, would be proud to see how she made her own dreams come true. We are all looking forward to seeing where Archpriestess Mary Malinski will take the Church from here.

~ Cece Henderson, Maiden of the Circle of the Sacred Muse, ATC Canada