Friday 30th July, 11am AEST

"The media seems more willing to burn a witch at the stake than to throw Christians to the lions." That's the view of David Garland, President of the Pagan Awareness Network.

This follows the guilty plea this week of Melbourne Pagan Eilish De Avalon on serious traffic offences, including dragging a Police Officer nearly 200 metres when his arm became caught in her car window. Media reports state that Ms De Avalon told the Police she didn't need a driver's license and that she was "a being from another world". Ms De Avalon has denied saying that she was from another world.

Last Sunday at the PAN committee meeting PAN conducted the draw for the prize associated with our recent Facebook Membership offer and we are pleased to announce the winner is...

~* Oliver Bladesmore *~

Over the next little while our wandmaker Jo will be creating a wand specially designed for Oliver and documenting the process for an article in our regular magazine The Small Tapestry.

Feel free to have a look at some of her wand work here: http://www.applegroveonline.com/wands.asp. And remember if you missed out this time Jo has offered another custom wand as a door prize for the Witches Ball.

Congratulations on your win Oliver and welcome to the Pagan Awareness Network. 

Monday 24th May 2010, 1300 AEST

The Pagan Awareness Network Incorporated (PAN) is toughening its rules relating to child protection.

"We're making sure the Association complies with or exceeds the expectations of the various state laws that operate around Australia," PAN President David Garland said today. "We run and provide support for many events around Australia for followers of Pagan and nature-based religions. Some of these events cater for families and are open to under-18s. This is an area where we have to get it right."

Thursday May 21st, 2010, 13:00 AEST

Sunday night on Channel 7 sees Temperance Brennan and FBI agent Booth face one of their strangest cases: an investigation into the mysterious world of Wicca and witchcraft. But have the writers and producers of the hit show ‘Bones’ got their facts straight?

YAY! The Pagan Awareness Network Australia Facebook group has reached the 1000 members mark. To celebrate this landmark PAN is offering all of our brilliant Facebook supporters the opportunity to become full members of PAN for the price of a concession membership (12 month membership only).

This offer will run from the next new moon (Wed Apr 14, 2010) to the following new moon (Fri May 14, 2010) and is open to both new members and those who wish to extend or renew their membership. Plus those who do sign up during the next lunar cycle will go into a draw to win a custom designed wand made by wand designer Jo www.applegroveonline.com/wands.asp

To take advantage of this offer just be a current PAN Facebook group member and send your membership form and payment before the new moon of Fri May 14, 2010. Just mark anywhere on your form "Facebook Offer" (preferably in large cheerful lettering somewhere easily seen) and the name you use on Facebook if it is different from your given name and pay concession rates and we will match your details to your Facebook group membership and take care of the rest.

If you want to know more about what PAN does and how your membership helps support the Pagan community in Australia you can read the Join Us page on our website, email us here This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call and have a chat with us on 0412 427 343.

Visit here to Join PAN.

Thanks everyone for making the Australian Pagan community such a supportive and friendly place. Keep up the good work.

The Team at PAN

Thursday April 1st, 2010, 18.30 AEST

Easter, the most important festival of the Christian calendar, is actually a Pagan holiday. That's according to the Pagan Awareness Network (PAN), an association that represents modern-day followers of Europe's indigenous spiritual traditions.

The Pagan Awareness Network Australia Facebook group has reached well over 900 members and is continuing to climb ever higher.

To celebrate this and to thank all of the wonderful and supportive Pagans out there PAN has decided that when we hit the magic 1000 members mark, we will make a special offer just for our Facebook members, so keep an eye on this space!

9th March 2010, 1500 AEDST

Christian Democrat Party leader and anti-pagan campaigner Reverend Fred Nile is out to destroy a teenage couple’s plans to be joined in a Pagan handfasting ceremony.

He was quoted today as saying: ”(Handfasting) can’t be in any way acknowledged by the state and should not be listed as a genuine wedding. Our party will do what it can to stop pagan weddings and witchcraft or Wicca activities.’’

Meet the Australian Family Association

Sunday 14th March, 1500 AEDST

The Australian Family Association has called a teenage couple’s plans for a commitment ceremony early next month ‘deplorable’.

The two teens, Jenni Birch (16) and Alex Stewart-Pole (19), of Brisbane, plan to be handfasted in a traditional Pagan ceremony. Their hands will be bound together with cord as they vow to be true to each other for a year and a day in front of friends and family. Jenni’s mother, Pagan priestess Sue Birch, will officiate at the ceremony.

Paganism is a nature worshipping pre-Christian belief ranked as the seventh largest religion in the US. Around 30,000 Australians identified as following a Pagan or nature-based faith in the 2006 Census.

But with no discernible trace of irony, the Australian Family Association’s John Morrissey said today: "If such mock weddings lead to consummation and some status as a common law wedding, there is something wrong," he said.

Michael York will be attending the Pagans in the Cafe at the Black Rose Cafe in Liverpool on Monday night the 14/12/09.

Michael sat on many of the panels at the recent Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne.

Michael York is Professor of Cultural Astronomy and Astrol...ogy at Bath Spa University College, UK, an instructor at Cherry Hill Seminary, and author of "Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion". We discussed the evolving place of modern Paganism at the Parliament, the importance of the Pagan voice in interfaith interactions, and how polytheism promotes democracy.

Michael has been involved in the ongoing discussions about definitions of Paganism on the Wild Hunt Blog - http://wildhunt.org/blog/2009/12/after-the-parliament-whos-indigenous-whos-a-nrm.html

Michael is wanting to meet a few Pagans from Sydney, so come along and join us for an evening of good company and good conversation.

Dr Patricia Rose and Dr Tricia Szirom are undertaking a study of the Goddess in Australia - how she is expressed, how worshipped, how manifest. They invite you to contribute to their work by completing our online survey.

The Parliament of the World's Religions brings together the world's religious and spiritual communities, to a gathering where peace, diversity and sustainability are discussed and explored in the context of interreligious understanding and cooperation.

Since 1993, a Parliament of the World's Religions has convened every five years in a major international city. The 2009 Parliament is being held in Melbourne, Australia.

Pagan participation has grown this year with many guests and speakers visiting from all over Australia and the world.

The Pagan Awareness Network has several delegates attending including David Garland (President) along with Gavin Andrew (Media Officer), Linda Ward (Interfaith Officer) and Lisa Kenny (PAN member). These lovely PAN people will be meeting local and international Pagan delegates and will also be available for interviews.

To coincide with the parliament several events have been organised by members of the local Pagan community:

• Melbourne Reclaiming, Parliament of the World's Religions Community Night
• Magick Happens and Cirque Noir

Television coverage of the Parliament can be seen on a-pac (Australia's Public affairs channel) and is also streamed from their website http://www.a-pac.tv/

To find out more about the Parliament of the world’s religions and keep up to date on Pagan happenings at the event please visit the links below:

• Parliament of the World's Religions Site
• Listing of Presentations by Pagans
• Pagans at the Parliament Blog
• Pagans at the Parliament Facebook Page
• Pagans at the Parliament Twitter Feed
• Earthspirit Blog
• Circle Sancuary Interfaith Blog

Ten Years of Triumph of the Moon, Academic approaches to studying magic and the occult: examining scholarship into witchcraft and paganism, ten years after Ronald Hutton’s The Triumph of the Moon A collection of essays edited by Dave Evans and Dave Green

Contributions by: Ronald Hutton, Amy Hale, Sabina Magliocco, Dave Green, Henrik Bogdan, Phillip Bernhardt-House, R.A. Priddle, Geoffrey Samuel, Caroline Tully & Dave Evans

The Victorian PAN committee will be presenting a Melbourne version of the successful Magick Happens event that PAN has been running in Sydney in past years.

Magick Happens takes place on Saturday the 5th of December 2009 at Arts House (North Melbourne Town Hall) to coincide with the World Parliament of Religions being hosted in Melbourne. Magick Happens will be followed by Cirque Noir a witches ball.

This day long event showcases goods, services, entertainers and information from the various spiritual, holistic, Earth honouring, and Magical communities, companies and individuals from all over Australia, and even overseas.

Magick Happens provides a great opportunity for these individuals and organisations to mingle with the community at large and promote their products and services. With local and international guest speakers, Pagan artists, various performances and a range of workshops, Magick Happens will be an opportunity to experience the vast diversity of this spiritual community.


Then once darkness falls, the black circus comes to life, bringing you a night of heathen passion thinly veiled behind velvet, silk and leather.

Come and dance with the internationally renowned Spiral Dance and Wendy Rule. Also appearing are The Stiletto Sisters, burlesque dancers, and various strolling performers, as they lead us to a dark world where the magick of the night comes alive. Finger food will be provided, and drinks are available on the night – this is a licensed event.

Come and be part of this unforgettable experience.

Visit www.magickhappens.com.au for more information

21st October 2009, 1030 AEDST

If convicted child sex offender and 'witch' Robin Fletcher is released back into the community, he will not be welcome among other witches and Pagans. That's according to the Pagan Awareness Network Incorporated (PAN), an association that represents followers of nature-based religions in Australia.

"Fletcher is regarded by the entire Pagan and witch community with revulsion," PAN President David Garland said today. "His claims that child sex is part of the Wiccan religion are false and contemptible – he has slandered our community in the worst possible way. Most people I talk to about this man would be happy if he simply died in prison."

October 30, 2009 1030 AEDST

It’s Halloween, and time for kids to dress up in their scariest costumes – as goblins and ghosts, as witches and devils, or even (gulp!) as televangelists. It’s time for carved pumpkins, things that go bump in the night, and of course, lots of processed sugar.

15th October, 2009 1100 AEDST

Pastor Danny Nalliah's call for Christians from around Australia to gather at Mt Ainslie on October 17th, 2009 is a good old-fashioned witch-hunt.

That's the view of the Pagan Awareness Network, an association that represents witches, Pagans, and other followers of nature-based religions in Australia.

"We're wondering if we'll see pitchforks and flaming torches at this event," Pagan Awareness Network President David Garland said today.

September 9th, 2009 1100 AEST

Bizarre accusations of animal sacrifice by a coven of witches are baseless, according to the Pagan Awareness Network.

The accusations, aired on the website of controversial Pastor Danny Nalliah, centre on Mt Ainsley in Canberra. Mr Nalliah alleges that fresh blood has been found there, the result of sacrifices by a local ‘witches coven’. He has called on Christians to engage in what he terms ‘spiritual warfare’, and claims that witches ‘are cursing the Federal Parliament’.

The Pagan Awareness Network Inc is proud to open the doors to our new web site www.paganawareness.net.au. The new layout provides fast access to the latest community information from around Australia in an easy to read format.

From the welcome page visitors can search, access news, events, information and more. The Join PAN page has an updated membership form and a range of payment and support options including PayPal. For more details about these convenient options please visit the Join Pan page.

A new forum is now available allowing visitors to quickly register and participate through the fully functional web forum. We invite you to visit our new online home and provide your feed back through the contact us link on the welcome page.