Building on years of groundwork, TAWN has been around since the Summer of 1988, when eight local priestesses saw that it was finally … time. We’ve grown by leaps and bounds since then: November of 1996 saw our recognition by the State of Arizona as a non-profit educational corporation. We were recognized as a 501(c)(4) organization by the IRS in 1997. In the Fall of 2003 TAWN earned 501(c)3 status from the IRS as an educational and religious non-profit organization, so now, donations to TAWN are tax-deductible.
Don’t let our name – the Tucson Area Wiccan-Pagan Network – fool you. We’re open to and have as members, Wiccans, other witches, all manner of Pagans, Heathens, polytheists, Thelemites, shamans, those honoring the paths of indigenous peoples, re-constructionists, and more. It’s just that after twenty-five years of public relations work, we’re too well-known to change our name!
We operate under our Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, and Code of Ethics, all of which are posted on this site. Our aims are to promote communication, understanding, and good will among our members and between ourselves and the non-Pagan public, and to make local Paganism, Heathenry, and polytheism easily accessible. By networking, we bring a wide variety of Neo-Pagans, Heathens, and polytheists together. Once we start sharing, we find that we have more similarities than differences, and it’s on this common ground we build a spiritual community based on a love and reverence for Nature.
One centerpiece of our commitment to dispel misconceptions about our faiths is our ongoing series of open-to-the-public classes exploring a wide variety of Neo-pagan paths and skills and interests. These are generally held at the Himmel Library on the first Sunday of the month. Be sure to check our Community Classes page for the schedule of topics.
Another is an annual round of seasonal rituals led by various members — individual and group — offering an experience of the variety of our practices. These are generally held on the Sunday closest to each Sabbat, but there are some exceptions to that rule of thumb, so check our Open Ritual schedule page to be sure. Two of our open Sabbats are part of day-gatherings: our open Ostara rite closes Spring Fest, and our open Mabon rite closes Fall Fest. Both festivals are held at the Unitarian-Universalist Church on 22nd Street here in Tucson.
Our quarterly newsletter, Tapestry, carries the Minutes of our monthly open meetings (which are followed by a potluck feast we call a Cauldronluck), and an assortment of news, reviews, poetry, rituals, etc. When our membership includes enough children between the ages of four and thirteen, we offer a Moon School; you can read about that on this site, too.
TAWN members have worked hard to make (and keep) Tucson a safe place to come out of the broom closet, and take due pride in the accomplishment. Thank you for visiting our website. We look forward to meeting you in person at one of our public events. Hailsa and blesséd be!