Church Of All Worlds

The Church of All Worlds (CAW) was founded at Westminster College in 1962 by Tim (later Otter, now Oberon) and Martha Zell & Lance and Penny Christie. It started as an outgrowth of a group called ATL, which was based on the works of Ayn Rand and Robert Rimmer. When Robert Heinlein's science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land was published in 1962, its vision became a central inspiration and CAW was born. In 1968, CAW became the first Neo-Pagan Earth Religion to obtain full Federal recognition when it incorporated in Missouri.(ed. note -  If you are interested in reading the work that inspired the founders, it is the 1962 edition of Stranger in a Strange Land that you seek. The uncut edition is longer and differs slightly in content.)

The CAW originally was based in St. Louis and eventually grew to have several Nests there as well as Nests in Chicago, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and other places. The group became an extended family, meeting frequently for weekend parties, and published the groundbreaking magazine the GREEN EGG, one of the first and foremost  Neo-Pagan journals at the time.  For a time, the headquarters of the church moved to Northern Califia, where it chartered numerous Subordinate Organizations and continued to grow. It is now headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. (CAW Central )

CAW is an organization of individuals who regard the Earth and all life on it as sacred.  While we have no dogma or creed, we come together in our reverence of life and connection to the Earth. Living in harmony and understanding with all of life's myriad forms is our religous act. Members acknowledge the sacred and divine within themselves and each other through the use of the phrase,"Thou art God/dess".  The Church of All Worlds is essentially Neo-Pagan, implying an eclectic reconstruction of ancient Nature religions, and combining archtypes of many cultures with other mystical, enviromental and spiritual disciplines.

Individual Nests have great autonomy and decide for themselves where to focus their energies. It is in the Nest, that we gather to attempt "Groking",knowing something so well that it becomes part of oneself, as a way to harmony. We also "share water", a ritual acknowledgment of love, trust, and brother/sisterhood. Individuals may progress through nine Circles of ever-increasing involvement in the church with requirements in personal growth, knowledge, Paganism, and other topics as marks of travel.

Our sacred mission is to "evolve a network of information, mythology and experience to awaken the divine within and to provide a context and stimulus for reawakening Gaia and reuniting Her Children through trial community dedicated to responsible stewardship and the evolution of consciousness."

We encourage anyone interested in joining us in our adventure in living, at any level of participation, to contact us. Being Pagan is not a requirement!
Contact us at:

Spirit Weavers

PO Box 2867

Toledo, OH 43606-0867

(419) 531-9785

fax 531-2057