It has been some time since I last posted on this blog. I am now 73 years old with a bionic heart (two artificial valves and a pacemaker) and the Maetreum has suffered, as much of the rest of organized religions from the worldwide Covid pandemic. We have been unable to hold a Season of the Tree celebration since the spring of 2019, shortly before my heart surgery. Orphan's Thanksgiving was last held the fall of that same year.
While we continue to hold regular Full and New Moon celebrations, attendance is sparse. We attempted to have a Season of the Tree last year but the outbreak of the Omicron variant led us to cancel at the last moment. During the pandemic, the summer of 2020, we took advantage of the summer weather to have many weekends working on the property and priestess training for three novitiates. We started to do the same the summer of 2021 but ran into major trouble with one of our priestess, Viktoria Whittaker. We had to remove her for egregious violations of all three aspects of her oath of elevation. From that time forward she has sought out everyone ever at odds with the Maetreum and myself and waged war on us.
Lately she and her married lover, Jay Stewart, have been accusing me online of stealing the funds of the Maetreum and from her. I will quickly address that. During the time she claims I was stealing the funds, she was the treasurer and every single penny including cash passed through her hands. As per our organizational setup, no one gets any money from the Maetreum, period. No reimbursements, no salary, no purchases on their behalf. I ran my own business for many many years and learned that for a non profit, this is the only way to make yourself bullet proof and it was borne out during our court battle. She and Jay, her lover, are also claiming I stole 100 thousand from Viktoria in contributions. Lets look at that one square in the face. She maintained the Maetreum as her primary residence and part time residence for the entire run of her priestesshood. We all pay part of the expenses of running the property, suggested until recently at about six hundred a month to cover utilities, upkeep, garbage removal etc. She paid her share most months (not all) and claiming that money was somehow stolen is the same as saying the landlord of the property stole all the rent you paid while you lived on their property.
Rather than give my own account of what led up to Viktoria's removal I am including the letter she got initially, the report to the entire Conclave of priestesses from Jeremiah Lennox and the letter removing her completely. They speak better than I can. I have waited almost two years for her insane war to end but she just steps it up so this is the record in case something happens to me.
Regarding Viktoria Whittaker, Former Priestess of the Catskill Phrygianum
7 th July 2021
OVERVIEW
Over the course of the preceding two years, since shortly after the hospitalization of the Battakes, I have served Mrs. Whittaker in the capacity of spiritual director, with both the blessing of the Battakes and Mrs. Whittaker’s willful agreement. Given recent developments regarding Mrs. Whittaker’s change of status within the Catskill Phrygianum and the Cybeline Revival as a whole, I feel compelled to submit this report regarding my work with and observations of her for formal review by the Conclave. I would also note that I have rescinded my role as spiritual director for Mrs. Whittaker and have, as of this date, made it abundantly clear through direct text messaging that I am unwilling to serve as a “go-between” for any communications she may wish with the Battakes, the College of Priestesses, or any other business of the Maetreum despite her repeated requests for such action.
PAST ACTIONS AND DERELICTION OF DUTY
1. At the time of the Battakes’ hospitalization, Mrs. Whittaker held the informal title of ‘Battakes-in-Waiting’ and as the only priestess at that time living within the State of New York, it was not only her duty to step up in sacred service but an absolute necessity for both the well being of the Battakes as well as the well being of the Maetreum. Unfortunately, Mrs. Whittaker was either incapable or prevented from stepping up to meet that moment, depending upon which version of the story she chooses to tell. During the course of my tenure as her spiritual director, I have heard several variants of the story. In the instance of being “incapable”, she has blamed her diagnosis of autism as the reason that she could not tend what needed tending (that being bringing supplies to the Battakes in the hospital, maintaining the Maetreum and its rites, and the business dealings of the Maetreum, such as paying the bills- noteworthy is that she was also entrusted as the treasurer at that time) because she was simply overwhelmed and could not rightly process what needed doing, and thus almost nothing was properly taken care of. In the case of her being “prevented” from doing so, Mrs. Whittaker blamed her husband as he would not allow her to tend to her duties in a timely or productive manner, and that is why she was unable to tend to the needs of the Battakes and left the Maetreum essentially shuttered and uncared for.
2. Following the hospitalization of the Battakes, Mrs. Whittaker provided next to no assistance to the Battakes during her recovery period except on weekends, leaving a septuagenarian recovering from major cardiac surgery in the Phrygianum alone (the building of which is arguably not well set up for such recovery or ease of access for the handicapped or disabled). This is both a direct dereliction of duty to the Battakes she was vowed to serve and tantamount to elder abuse.
3. On several occasions, Mrs. Whittaker has admitted to lying to the Battakes in matters regarding the management of the WLPP-LP 102.9 FM radio station, an extension of the ministry of the Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater, Inc. and another not-for-profit in its own right. These lies covered issues such as drug and alcohol abuse within the radio station by persons brought in by Mrs. Whittaker, her own use of alcohol while on air, and her engagement in an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of the broadcasters. I will note that the sexual relationship was inappropriate not because of any issues of age or consent, but rather because she was portraying herself as an officer of the station’s board and as a priestess of the Maetreum and engaging in a relationship with a person which ought to have been kept strictly professional for the wellbeing of both not-for-profits.
4. Also following the hospitalization of the Battakes, Mrs. Whittaker was stripped of the informal title of “Battakes-in-Waiting”. Despite that change in status being made abundantly clear to her on several occasions both by the Battakes and myself, Mrs. Whittaker continued, until this past week, publicly misrepresenting herself as the “Battakes-in-Waiting”. Furthermore, she has misrepresented her role with the WLPP-LP 102.9 FM radio station having been publicly referring to herself as both a member of the board of directors and as the program director, neither of which was accurate as she was removed from that board in order to serve on another not-for-profit radio station’s board of directors, and it would have been illegal for her to serve on both. It was only this past weekend, on the same day that Mrs. Whittaker received the Official Notification from The Battakes of the Catskill Phrygianum, that she issued her letter of resignation to the manager of the other radio station.
5. As you are aware, following the Battake’s recovery, we have engaged in an intensive rehabilitation effort to revivify the Maetreum, returning the buildings and grounds to a state satisfactory for use of worship and community service. This has involved many work-retreat weekends, bolstered by the Nemeton of the Ways’ community, to see the work through. Throughout the course of these work-retreat weekends, Mrs. Whittaker has paid great lip service to being in service, but was continually found wanting in actual engagement of service. Regularly she avoided participating in any actual rehabilitation work, instead burying herself in the “World of Metal” radio show, something distinctly lacking in ministerial character. On the rare occasions she chose to participate, or more frequently was directly told to participate by the Battakes, it was always lackluster and without any real effort to do the work correctly, which in turn actually hampered the rehabilitation process. While this does not constitute direct malevolence, it does serve as character witness indicating that the wellbeing of the Maetreum and service to the Temple has not been at the forefront of her heart or mind.
6. Given that Mrs. Whittaker, during her time as a priestess, engaged in very little actual ministerial work (the only actual instance I am aware of is a single wedding she officiated and sought out my advice for), I encouraged her to begin offering the Daily Noontime Praise. This was one action that she performed admirably with, and to begin with I was pleased at her follow-through with it, especially considering that any other project given to her met with almost no follow through. That action served the Maetreum well and provided an avenue for Mrs. Whittaker to engage in some direct, if minor, pastoral work through the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, instead of inspiring her to a life of deeper prayer, meditation, and service, it devolved into what I can only describe as a severe case of the “High Priestess Olympics” wherein she felt compelled to constantly spend money on new outfits weekly to show off during the daily praise. While she is free to spend her money as she sees fit, if wastefully, she continued to engage in this spending out of vanity while simultaneously claiming that she could not fulfill the full terms of her monthly contribution for maintaining residence within the Phrygianum. Neither the vanity nor the shorting of her contributions to the Phrygianum are indicative of a priestess who is in a healthy, grounded, spiritual mindset.
7. During this period, the Cybeline Revival was given a blessed opportunity to reform and renew in the form of three women who submitted themselves as Novice Sisters with the blessing of the Battakes. During the course of their novitiate, Mrs. Whittaker on several occasions spoke with them on topics that were inappropriate for a priestess to be speaking to a novice about, oftentimes dredging up past traumas and debacles, oversharing regarding the inner workings of the Maetreum and its past, and with one novice in particular, bonding in an unhealthy manner over their shared autism diagnosis. Never did she ever engage in any actual teachings of the tradition, or how to be in service to the Temple and the People of the Goddess - she remained only mired in base gossip. Even after the loss of two of the novices, never once did she attempt to step up in service to teach and inspire the remaining novice. Indeed, even with the remaining novice, Mrs. Whittaker overstepped boundaries in an unhealthy manner with a woman who, while having been a congregant of the Maetreum for a decade, she had never once before acknowledged the commitment, work, and devotion of that novice prior to her novitiate, only latching onto her and treating her as a person after it became apparent that this woman was taking meaningful steps towards the priestess-track. Mrs. Whittaker also spoke to a novice telling tales of how the Battakes is a “narcissist and abuser”. On a recent occasion, having recognized that she herself had overstepped boundaries, sent a text to this novice asking “Have I been shitcanned?” - something that is, from any religious tradition, deeply inappropriate for an ordained clergy person to be asking a novice. The lack of respect for the novitiate and for the continuity of the tradition has been deeply worrisome.
8. There have been a number of occasions where Mrs. Whittaker has acted out in what is at best unhealthy, and at worst psychotic, behavior, often in front of guests of the Maetreum. I will not attempt to make a full list of these moments, but will include a few notable ones. During an Orphan’s Thanksgiving, a time honored ministry of the Maetreum, Mrs. Whittaker had a full meltdown and actually chased the Battakes up the stairs and into her private room and then proceeded to scream at her, during which guests were left at the table in a state of trepidation and confusion. More recently, within the past month, two occasions come to mind: A moment when Mrs. Whittaker walked off with the novice while in a state of agitation, and then proceeded to have what she claimed was an “autistic meltdown”. During this episode, she violently threw herself onto the ground, then rolled around while screaming loud enough that those in the Temple legitimately thought that someone was being violently attacked (including first time visitors to the Temple). While I am not a psychologist, I doubt the authenticity of the moment as a genuine autistic meltdown as she remained fully verbal throughout the incident, spewing accusations against the Battakes and the rehabilitation process. The weekend immediately following this instance, Mrs. Whittaker engaged in a long series of passive-aggressive actions aimed at the Battakes, during which time the Battakes was trying to continue engaging in meaningful rehabilitation work and simultaneously avoid Mrs. Whittaker because of the barrage of passive-aggressive actions. This culminated in a moment when the exasperated Battakes asked Mrs. Whittaker to “give me some space” to which Mrs. Whittaker then replied with more than some drama “I’m not staying where I’m not wanted” and stormed off, then stood by her car to see if anyone would chase her. Again, this took place in front of a guest of the Maetreum who was visiting.
9. Over the years, the Maetreum has taken in a series of deeply unwell women in crisis that the Maetreum did not possess the skills or resources to care for in a healthy, meaningful way. This has repeatedly led to theft, destruction of property, the Battakes being made unsafe within her own home, and a serious loss of standing within the broader community. During a previous Conclave, it was decided to end that open door policy and cease and desist in taking in any more crisis cases. Unfortunately, Mrs. Whittaker was unwilling to abide by the binding will of the Conclave and welcomed in another series of women in crisis, which led to a repeat of the pattern of theft, destruction of property, the Battakes being made unsafe within her own home, and again a serious loss of standing within the broader community. The most recent example of this happened just at the end of this spring into early summer, though that incident was fortunately dealt with more effectively this time with only minimal loss of face and no theft or property destruction. However, Mrs. Whittaker’s unwillingness to abide by the will of the Conclave and readiness to place the Maetreum in a state of jeopardy repeatedly is disconcerting, as is her predilection for attracting unstable individuals within her personal affair.
10. While sorting through boxes that had been stored in the second floor of the back house, it was discovered that Mrs. Whittaker had inappropriately stashed away official documents of the Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater, Inc. Included among these documents were an official copy of the Maetreum’s Articles of Incorporation bearing the seal of Greene County, a variety of banking documents, agendas and notes from previous Conclaves, the letters of approval from the Internal Revenue Service, and documentation that held the necessary information for use of the tax exemption.
11. Finally, I sat as witness and mediator during the morning of Saturday, July 3rd 2021 when Mrs. Whittaker was formally presented with the Official Notification from The Battakes of the Catskill Phrygianum stripping Mrs. Whittaker of her role as a priestess within that Phrygianum and the Cybeline Revival as a whole. While the initial conversation went peacefully, and was rooted in prayer at the start and at the end, and the expectations regarding Mrs. Whittaker’s immediate loss of residence and ability to function as a priestess were made explicitly clear, she proceeded to try to negotiate around the boundaries and made next to no effort to actually begin moving out. Immediately following the conversation, the Battakes politely requested that Mrs. Whittaker hand over the Maetreum’s Lowes card and the house key that she possessed (a key which she was not actually supposed to have had, but had made a copy of without consent) - the Lowes card was returned, the house key was not. Her primary concern seemed to be for her radio show, which the Battakes graciously made clear that while Mrs. Whittaker is no longer welcome to use the radio house, that she could continue producing the “World of Metal” from home and send it into the station via dropbox. Unfortunately that evening, Mrs. Whittaker had made no efforts to move and when confronted by the Battakes, made a claim that she had intended to stay the night and use the station the next morning, saying that it was never made clear to her. Fortunately both the letter and the conversation had, in fact, spelled out the details clearly and she did leave that night, after I had to personally pack her car while she remained on the telephone weaving tales of woe to her husband and her co-host and lodging accusations against the Battakes. While the official notification presented to her outlined a clear path of mercy, part of which included the stipulation that she in no way represent herself as a priestess of the Phrygianum, the Matreum, or the Cybeline Revival, Mrs. Whittaker then proceeded on the following day to post to social media that she was moving forward as an “Independent Cybeline Pagan Priestess” in direct violation and contempt of the Battake’s formal action. Since then she has proceeded to foment ill-will against the Maetreum behind the scenes in an effort to undermine the tradition, Temple, and remaining priestesses.
CONCLUSION
Reverend Mother and Reverend Sisters, it has brought no joy to my heart to submit this report to you for your review during Conclave. However, as stated in the overview, I felt compelled to share my experience of working with and observing Mrs. Whittaker over the course of the previous two years so that this situation can be fully addressed by the appropriate authorities of the Cybeline Revival and, hopefully, rectified. While I will make no recommendations within this report as to how to proceed, I will state that Mrs. Whittaker will not be allowed to serve within any ministerial role within my own communities moving forward, be that the Nemeton of the Ways or the Ordo Magna Mater. Furthermore, please also be aware that while this report may seem long, it is by no means exhaustive of the ways in which Mrs. Whittaker has failed to meet the sacred trust of priestcraft, it includes only those most egregious circumstances of which I am personally aware. In my opinion, Mrs. Whittaker is wholly unfit to serve in the capacity of cleric, and while the Battakes’ offer of a twelve month period as priestess-at-large to seek healing and renewal within herself was indeed gracious, I hold little hope that Mrs. Whittaker will actually engage with that period of time as an opportunity for healthy reformation.
The full Conclave met on July 10 and by consensus voted Viktoria be removed from all association with the Maetreum and be striped for all time of any claim to be a priestess of Cybele. Since that time she sought out the lunatic that reported to the town we were a phony religion costing us an eight year expensive legal battle and the malcontents who firebombed my car. Last year, unaware we had cancelled Season of the Tree at the last moment, she, her psychotic lover, the lunatic that drove me out of the Maetreum during the "Insurrection" as we called it and someone else picketed the Maetreum for more than three hours saying I should go back to Ohio and calling out my birth (deadname) name in a demonstration of the most transphobic behaviour possible. Harassing emails and messages and threats continue to this day.
Dear Mrs. Whittaker,
As you are aware, on Saturday the 3rd of July, 2021, you received in person the Official Notification from The Battakes of the Catskill Phrygianum informing you that you were being immediately transferred from active priestess status to priestess-at-large status for a period of twelve months due to a series of egregious, willful offenses against the vows you took in sacred service to the Battakes, the College of Priestesses, and to the Great Mother Goddess. That period was offered as a path of mercy and recuperation, during which you were explicitly forbidden to “represent yourself in any form as a priestess of the Catskill Phygrianum…[or] the Maetreum of Cybele/Cybeline Revival”. Within hours of receiving the Official Notification, you began violating the conditions laid out therein, going so far as to begin publicly representing yourself as an “independent Cybeline priestess” in direct contradiction to the path of mercy as had been made clear to you in the Official Notification and through direct conversations.
It is also notable that from that day forward, the Maetreum and clerics in service to the House of the Mother began receiving a series of threats and endured a campaign of harassment from close associates of yours. That the threats and harassment came from your associates is not in doubt, having been verified through both phone and video records from several of the locations from which the threats were issued.
It is therefore our duty to inform you that as of the 10th of July, 2021, through a unanimous act of the legally convened Conclave of the College of Priestesses, that the initially outlined path of mercy and recuperation graciously offered by the Battakes has been wholly suspended. Furthermore, as of that date, you have been formally defrocked from the Priestesshood without recourse. While this action has brought deep sadness to the whole of the Priestesshood, it was deemed absolutely necessary through natural consensus. To be clear, your vows as a Priestess of Cybele have been revoked and nullified and, because of the threats and harassment brought against the House of the Mother and Her clerics by your personal associates, you are no longer welcome in any capacity upon the grounds of the Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater.
With great sadness,
