by Cathryn Platine
Over the course of the twenty two years the Maetreum has been in New York we have had to start the first time and then start over after what we called the Insurrection five years in. About three years ago we had another “Insurrection” by a formally trusted priestess who grew impatience with me not dying and leaving her in control of everything. The past five or so entries here have been our response to the war waged against myself and the Maetreum. I took direct action last October against the rouge, defrocked ex-priestess and her married lover. Since then the attacks seem to have stopped.
It is now time to reboot the Maetreum yet again. The three other active priestesses live a distance away from the Maetreum. One in Canada and two others in Erie Pennsylvania. We need some fresh, young Novicates and the times almost demand we do a complete reboot to take up the fight for women’s and trans rights in the face of the rising tide of fascism all around us.
The first “Insurrection” took place shortly after we had properly incorporated and the Maetreum property deeded over directly the the newly incorporated Cybeline Revivial. We did seek and get a property tax exemption at that time. The attempt to take over the property was through the corporate structure by people who had no idea what our structure actually was. Our organizational model is fairly unique. We are a consensus based organization and the take over was made trying to use Robert’s Rules which absolutely no not apply. In a scotched earth upon that failure, the primary actor of the first Insurrection told the town we were an illegitimate religion and allowed the town to do a phoney inspection designed by and with the town attorney to justify removing our exempt status and refusing for years afterward to reinstate it in open defiance of New York law.
The second reboot required us to engage in an eight year long legal battle seeking our equal treatment under the law. We were forced to go to the highest court in the State after winning at the Appellate level unanimously. We won there .unanimously again and this time set a precedence now used across the country for the legal property rights of minority religions. At the same time we won the case, we applied for a low power FM radio license built the station and went on the air with the nations first and still possibly only, Pagan owned radio station. My health went to hell, the rouge priestess showed her hand and then Covid did an absolute number on us.
At this time we have an aging former Catskill resort inn, a caretakers house that serves as the primary studio for the radio station and a fifth wheel camper/mobile home that has three season water supply, waste hookup and 30 amp electric service. We have three plus acres of land, and an outdoor Temple. We have survived the past few years because we own the property outright so our expenses are exactly that, our expenses to maintain the property and utilities. At a time when the cost of housing, especially in our area, is simple out of reach of regular people, we are uniquely situated to house new Noviciates at a fraction of the going rate. Living communally is a bit different than most folks think of but really is just living as a family. You have your room and you share the other resources such as the kitchen, common areas and in our case, our large multi media library. You are expected to respect the personal boundaries of everyone else, which in retrospect, has been the source of most the past friction along with not understanding that the whole thing works only if everyone pulls their weight in the maintaining of the property understanding that living at the Maetreum is NOT a tenant/landlord situation. The expected share of expenses is just that, a share of the expenses, not a rent.
The property is deeded to the incorporated religion meaning no one or group of individuals can personally profit from it any in fashion under both State and Federal law. Both attempts against the property were to try to own it. That is not possible under our Organizational model.
If you feel the call to the Goddess, contact me at firstchurch@gallae.com.
