Pierre Claveloux Davis, also known as Pete Pathfinder (1937 – 2014), was a religious figure in modern Paganism. He founded the

Aquarian Tabernacle Church The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) is a Wiccan church located in Index, Washington. It is one of the first Wiccan organisations to receive full legal recognition as a church in the United States and Australia. The church has an umbrella 501c(3 ...

(ATC) in 1985, in Index, Washington, and served as its archpriest. He was also involved with several publications and related organizations. Davis advocated for

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...

and Paganism as an expert witness, and was part of a group of people who successfully petitioned for the

pentacle A pentacle (also spelled and pronounced as ''pantacle'' in Thelema, following Aleister Crowley, though that spelling ultimately derived from Éliphas Lévi) "The Pantacle of Frater V. I. O." is a talisman that is used in magical evocation, and ...

to be available as a symbol used on U.S. veteran's headstones.

Early life

Davis was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1937 to a Catholic father and mother. On August 14, 1974, at the age of 37, he entered the Pagan world as a

n initiate in the Dorpat tradition. In 1976, he relocated to Index, Washington. In 1983, he was initiated into the New Wiccan Church (Kingstone) tradition in

Seattle, Washington. Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Aquarian Tabernacle Church

Once established in Washington, Davis began work on creating an oasis for local Pagans on his property. On

Samhain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

1979, he established the

(ATC), a Wiccan religious tradition. By 1985, the ATC had an established liturgy and a circle of standing stones called Moonstone Circlea. in 1988, the church received IRS 501(c)(3) exemption status, which was elevated to an umbrella status in 1991. As archpriest of the ATC, Davis founded Panagyria magazine, Woolsten Steen Theological Seminary, Spring Mysteries Festival, Hecate's Sickle Festival, and Spiral Scouts International.

Religious advocacy

In 1985, Davis was retained by the Washington State Attorney General as an expert witness in Wicca for a civil rights case brought by a Wiccan prisoner in federal court. In 1995, Davis became the first Wiccan elected president of the Interfaith Council of Washington. He served two terms. The advocacy work Davis is most known for is his involvement with the so-called "Veteran's Pentacle Quest." He, along with members of other Pagan organizations, petitioned the Veterans Administration for 10 years to add the pentacle as an option for veterans' headstones.

Death

Davis died on October 31, 2014.

References

External links