The Temple of Pan

“Scientists have succeeded in training you to ignore it, I notice. But it's there, in every stone, every tree. You are blind to the true nature of the world despite its abundance. Seeing the truth is as easy as not seeing it - we can show you.”

- Therese French, Temple of the Goddess

“Catholicism is not our religion! Spanish is not our language! Ours is not the American way of life! We will not allow our hearts and minds to be colonised as our land once was! We have a way of life that is ours, and we have gods who are ours. We will not fall for the lies perpetuated by the children of Cortez any longer! TEHUAN MEXICA!”

- Yaotl Xipilli, of Ixachilankah

“The actions of this new Temple are a sure sign that humanity has fallen by the wayside. It is the duty of upstanding Christians to ensure that we as humans do not fall to the whims of such devilry…”

- Pope Pius XIII in his criticism of the Temple of Pan's involvements in Rome

The many members of the Temple of Pan subscribe to a variety of personal beliefs, yet all share a sense of unity. Many pagans, new-agers, confucians, as well as groups of revivalist religions and chaos magicians the world over count themselves members, with the common ground of magic use, and the knowledge that magic is a power that counts in the world. Organised religion has failed humanity. Science will never teach us everything. There are forces and powers that have yet to be explained by science, and it is the foremost goal of any Temple devotee to explore and experience these.

The movement's beginnings are hard to pinpoint. Certainly by late 2010 the term 'Temple of Pan' was in fairly wide use by people knowledgeable in the matter, although the term did not seem to enter the mainstream until 2012 when worldwide demonstrations became a series of significant events, and a focus for the public eye. The roots of the movement go deeper, however. Born out of increased disillusionment with the established churches, and with the advance of science leading to troubles the world over, many began looking outwards for what they hoped would be better answers to their lives. Its earliest roots go back into history, of course, but it really began with a coalition of smaller groups with a common goal. These groups still hold their own identity today, while pledging their allegiance to the Temple's cause.

Many groups have joined, some of the largest of which are;

• New Golden Dawn, formerly a hermetic sect, that seeks to explore the Crowleyian mysteries in a manner unhindered by the old and the cautious.

• Ixachilankah, A separatist group in Mexico claiming birthright of the country and seeking a return to the Nahuatl religion and way of life.

• Rosae Crucis International, itself a mix of pre-existing Rosicrucian societies.

• Voudou Internationale, A mostly united coalition of Voodoun practioners, based mostly in Haiti, North America and Benin.

• Temple of the Goddess, a Britain-based society celebrating many earth religions.

Who exactly first coined the term 'Temple of Pan' is rather a mystery, though it appears to be universally accepted by the vast majority of its adherents.

In 2012 the movement caught the public's gaze. Demonstrations in the streets of London, Washington, Mexico City, Beijing, Cairo, Berlin and many other cities worldwide proclaimed their support for the Temple and their disdain of staid, bureaucratic systems such as the Catholic Church and various governments. A modernising China was faced with a large sit-down protests across the capital. With the world's eyes on the political stage, Chinese military forces backed down. Italian police were forced to use riot control measures to prevent defacement of the Vatican, in a manner that was described as 'abhorrent' by civil rights activists. The backlash of the Vatican incident was that dozens of churches across the city were blockaded by Temple adherents on the following sunday morning, preventing worshippers from attending the services. This continued for a month across the whole world. The missions in various parts of Africa and South America dwindled, with only a few dedicated staff remaining, more out of a sense of duty than a belief that they could spread Christianity to increasingly hostile recipients.

Since 2012, the Temple's demonstrations have calmed somewhat. They had become the centre of attention and have remained firmly in the public consciousness since. It seems the demonstrations had achieved what they needed to, and membership of the Temple has increased substantially up until the present day. Reactions to the Temple's actions were surprisingly muted, even from the Vatican.

Entry into the Temple as a member revolves around a rite of passage, as does progression within the Temple. These rites differ depending on the beliefs and traditions of the cell one seeks to join. The hierarchy of the Temple seems to the outsider to be almost as arcane as its teachings.

In their search for esoteric wisdom and ancient secrets, the Temple of Pan are known to be interested in:

• Bible Code
• Lizards
• Hollow Earth
• Magical Thinking
• Cryptids
• Bermuda Triangle