Editor's note: This was gleaned from Jet, with permission to pass on. Something like this is too important to keep under wraps. We need to protect our children.

Dear family, friends and people I've never met,

With a heavy heart, I come to you with a warning to parents, families and all who care to protect themselves and their communities against child molesters.

The SerpentStone governing body has voted to permit Moss Bliss, a self-confessed child molester, to attend gatherings where children are present.

Dear family, friends and people I've never met,

With a heavy heart, I come to you with a warning to parents, families and all who care to protect themselves and their communities against child molesters.

The SerpentStone governing body has voted to permit Moss Bliss, a self-confessed child molester, to attend gatherings where children are present. Anyone considering attending a SerpentStone gathering should keep in mind that the governing board of SerpentStone has voted in favor of one twisted individual at the expense of our children and our many adult survivors of sexual abuse. In my mind, this action is indefensible. In general, Rhiannon, who founded SerpentStone with the late Lord Serphant, has said that the only dogma of SerpentStone is a general adherence to the Wiccan rede, which cautions us to "Harm none." I am not so naive as to believe one can walk through life without harming anyone or anything. But much harm has been done here. And it has been done intentionally and without regard for the good of the larger community.

Our children must always come first. We have dozens of them at any given gathering. If we do not protect our most innocent and most vulnerable members, what is our worth as a community? This issue has opened old wounds for many members of our community who sought solace and protection under our wings. We have failed them all. We have harmed them all. Shame on us all. I believe that we have abrogated our moral, ethical, karmic and, yes, legal responsibilities.

There is no excuse for this behavior.

Yet explanations have been offered. Despite the prohibition on one coven or group hosting more than one gathering per year, a structure put in place three years ago, the majority of the positions on the governing board are held by members of Wyndragon, the coven of Mortir and Rhiannon and those closely affiliated with Wyndragon. Rhiannon would tell you she is only a member of Wyndragon, but she will also tell you she is only a member of SerpentStone.The truth is that she has called the shots in both groups for years. What Rhiannon wants, Rhiannon gets. For those who are interested, and for all members of the community who deserve to know, the vote to allow Moss to continue to attend gatherings was as follows:

To allow him unfettered access to the children of our community:

Rhiannon (SerpentStone founder and treasurer, adopted Wyndragon 3rd degree, wife of Mortir, nominal High Priest of Wyndragon, SS treasurer) cast the tie-breaking vote

Mau (representing Wyndragon)

FireCat (Wyndragon student)

Starrah (student of a Wyndragon adoptee)

Lady Sophia (coven strongly affiliated with Wyndragon)

To ban:

Lady Jade (Dragon's Heather, head of security for SerpentStone)

Lady Hearthkeeper (Clan Hamildun)

Lady Sea Dragon (Evergreen Coven, affiliated with Wyndragon)

Rhiannon will tell you that Moss confessed his activities as a child molester in confidence. She has said that, as a priestess, she could not violate that confidence. She admits Moss told her he had molested a young girl several years ago. She has said she thought he was no threat since the molestation took place 27 years ago. She told no one in a leadership role in the community, whether gathering coordinator or security coordinator. With these decisions, Rhiannon denied the parents of the hundreds of children who have attended SerpentStone gatherings the right to make their own choices about their children's safety. However, I submit to you that Rhiannon would have been well within her rights as priestess and leader of SerpentStone to quietly and privately deny this predator access to gatherings and to an endless stream of innocent children. Confidentiality would not have been broken and the community would have been protected. She chose not to do that, claiming she and others who are conveniently no longer on this plane were "watching" Moss at gatherings. She failed to act as a High Priestess, whose obligation is to community rather than to individuals.

She says that Moss needs benefit of the nurture of family and priestess. I do not argue with that. Those who wish to do so can work with him toward healing outside the context of festivals where children are present.She says the molestation took place 27 years in the past and that there has been no sign of continued abuse. We do know not know that for certain. There is no way to know if he has abused other children. There are many allegations of a lack of integrity and truthfulness in his current community in Asheville and in his previous communities in Colorado and Michigan. I submit we cannot take his word that there has been no repeat action against children.In fact, what is known is that child molesters have an enormously high rate of repeat offense. Some experts say it is as high as 98%. I do not think our community can take that risk when our children's well-being is at stake.

Rhiannon has said that nothing has changed except that we now know Moss is a child molester. He has been present at gatherings for several years. I submit to you everything has changed now that we know. We can never be certain if there are predators in our midst. We may have suspicions. We may watch certain people closely. We should always act with caution. But suspecting someone and knowing that someone is a predator are two vastly different things. Morally and legally, we must act when there is certainty, as there is in this case. Rhiannon has said that if Moss is banned from gatherings, we are forcing other child molesters deeper into the closet.I say the opposite is true: by allowing Moss to stay, we have sent out a beacon light to child molesters that SerpentStone gatherings are ripe for the picking.

It makes me sick. Rhiannon has vouched for Moss' good behavior and I personally hold her responsible for it. Goddess forbid that some child has already been injured and has been afraid to speak up or some child will be injured in the future.

If you are uncertain who Moss is, there are photographs on his website: http://moss.witchesgathering.com/ For those who wish to communicate their feelings to Rhiannon, her e-mail is: took an oath as an elder to the dream of SerpentStone in 1997, a month after Serphant's passing. That dream has been twisted and forced into a shape that is no longer recognizable, especially in light of the current issue. I am still an elder, and I always will be, but I renounce SerpentStone in the form it has now taken.

I am not resigning. I do not believe one can resign from an initiation. I am still irrevocably dedicated to the dream of community and family.

However, I will no longer attend SerpentStone gatherings. As an elder, I believe my attendance would be a signal to those in attendance that these gatherings are a safe place to be. They are not safe, and they will never be as long as known child molesters are welcomed and nurtured.However, as an elder, I will do what I am doing now: Warn the community of the danger to our children and our "walking wounded."I do this now and I will do it again and again.I cannot warn every person who may come to a gathering sometime in the future. We all know that, in a year or two, if SerpentStone still exists, this will die down and new people will attend gatherings unaware of the menace in their midst. Parents should always watch their children, but they will be lulled into complacency in an atmosphere of love and trust that their children are safe from sexual predators.

I send this warning now and I will send it again and again, to anyone I know who may consider attending a gathering or bringing children there. I cannot spread this word alone. I am asking the assistance of the community in spreading the word and keeping this warning alive.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone you feel will benefit from this warning.It is the best I can do as an elder.I am heartsick and I know many of my brothers and sisters feel the same way. I pray for heart's ease for all of us. I pray for the Lords of Karma to acts as is appropriate. I have no fear of their judgment.Finally, if my actions in the past as a leader of SerpentStone and as an elder have caused any harm to any, I apologize from the depth of my soul.

Blessed Be,
Spider