I prepared this page in response to some recent inquiries related to my past involvement in an obscure cybersect variously called "Filianism," "Deanism," or "Madrianism." Some of these inquiries refer to my "authorship" of its religious texts (published in 2009, revised in 2010, now out of print, but used copies still circulate on Amazon), as some online booksellers incorrectly attribute the book to me as its author.
I am not the author of that book. At the time (2009), no comprehensive collection of Filianic texts existed in a convenient, accessible format. These texts were posted online in a scattered manner, most of which were based on the manuscript owned by Mr. Markus Moessner and some held by the Aristasian community. I compiled and formatted them and self-published them primarily for the convenience of myself and a few others who were interested in this largely extinct new religious movement from the late 20th century. It was never intended to be a scholarly product, only as a practical and temporary solution until a better one would arrive. I discussed the provenance of texts with Dr. R.J. MoChridhe, who later published a well-researched, excellent version of these texts based on much older and more reliable copies. As for copyright issues, as Dr. MoChridhe discusses in the front matter of the Eastminster Critical Edition of the Clear Recital (ECE) since the original followers of this sect claimed the texts to be of non-human ("divine" or "spiritual") origin, no copyright claim could be made. Both my New Celestial Union Version and ECE were distributed without any further claim of copyright. Shortly thereafter, there was a resurgence of interest in Filianism/Deanism online, primarily through a constellation of independent blogs and Tumblr. By then, my involvement in this sect had largely ceased.
I was a sincere believer in this from around 2007 to around 2013. I attempted to revive this sect while also modernizing and internationalizing many aspects thereof. By 2012, I was largely disillusioned by the internal inconsistencies and the lack of verifiable historical roots beyond its origin in the 1980s (most of which were already forgotten, hence I had little to no access to all the historical documents and artifacts) -- at the same time, I was devoting more of my life to progressive political activism and community organizing, and the activist community became sort of a "church" for me then, I became mostly non-religious by then. I have had no involvement in, and no communication with, this sect since 2013 at the latest; neither was I a "leader" of this movement beyond being an inspiration to a few women who took the sect in their own directions, and most of these women are no longer practicing this faith, either. Whatever you may read about "Filianism" or "Deanism" now are the works of the younger generation (the late Millennials and Gen Z) on Tumblr, who seem to be more in line with the "tradwife" movement than with feminist spirituality.
Sister Julia, one of the earliest adherents of this sect, admitted in 2018 that the "scriptures" were a conscious forgery with "clear and intentional influences from traditional sources." Any previously made claims, such as an origin in a non-existent ancient book, so-called Kosmopoiia, or that "there were secret communities in Britain that had carried the tradition down the centuries from pre-patriarchal times," were lies.
Filianism, Deanism, Madrianism are the various names used to refer to this sect, which is a modern, Goddess-centered, monotheistic new religious movement with roots in England and Ireland in the 1970s and 1990s. It was originally associated with an all-women commune that eschewed modernity (while also developing computer game software!).
The sect has no central authority or leadership. Therefore, no one knows how many adherents are still around. Most activities seem to be online, hence a designation of a "cybersect" is appropriate.
The sect is somewhat syncretic in practice if not in doctrine. It has borrowed most of its observances and rituals from several sources, including Wicca, Northern European and Celtic (Neo-)Paganism, Hinduism, and Christianity (Catholicism).
It is also worth noting that Filianism/Deanism, especially within the "Orthodox" or "Aristasian" faction, is heavily influenced by the Perennial Traditionalist School of philosophy, in particular, the works of René Guénon and Ananda Coomaraswamy. This philosophy has also influenced fascists such as Julius Evola and Aleksandr G. Dugin.
Contrary to popular perception, it has never been an "all-female" faith. While some communities and communes were all-women, men have participated in this faith throughout its history, especially within the "Madrian" wing. The all-female, all-feminine perception likely became more common because of the sect's association with the "Aristasia" (later "Chelouranya") subculture, as the latter adopted Filianism as its de facto official faith. During the "Bridgehead" era (circa 2005-2010), many came to this faith thanks to Aristasia's presence in Second Life.
I have no present affiliation or association with the so-called "Filianic", "Deanic" or "Madrian" new religious movement in any form or shape, and hereby disclaim and denounce its beliefs.
Best regards,
/s/ Sarah-Andrea A. Morrigan
May 8, 2023.
P.S.: I recently unearthed a few online posts made a few years ago by the sect's adherents calling me a "snake," a "deceiver," and worse. I don't care what they have to say. My sincere prayer is that they, too, will find a way out of this, but I am not here to proselytize. By the way, the editor of the "other" scripture version that they seem to prefer so much has seemingly left the faith some time ago, too, and either converted to or returned to Judaism.