High Pri. Mary Ellen Tracy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 (age 81–82) |
| Other names | Sabrina Aset |
| Occupation(s) | Kemetic-style Neopagan high priestess, writer, actress |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | Wilbur Tracy |
Mary Ellen Tracy (akaSabrina Aset) (born 1943) is thehigh priestess of theChurch of the Most High Goddess, who was convicted in 1989 of a singlemisdemeanor count of running a house ofprostitution in connection with the operation of the church, located inWest Los Angeles,California. Tracy is a graduate of theUniversity of Miami, cum laude in chemistry, did graduate work in chemistry atUCLA, and received her masters inEnvironmental Sciences/Chemistry fromPortland State University.
According to Mary Ellen and Wilbur Tracy, the couple – both former devout and dedicatedMormons – created and founded theModern Egyptianneo-pagan Church of the Most High Goddess following adivinerevelation received at an oceanside cottage inSanta Monica, California, in the year 1984. In testimony later given in aLos Angeles superior court, Wilbur Tracy described "a brilliant light," through which "knowledge was being poured in without voice." Tracy further claimed thatGod appeared to him as an old man, with flowing white beard and long white hair.
On April 24, 1984, in broad daylight, I had a revelation that changed my life and the way I perceive the world and others. However, because I was blinded by the ignorance of the modern education, which I foolishly accepted as knowledge, I did not immediately understand the full impact of the revelation. I failed to understand that the mind can perceive only what the mind can conceive. What I experienced was beyond my conception, while my perception was completely distorted by what I had been taught was enlightenment. It was only when I set aside my prejudices – those beliefs which I had been conditioned to accept as fact, but which were in fact false – that I began to understand the experience.[1]
As a result of their alleged divine experience, Mary Ellen and Wilbur Tracy founded the Church of the Most High Goddess, with precepts based on their own research into ancientEgyptian practices. Tracy, aclassical scholar in her own right, assumed the role of High Priestess of the church, whosedivine duties included engaging insexual intercourse withcongregants. According to Tracy herself, she had sex with over 2,000 men as part of a ritual of spiritual cleansing.[2][3][4] In a post on her church's website, Tracy, who is bisexual, stated that she had had sexual contact with thousands of men and women over the course of her religious activities.[5]
As a result of her various legal difficulties, Mary Ellen Tracy was asked to permanently discontinue her voluntary work with thePlacerita Canyon Nature Center inNewhall, California.[6]
During the late 1980s,The Newhall Signal, adaily newspaper published inLos Angeles County, presented a series of articles about the Church of the Most High Goddess, founded by Mary Ellen Tracy and her husband Wilbur Tracy, where sexual acts played a fundamental role in the church's sacred rites.[7] The articles aroused the attention of local law enforcement officials, and in April 1989, the Tracy's house, located at 6601 West 5th St, Los Angeles,[8] was searched and the couple arrested on charges ofpimping,pandering andprostitution. They were subsequentlyconvicted in a trial instate court and sentenced to jail terms: Wilbur Tracy for 180 days plus a $1,000.00 fine; Mary Ellen Tracy for 90 days plus mandatory screening forSTDs.[9][10]
During the early 1990s, Mary Ellen Tracy hosted her ownpublic-access television talk show series,Sabrina On .... She has also appeared in a number ofx-rated films under a variety of stage names, including thePositively Pagan series, andClub Head 2 (1991). On January 29, 1992, Mary Ellen Tracy was featured on atelevision broadcast ofDonahue,[11] as well asThe Montel Williams Show, appearing with such otherNew-Age spiritualists asAidan Kelly, First Officer of theSouthern California Local Council of theCovenant of the Goddess, and Avilynn Waters of theLos Angeles Nest of theChurch of All Worlds.
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