A Place to Come Home To
We are building durable Pagan infrastructure — real places, real governance, and a real future for our communities. Recommend a LocationPagan Homeland Collaboration
Right now, most Pagan life happens in borrowed space — rented halls, venues that can change their policies overnight, places that were never ours to begin with. Pagan Homeland Collaboration is Deeply Rooted Church's long-range answer to that problem.
PHC is a Board-governed planning and development initiative of Deeply Rooted Church. Its purpose is to build lasting Pagan infrastructure: safe, inclusive gathering places for Pagans and allies across traditions, with room for many paths and a shared ethic of respect. We invest in people, systems, and eventually land that our communities can actually stand behind — supporting Pagan business owners and artisans, keeping resources closer to community, and choosing long-term stewardship over short-term convenience.
When the opportunity and readiness align, that can include creating an affiliated sister church or temple — including the possibility of repurposing an existing building — with a grounded humanitarian focus: reentry support, a food pantry, or shelter work. We respect the sovereignty and boundaries of other communities. This is Deeply Rooted's work, offered in collaboration, never as a takeover.
⊞ PHC Wayfinder — Public Front PageWhy This Matters — In Human Terms
For a long time, I was one of the people who didn't have a place. I know what it costs to move through the world without a door that stays open for you. I also know what it changes when you finally find one.
What changed me was not instruction. It was being seen as I was — nothing more and nothing less — and still being accepted. That is a humbling thing. It is also exactly why we need more places like Deeply Rooted. Not all identical. Not all theologically aligned. However, they should all be committed to the protection of human life, the land, and the organizations that steward both.
The work of building that stability while managing my own mental health has been the defining ordeal of my adult life. I am not cured. I am not finished. I am, however, competent — and I am here.
— Quill, Land Steward & Pagan Homeland Collaboration ContributorIn the Norse tradition, frith means refuge — not the absence of conflict; however, it is the presence of a commitment that makes conflict navigable. A Pagan community cannot call itself a safe space if it is constantly in a state of flux. Pagan Homeland Collaboration is being built to hold real weight without collapsing under it. Frith is the philosophy that makes that possible.
In any large community, there will be people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, grief, job loss, trauma, or the accumulated weight of a world that is moving very fast. We are building this to hold that weight — structurally, spiritually, and practically.
Four Commitments in Practice
We Plan with Purpose
Deeply Rooted holds Board meetings with clear notes and accountable decisions. PHC uses committee meetings to turn vision into concrete steps — and we speak at Pagan community events so our direction stays tied to real needs, not theory.
We Collaborate Openly
We build with allies, artisans, and mission-aligned partners — sharing information early and naming boundaries clearly. Collaboration never means takeover. It means respectful coordination, clear roles, and leaving each community's identity and decision-making intact.
We Adapt as Needed
Every site, project, and partnership is different. We stay flexible so plans fit the land, the legal realities, and the people doing the work. When new information shows up, we adjust — without losing our values or pretending we know everything in advance.
We Will Deliver with Confidence
We are building the infrastructure now — relationships, research, systems, and financial readiness. When the timing is right and the plan is truly durable, we will earn that building through preparation, clear governance, and a long-term commitment to stewardship. No rushing.
What Berlin, Wisconsin Taught Us
In 2024, PHC explored a prospective site in Berlin, Wisconsin — a former church with real potential and a real lesson attached.
The working vision was to support people returning to community after incarceration: housing stability, basic needs navigation, employment readiness, and community connection — delivered with dignity and clear boundaries. We also explored how a building originally designed for Christian worship might be lawfully repurposed into a Pagan temple and community service hub, without disrespecting anyone's tradition and without turning the project into a statement against anyone.
Berlin was bold, and it sharpened our understanding of what must be in place before any purchase: site due diligence, clear operating plans, safety and accessibility requirements, staffing and volunteer capacity, and long-range financial sustainability. We learned more from that exploration than we could have from any document alone.
We have not stopped. We are actively researching other sites — especially historic ones — so future projects can support preservation of human history and culture alongside land care and ecological stewardship.
Deeply Rooted Church maintains a separate bank account dedicated to PHC initiatives. No funds will be used for a property purchase until the project is truly ready — with appropriate Board approvals, a defined plan, and a responsible timeline.
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A History of an Idea Worth Building
Pagan Homeland is not a new idea. Wade Mueller has been speaking about the need for durable Pagan infrastructure for years. These three conversations are worth knowing.
Wade Mueller Speaks on the Need for Pagan Homelands
Journalist Cara Schulz covers Wade's Paganicon talk, framing "Homeland" as a practical long-game infrastructure challenge: durable place-based community, built by a small committed core, for future generations. The Wild Hunt, April 2017.
Read the Article →
Circle Talk: "Pagan Homeland with Wade Mueller"
Hosted by Circle Sanctuary Minister Debra Rose, this episode explores a practical question: what would it take for Pagan communities to gather more often on Pagan land — and to grow durable infrastructure like temples, groves, and stone circles over time?
Listen to the Episode →
The Middle-Aged Baby Pagan — Wade Mueller, Deeply Rooted Church
A grounded snapshot of early Pagan Homeland thinking: how Deeply Rooted began, what it takes to keep an off-grid nonprofit stable, and what long-range stewardship looks like across decades. Hosted by Aaron Covey. S1, E17 — May 2021.
Listen on Apple Podcasts →SHEAVES Portal via Deeply Rooted Church
SHEAVES is the place where land-holding Pagan and nature-focused nonprofits come together as peers — to share what works, name what's hard, and build continuity that outlives any one person or leadership cycle. It is bigger than any single site: a shared table where communities can coordinate, learn, and strengthen the practical skills of stewardship and long-term community care.
Pagan Homeland Collaboration and SHEAVES sit side-by-side in spirit. Both are about durable infrastructure, consent-based relationships, and building future-facing capacity without flattening anyone's identity. If Pagan Homeland is Deeply Rooted doing the on-the-ground work of "build it and keep it stable," then SHEAVES is the wider network space where communities compare notes, support one another, and hold the long view together.
Clarity matters: Pagan Homeland Collaboration is a Deeply Rooted Church initiative. It is not affiliated with SHEAVES and does not speak for, represent, or make decisions for SHEAVES or any participating community. Each organization speaks only for itself.
An AI representation of what Pagan Homeland communities and initiatives like it could look like. Generated to showcase the spirit of communities within the SHEAVES network.
"One brave deed is worth a thousand books. Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."
— Edward Abbey, A Voice Crying in the WildernessAre you ready to help build the future of Paganism
and land stewardship?
Ready to Take Part?
Every contribution — time, knowledge, a property lead, or a donation — moves this forward for real people in real communities.
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