Tamara Von Forslun, dubbed by Raymond Buckland “The Witch of Oz” in the early 80’s, has been involved in the Craft since the 1970’s and teaching Wicca and Witchcraft for over 50 years, she is considered one of the world’s respected Wiccan and Witch Elders and is the Founder and Creator of Australia’s first legal Neo-Pagan Church “The Church of Wicca” (Australia 1989), and was the Arch Priestess of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church in Australia (1991). High Priestess Elder of Penzance, Coven of Boskednan; Elder of the Grey Council of Wizards & Sages; Ordained High Priestess of the Fellowship of Isis by Lady Olivia and Lord Lawrence Durdan-Robertson; Alexandrian High Priestess; Author, Lecturer, Teacher, Wiccan Marriage and Funeral Celebrant.

At the age of 13 and being fascinated by Witchcraft Tamara found that all books available related Witchcraft to Black Magic and Satanism, of which she believed that they were completely different and have no similarities whatsoever.

 Tamara then at the age of 14 met a gentlemen at the “Mediterranean Restaurant” in Subiaco, where she worked as an apprentice chef, his name was David and he had a Coven in the foothills of Perth called the Coven of Draconis, and invited her to attend.  She did attend their Festivities and found it was exactly what she was looking for, also the people were exceptionally friendly and helpful in her endeavours. Tamara remained and was Initiated into this Coven by David the Fifth who was the High Priest and his High Priestess Lady Margaret who was originally from Cornwall and a Blood Wicche or better known as a Hereditary Witch from the Town of Penzance, at a place called Boskednan, Cornwall, which then became the name of her Coven (The Coven of Boskednan), which Tamara has retained the Traditional name. Margaret’s husband was from Berlin and Hertzberg in Germany, Andrew Reinman, Elder of a Traditional Coven. Her daughter Layla and Tamara became the best of friends, more like sisters. After a couple of years of being with this Coven, David 5th their High Priest got terribly ill and eventually passed into the Summerland’s.

 Tamara was then in a documentary (Supernatural Influences) with her best friend and fellow Witch Astra, as they were both professional dancers. They did the documentary and were approached by an Alexandrian High Priest named Simon Goodman (Ian Watts), they met with him and were invited to attend his circle, of which Tamara accepted, but Astra declined due to the fact she did not like him at all.

So again Tamara met with the fellow Coveners especially their High Priestess, Michelin. Tamara absolutely loved this Lady and respected her immensely as a Wiccan Mother figure. Tamara also mentioned that she was from a former Coven and that due to the Elders death, the Coven had closed down, and so she offered to bring into their Circle some of her fellow Coveners namely, Astra, Dorrie Flatman, Lady Margaret, Shirley Finn, Layla and Angel. All come across with her except Astra and Shirley. 

Tamara after the initial training of a year was Initiated into this Coven of the Acorn at the age of 18 years of age, which later changed its name to Coventus Quercus and started on her training as an Alexandrian Witch. But after several years and due to politics and the non-disclosure of many questions that were asked but never answered, and the strictness of Simon and his methods. Tamara along with a few other Wiccans left and started up their own Coven with her High Priest at the time, Imhotep (Geoff Camm who was  Initiated by Maxine and Alex Sanders to the 3rd degree). The coven was at the home of Tamara at 9 Temple Street, Victoria Park, just out of the Perth city, just four doors down from the Freemasons. It was small but a happily working group. Tamara then purchased her first property in Mundijong, a small 5 acre farm that was perfect for her lifestyle and her Coven to grow and learn.

Both Imhotep and Tamara worked together for many years until it became too far a distance for Imhotep to travel due to his ill health. They did continue working together with Lady Elizabeth and David Mosley as a higher group for about nine years working on High Magick, separate from their individual covens. Tamara was also Ordained a High Priestess at the Fellowship of Isis at Clonegal Castle in Ireland by Lady Olivia and Lord Lawrence Durden-Robertson in the early 80’s. It was also around this time that Tamara met with Rhiannon Ryall (priestess and author) who trained her in West Witchcraft.

Tamara started working alone without a High Priest and after a lot of money, legal endeavours and many years of fighting the establishment and trying to legalise Wicca as a religion in Australia, Tamara Founded and had legalised at a federal level, Australia’s first legal Neo-Pagan Church, “The Church of Wicca” in 1989. This was a great transition as it meant that Witches could not be prosecuted in Australia anymore, as it was still illegal in certain parts of Australia especially Queensland and Western Australia up until the 80’s. 

 Through Tamara’s ambitions to make it recognised both federally, and by local authorities she endeavoured on having more and more contact with the media due to the help of her friend Terry Willesee, of the Willesee media family. Where she did several documentaries, and hundreds of interviews on TV shows such as “The Midday Show”, “The Ray Martin Show”, “Mike Willesee Show”, “The Rikki Lake Show”, and several more, and at least one interview a week on radio. Through all this media connection she had contacts Australia wide and met up with fellow High Priestesses from other states who wanted to be a part of the Church of Wicca, and so several Churches were set up in Queensland with Lady Brianna, New South Wales with Lady Mara, Victoria with Lady Mystl and in Western Australia eventually many High Priests and High Priestesses who hived off and formed their own individual covens. Lady Elizabeth, Lord Ariston, Lord Richardt, Lady Sharadon, Lady Tree, Lord Pilgrim, Lady Kundra, Lord Sylvanus, Lord Petrus, Lady Jade, Lord Palin, many dozens of Ordained Priests and Priestesses, and hundreds of Initiated Witches.

Tamara also became the first and only legal Wiccan Marriage Celebrant in Australia, and was always travelling interstate marrying Wiccan couples and also non-Wiccan couples who just loved her ceremony. Also as an Arch Priestess of The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) from 1991 she became a Chaplain at prisons and hospitals around Australia and would venture to those who asked for her services, she became quite recognisable as an award winning marriage celebrant and officiated at hundreds of weddings and just as many funerals. 

Tamara had a successful two-storey Wiccan, Herbal and New Age store in Fremantle, Western Australia, called The Alchemist which was also the largest organic herbal store in Australia. With all alternative medicines, Wiccan products, workshops, and upstairs was the large room set up for workshops and the Church of Wicca classes, and much, much more. Tamara funded and supported financially The Church of Wicca through its complete life cycle, by running many training nights such as Outer Courts, Festivals and also had a published magazine called “Spirit Earth Magazine” which was distributed Australia wide and became quite popular. Tamara also wrote for “Insight Magazine”, and “Witchcraft Magazine”. The magazine Spirit Earth Magazine was so popular that it was bought by an opposing company “Insight Magazine”, where Tamara continued to write for them for a few more years on the Craft.

Tamara due to being not so disciplined in meditation sought out a Buddhist retreat and started learning meditation at a deeper level by a Buddhist monk named Saddhatessa. It was through Saddhatessa that Tamara met His holiness the Dalai Lama, and they became acquaintances and kept in touch where Lady Tamara and her personal Coven worked to assist with his visits in Western Australia for over 11 years in the financial and security departments as Tamara also owned a Security Company “Full Moon Security”. The Dalai Lama gifted to her his meditation beads and nicknamed her “The Vicar of Wicca”. 

Due to politics and deceitful people trying to bring down Tamara, she eventually sold her shop in Fremantle and handed over the Church of Wicca to Lady Amaris, her last High Priestess. She felt that her legacy was in safe hands and with new blood, would flourish and bring newer connections to modern Wicca and those that were in search of the Goddess and God and the mysteries that Wicca teaches.

But alas, it was also too much for her and she closed down the Church of Wicca, and went back to the old ways of having just a small suburban coven in a backyard. Lady Amaris had her reasons.

 Tamara through her myriad travels worldwide has learnt from the likes of Lady Margaret, her adopted and spiritual grandmother of Penance, Coven of Boskednan; David the 5th a traditional Witch; Lady Elizabeth a Traditional Bush Witch; Rhiannon Ryall of West Country Witchcraft; Simon Goodman and Lady Michelin as an Alexandrian Witch; Pete Pathfinder a Gardnerian Witch and Founder of the ATC; Velvet Reith a Voudoun and Wiccan Priestess; His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Jubabe a Shaman from Ayacucho, South America, and most importantly her mother Valma who was a Love Goddess and loved everyone and everything. Tamara thanks all of these teachers especially her latest teachers such as her last High Priest Lord Asherah, and Rev. Tarquin, who are both true devout Priests of the Goddess. Tamara also wishes to thank Pachamama, the Earth Mother for all her lessons that were heard and unheard.

 Tamara’s series of books disclose everything that she has ever learnt at great depth along her very long and hard life. Along the way all that she has learnt, she has passed on freely to those who would listen and learn. Her classes, teachings, Outer Courts, Facilitations at Universities around the world, and open festivals were teaching the truth about Witchcraft.  Lady Tamara, now at the end of her earthly cycle as a teacher travels the world continuously and has revealed all she has ever learnt as a student of Magick, Witchcraft, Shamanism, Wicca, Tarot and Herbal Medicine in her series of books, including her new children’s book “The Little Witchling – Bella Donna”. Tamara has also just completed after 5 years her beautiful magnetic gift-boxed “Oracles of the Divine Feminine-The Goddess of 10,000 Names”, each including 50 Oracle Cards with 3 blank cards to fill in with your own Divine Feminine Oracles, also accompanied with a full coloured 138 page booklet inside a strong and beautifully designed box. 

Lady Margaret – Grandmother Elder of the Coven of Boskednan, Grand Clan Mother of the Hertzberg Black Forest Wicches.