Br Steve T 'Ashar' Spain was born on October 28,
1972; in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the son of a kailoma or vasu
(both European and indigenous Fijian ancestry) mother and pakeha
father. He was raised in some of the traditions of the village life of
his cultural homeland (Fiji or Viti as it is called in the Bauan
language) with the absence of his biological father. In 1980 he was
moved to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; by his mother and
step-father. Later in 1989 he returned to Auckland New Zealand. Within
a year he then had a brief stay in the Americas, particularly, San
Francisco and Utah. He then returned to Auckland and after a short stay
to Brisbane. In 1994 he moved to Perth, Western Australia, where he
currently resides.
He is known under several names depending upon the role upon which
he is undertaking: Br Steve - common parlance; Br Ashar or Ashar - by
those of the Wiccan comunity; and Sitiveni or Siti in the Fijian
community. He was born with the name of his step-grandfather 'Rooney.'
His mother was born with the British (English and Welsh landed gentry)
ancestral name 'Hickes.' His biological father is a 'Mustchin' which
seems to be a Scandinavian-rooted name, possibly assimilated into
English form; and his step-father's name with which official documents
bear, is 'Spain.'
Shortly after arriving in Perth he was initiated into the clergy of
the Wiccan traditions of the Church of Wicca, Australia, which was
foundered there by the Lady Tamara Von Forslund. The current head of
the Church (Known as an Archpriestess or Archpriest) is the Lady
Amaris. He has since maintained an ongoing relationship with the
Church, as a solitary practitioner, or self-described hermetic monk;
that is one who devotes them self entirely to the academic exploration
of occult studies and it's adoption and practice as a way of life. As a
solitary practitioner he rarely takes on students.
In other areas of exploration he is finishing a High School Teaching
degree from Edith Cowan University (ECU), in Performing Arts and
Anthropology; in particular the combination & practice of the two.
He has also explored much of his cross-cultural eclectic awareness of
cosmologies and mysticism at ECU. He has also served as an Executive
Director of the Edith Cowan University Student Guild on and off again
since 1998 to 2007; and once as a Director of ECU on its governing
board, the University Council in 2005-2006.
While his role as a Minister of Religion over-rides other
considerations when called upon; his political awareness is best
described as a anarcho-syndicalist, with a view to federated anarchism.
He has been influenced by modern writers such as Prof Noam Comsky, Ivan
Illich, Paulo Freire, and Mahatma Gandhi.
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