September 27, 2010

Auction Update

Today we heard from Anna, Olivia's niece, that the art auction raised a total of £10,000 for the charity of Facing Africa. Thanks to all who participated and who have helped to raise awareness for this important cause!

From Anna: "Thank you, I would love it if you would like to share it [the auction results] on your lists. I'm hoping to have another illustrator's auction for the same cause in a couple of years time and it would be lovely to share it with your members. With very best wishes, Anna"

September 23, 2010

Olivia Robertson in the U.S. & Auction Sketch

Olivia Robertson has arrived safely in the United States and is beginning her month-long tour. Her itinerary may be viewed on the Rt. Rev. Deena Butta's (travel coordinator) website:

Olivia's USA Tour:
http://www.foichicago.org/itinerary.html

Also, Olivia's niece Anna Currey, has put together a charity auction of a wide range of artwork to benefit the children's charity "Facing Africa". From the auction site: "Facing Africa is a British charity which was founded ten years ago in close collaboration with the Dutch Noma Foundation. Every year it sends four teams of volunteer surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists to conduct life-changing operations, reconstructing children's faces and helping them return to a normal life."

Olivia has donated this original drawing from her book, St. Malachy's Court, first printed in 1946. It is a crayon sketch, 27 x 19cm:


The auction will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2010 and the link for it is below. Bids may be submitted online. Olivia's artwork is Lot Number 55, and the winning bidder will receive a copy of the book as well. (photos of outside cover at the end of this post)

Auction Link:
http://www.facingafricaauction.com/


From the inside front cover of St. Malachy's Court: "The author, who is also an artist, tells the appealing and true human-interest story of life in one of the pooer districts of Dublin. Her work there was to look after the playground activities of the children - a task that gave her rich opportunity for intimate knowledge of her charges and their families. Keenly observant, she writes with charm, humor, understanding and sympathy. The appeal of the book is heightened by the author's wisdom in letting the children - and the older people - speak for themselves. Thus, the narrative sparkles with the refreshing frankness of childhood as seen in dramatic relief against the unaffected simplicity of the 'grown ups' in the district. Napper Tandy Street and its denizens come alive - a small fascinating world, quite apart from all else."


There are also works from Anna, as well as other members of Olivia's family, being auctioned as well. Many thanks to the Rt. Rev. Caroline Wise for first bringing attention to this, so all Fellowship members could be aware of this important cause.  Permission to include Olivia's drawing and information about the auction obtained directly from Anna via email. Photos of Olivia's book from personal copy of the FOI Homepage Archive.

Update of information added later:

From Anna's emails: "We had the auction on Saturday and it did really well. We raised £10,000 which I was very pleased about. Especially in recession."

"Thank you, I would love it if you would like to share it [the auction results] on your lists. I'm hoping to have another illustrator's auction for the same cause in a couple of years time and it would be lovely to share it with your members. With very best wishes, Anna"




Fellowship of Isis Homepage Archive link:  Auction Sketch

The Vestal Flame - letter from Olivia Robertson

It is now the intention of so many Iseum founders to hold their gatherings in their own homes. Olivia Robertson notes that the original intention of Lawrence, Pamela, and herself was to return the Hearth Fire of the Goddess to the home. Under patriarchy, their followers were forced to build churches and halls at great expense to keep priestesses from power. Now the financial climate makes a return to the Hearth for ceremonies appropriate. Many conventions already do this, including those held in Clonegal Castle.

Founders of FOI centers who would like to join this return to the Hearth Fire may list their participation under the heading of The Vestal Flame.

signed,
Olivia Robertson


Thanks to, and received via the Rt. Rev. Deena Butta, Iseum of Eleusis of Chicago.  Photo of the Shrine of Gemini/Vesta at Clonegal Castle by Olivia Robertson.

Fellowship of Isis Homepage Archive link in Olivia's Letters:   The Vestal Flame

September 21, 2010

Equinox Greetings!

We hope you will enjoy the following audio recording of the late Lawrence Durdin-Robertson (co-founder of the FOI), reading from the rite of the Mystical Awakening of Libra & Kwan Yin: Lawrence Durdin Robertson

(Link will open and play with the audio software you have designated for MP3 files - it is 1 min./256kb.)

Here also is an excerpt from his book, Juno Covella, Perpetual Calendar of the Fellowship of Isis:

Autumnal Equinox. Sun enters Libra (tropical).

Greek: DEMETER and PERSEPHONE; Roman: CERES and PROSERPINA; The Greater Eleusinian Mysteries, First Day. (Lempriere, Dict.) "Eleusinia . . This festival (i.e. the Greater) was observed in the month Boedromion or September, and continued nine days from the 15th to the 23rd". (Kerenyi, Eleusis, p. 8) According to this author's reckoning the 15th of Boedromion is taken as corresponding to September 23rd or 24th.

(Julian, Hymn to the Mother of the Gods, 173A) "I was saying that we ought not to suppose that the ancients appointed the season of the rites irrationally, but rather as far as possible with plausible and true grounds of reason; and indeed a proof of this is that the Goddess herself chose as her province the cycle of the Equinox. For the most holy and secret Mysteries of Deo and the Maiden (Kore) are celebrated when the sun is in the sign of Libra, and this is quite natural".

Read the rest of this entry and others for the month of September in:  Juno Covella

Blessings of the Equinox to all members, whether you are celebrating Autumn or Spring!

Homepage Archive - Updates

Oraciones y Bendiciones en Español

The Fellowship of Isis prayers have now been translated into Spanish and may be viewed here:
FOI Oraciones y Bendiciones

Invocación
"Yo invoco a la Diosa Isis
y al Dios Osiris
Cuyos atributos son:
Amor, Belleza y Verdad."


Our ongoing gratitude to our Spanish translator, Maa Kheru Nen (Elena RubioLara) for this work!


New Photo

A lovely new photo of Olivia Robertson added to the Founders photo section, courtesy of, and our thanks to, Zoé d'Ay. It was taken at the 2010 Glastonbury Goddess Conference.

Email
We have had some email problems recently, with our server not forwarding correctly.  If you have tried to contact us and not received a response, please resend. We have also added another email address to our contact page to offer an alternate when these issues occur.  Thank you for your understanding and patience!