Fellowship of Isis Code of Ethics

Updated FOI Code of Ethics

This statement was released by Minette Quick on behalf of the Circle of Brigid and Cressida Pryor, current Steward of the FOI and Olivia's successor:

Fellowship of Isis Ethics

 

Fellowship of Isis Autumn Festival

 

AUTUMN EQUINOX FESTIVAL AT FOUNDATION CENTRE

27^th September, 2014

 

We have been blessed in Ireland with a wonderful continuation of warm daytime temperatures this year.  At night however the temperature drops heralding all too soon the end of tender beans in the garden and the last of an abundance of blackberries and other fruits.  But Saturday dawned bright and clear and we had quite a large gathering of members and their friends to our Festival at Clonegal.  Many events take place at the Castle these days and a wedding was taking place the same afternoon, and with the fine weather, the Bridal Party had requested that they might take their vows actually in the old Abbey, which was a lovely idea and we all wished them every joy.

 

So we adjusted our usual plans to leave them in peace and processed down to the Druid’s Grove in the Wilderness to spend a beautiful peaceful time together in this sacred place which the Co-Founders dedicated to the Druid Clan of Dana.  There we invoked Her Presence and that of Tara and Persephone, that we might enter the Temple of Isis in purity of heart and thankfulness that provision had been made for us all in the Fellowship to connect in spirit with these special places and perhaps even visit one day.

 

At Brigid’s Well of Truth we remembered Olivia’s vision of ‘light energy’ coming directly into it from the heavens, providing healing of the spirit through its waters.* She maintained that it was this energy which enabled her and her brother Lawrence to bring forth and encourage a love for the Goddess again in our age. They researched and reconnected with Her manifestations throughout the ages, and established that the essential universal truths have always been remarkably similar.  They sought to re-establish and acknowledge the innate equality and unity of Goddess and God, as did Isis and Osiris, each fulfilling their divine destiny.  As a visionary, Olivia tuned into so many of the famous manifestations of the Goddess and received their wisdom for our time.  She preserved these Oracles at the heart of the Liturgy, which she created to illuminate our many and diverse spiritual paths through life.

 

After all had been Blessed with sacred water from the Well, we were introduced to three of the priestesses newly in training with our Lyceum of the Three Mothers, and were delighted to meet them and wish them every success and deep fulfilment as they dedicate their lives to the service of the Goddess.

 

Following this we received a powerful Oracle from the Goddess Danu who reminded us that we can all do something to further a more general awakening to the need to treat our Great Mother, the ground beneath our feet, with greater respect.  To protect her from the ravages of short-sighted, severely damaging attacks, offering limited benefits for the few, by acting together in the interests of everyone - She requires our hands and hearts and voices.

 

We had all been saddened to hear of the recent death after a long illness of a long-term member of the priesthood here, and were glad to welcome members of her close family and friends to join us in remembrance of her gentle, quiet, wise spirit.  This was quite a homecoming in a sense for one or two younger members as they had actually been blessed by Olivia as babies and had travelled quite a way to be with us from West Cork.

 

A feature of the Festivals that have taken place at Foundation Centre since Olivia’s passing has been the participation of everyone in the priesthood in the planning process, in order to provide a changing and interesting seasonal content to the ceremonies. This time we were taken on a ‘magical journey’ by one of our Circle members who is a wonderful story teller.  We also had a quite spectacular ‘mystery play’ central to which was the telling of the high drama around the birth of Athena (“She who comes”) as told by the Goddess Metis (“She who was of all beings the most knowing”)  But the centre piece  of our play was Athena Herself, resplendent with helmet, sword, shield and golden staff or ray, having sprung fully grown from the head of Zeus, who to protect himself had somehow swallowed pregnant mother and baby so that she might not be born! 

 

After all this excitement our time was nearly up, so having given thanks and prayed for the Blessings of the Mother on all in need, we repaired to enjoy the welcome tea which had been prepared for us in the village, and many of us stayed on there, quite a while, to enjoy each other’s company and get to know those who had joined us for the first time.

 

Minette Quick 29^th September, 2014

 

* You may read Olivia’s full account which she sent whilst in hospital in June 2013 to the websites, referring to the importance of these sacred places for us all to connect with in spirit if we so wish.  The Manifesto of the Fellowship expresses the essential universal truths expressed over the ages for spiritual seekers of their time by many Goddesses and Gods.  Olivia's Letter:  Sacred Places

 

Archival Link:

Autumn Equinox at the Foundation Center Temple

 

Window Altar

 

North window in a niche of the Well Chapel, Foundation Center Temple.

Sun in Libra - Equinox

 

Blessings of the Equinox, time of Libra!  The photo is the Shrine of Libra at the Foundation Center Temple. It shows a statue of the Goddess Etain, carved by David Durdin-Robertson. She is bestowing blessings upon the a...nimals around Her. The wooden panel is by William Morris with inlaid fleur-de-lis.  You may also hear Olivia Robertson speak on the "Window of Libra" in this audio clip:

 

The Window of Libra

(mp3 file: 5:30 minutes / 1.25mb)

 

Audio transcript:
"How honored we are to be climbing the hill towards the Temple of the Zodiac. As we gaze at the stars wheeling around us, we realize that each star is the home of Divine intelligences and even mightier Beings and Deities who preside over whole galaxies. Is beyond our believing, yet each of us has a spark of star within us and we belong to the body of the Cosmic Mother. On we climb, up the hill, and we reflect that as each star is haven of Deities, bright beings we may become, yet there are also planets encircling, which are planetary schools for us, as is our Earth. We face the south-west portal of the Temple. It is flanked by mighty winged Sphinxes. Pass the Sphinxes and we enter. Look upon the twelve walls, these beautiful stained-glass windows are each crowned with a sign of the Zodiac.

 

"Come to the west window surrounded by the seventh sign, Libra: the scales of equal day and night, autumn and spring. The picture shows a Goddess beneath an Aspen tree, cradling the Yin-Yang egg. Think of a Goddess cradling it. The Consort of the Goddess encircles Her with His arms. Below we read the ancient words: 'The aspen will detain, The egg will all explain; Seek not; yourself be sought. All other search in vain.'

 

"A mighty wind rushes through the Temple, throwing open the window - feel this wind pouring through. We see through it the glittering constellation of Libra with its 28 stars. The star Se Han forms the south-western pan of the scales. Approach the window! Look at the constellation of Libra and enter into entirely other landscape of soft beauty, into this happy land of the Goddess Kwan Yin, full of all we have ever longed for, land of our heart's longing. Here we have the company of those we love, forever - or - as long as we choose. We make our own space and time in Infinity. Here grow the Peaches of Immortality. Taste them if you can find them. Those who have tasted these peaches may ever return, if they have the will to do so.

 

"Here, all are reconciled: love and truth, philosophy and religion, peace and activity. Above all we find harmony within ourselves and with others. Here is harmony with all Nature. Judgment is not judging others: it is having the judgment to bring harmony so there's no loss to any. Peace can only come with justice. Let us do justice to ourselves, and so we will be just to all, and so the Law of Love and Harmony prevails.  Thus, in harmony with ourselves, we are part of the Cosmos and the Music of the Spheres."


Archival links:
Audio Gallery
Shrines of the Zodiac

 

(photo by Olivia Robertson, cropped and enhance by this website. All rights reserved.)

Art Highlight: Finuala

 

This painting by Olivia Robertson is entitled "Finuala, Swan Sidhe of Air and Water." It is located on an altar at the left of the well in the Chapel of Brigid at the Foundation Center Temple.

(photo copyright Minette Quick)

Visiting the Foundation Center

MESSAGE FOR ALL WEBSITES

Huntington Castle is only open to the public for tours during the summer months, though there is a year round programme of special events. See www.huntingtoncastle.com for details.

However members are welcome, by prior invitation, to one of our Fellowship Festivals at the Castle which are private gatherings and therefore not publicised.

Might I suggest that to avoid disappointment members planning to travel to Ireland wishing to visit, make contact before final travel arrangements have been made.

Sincerely,
Minette Quick (Hon. Sec. Circle of Brigid)

 

For invitations to FOI seasonal festivals, please see this page:  Events

Book highlight: Juno Covella by Lawrence Durdin-Robertson

 

 

From the back cover:  "This Calendar is called after Juno, who was invoked as Juno Covella, of the New Moon, when the Nones of each month were announced (calantur), by the Roman Pontiff. (Varro).  The Calendar gives details of the Goddesses presiding over, or connected with, the various divisions of time. . . Material for the Calendar is drawn from a variety of sources. These include the traditional scriptures such as the Babylonian and Egyptian Ritual Texts, the Vedas, the Bible, the Zend-Avesta, the Kojiki, and the Nihongi, the Koran, the works of Classical writers including Hesiod, Aratus, Varro, Ovid, Ptolemy, and also the late Roman Calendars of Philocalus and Silvius. Among rarer or lesser known books are the Institutes of the Emperor Akbar, Dufresnoy's Chronological Tables and the Abbe de Montfaucon's Supplement to Antiquities Explained." 

 

 

Archival Link:

Online Works of Lawrence Durdin-Robertson

 

The cover illustration of this book is by Anna Durdin-Robertson.

Selene's Realm

 

Olivia Robertson wrote in the rite of "The Triple Moon":

 

'Let us make our voyage to the sphere of the full moon in our fair ship Luna. We sail through bright moonlight into Selene's spiritual realm. The moon in her beauty inspires the romantic dreams of poets and lovers, so that the humblest woman becomes a Goddess of eternal loveliness: a hump-backed man is transformed through love's eyes into a God. And this is no illusion, but the banishing of a false transient image. For ugliness, stupidity and cruelty are but distortions in our shadow world of the perfection that is our true being. Those who despise others are deluded by the passing play: wise are those who adore the ideal in their lovers.'

 

 

(photo of the Moon Goddess Shrine by Minette Quick at the Temple of Isis, Ireland, further cropped by this site.)

Clonegal Castle - Temple Portico

 

Clonegal Castle, columns indicate the Temple Portico.

 

 

 

(photo copyright Stacy S.)

September Oracle: Goddess Brynhild

"Though struggle appears necessary in the worldly sphere,

the best battle is against one's own wrongful ideas and passions,

and not against the neighbour."

 

This month's Oracle features the Goddess Brynhild.  You may read it in full by clicking on the link below:

 

Fellowship of Isis Oracle for September

 

 

(Photo of Olivia Robertson by Dennis Murphy from the DVD "Olivia Robertson, Priestess of Isis." All rights reserved.)