Sun in Leo

 

"The star shines forth, creating, protecting, 

destroying in ever-renewing cycles. 

It is within ourselves. We are reborn."

Blessings of the Sun in the sign of Leo!  To listen to an 18-minute meditation on "The Window of Leo" by Olivia Robertson, please see this link on our YouTube page:

Window of Leo Meditation - YouTube

(© Quote by Olivia Robertson; Shrine of Leo photo, Foundation Center Temple, by Minette Quick)

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Solstice Sun in Cancer

 

"Happiness is its own justification. 
Without joy, virtue is of little value."

Happy Solstice and Sun in the sign of Cancer!  To listen to a 26-minute meditation on "The Window of Cancer" by Olivia Robertson, please see this link on our YouTube page:

Window of Cancer Meditation - YouTube

(© Quote by Olivia Robertson; Shrine of Cancer photo, Foundation Center Temple, by Minette Quick)

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The Matralia

 

In honor of the Matralia on June 11th, here is a verse written by Olivia Robertson:

"Birds call their song of hope to Wandering Souls;

Pilgrims in search of their lost Heaven;

Within the Mothers’ Home lies hidden;

The Source of Life."

From "Juno Covella, Perpetual Calendar of the Fellowship of Isis", by Lawrence Durdin-Robertson:

"The Matralia: (Seyffert, Dict.) 'Matuta (usually Mater Matuta). An old Italian Goddess of dawn and of birth, also Goddess of harbours and of the sea, and hence identified with the Greek Leucothea. In her temple at Rome in the Forum Boarium, on the 11th of June, the Matralia, or Festival of Mothers, was celebrated in her honour by the women of Rome. . a matron who had not been married before was allowed to place a wreath on the statue of the Goddess. The women first prayed for the well-being of their nephews and nieces, and then for that of their own children. This custom was referred to the myth of Ino-Leucothea, who tended Dionysus, the son of her sister Semele.' (Lempriere, Dict.) 'Matralia, a festival at Rome, in honour of Matuta or Ino . . They make offerings of flowers and carried their relations' children in their arms, recommending them to the care and patronage of the Goddess whom they worshipped.'  (Ovid, Fasti, VI, 475) 'June 11th . . Go, good mothers (the Matralia is your festival), and offer to the Theban Goddess the yellow cakes that are her due . . on this day, it is said, Servius dedicated with his own sceptered hands a temple to Mater Matuta'."

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(© photo of the Cave of the Mothers, FOI Foundation Center Temple, by Minette Quick)

Sun enters Gemini

 

"Every ring of a spiral has a center, 

connected with all centers. That is the secret."

Blessings of the Sun in Gemini!  To listen to a 24-minute meditation on "The Window of Gemini" by Olivia Robertson, please see this link on our YouTube page:

Gemini Meditation - YouTube

(© Quote by Olivia Robertson; Shrine of Gemini photo, Foundation Center Temple, by Minette Quick)

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Happy Sun in Taurus!

 

"To realise the harmony of justice and 

compassion, you need to make a magical 

journey to the constellation of Taurus."  

Happy Sun in Taurus!  We have just uploaded a 27-minute meditation on "The Window of Taurus" by Olivia Robertson to our Youtube channel - you may access it here:

https://www.youtube.com/FellowshipofIsis

(© Quote by Olivia Robertson; Shrine of Taurus photo, Foundation Center Temple, by Minette Quick)

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Sun in Aries

 

Blessings of the Sun in Aries!  To listen to a 28-minute meditation on "The Window of Aries" by Olivia Robertson, please see the latest upload here:

FOI Homepage YouTube Channel

(© Shrine of Aries photo, Foundation Center Temple, by Minette Quick)

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Sun in Pisces

 

Blessings of the Sun in Pisces!  To listen to a 20-minute meditation on "The Window of Pisces" by Olivia Robertson, please see the latest upload on our YouTube page:

FOI Homepage - YouTube Channel

"Let us gaze upon the constellation of Pisces and see a vision of Anahita: 'Ardvi Sura Anahita stands forth in the form of a pure maid, strong, all-formed, wearing a mantle fully embroidered with gold. Ever holding the baresma, she wears square golden earrings and a golden necklace. Upon Her head She wears a golden crown with a hundred stars and eight rays.'  Visualise Anahita of the flowing waters of Space that encompasses all stars and constellations. We are a microcosm of the whole, the jewels of Anahita within our bodies as the sacred centres, the Melusina serpent.  The flowing waters of Space are in our bodies through in our blood. We are mostly made of Her waters, our body."

(© text by Olivia Robertson; photo of the Shrine of Pisces, Foundation Center Temple, by Minette Quick)

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Excerpt from "The Call of Isis"

From the "The Call of Isis" by Olivia Robertson:

"So it is only by analogy that one may imagine the domain of the Inner Sun. We are given words such as 'building the solar body.' But I feel that the solar body is there for all of us: we have rather to strengthen the rainbow bridge that joins our souls to our Spirit. How may we do this?

Strangely enough, in this most active area of the Inner Sun, we must at last surrender activity. In order to transcend limitation, we must give up the barriers we ourselves have built in order to protect our own developing originality. For the surrender to the Light prematurely is to suffer the fate of Semele, and be burnt by too great a glory. One needs, as the earth does, one's protective veil of blue atmosphere, one's shell of personality.

One is encouraged in approaching the Initiation of the Sun, by seeing the bright form of one who has attained the Light. Once I was awakened in the morning by just a vision. Eyes open, heart full of wonder, I saw standing at the foot of my bed a figure made of golden light. He was self-luminous and shone like the sun. And the glory came from love.  Others have had a like experience. And this Solar body also belongs to ourselves, our true greater selves, if we will only allow ourselves to be conscious of it.

Yet this consciousness comes from self-forgetting. The constrictions of self fall away and, like the butterfly we immerge from the chrysalis of what was once our whole world. We are like newborn babies when we first awaken into Cosmic Consciousness. We lose nothing; rather we gain the harvest of many lives. We touch on the experiences of our own spiritual group.

We have the Universe before us - Temple of the Stars."

(© Window Shrine, Foundation Center Temple by Minette Quick; 'Call of Isis' excerpt by Olivia Robertson; copyrights reserved)

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From Dea, Rites & Mysteries of the Goddess

 

From Dea, Rites and Mysteries of the Goddess, by Olivia Robertson:

"The religion of the Goddess centres around the Hearth. Whether this be the inner sun flaming within the matrix of our earth, or the sun itself, this is the source of manifested life. Within the body of all mothers, whether Goddesses, women, female creatures that give birth to egg or seed, the inner fire is the Divine Centre. In this nucleus is our own heart's life, that heart whose rhythmic beating keeps us alive and sets moving the rhythmic Dance of Creation. This Heart-beat of the Cosmos sets moving all heart-beats, even the tiny pulse within a blade of grass. On the earthly level the heart brings life. On other levels it is Love. For the Heart exists on all levels. . .

"Though we respect great temples, a simple room or grove of trees form a Matrix that protects our altar fire. A shrine may be a psychic temple not made with hands. The Devotee, sitting in silent contemplation, even in a crowded room, may yet build in creative imagination a shrine that guards the privacy of the soul. For the Matrix is not only a womb or shell: it is also the individual aura. We carry our temples about us.

"Within the shrine is the resting place of Deity, the Altar. Made of stone or wood, the altar is the throne of Isis, Aset; and the Palladium, the casket of Athena. Here is the meeting place of Deity and Devotee. Here the Goddess or God manifest either through the Hierophant or through all the participants. The elements placed on the altar are an earthly focus where Deity may materialise through earth, air, fire and water; and through oil which represents the blending of the primal four. Any shelf or table in a room may be the altar, and any quarter or place between the compass points may be used. For each compass point is relevant to the Goddess. On the altar may be offered a stone, a pot plant, incense sticks and a cup of water. Through their hallowing by the Devotee, these are used as a focus for their own true being. The gem of life is in a stone: the divine breath is within smoke: the elixir of life shines through water. Every element, every atom, contains the spark needful for its transmutation.

"Through this realisation, the Devotee invokes Deity and through a simple touching of the hands, may awaken the life spark within each object. Earth protects: on another level it represents strength and stability. Fire brings vitality: it also in a greater sphere of being, typifies Love. Air symbolises Mind and Spirit and so must be free to move. Water is so receptive that it must be kept pure and calm, yet flowing. Otherwise, like unhealthy emotions, it may either rage in a storm, or stagnate. Though occult symbolism varies in different systems, the principle remains the same. Any object, however humble, is a key to its essential reality in greater spheres. The purpose of ritual is to strike a note on one level - even with bell, gong or sistrum, and so to awaken the same note on other octaves of being.

"When a shrine is awakened through its true keynote and colour, it begins as it were to hum like a well-tuned harp. It is the awareness of the Devotee that brings about this transformation. For the Deities respond to those who knock. They answer.  Those seekers who are ready for expansion of consciousness may ease the way to initiation. The Elemental Spirits, the Sidhe, Devis and Devas, will work in harmony with those who treat the elements with respect. No Spirits should be commanded even if this is possible: they come joyfully to those who do the Mothers' work."

(© Photo of Olivia Robertson on her 93rd birthday in 2010; Chapel of Harmony, Foundation Center Temple;  copyright Minette Quick.)

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Equinox Sun in Libra

Blessings of the Equinox and the Sun entering the sign of Libra!  This photo of the Shrine of Libra was taken at the Foundation Center Temple, showing a statue of the Goddess Etain, carved by David Durdin-Robertson. You may listen to Olivia Robertson giving a meditation on the "Window of Libra" by clicking the link below:

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."

(© photo and audio copyrights reserved)

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Sun enters Virgo

Blessings of the Sun in Virgo!  The Shrine of Virgo is located outside of the Cave of the Mothers in the Foundation Center Temple in Ireland.  Click on the link below to listen to an historic audio clip of Olivia Robertson giving a meditation:

Meditation on the Window of Virgo

(mp3  / 7 min / 1.62 mb)

Audio transcript:

"We shut our eyes and still our minds. We see before us in the distance a hill crowned with a beautiful Temple surrounded by myriads of stars. We mount the hill by a winding path. We are climbing up to the Temple of the Zodiac. It is twelve-sided and pearl colored with long windows that glow with many colored lights. We are approaching a Gateway in the south-east, guarded by two bronze statues of Sphinxes - women to the waist, lions below, their wings reaching the roof. On the left of the Gateway is a spring from which a stream flows into the Temple through a conduit.

 

"We particularly examine the windows on either side of the doorway. On the left, is a window marked "Leo". The stained-glass depicts a naked woman surrounded by a Hawk, a Lioness, a Cow and a Winged God. On the window on the right, is a picture of a woman veiled from head to foot, holding an Ankh in her right hand, a scroll in her left. Over the window is the sign of Virgo, formed by two folded wings and the knot of Isis. The sign of Virgo looks like an "M" and you can form a loop in the center, the Knot of Isis.  Over the doorway is a bas-relief of a Sphinx, her lion's body facing the Leo window, her woman's face turning towards the window of Virgo. Her wings sweep downwards on either side of the entrance, forming two feathered curtains.

 

"Suddenly a powerful wind rushes through the Temple pushing open the Window of Virgo! Through it we see eight blazing stars shining through nebulae. Within this astral sphere of Virgo are the Isles of the Blest where we learn how to weave the future from the past, by using the present.

 

"Now I want you to visualize yourself passing through the Window of Virgo, the eight blazing stars, and we see islands of great beauty.  All may enter this place, the Isles of the Blest, but those who have done wrong, learn here how to expiate and make all well. How lovely are the islands.  There is music here, great beauty, nature spirits, wonderful animals.  Peaceful lions, deer, small animals playing around their feet, lionesses. . . The animals and birds here are intelligent.  You can communicate with them telepathically, as we can with Angels, Nature Spirits, Deity.  Do this. . learn. . learn how to be blest so we may attain this place even in sleep on earth.  You learn here the weaving, because we are the Fates, we create our own Fate.  They're not sinister ladies sitting on thrones being disagreeable to us.  We have to learn even how to turn evil into good, which is wonderful because nothing's wasted you see - we can use the past now to create the present.  But you need help to do this and that is why we need to be in the Isles of the Blest.

 

"At first we feel overcome when we think of the harm we've done.. . maybe we've harmed animals or people.. .but now we see how we can 3-fold make up for it.  We can forgive others.  There's all of infinity to do good in.  There's much laughter here because nothing is more delightful than to recognize the Truth, and often it makes one laugh, at oneself, preferably.   All pretense vanishes here.  Now if you feel you have experienced this bliss of creation, of creating a better future for ourselves and our earth, you may now, I should think, feel like looking at the eight stars.. . you feel spiritual light pouring through you.  We learn here to center ourselves.  Now is the center of the circle around which time flows - past and present, like a stream flows around us - that is the secret.   We are not moving through time, we are ever the same in spirit - no, time is moving around us.  We are not moving through space, space is moving around us.  Feel this consciousness, this awareness.  You are in the center.  Time and space are flowing around you and you may therefore alter what happens.  This is the art of Creation."

 

"It is now time for us to return through the Window of Virgo.  Leave by this Window of Virgo, come back through the window.  We all return to the holy Temple, changed - even a little."

(© Shrine of Virgo photo by Minette Quick; audio by the FOI Homepage; all copyrights reserved.)

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Sun in Leo

Blessings of the Sun in Leo! Above is the Shrine of Leo at the FOI Foundation Center. Click on the link below and listen to Olivia Robertson call upon the Lion Goddess Sekhmet from a past rite:
  

Olivia Robertson - Audio

(mp3 / 50sec. / 198kb)

Audio transcript: 
"The sun leaves the crab, Cancer and enters the sign of Leo of the lion Goddess Sekhmet.  Sekhmet is the Goddess of the mysterious lion power, which is within us all.. . Holy Sekhmet, bring to us thy flame within the golden sun which is beneath the earth.  We feel the flames rising up from the heart of the earth, Cor Leonis, Heart of the Lioness: star royal, flame, red fire.  Bring us thy flame.  Sisters, brothers, feel the power rise up from the earth.  Let it rise and shine and warm our hearts with love." (sistrum)



(© photo by Minette Quick; audio by the FOI Homepage; all copyrights reserved.)

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Prayer to Ishtar

Listen to Olivia Robertson speak a prayer to Ishtar from a past rite:

Prayer to Ishtar - Audio

(mp3 / 44 sec. / 349 kb)

Transcript:

"O Mother of the Gods, Ishtar, Lady of Mankind, who maketh the green herb to spring up, who created all things, who guideth the whole of Creation, a prayer will we utter in unison with those of ancient Babylon, who prayed to thee thus: O Mother Ishtar, whose side no God can approach, O exalted Lady, that which appears good to thee, do thou unto us! We pray for our Earth and all the creatures and green herbs and trees thereon."

(© photo of the Shrine of Ishtar, Foundation Center Temple by Minette Quick)

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Solstice Sun in Cancer

Blessings of the Solstice and the Sun in Cancer.  Listen to Olivia Robertson giving the intent of a past Summer rite at the Foundation Center by clicking below:

Olivia Robertson: Summer Solstice

(mp3 / 372 kb / 47 sec)

Audio transcript:
"Here it is my task now, to declare the intention of this Solstice ceremony.  The intention is to blend the feminine, gentle, rays of the Moon with the over-active, masculine energies of the Sun.  So that the feminine Sun - the warmth of the heart - be made more manifest, and the psychic powers of men in the Moon be enhanced.  So the balance of Cancer, the 6 and the 9 - Yin and Yang - may be brought about."


(© photo of the Shrine of Cancer, Foundation Center Temple by Minette Quick.  The statue is of the Goddess Juno; paintings by Olivia Robertson of Thalia/Muse of Comedy, and the Mermaid Derceto; audio by the FOI Homepage; all copyrights reserved)

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Sun in Pisces

Blessings of the Sun in Pisces!  Click below to listen to audio of Olivia Robertson leading a guided meditation in a past rite:

Temple of the Zodiac - The Window of Pisces

(mp3 file - 1.6 mb - 6:44 mins)

Audio transcript:

"We find ourselves at the foot of the holy mountain upon which shines the Temple of the Zodiac, surrounded by constellations. Let us climb this mountain . . . it seems silvery and white and beautiful as we reach the top.  We reach the mighty portico of the temple, guarded by two female sphinxes, whose wings soar to the heavens. We enter. . . we make our way to the North-East window, surmounted by the emblem of Pisces, a silver and gold fish joined by two knotted cords. Let us gaze upon the stained-glass window of Pisces. It depicts the fish-tailed Goddess Derceto, holding two winged children, a boy and a girl. A wind suddenly rushes through the temple, throwing open the window. We are faced with the constellation of Pisces, known to the ancient Persians as Mahik the Fish.

"Let us gaze upon the constellation of Pisces and see a vision of Anahita: 'Ardvi Sura Anahita stands forth in the form of a pure maid, strong, all-formed, wearing a mantle fully embroidered with gold. Ever holding the baresma, she wears square golden earrings and a golden necklace. Upon Her head She wears a golden crown with a hundred stars and eight rays.'  Visualise Anahita of the flowing waters of Space that encompasses all stars and constellations. We are a microcosm of the whole, the jewels of Anahita within our bodies as the sacred centres, the Melusina serpent.  The flowing waters of Space are in our bodies through in our blood. We are mostly made of Her waters, our body. 

"Then we realize that the Goddess rules from within, the God without.  The Goddess holds creation within Her womb and through inspiration, magic, She prevails.  But now we see the form of Ahura Mazda, who rules the outer form, and both are united in Love and Truth and Harmony.  Feel this within yourself.  Within the Goddess is perfect balance, force and gentleness - within the God is perfect balance, force and gentleness.  So it is with you.  Feel this.  You feel a tingling within you.  What's the use of looking at a Goddess if you're not one - what's the use of contemplating a God if you're not one?   You feel a flow now right through you. There's a tingling around your head, like a thousand stars.  Your body is made of constellations of atoms.  You feel a glow in your heart, right down your spine, sex centre, base of spine, right around you.  This is Divine Light, blended perfectly through Anahita and Ahura Mazda, the silver and the gold. You are in perfect harmony.  You can blend the active and the passive, love and the emotions; your heart is weighed by the Feather of Truth as it was in Ancient Egypt. You're finding your own keynote, your own individuality.  You are an eye in the peacock feather of Creation. 

"But even as you feel this heavenly serenity you realize that you have to come back and continue your work. We have felt the light and warmth of divine Anahita, the light of Mazda flow through us to invigorate us for our essential work transmuting the elements of earth to their True Being. For the Earth also is holy.  And  we return through the window of Pisces to the Temple of the Zodiac.  A wind blows the window shut. We pay our respects to the central altar, the altar of perpetual flame in the centre of the Temple of the Zodiac.  We gaze in awe at that central flame and find a little of it entering our hearts.  Receive the blessings of the Goddess Anahita.  Selah!"

(© Shrine of Pisces, Foundation Center Temple, copyright Minette Quick.)

Fellowship of Isis Homepage Archive

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Sun in Aquarius

Blessings of the Sun in Aquarius! Olivia Robertson wrote the following in the Liturgy book of "Sophia":

"Let us visualise the constellation called by the Ancients, Aquarius. For to our forebears the dome of the sky was a picture of living hieroglyphs set there by the Deities. From their starry homes they deemed that their Teachers came to teach them through the language of symbols. So they offered the Deities their beautiful images, which they saw as they lay on desert sands or groves, gazing upon the sky at night. And they offered the Deities pictures that they painted through their visionary eyes. They imagined a great white winged horse, Pegasus, flying through the sky above a starry sea. Below him in the sea of heaven swam two intertwining fish, Pisces. And from a stream entering the sea they discerned a maiden whom they called Hebe or Ganymeda, or a youth, Ganymede drawing the stream's water into a pitcher and then pouring forth the water in bounty, in two starry streams.

"Companions, let us receive inspiration from the Muses as did our ancestors, and receive the hidden wisdom of the stars. As we shut our eyes the pictures they saw come also to us! Below Aquarius in the sea of stars they spied a sea goat whom they called Capricornus. The Southern fish swam near him. Far in the heights floated the beautiful Princess Andromeda, rescued by Perseus, holding aloft Athena's shield with the Gorgon's Head. And the monster whale, Cetus, who so frightened her, swims far below! They recognised a winding river of stars, Eridanus, which sprang from the cup of Aquarius, bright Juno's stream. No less than the white bull, Taurus, with his red eye, Aldebaran, was clearly seen rising from the sea, as once he did when, as Jupiter, He trod the Cretan shore to carry off lovely Europa.

"And the Star Deities delighted in the rich imaginings of youthful humanity, springing as dreams do from their original genius. When Deities visited aspiring humans, they used these ever changing pictures crossing the starry skies as an unfolding scroll of symbols. They instructed humanity through these symbols, so unveiling Divine Truths. They taught that every star is linked to each and every creature by means of interweaving radiations from the auras of Star Deities. The greater contains the lesser, which is of its substance, and nothing is alien in the universe. The lesser is a microcosm of the greater. In this earth is buried our past, and our future extends to the stars!"



(The Shrine of Aquarius at the Foundation Center Temple, dedicated to the Japanese Sun Goddess, Amaterasu No Kami: photo © MEK.)
  
Online Liturgy of the Fellowship of Isis
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Dec 24th: Modraniht, Night of the Mothers

From "Juno Covella" by Lawrence Durdin-Robertson: 

DECEMBER 24th - Anglo-Saxon: THE MOTHERS; Modraniht, Night of the Mothers. (Hislop, "The Two Babylons", p. 93):

"As the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, 'Yuleday', or the 'Child's day', and the night that preceded it, 'Mother Night' (Sharon Turner's "Anglo-Saxons", Vol. i, p. 219)  . . (Hilda Davidson, "Gods, Myths, N. Europe", p. 112) "Inscriptions are known from Roman times in Germany, Holland and Britain in honour of groups of female beings known generally as 'the mothers' . . Female deities of this kind seem to have been worshipped by both the Celts and the Germans, and they were evidently associated with fertility and with the protection of hearth and home. In some form they were known to the Anglo-Saxons, for Bede mentions them in De Temporum Ratione (13), where he tells us that the night before Christmas was known in heathen times as Modraniht, 'the Night of the Mothers'. There seems little doubt that they were closely connected with the birth of children".

Juno Covella - FOI Goddess Calendar

(© Cave of the Mothers, Foundation Center Temple, photo by Minette Quick)

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Honor to Tiamat

Listen to Olivia Robertson invoking the Goddess Tiamat in a past rite:

Goddess Tiamat - Audio - Click to Listen

Audio transcript (mp3 / 1:33 min / 1.4mb):  
"We need the aid of Tiamat Who holds the Tablets of Fate, to gain Wisdom and Love through knowledge of the stars.  I offer incense to the She who is the Dragon Goddess of our Galaxy.  I invoke the Goddess Tiamat! Hear the words written on clay tablets of Babylon about the Creation:

'When in the height Heaven was not named,

And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name;

And Apsu the Primaeval Who begat them,

And Chaos, Tiamat, the Mother of them both -

Their waters were mingled together, and

No field was formed, no marsh was to be seen;

When of the Deities None had been called into being,

And None bore a name, and no destinies were ordained;

Then were created the Gods, all Goddesses;

Aeons were increased; and Tiamat was Mother of them all!'

"Thou Who art the Beginning of Creation, Mistress of Magic, Mighty Dragon, Mother of all, aid us in our search for Wisdom and for Love. For only from our own origin, the matriarchal Goddess, may we understand the Universe of which we are a part."

***************

Photo comments by Minette Quick: "This chapel of the non-zodiac Stars is centre of our Temple Labyrinth. The main altar of the Goddess Ishtar of the 8-pointed star, Lady of 15, shows a 'Mirror of Hathor', which reflects the soul's dreams. Ishtar is painted on the surface and Her Lover, Tammuz, Shepherd of the Starry Flocks is shown above the mystic mirror. The Goddess Tiamat of Space is painted with outspread wings on the altar frontal."

(© From the book "Psyche" by Olivia Robertson; Quote from the Enuma Elish, trans. L.W. King; Temple art by Olivia; altar photo by Minette Quick Foundation Center; audio by the FOI Homepage Archive; all copyrights reserved)

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Happy Sun in Cancer and Solstice!

Blessings of the Solstice and the Sun entering the sign of Cancer! Olivia Robertson wrote in "Sophia, Cosmic Consciousness of the Goddess": 

"Cancer was held by the Sages to be the House of the Moon, as the Moon was believed to have been in Cancer at the Creation. It was respected as Horoscope of the World, as the sign nearest the Zenith. The learned Berossos declared that our earth shall be submerged when all planets are grouped in Cancer. The Chaldean Magi and the Platonists taught their disciples that souls descend from Heaven into human bodies through Cancer, the Gate of Humanity. There is a deep meaning concealed in the very sign of Cancer, two curved '6' forms embracing each other - resembling the Eastern Yin-Yang symbol of positive and negative energies moving in contrary cyclic paths of the Serpent. Holding Cancer aloft in the sky is the Seven Headed Monster Hydra, sacred to the Chaldean Dragon Goddess of Creation, Tiamat."


(Shrine of Cancer, FOI Foundation Center photo copyright M.E.K.)

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Sun in Aquarius

Happy Sun in Aquarius and Full Moon (in Leo)!  The photo shows the Shrine of Aquarius, dedicated to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu No Kami, located in the Sanctuary of the Foundation Center Temple.  Listen to Olivia Robertson during a past FOI ritual, as she describes the stellar mystery of Aquarius:

Audio: Mystery of Aquarius

(mp3 / 1:50 min / 430 kb)

Audio transcript:
"Contemplate the 2 wavy "W's" of Aquarius and we see that they resonate against each other, in a sort of polarity - two forces.  Now, listen to the Priestess and we'll go dreamy: "we see a winged Goddess holding a mighty urn, from which pours a stream of life forms of which we can discern fishes, animals, plants, rocks, elementals, humans.  A laughing God behind the Goddess draws power upon them with his trident. Look at this - imagine the most beautiful Goddess you can imagine with mighty wings and she has this urn, and imagine all life forms, even the oddest, you know - lizards, insects, fear viruses, crystals, giraffes, weird creatures from other planets.  We could go on looking at this stream of life forever.  All sorts of fabled creatures are here, which exist somewhere, or we wouldn't have thought of them.  Look.  And as we are, we see a God behind her drawing power, sharing it with her, with his trident.  And that trident also seems to have a meaning. The positive and negative forces are held together by the central spike, as it were.  And we gaze upon the stars of Aquarius, set in the Sea of Heaven.  Know that the ancients wanted us to see these visions, so they attached these visions to the constellations, that we may attain Stellar Consciousness."


Archival links:
Fellowship of Isis Audio Gallery
Foundation Center Temple Photo Gallery

(Photo © Minette Quick.)