Ishtar of the Starry Heavens
Shape-Shifting of the Alchemical Twins
Fellowship of Isis Liturgy by Olivia Robertson
The Cobra Rises
Ritual No. 4
To Live without Fire is to Starve amidst Plenty
The Octagonal Temple of Alchemy
Priest Alchemist: (To Twin Apprentices Aiden and Elaine) To unite with your Spirit’s Fire you need to invoke the Goddess Kundalini.
Priestess Alchemist: I invoke the Goddess of Cosmic Fire, Kundalini, whose Consort is the God Siva, Creator, Preserver, Destroyer.
ORACLE OF THE GODDESS KUNDALINI
Oracle: Life is fire burning with an individual flame within all that is. It resembles those thousands of tiny candles sent forth on water during the Hindu New Year, over which I particularly preside. My dear friends, you overwork! I observe you with sympathy struggling through arduous courses and practices in order to fulfil some idealised spiritual objective.
But end-seeking will never give you the goal you seek! It is trying to become, rather than being. You read of my inner fire, and you stimulate the holy lotuses within your body. But outside stimulus only gives light for a brief period. It dies down, leaving you feeling worthless. Many of you resort to substances artificially to awaken your life force. To no avail. You only burn the oil – not the wick! There are too many tragic suicides, not from among those who starve in poor countries but in countries over indulged with worldly goods.
Heed my words! Within yourself is the sacred flame and only you can free it from impurities. Around you is all you require to awaken the Serpent which is Mine – and yours. The trees whisper to you – if you would only listen! The flowing waters would cleanse you from self-hatred, fear and anger. Your humble hearth-fire is the cosmos flame, which is shining in one candle-light – and in mighty stars.
Know the secret of My Serpent. It emerges from the primaeval darkness, which is the womb of Mahadevi, the Cosmic Mother. Accept then with joy the rhythms of life, its darkness and its brightness, and you will become one with the Life Flow of the Universe.
Priestess Alchemist: We give thanks to the Goddess Kundalini for Her Oracle.
Priest Alchemist: (To Aiden) Aiden, to awaken the divine spark dormant in all that is, - awake in the deathless Deities – you need to face the ordeal of the constellation of Serpens, the Hermetic snake of the great Healer, Asclepius, and the Cobra of Kundalini. When you enter trance, you will report to us, who will come with you but not aid you.
Trance Journey
Aiden: At last I may penetrate the mysteries of India! I have longed to sit at the feet of a Guru, who will conduct me to Self Realization. I make my way hopefully along the winding path to the Star Temple. I enter, and make my devotions to the Central Flame that shines within a deep dark well. I often feel devoid of vitality, and would find its source. So I make my way to the portals of Serpens in the South-East. It is formed by two gleaming snakes with brilliant coloured scales. I have always preferred dragons, because they have legs and wings. But then I observe that these serpents have translucent draconian wings and legs. Oh! They have brilliant green eyes with heavy lids and they are looking at me. Usually I hesitate before going through these doors – but now I rush through hastily, avoiding the reptilian eyes ***
I find myself – not in a Golden Hindu temple – but in a dense jungle! I am accompanying a group of soldiers who are hacking their way through undergrowth. Their – or rather our aim – is to discover a ruined lost temple, that is reputed to contain vast treasures. I creep behind them.
I am a newcomer here. This does comfort me, because these soldiers – I don’t know their race because they are covered in mud – show little mercy when they encounter others on the quest. Already they have slaughtered many.
I am horrified; this is not my hoped for session with a Swami uttering profundities from the Vedas *** These men have wiped out whole families in small villages, because they do not want their presence to be discovered by the outside world. And yet this is a paradise filled with beautiful rare creatures – even the tigers seem harmless, not used to humans.
At last we arrive at a ruined temple, with its pillars entwined with creeping plants like coiling snakes. The men begin fighting among themselves as to who should be first to climb the broken steps. Then they are interrupted! A dignified old woman appears, in the orange robe of a Priestess, plants wreathed round her silver hair. She holds forth a staff and forbids the soldiers to enter.
To my disgust, the men rush upon her with their weapons ready to rape or murder her.
Suddenly an astonishing thing happens to me. I am struck by lightning. An unknown force transports me before the Priestess, that I may protect her. I have no weapons, unlike the others. Yet I am fearless, as, filled with formidable power, I strike them.
To my astonishment, the solders scream in terror. Some fall to the ground, the others flee. I turn to the Priestess, expecting her thanks. But instead she hides behind my back.
“It is not that I am ungrateful,” she tells me. “But it is wise to stand behind a King Cobra!”
I realise that is what I am! With the shock, I precipitate back to my own body. I have received my lesson.
End of Trance Journey
The company give thanks to the Goddess Kundalini. They agree that Aiden has acted as the consort of Kundalini, the God Siva in His cobra form. Rays of Vitality are sent forth to all who need them. Aiden shares the Serpent Power still coursing through his body with the company, for healing.
End of Rite
Sources: “The Serpent Power”, Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), Vol. I & II, Second Revised Edition, Ganesh & Co. Madras, India, 1924. “Indian Mythology”, Veronica Ions, Paul Hamlyn Publishing, Ltd., London, 1967. “Goddesses of India, Tibet, China & Japan”, Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, Cesara Press, Clonegal Castle, Ireland, 1976. “Prophets of The New India: Twenty Social Workers Who Transformed the Lives of Thousands of People”, Penguin Enterprises, Penguin Books, New Delhi, India, 2004 (A collection of accounts of the life work of twenty men and women featured as Man or Woman of the Year in India from 1982 - 2002). “The Life of Ramakrishna (A Study of Mysticism and Action in Living India), Vol. I.”, Romain Rolland, translated by E. F. Malcolm-Smith, Advaita Ashrama, Almora India, 1970 (reprint of original 1920 edition, translated from French). Reference work on the Goddess Kali, no author or publisher given.
Note 1: Aesculapius is the Latin form of the name Asclepius. Asclepius was a demigod of medicine and healing in Greek mythology. The members of Project O.S.I.R.I.S. elected to use the Greek variation in the ritual above, for this reason. The original Hippocratic Oath began with the invocation: “I swear by Apollo the Physician and by Asclepius and by Hygieia and Panacea and by all the gods ...” Scholars have concluded that this oath may not have been written by Hippocrates, see “Greek Hero Cults and Ideas of Immortality”, written by L. R. Farnell, see Chapter 10, "The Cult of Asklepios", p.269.
Note 2: Used in all rites of “Ishtar of the Starry Heavens, Shape-Shifting of the Alchemical Twins” - “Star Names, Their Lore and Meaning” by Richard Hinckley Allen, first published G. S. Stechert, 1899, republished by Dover Publications, New York, 1963. The Mr. Jorkens series by Lord Dunsany (“The Travel Tales of Mr. Joseph Jorkens,” (1931), “Mr. Jorkens Remembers Africa,” (1934), “Jorkens Has a Large Whiskey,” (1940), “The Fourth Book of Jorkens,” (1947), “Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey,” (1954), “The Last Book of Jorkens,” prepared for publication in 1957, finally published in 2002)
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