Nuit of the Milky Way,
Alchemical Journeys of the Questing Twins
Fellowship of Isis Liturgy by Olivia Robertson
Ritual 4. Realm of Cancer: The Enduring Crab
We Gain the Vision of the Shining One
THE TEMPLE OF ALCHEMY
Priestess/Priest Alchemist: (to Twin Apprentices) Your next ordeal is to face the Inner Mysteries of Eleusis and so gain the Vision of the Shining One. Receive the Oracle of the Goddess Persephone, honoured as The Kore.
ORACLE OF THE GODDESS KORE OF GREECE
Priestess: (Invocation) Holy and most pure Kore, embodiment of Truth and Justice, Compassion and Joy, bring to us Thy gifts of Love and Wisdom.
Oracle: Behold, rivers spring from the dark earth and flow into the sea, and the sun draws them into the sky as clouds; from hence they fall as rain and form new streams. In like manner do I manifest, in changing form appearing, but ever the same. Whenever evil predominates over good, I come among you, that free choice may be restored. During the age that is now departing, I taught withdrawal into monastery and nunnery, that the virtues of faith, chastity and humility should prevail with men drunk with violence and cruel tyranny. Enclosed within walls, penitents attempted to submit their obsessive passions to a spiritual goal. When many failed, religious persecution stained the age of faith, and women drew veils about themselves to protect their growing souls. From many men and women there came a spiritual harvest of lovely saints who grew as water-lilies in still lakes.
Now a new era is dawning and the humble must learn to rule, the gentle to defend the weak; women should stand forth and enact the Mother's Will. Lo, I am come! Hear My call. Defend our children, the animals. Protect our woods and waters. This lovely earth was entrusted to the human race to help all its creatures and plants in the evolution of life through its myriad forms. Instead, ignoring the Goddess of Nature, you have become tyrants over Her realm, destroying those you should care for. You are laying waste Her sacred earth. I am Her Daughter, My Mother and I are One. Some of you hear My voice in the silence. Many see My face. From Me you learn ideals that shall come to pass. You learn that you are kin with every being on this planet; for though you prevail with intellect and dexterity, every creature and thing has its individual spirit in the Divine World. And I am Sister to all.
So bring the eternal Sphere of reality into manifestation into this shadow world which reflects it. For alas, the image has become distorted. Unity of Heaven and Earth is attained not through duality, through opposing forces, but through wholeness. The Ideal expresses itself through Nature as we love, each and all and honour Truth.
Do not forget happiness and laughter, and even kindly tears! These show forth My Presence. I rejoice with children and young animals and birds. I am with you in music and poetry and the dance. Birdsong is Mine and the gentle falling of rain is My transparent veil. Look also above at the stars, for from thence I come in fullness.
Priestess/Priest Alchemist: We give thanks to the Kore, the Goddess Persephone, for Her Oracle.
Priestess/Priest Alchemist: (to Twin Apprentices) The Goddess Persephone is a Goddess of transformation. She began as the Kore, a young virgin picking flowers in Elysium. She descended into Hades and became its Queen, thus controlling that dark realm. She finally ascended into the celestial Olympus as a Goddess, thus fulfilling Her threefold destiny.
In this coming age we do not face the Deities prostrate in adoration, though this has brought us humility. Rather we back into the Divine Form, and become one with Divinity. You, as Apprentices, are asked to enter trance and experience the realm of the constellation Cancer, ruled by the moon. We will accompany your trance. You, Elaine, when you have succeeded in attaining trance state, will report on your experience.
Music. Trance Journey.
Elaine: Once more I enter the Temple of the Zodiac. I face the portals of the Sun Sign of Cancer. Above is a painting of a valiant figure with upheld arms rising above a mighty ocean wave! I pass through the gateway. I find myself by a very different sea, calm and translucent, with hardly a wave curling upon white sand composed of crystal. I love the sea! I lie beside it and find myself sinking into a blissful sleep.
I am roughly awakened by an approaching storm. I jump up - but it is too late. A giant wave engulfs me. I am a strong swimmer - but I have lost my foothold. Weeds entangle my ankles. A sudden incoming tide that I had not noticed is advancing behind a menacing rock. The tide rushes towards the shore, bearing shards of wood and broken pottery and torn sailcloth. I am being irresistibly drawn out to sea. This is no tranquil inland sea, but a boundless ocean. There is no land in sight.
But what is more terrible than my fear of death by drowning are the surges of violent emotion overwhelming me. All the frustration, anger, hatred of my past life comes through me . . . Jealousies, fears, wrong-doing envelops me. And it is too late to make recompense to those I have injured. And as I feel this, I am dragged down into submarine caves joined by tortuous tunnels and inhabited by weird fish and other creatures - crabs with pincers - and electric eels swim by me - and I hug my knees to protect myself.
But now regret for all I have lost comes upon me and I see the faces of those I love - and a courageous dog I loved as a child is trying to rescue me! Yet he died fifteen years ago! And I call upon the Goddess of the ocean, Whose terrible children these sea creatures are, in their home in Her black deeps.
As I call for help, I feel a hand in mine. I expect a beautiful sea Goddess with waving hair! Instead, it is a little old man with no hair at all to whom I used to give my pocket money when he begged at the corner of our street. He had been blind - but now he can see better than myself and is a stronger swimmer. He pulls me up from the caves and through the miles of black, bitter water. And the sea becomes deep blue, and emerald green and pale azure blue - and suddenly it shines with golden sunlight!
Oh! Unbelievable! The old man has transformed into a laughing, luminous Sea God with wild hair floating like weeds on the surface of the water. I strain to hear His voice. But He is not speaking in words. His message comes as the murmuring in a conch shell. Suddenly I understand. I am seeing the Vision of the Shining One again, because as a child, I saw it in an old blind man. * * * I am floating back to consciousness in our Temple. I feel happy and peaceful. There is no need to search for what you already possess.
The Company agree that Elaine has passed the Test of the Realm of Cancer. Reports are shared. If divine awareness is deemed successful, the Apprentice gains the degree. Rays of Tranquillity are sent forth to all. Thanks are given to the Deities.
End of Rite.
Note: When working with the rituals in "Nuit of the Milky Way", a Priestess/Priest Alchemist has the following choices. They may:
(1) use the rites presented in the book, or,
(2) create their own rites based on the Oracles presented in the book.
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