Psyche, Magical Journeys of the Goddess
Fellowship of Isis Liturgy by Olivia Robertson
Part II. The Rays of Ishtar
Magical Journey to
Draco. Ray VII
Ritual no. 11
ORACLE OF THE GODDESS ANAHITA
Priestess: (Invocation) Descend upon earth, Holy Ardvi Sura Anahita, from Thy Divine Region of the Stars! Thy motherly waters encompass the Universe. Help us to purify our earth, seas and atmosphere.
Oracle: You call upon Me to help you change the destiny of your world. But your world is not the real earth. The true earth is perfect: what you experience around you is a fabric created by yourselves. However, Divine Intervention is required, because you are contaminating the very Sacred Elements which you use to form your world of illusion. You are poisoning Earth, Water and Air. You are misusing the Holy Element of Fire by burning to death millions of your fellow beings in your wars.
The purification of the Sacred Elements is a cosmic matter, and will be dealt with by the Deities. What you need to do is to save your own souls, in danger of being entrapped in the very nightmares that you have created. Already you have lost the ability to see the true earth. Only children and visionaries still enjoy its loveliness.
The first stage for you is to attain the Paradise of the Blessed. To enjoy this, you must choose goodness and reject evil. This requires discrimination. Hence you suffer. Yet it is through this choice, so cruelly presented to you, that you advance spiritually. So you gain the First Paradise. Here all is peaceful. Yet it is hard to progress in a realm where you only meet those who agree with you, and all not in attunement move elsewhere! Hence you need to incarnate many times in the earth world, until you learn to control its adverse conditions and so improve it. So you attain the Second Paradise.
The Second Paradise of the Magi brings creativity, crowned by the ability to form planets, schools for evolving souls. Yet the Magi know their own limitations. Hence they seek the Third Paradise. And so shall you!
This Third Paradise of the Illuminati resembles the First, as it is a realm of love. There is a difference. Whereas love in the astral sphere is between two lovers, or a company of friends, here Love is universal. Evil is transmuted into good, resolved into its own opposite. The Illuminati contain their own shadows: they comprehend the Darkness from which light manifests. Love and Truth are reconciled in Harmony.
Priestesses wear silver tiaras, blue robes and carry silver wands, priests, gold mitres, gold robes and bear white wands. Voyagers: women wear silver circlets and violet robes; men, gold headdresses and yellow robes. Omnes wear star pectorals. On violet draped altar are 7 lighted candles, a silver bowl of water with rose petals and incense vessel. Before altar is a brazier of burning charcoal or, if outside, a fire.
1st Priest: Fellow pilgrims on the quest for spiritual illumination, we are assembled to make a magical voyage to the Dragon of the North Pole, the Constellation Draco.
"With vast convolutions Draco holds
Th' ecliptic axis in his scaly folds.
O'er half the skies his neck enormous rears,
And with immense meanders parts the Bears."
So wrote Erasmus Darwin. We visualise the Draco as presenting a three-fold pilgrimage round the Mound of the Pole Star, Hulairya the Sacred. The winding tail of Draco leads to the four knots of its body, and so to the rearing head with its forked tongue, holding the Pole Star. The Babylonians acknowledged Draco as the Goddess Tiamat; the Assyrians, as Kin-Mut, and to the Persian Magi it was called Azhdeha. The constellation contains about two hundred and twenty suns. Seven thousand years ago Draco contained the earlier Pole Star, Thuban. Now it protects Polaris, which the Magi honour as Zurvan, Primal Source of Being, from which emanate the Opposites, Light and Darkness, Ahura Mazda and Anahita.
1st Priestess: (sprinkles water on altar) I offer water to the Goddess Anahita, the high, the powerful, the undefiled. Ardi Sura Anahita, Thou art the heavenly source from which all waters pour, both from the sea of space and from the sky. Thy fountains are upon the summit of the celestial mountain, Hulairya of the Stars, from which Thou didst descend. O Anahita, Goddess of the darkness of Space, Mother of Suns, bring us Love, Happiness and Peace.
1st Priest: (sprinkles incense on fire) I offer incense to Thee, the God Ahura Mazda of the Threefold Way. Thou dost accept all well-thought, well-spoken and well-done deeds. Grant that we may come to Luminous Space, highest of all that is. Thou givest us three blessings: knowledge of Asha the Universal Law; the Righteous Order and the established Domain of Welfare. Come to us, O God of Light, and bring us Wisdom.
2nd Priestess: (anoints each brow:) Receive the water of Anahita that you may receive vision for our pilgrimage.
2nd Priest: In order to reach the constellation of the Dragon Azhdeha, we need to Create Hvare Khshaeta, the Chariot of the Sun with Steeds. This shall carry us beyond time and space. Let us intone the Magical Name. (Omnes intone:) "Hvare Kshaeta".
2nd Priestess: To create the sun chariot in etheric matter, let us perform the Sacred Sun Dance of the Fire Spirits, the Yazatas!
Music. Stravinsky’s "Firebird", "Thus Spake Zarathustra", Strauss, or Iranian music is relevant. Dancers create a sphere of sunlight around them.
1st Voyager: Surely we need a Magus to instruct us!
3rd Priest: This is essential. Who may gain illumination without a Teacher? Behold! The God Atar appears before us! He is ten feet tail and bears the golden diadem and robes of a God. We are honoured by the presence of the God of Fire, son of Ahura Mazda. Atar brings comfort, wisdom and paradise to the Virtuous. Who better then to guide us to the Three Paradises?
3rd Priestess: Let us be seated in a circle within our transparent sphere of golden light. Atar raises his golden wand, and straight away the floor slips away from us! Our chariot rises rapidly above our temple and our country. In the etheric realm there is no pollution of earth's sacred elements. The aura of the benevolent Earth Goddess Spenta-Aramaiti is a pure pale blue. We reach black space *** we glide past Mah, the white moon and reach Muhr, the shining sun. We salute the sun, yet dart by and move northwards. ***
3rd Priest: Before us spread the constellations of Hukairya, the sacred star region. Here are the many-coloured suns of Leo Minor, Ursa Major, Hercules, Cepheus and Cassiopeia. *** Our sun chariot is now hanging motionless before a mighty Star Gate, white as the moon. It is guarded by an Amshaspend, An Angel with White Wings.
THE PARADISE OF GHAON
1st Priestess: Atar tells us that this is the Paradise of Ghaon, where every creature therein loves and is beloved! It is sown with roses; there birds with ruby plumage fly amidst graceful cypresses, at peace with long-furred purring cats. This Paradise is presided over by Mitra, the Sky Goddess, and Mithra, the Sun God. Here dwell Yim the Good Shepherd, sole human possessor of the Solar Eye, and his beloved Princess, Rudabeh. Their son, Rustern the hero, enjoys the love of his lady, Ludmilla, and rides upon his noble horse, Raksha. In this Paradise no conflict is known, no hate, envy nor jealousy. Here scented breezes spread joy and peace.
2nd Voyager: Would that we might enter in!
3rd Priest: Atar says that to win admission we must unravel a mystery! The White Angel shows us a white Bull garlanded with roses. What does this mean?
Omnes meditate.
3rd Priestess: This symbolises the planet Venus in the constellation of Taurus. Violence of the hero is tempered by the compassion of the Princess. Honour can only be gained through Love.
3rd Priest: Atar declares that this answer is accepted. Let us leave our chariot and follow the glittering path of the Dragon's Tail, that coils round the Paradise of Ghaon.
Silence
Friends, let us return to our chariot filled with strength and love.
2nd Priest: Our sun-chariot is now flying towards the four knots that form the body of the Dragon. Behold, our sphere is filled with beautiful pale yellow light from Thuban, Tir-Anna, Life of Heaven! This binary star holds an enigma. The builders of the Great Pyramid saw to it that the star could be observed by day and night from the bottom central passage. It was also seen from similar points in five other pyramids. This is the guiding star of the Magi. Celestial music fills the air. Our chariot is now floating before a mighty gold gate guarded by an Amshaspend with golden wings.
PARADISE OF HAROGU
2nd Priestess: Atar informs us that we are before the Paradise of Harogu of the Splendid Palaces! This Domain of Wisdom is ruled by Oromasis and Vesta. Hear of the divine birth of Zoroaster the Wise, as recounted by the Initiate the Comte de Gabalis:
2nd Priest: "Zoroaster had the honour of being the son of the Salamander Oromasis and the Goddess Vesta of Light. Zoroaster lived for twelve hundred years, the sagest monarch in the world, and finally was transported to the Region of the Salamanders by his Father Oromasis. Vesta was the tutelary Genius of Rome. Her Sacred Fire, which She desired Her virgins to preserve with so much care, was in honour of the Salamander, her Lover. There sprang also from the chaste union of Oromasis and Vesta a daughter of rare beauty and wisdom, the divine Egeria, from whom Numa Pompilius received all the laws of Rome"
2nd Priestess: Harken to the prayer of Zoroaster to the God Ahura Mazda: "Teach me true words, Ahura Mazda, that I may increase Asha-Vahista, the Universal Law, with hymns of praise, rites, invocations, blessings and adoration, that the devout may abide in the luminous Space, in the beautiful Abodes. The Law Asha is the easy way to the Abodes of Bliss, where Ahura blesses Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds."
2nd Priest: Atar tells us that to be admitted to the Abode of Bliss, Harogu, we must solve an enigma.
2nd Priestess: The Golden Angel is showing us a Simurgh, a bird-like being with the head of a griffin, the ears of a dog, the feathers of a bird and the two legs of a lion. What does this symbolise?
Omnes meditate.
2nd Priest: This shows the planet Mercury in the Constellation of Leo. The Four Sacred Elements are represented as united in one Being. The griffin's head embodies the Fire of Creativity; the feathers, aerial flight of the spirit; the dog-ears, awareness, which is a quality of water's receptivity. The lion's legs show the strength of earth.
2nd Priestess: Atar says that the Gold Angel accepts this interpretation. Atar instructs us to enter the Paradise of Harogu, there to enter a Palace of Wisdom. Let us leave our chariot and follow the fourfold way of the Dragon's starry body. Here we shall find among the Magi our own true Teachers.
Silence
It is time to return from the Paradise of Harogu, with enlightened minds.
1st Priest: Atar raises his wand, and our sun-chariot flies ever More swiftly towards the head of the Dragon. Our destination is no less than Eltanin, a binary star. Our sphere is filled with its orange light. Eltanin was known as Taurt-Isis in the Temple of Denderah in Egypt. In the Temple of Luxor, dedicated to the Goddess Muth, it was designated Mutat. Seven Temples within the Temple of Muth-Amon at Karnak were oriented to Eltanin, which conveys its mystical connection with The Goddess.
THE PARADISE OF BASHDI
1st Priestess: Our sun-chariot is floating before a starry gate, and guarding it is an Amshaspend with silver wings. Atar tells us that we are before Bashdi, Paradise of Universal Harmony. Within are wide lands with a hundred ears and myriad eyes, lofty and everlasting. Presiding over it are Anahita and Ahura Mazda. Here all opposites are reconciled. Evil is transmuted by Truth and Love into goodness. Ormazd of Light and Ahriman of darkness here are One.
1st Priest: All life is One. Harken to the words of the Sufi saint and martyr, Rumi:
"I died from the mineral, and plant became;
Died from the plant and took a sentient frame;
Died from the beast, and donned a human dress;
When by my dying did I e’er grow less?
Another time from manhood I must die
To soar with angel pinions in the sky."
1st Priestess: The poet Mahmumud Shabistar had the same mystical experience of the cosmic Whole:
"Know that the world is a mirror, above and below;
In every atom are a hundred blazing suns.
If you cleave the heart of one drop of water,
A hundred pure oceans emerge from it.
In the wings of a gnat is the ocean of life;
In the pupil of an eye, a heaven."
1st Priest: Atar informs us that to be permitted to enter the Paradise of Bashdi, we must unveil a concealed Truth. The Silver Angel shows us a peacock with outspread tail, surrounded by a rainbow. What does this symbolise?
Omnes meditate.
1st Priestess: The eyes of the peacock's tail represent the myriad constellations of the sky, each individual, yet part of a glorious whole. The "S" rainbow is the Milky Way, all encompassing Harmony ... Atar says that this answer suffices and we may enter. Let us leave our chariot and follow the starry way to the Dragon's Eye, there to be in harmony with all that is.
Silence
We return to our chariot, filled with love and understanding. But where is our chariot? Where the stars? A mighty figure of darkness fills the sky. It is the Dragon of Space Herself, the Cosmic Anahita! Thus She appeared before the dawn of creation. She is veiled with six indigo coloured wings. Two cover Her face; two, Her body; and two, Her feet. From Her feet flow the waters of turbulent aethers, agitated by Her breath. As we gaze, from beneath Her Wings proceeds a golden sphere. Within it is a tiny golden child. The child grows in stature and He becomes as radiant as a thousand suns! He is the mighty God Ahura Mazda. On either side he bears plumed wings that reach the confines of Space. Anahita unfolds her six wings, and from Her, galaxies are born and fly forth. Our own Milky Way springs from Her feet.
1st Priest: The majestic Apparition shimmers and resolves itself into constellations and stars. We recognise the coils of Draco and our own tiny sun Chariot. And Atar, Son of Ahura Mazda, bids us to return to the chariot, bringing with us the task of cleansing the Sacred Elements of Earth. We are filled with awe, having beheld the glory of his Mother and Father. But he laughs and tells us that we are all born of Anahita and of Ahura Mazda! When we recognise universal kinship, we also shall be Illuminati . . . Let us return to our chariot.
1st Priestess: And our sun chariot leaves the Paradise of Harmony, the Dragon's Eye * * * and passes through the Paradise of Wisdom, Body of Draco * * * we reach the winding ladder of the Dragon's Tail, skirting Love's Paradise * * * we fly past our chariot's mighty parent, Muhr the sun * * * past Mah our moon, and we reach the earth of Spenta-Aramaiti, resolved to help Her. And as we dart downwards into our Temple, a neighbour wishes on a shooting star!
2nd Priest: Atar instructs us to dissolve our etheric sun-chariot in reverse dance. We thank him and he blesses us, and vanishes.
The sun chariot is dissolved through dance. Meditation. Reports. Rays of harmony are sent forth to heal conflict. Thanks are given to Anahita and Ahura Mazda.
Sources: "The Zend-Avesta", trans. James Darmesteter, ed. Max Muller, Sacred Books of the East series, Motilal Banarsidass, Bungalow Road, Jawaharnagar, Delhi 7, India. "Comte de Gabalis", Montfaucon de Villars, 1670. "Sufi", Laneh Bakhtiar, Thames & Hudson. "New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology", Intro. Graves, Hamlyn.
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