Psyche, Magical Journeys of the Goddess
Fellowship of Isis Liturgy by Olivia Robertson
Part II. The Rays of Ishtar
Magical Journey to
The Winged Pegasus. Ray I
Ritual no. 8
ORACLE OF THE GODDESS CLEITO
Priestess: (Invocation) Most Ancient One, Goddess of the Deeps, whose serpent-rayed hair of power stretcheth forth through the constellations, Whose fish's tail enfolds our galaxy, bring us Thy power to create joy and harmony on our earth.
Oracle: The power of creation is within all creatures, who form their own life patterns in the shadow realm of earth. What you imagine now, you create in the future. A sleeping dog dreams of future prey and in the morning goes forth to hunt! So your very lives show forth the texture of your dreams. What appears impossible may become actual if you learn the magical arts. These arts are drawn from Divine Essence. Each creature, every plant, every atom holds within itself its own transcendent evolution. Within the seed of a fruit lies the Tree of Life.
You distrust legends from the past that do not appear to be what you call "real." Yet these dreams formed your present. The myths that lie at the base of all cultures and religions spring from the spheres of the goodness and beauty of the Deities. But when in passing time the myths become distorted and evil, there befalls the degeneration of a whole civilization, even that of a planet. Take heed! If you continually in your mind dwell on evil, even with the praiseworthy intention of destroying it, you will perpetuate the very evil you wish to dissipate. Think of anything, and lo, it is there!
The magical art, whether expressed through sculpture, architecture, painting or music, is the effective invocation of Divinity which transforms the soul. A noble building holds within itself the divine proportion of the cosmos; a piece of sculpture is animated by the Deity it represents: a painting becomes a part of Heaven, and those who appreciate it may enter therein. A Chinese artist painted a beautiful mountain landscape and, when it was perfect, invited his friends to admire it! Then he bowed and bade them farewell and walked into the picture until he disappeared from their sight.
You do not need to be a genius to re-create your world. Through invoking the Deities you may do so at any time, in any place, through use of your creative imagination. And when you learn to do so successfully, your whole house, neighbourhood, country, all nature around you will be illuminated by transcendental beauty. You will have created the land of Heart's Desire upon earth.
Priestesses wear silver star headdresses, white and sea-green robes and carry silver wands. Priests, silver and sea-green headdresses, white and sea-green robes and carry white staffs. Women Voyagers wear silver circlets and sea-green robes; men, sea-green headdresses and robes. Altar is draped in sea-green and indigo and on it are 4 lighted candles, a silver vessel of water, burning incense and a picture of a winged white horse.
1st Priest: Fellow voyagers, behold this depiction of a Winged White Horse! We desire to make a magical voyage to the realm of Divine Animals, the Constellation of Pegasus. This steed was born of the serpent-haired Gorgon Medusa and the Sea God, Poseidon of Atlantis. Pegasus rose from his Mother's Body into the starry sky. There he befriended Bellerophon and helped that hero to pass various ordeals.
1st Priestess: We ourselves need to deal with the fabulous beast, the Chimaera. The creature that Bellerophon had to face had a goat's head, forequarters of a lion and the hindpart of a dragon. We smile! But each of us has a nightmare to face, and only by discovering the hidden depths of Atlantis within ourselves may we gain the power of creation. (she offers incense) I offer incense to Thee, the Goddess, Cleito, Who with Thy hair of serpents and Thy fish's tail ruleth over the creatures of deep space. Bring us to know that which lies hidden within ourselves! But do so with compassion, for otherwise to face the unveiled Truth turns the unwary to stone.
1st Priest: I offer incense to Thee, Poseidon, God of Atlantis, Who with Cleito doth travel throughout Time and Space in a golden chariot drawn by four white horses.
2nd Priest: The Deities of the Tuathe De Danann of Eire and of South America descended upon earth from Atlantis of the Stars. The sea God Manannan, Son of the God Lir of infinite Space, travels through the galaxy in His mighty Star Wheel, called the Roarer. Let us invoke His help and that of His Daughter, Mari of the Mists, that we may travel in his magical Wheel!
2nd Priestess: (anoints each brow saying) Receive this Holy Water that you may create through your inner eye!
Music. DeBussy’s "La Mer" and Vaughan William’s "Antarctica" are relevant.
3rd Priestess: Let us create the crystal Hub of the Wheel to be our carriage. May Mari help us! (She creates hub with her wand in centre of temple and all help her through dance.)
3rd Priest: Let there be eight spokes to Manannan's Wheel! In the North I call upon the eight-legged Horse Sleipnir of the Norse God Odin! Let there be two spokes.
2nd Priestess: In the East I call upon the White Horse of Kalki, Avatar of India. May we be given two spokes.
2nd Priestess: In the South I call upon the White Horse of Rhiannon of Wales to grant us two spokes.
2nd Priest: In the West I call upon the White Faery Horse, the Pouka, of Ireland. Let there be two spokes.
Spokes are created from the 4 quarters with wand and staff and dance.
2nd Priest: May the God Manannan grant us a rim for our Wheel, set about with rainbow lights! (He creates rim and all dance, daisil.)
2nd Priestess: That our Wheel may spin through the universe we need Power! I call upon the swift runner, the Princess Atalanta, that She will grant us Her Golden Apples of the Sun to empower our Wheel. (She draws in energy with her wand and all create Dance of the Golden Apples.)
1st Priest: Let us enter our crystal Hub! (All sit within the visualised hub.)
1st Voyager: To journey to Pegasus, we surely need a Guide.
3rd Priest: So shall it be. And who better than Bellerophon himself! Lo, he enters by a doorway he has created. He gives a signal. The spokes are beginning to rotate. The rainbow coloured lights on the rim begin to flow into each other and become white light. Our Wheel rises majestically through our Temple and high into the sky! We see our earth roll away behind us. But what is this terrible sound? There are mighty peals of thunder . . . We know why our Wheel is called the Roarer - it has broken the time barrier! We are in deep space . . . All is tranquil. The sound of thundering waves gives place to gentle harp music.
MAGONIA
3rd Priest: O heavenly peace. We have entered the Astral Realm of the Sylphs, Nymphs and Sirens. The beautiful Haven is presided over by Atalanta and Atlas. He is the benign Giant Who carries the weight of Atlantis upon his shoulders. As our Wheel hangs before the golden gates of Magonia, hear of the sorrowful fate of earthly men who were once brought here by the Sylphs. "The famous Cabalist Zedechias, in the reign of King Pepin of France, took it into his head to convince the world that the air was inhabited by Elemental Peoples. So he advised the Sylphs, whom of course he knew, that they should show themselves in the air to everybody. And this they did sumptuously! The Sylphs were seen in the air in human form, sometimes in wonderfully constructed aerial ships, whose flying squadrons roved at the will of the Zephyrs." Ah, but was this attempt successful?
3rd Priestess: Alas, no. "The folk on earth straightway believed that sorcerers had taken possession of the air. The learned theologians and the jurists and the Emperor Charlemagne himself were of the same opinion. The Sylphs, determined to dissipate the bad opinion people had of their innocent flight, carried off some men of earth in their ships, and brought them to their Republic. There they showed their visitors their own beautiful women and their manner of government. Then the Sylphs set them down again upon earth in diverse parts of the world."
3rd Priest: "Alas. When the earth people saw these men descending from the aerial ships, they were more than ever convinced that they were sorcerers, bent on poisoning the crops. Carried away by frenzy which such fancies inspired in them, they hurried off these innocent men to torture. The great number of those put to death by fire and water throughout France was incredible." But be not downcast: These human friends of the sylphs only left their shadow bodies dead on earth: in their astral bodies they reaped their reward in Magonia. There all their sufferings were forgotten in scenes of happiness and peace.
3rd Priestess: Bellerophon beckons to us! Let us disembark and gaze upon Magonia! Behold the Sea of Heaven. In the depths of its ocean swim the fishes of Pisces Australis, and the lovely Hebe and Ganymede of Aquarius draw water from the River of Heaven, Eridanus. Cetus the Whale welcomes those whales slaughtered upon earth, now free to roam infinite oceans! The mystical fish of Pisces are lost in contemplation as they glide through green oceans. Arion sports with his friend the dolphin of Delphinus. Nearby the little white horses of Manannan, the Pegassids, gallop as meteors over the green pastured islands of the horse Equuleus. Look! balanced precariously on pointed coral rocks stand the wild sea goats of Capricornus. And, glorious in his strength, starry Pegasus rises out of foaming breakers, water dripping as meteors from his silver mane. His mighty outstretched wings lift him high into the heavens to join the Eagle and the Swan, and lovely Princess Andromeda in the arms of her lover, Perseus. Let us in our astral bodies join them, and find joy in our freedom to swim and fly!
Silence
3rd Priestess: Friends, we return from Magonia, filled with new-found freedom and happiness. We enter our Hub and Bellerophon shuts the door. The spokes of the wheel whirl around us . . . We now hear a new sound. There is a choir of deep voices intoning a mystical chant and in reply we hear the golden sound of women's voices. We are approaching the spiritual Realm of the constellation of Pegasus, presided over by The goddess Dana and the God Manannan.
HY BRASIL
2nd Priest: We face the Great Square of Pegasus, the four Star Cities from whence the Danaans descended upon earth. The First Sun is the beautiful and auspicious Bhadra-pada, which is Gorias of the Sword of Light. This is the city of Galactic Power. The second sun, Uttara, "After", is Finias, which guards the Spear of Destiny. Here are kept the scrolls of Prophecies of the Future of the Galaxy. The third Sun is Purva, "Before", which is Murias of the Cauldron of Plenty. The crystals that hold the past records of the Galaxy are guarded here. The Fourth Sun is Scheat of Failias, and here is the Galactic Stone of Destiny. And beyond the Square of Pegasus is Al Janah, the Wing, and this is the Fifth Sun and it is a Mystery.
2nd Priestess: As our Wheel hangs before the Land of Heart's Desire, harken to the words of the Bard of Eire on Hy Brasil:
"When sleep is dreamless the gold-gleaming genius
Awakens laughing, immortal, so they say,
Making music, chariot, dance and song,
Cities and palaces and lamps in Heaven,
And meadows for the dancing feet, and lakes,
Gaudy with light, and flaring forest glades
Where wind bewildered, the mad sun-fire reels,
And rainbow-tinted the lovely dryads whirl
In carnival, a lustrous mirage for ever
Glowing and changing at the Heart's Desire."
Bellerophon bids us leave our Wheel. In this sphere we join the Deities in creating images of beauty animated by heavenly light. All works of genius emanate from this source of spiritual Love and light. It is here that dreams of the Heart are animated for humans and beasts and all living creatures. Let us enter and fulfil our inner longings.
Silence
My friends, we return from Hy Brasil with love in -our hearts and the ability to express it through the Arts of Creation.
THE FOURTH SUN
1st Priestess: Our Wheel spins more swiftly as it flies towards the golden star, Scheat, the greatest luminary of Pegasus. This is the Divine Sphere of the Fourth Sun. Seated upon the Stone of Destiny is the Ruler, the Goddess Coatlicue, Mother of the Sun. Reigning with Her are Her children, the twins Quetzal-coatl and His sister, Quetzal-petlatl.
"Quetzal-coatl and His sister shine like the sun.
Their Mother Coatlicue lives in the House of dawn,
Many-coloured as the Quetzal Bird of Maya.
On earth even in the market place we came,
Say Quetzal-coatl and Quetzal-petlatl.
Be ye happy under a flower-bush,
Many coloured like our quetzal bird.
Listen to the Quetzal bird singing to the Deities.
Listen to its flute by the river in the House of Reeds."
1st Priestess: The dwellers in this realm of Beauty and Truth are adorned with headdresses of flower blossoms, and they wander in profound meditation amongst violets and heliotrope, jasmine, wild lily and rosemary bushes. The air is filled with fragrance. Here Quetzal-coatl plays with his dog, Xolotl, and with his tiger and ocelot. The Knights of the Tiger stand about Him, Who is the Divine, the Compassionate. And star-robed Coatlicue bends to learn wisdom from Her jewelled serpents, that glide in coils around the trunks of orange-trees, Hidden in a deep rain forest, Quetzal-petlatl carves enigmatic mathematical formulae on jade stele. Let us enter the Sphere of the Fourth Sun, guided by Bellerophon.
Silence
1st Priest: Before we return to our Wheel, let us gaze upon this scene, treasuring its goodness and wisdom. But stay - what is this mighty stone altar that rises before us, blotting out the sky? This is the Stone of Destiny of Failias, carved with jaguars and condors. As we watch we see that the stars of Pegasus and the Sea of Heaven coil into a mighty white spiral which rises through the Stone and whirls high above it. We see unfolding before us the Plumed Serpent! Its coils sparkle with myriad coloured suns, and its plumes reach forth like wings throughout the galaxy. As we gaze with awe, we realise that this Plumed Serpent of Cleito-Coatlicue is the Power of life within ourselves. We feel its spiralling power move through our divine bodies, and our inner centres glow as golden apples of the sun. There is stillness. * * * Now the Serpent is becoming misty and diffuses itself through the galaxy as smaller serpents, swirling eddies of power * * * and these become constellations. We recognise the Sea of Heaven. Bellerophon advises us to turn our back on the stars and enter our Wheel, if we wish to bring the treasures within us to earth. We choose to come back to our Hub, and Bellerophon signals for our departure. We shall use our newly found Wings of Light to help animals and all creatures during their shadow lives on earth. We have seen their Spirits in glory in the Heavens.
1st Priestess: Manannan's wheel spins us from the Sphere of the Fourth Sun through Hy Brasil * * * and from thence to Magonia. * * * There is a mighty roaring of thunders and we break the time barrier * * * we have entered our solar system and we reach our earth * * * our Wheel sinks through the ceiling and settles like a rainbow upon the Temple floor. Bellerophon bids us farewell, and we thank him for his guidance. Let us now dissolve Manannan's wheel with Wand and Staff and Dance in reverse order to its creation in the Aether.
Manannan’s wheel is dissolved in reverse order. Reports are shared and rays of joy, peace, love and beauty are sent forth to all, especially to mammals, birds and fishes. Thanks are given to Cleito and Poseidon, Atlanta and Atlas, Dana and Manannan, Coatlicue and the Quetzal Twins. Water is drunk to ensure return from trance.
Sources: "Timmaeus", "Critias", Plato, Everyman. "Labor Gabala Erenn", Part IV, trans. Macalister, Irish Texts Society, Dublin. "Comte de Gabalis", de Montfaucon de Villars, 1670. "Song and Its Fountains", AE, MacMillan. "World Mythology", Larousse, Hamlyn.
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