Urania, Ceremonial Magic of the Goddess
Fellowship of Isis Liturgy by Olivia Robertson
Part II. Elemental Magic
Earth Magic of Transformation
Ritual no. 5
ORACLE OF THE GODDESS HERTHA
Priestess: (Invocation) Divine Mother Goddess Hertha, we sing Thy praise, we glorify Thy creation.
"From a cracked egg’s lower fragment,
Now the solid earth She fashioned.
From the cracked egg’s upper fragment,
Rose the lofty arch of Heaven.
From the yolk, the upper portion
Now became the sun’s bright lustre;
From the white, the upper portion
Rose the Moon that shines so brightly;
What so in the egg was mottled,
Now became the Stars in Heaven.
When the ninth year had passed over,
And the summer tenth was passing,
From the sea Her Head She lifted,
And Her Forehead She uplifted,
And She then began Creation,
And She brought the world to order,
On the open ocean’s surface,
On the far extending waters.
Whereso’ere Her hand She pointed,
There She formed the jutting headlands;
When towards the land She turned Her,
There the level shores extended."
Oracle: Whenever the longing heart turns to the Mother, there I take up My abode. I am the Hearth Fire, the Heart of Life, and the secure earth that is your home. And this My hearth is one, and yet manifest throughout the galaxies. Honour your home, the earth, not for its greatness, but for its littleness. For in this matrix is your protection.
Be as My children the animals, the birds and the plants. For they die not but live forever in My everlasting home. Their existence of birth and struggle and death are to them but dreams. Only humans believe they die. And through this delusion they suffer. Turn to My deeps and you will find My jewels. These many coloured gems are concealed in your own bodies. My rubies, Sapphires and Emeralds glow in your red Tree of Life: My veins of Gold and Silver flow in your blood: My Poles of Balance are fixed within your bones. Turn to your roots. Despise not touch nor smell nor taste. These bring you into communion with Me and with all My children. Know Me as the Earth Mother Who bringeth forth all things that breathe and move and have their being. My Body holds all the elements. So My children are of My substance. I am in them all. And I am Immortal.
Let there be a low, plain altar in the centre of a room or shrine. On this let there be incense and bread and wine. On the floor before the altar let there be a vessel of earth, a cup of water and a wooden staff. Let there be lighted candles by the walls, at the quarters of the compass. If out-of-doors, let there be a central fire and a stone altar, and four stones or trees marking the four quarters. The Rite may be enacted by one or two Practitioners. Here there are two Enchantresses, two Magicians a Bard and other Practitioners in the circle. These wear copper circlets on their heads, or orange headdresses, copper insignia, and orange, green and russet robes. Shrine or temple dedicated to the Earth Goddess. Each participant enters the room and kisses the earth in the vessel, kneeling, saying: “I honour the Earth my Mother.” And drinks from the cup of water.
1st Enchantress: Brothers and Sisters, let us build the House of the Mothers!
1st Magician: Let the Foundations be laid! 1st Magician picks up staff and marks out the circle with staff on the ground, from candle to candle, starting at the North and moving left to right.
2nd Magician: Let the four pillars uphold the roof.
The four Practitioners move to the four quarters. Then they move left to right between the candles.
2nd Enchantress: (East) Let the Goddess Gaea build the walls. “I will sing of Well-founded Gaea, Mother of All, Eldest of All Beings. She feeds all creatures that are in the world, all that go upon the goodly land, and all that are in the paths of the seas and all that fly; all these are fed from Her store. Through you, O Queen, men and women are blessed in their children and blessed in their harvests. Happy are they whom You delight to honour. They have all things abundantly. Their fruitful land is laden with corn, and their houses are filled with good things. Great riches and wealth follow them; their sons exult with ever-fresh delight, and their daughters in flower-laden bands play and dance merrily over the soft flowers of the field. Thus is it with those whom You honour, O Holy Goddess Gaea, Bountiful Spirit.” Hail, Mother of the Gods. Thy walls are a stronghold sure.
2nd Magician: (West) Let the God Pan open the windows. Muse, tell us of Pan, the dear Son of Hermes, with His goat’s feet and two horns, a lover of merry music. “Through wooded glades He wanders with dancing nymphs who foot it on some sheer cliff’s edge, calling upon Pan, the Shepherd God, long-haired, unkempt. He has every snowy crest and the mountain peaks and rocky crests for His domain. At evening He sounds His note, playing sweet and low on His pipe of reed; not even She could excel Him in melody - that Who in flower-laden Spring utters honey-voiced song amid the leaves. At that hour the clear-voiced nymphs are with Him and move with nimble feet, singing by some spring of dark water, while Echo wails about the mountain-top, and the God on this side or on that of choirs dances nimbly.” Hail Pan! Make us windows for freedom.
1st Magician: (South) Let the God Seb protect the door. Hymns of praise to Seb who hath the Secret Gates upon His brow! “May our hearts be with us when we enter the House of Hearts. May our hearts of love be with us in the House of Hearts and may we rest there. May the doors of the House be opened unto us; may Seb, Prince of the Gods, open wide the Gateway. Hail Seb, God of Earth.” Thy Secret Gates open upon the Upper World and upon the Lower World and by their side is the balance of Ra, wherein He lifted up Good and Truth, the Goddess Mayet, day by day.
1st Enchantress: (North) Let the Goddess Aset establish the Chair of Authority. “The Blood of Aset, and the Strength of Aset and the Words of Power of Aset shall be might to act as Powers to protect this House and all who dwell therein, and to guard them from that who would do them hurt. Aset cometh and hovereth over the house as She goeth about seeking the secret habitations of Horus as He emergeth from His papyrus swamps, and She raiseth up His Shoulder. He is made one with the company in the Divine Boat. His Mother the Mighty Goddess protecteth Him.” Lady, make us of the Company of the Divine Boat; protect us also, and overshadow the Hearth Stone.
1st Magician: Let us establish the Hearth Stone.
1st Enchantress and 1st Magician from North and South approach each other and with outstretched arms join hands, palm to palm over the altar. 2nd Enchantress and 2nd Magician do likewise, from East and West, so that an equal-armed cross over the altar is formed by their arms. Power is felt and orange light seen.
1st Enchantress: May the Earth Mother Nin-Ki of Chaldea hallow the Hearth Stone.
1st Magician: May the Earth Mother Yatai of Indo-China and Burma light the Fire.
2nd Enchantress: May the Earth Mother Prithivi of India hallow the Bread and Wine.
2nd Magician: May the Earth Mother Tellus of Rome bless the dwellers in the House.
The four practitioners release hands and return to the four quarters. They sit with the other participants in a circle. Participants may feel a warm glow in the solar plexus and in the spine. Deep warm colours may be seen, welling up from darkness as they close their eyes.
Bard: Hear the words of the Sage of Eire, Aeon: “While the child is still in its mother’s arms it is nourished by her, yet it does not know it is a mother which feeds it. It knows later in whose bosom it has lain. As the mother nourishes the body so the Mighty Mother nourishes the soil. Yet there are but few who pay reverence where reverence is due, and that is because this benign Deity is like a Mother who indulges the fancies of Her children. With some She imparts life to their own thoughts. Others She endows with the vision of Her Own Heart. Even of these last some love in silence being afraid to speak of the majesty which smiled on them.
But the day was to come when I could not deny the Mighty Mother the reverence due, when I was indeed to know by what being I had been nourished, and to be made sweet and made as a lover with the consciousness of Her Intermingling Spirit. So did I feel one warm summer lying idly on a hillside. Suddenly I felt a fiery heart and knew it was personal and intimate and with every sense dilated and intent, turning inwards, and I heard first a music as of bells going away into that wonderous underland wither the Danaan Gods withdrew; and then the heart of the hills was opened to me, and I knew there was no hill for those who were there, and they were unconscious of the ponderous mountain piled above the palaces of light. The wind was sparkling and diamond clear, yet full of colour as an opal, as they glittered through the valley. I knew the Golden Age was about me, and it was we who had been blind to it yet it had never passed away from the world.”
1st Enchantress: Brothers and Sisters, let us commune with the Mothers.
Contemplation
1st Enchantress: Let us send forth the Love and Wisdom of the Mother Goddess and the Earth Gods to all beings.
All hold out palms of hands to dispense power for good.
1st Enchantress: Let us give names of people and groups . . .
Bard: Creatures without feet know my love, and likewise those that have two feet, and those that have four feet I love, and those, too, that have many feet. Let creatures all, all things that live, all beings of whatever kind, see all that will bring them good. May all of happiness come to them.
All Participants: Peace to all beings.
2nd Enchantress: Brothers and Sisters, let us share the bounty of the earth.
Bread and wine are handed round by the two Enchantresses, and the bread is shared by any animals present, and some kept for birds.
1st Enchantress: Let us give thanks to the Goddesses and the Earth Gods for bounty and the Everlasting House.
All stand as the four officiants give thanks to the Mothers and to the Chthonic deities at the quarters.
Sources: "Rune 1", from "The Kalevala", W. F. Kirby, Dent & Sons, London. "Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica", trans. Evelyn-White, Heinemann Ltd., London, Loeb Classical Library. "Egyptian Magic", E. A. Wallis Budge, Dover. "The Candle of Vision", AE, (George William Russell), Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, Illinois. "Buddhist Benediction", from "Every Nation Kneeling", The Order of the Great Compassions of Hertha’s Chapel.
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