Opening of the Ways to the Goddess Isis

Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

There will be another post in the current series tomorrow…I’m publishing this ritual from Isis Magic so it’s easy to access for some of us who will be Offering to Isis for the local Fall EQ Festival.

unnamed

About the Rite: This is the all-purpose opening ritual of the House of Isis. It can serve as a beginning of almost any other rite or it can be an entire working by itself. It is an excellent opening for personal work or communion with Isis.

Temple Arrangement & Ritual Tools: Nothing special needed.

ENTERING

Enter the temple, face East, and give the Sign of the Wings Of Isis.

Ritualist: I am a Beloved of Isis. I am a Child of the Goddess. (Repeating until you feel it to be true.)

PURIFICATION & CONSECRATION

Perform any type of purification and consecration that works for you. When this is complete…

View original post 705 more words

Leo New Moon Lion’s Gate 8/8

Tara Greene www.taratarot.com's avatarTara Greene,Tarot,Astrology,Psychic

Sirius the brightest star is Goddess ISIS/Sothis/Demeter/Ceres Great Mother rises with the SUn at 8:8 "Lions Gate"
Sirius Isis in Egyptian and Greek imagery
Alice-astro, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The annual 8:8 Lions Gate, when the Sun and Sirius rise together for the first time called Heliacal rising coincides with a NEW MOON in LEO. The 5 days before this event which signified the rising of the Nile to the Ancient Egyptians were also important as these 5 days balanced out their calendars. Sirius is at 12 degrees Cancer conjunct the U.S. SUN. on July 4. The actual rising of the Sun and Sirius in 2021 is August 13/14.

The Lion’s Gate, the Stargate is set to open with the annual rise of Sirius between July 26-August 12th with August 8th being most potent. The Heliacal rising of Sirius, the brightest-20 times brighter than the Sun and very beautiful color-changing star in the sky is considered to be very important as…

View original post 715 more words

Today’s Meditation …

No photo description available.

“Why do you chase the darkness when the light is available to you? … Wisdom calls you and yet you wish for foolishness … A foolish man … goes on the path of the desire of every passion … it is like a ship that the wind blows from one side to the other, and like a horse that has no rider … before anything else … know yourself.”

– The Teachings of Silvanos, Nag Hammadi Papayri

Serving Isis: the art of ritual

Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

The Art of Ritual

I believe that the ministrant of Isis should develop some facility with ritual. Of course, this is more important for those of us who are involved in ceremony with other people, less important if we work solitary. But even for solitaries, having some ritual skill benefits our spiritual work by making it more graceful. This, in turn, enables us to be less self-conscious and better able to focus on developing our relationship with Isis.

Ritual is how we human beings do religion. Throughout the world—almost without exception—the practice of religion involves the practice of ritual. Even quiet, private prayer or meditation is normally ritualized in some way. Whether by folding our hands, sitting in a yoga asana, counting a rosary, or simply lighting a candle, some sort of ritual pattern is usually incorporated in spiritual activity.

The Christian ritual of the eucharist

Ritual is a communicative…

View original post 1,052 more words

Herbalogy | Rare occult herbs: Dittany of Crete

Dittany of Crete is a Mediterranean herb closely related to Marjoram and Oregano. But Dittany is not the kind of green stuff you put on roast chicken. Oh no. Its reputation as a magickal ingredient has far outgrown the stature of this unassuming little pot herb. Dittany (the name probably comes from Dicte, the mountain …

Source: Rare occult herbs: Dittany of Crete

Mars in Virgo, harvest time

Tara Greene www.taratarot.com's avatarTara Greene,Tarot,Astrology,Psychic

July 29- September 14 Mars leaves Leo the “It’s all about me” fire sign and enters earthy, humble hard-working Virgo for about 6 weeks weeks of spontaneous fire powered testosterone energy which transforms into being a humble servant of the earth. Mars defends and likes to be heroic. Here he is serving the earth and harvesting her bounty.

“There’s more to being a warrior than killing. A true warrior — the best warrior — isn’t cruel or mean. He doesn’t claw an enemy who can’t fight back. Where’s the honor in that?” ― Erin Hunter, Forest of Secrets


Mars in Harvest oriented, grounded, practical, intelligent, organized, critical, workaholic, perfectionist, health-conscious, humble, worriers in Virgo will heat up your sensitive upper digestion and all the above Virgo oriented things.

Martial energies are passionate, and driven and in perfectionist Virgo its a great time to focus andhone in…

View original post 729 more words

Serving Isis: a responsibility to know and to experience

Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

 The Temple of Philae; photo by Ivan Marcialis from Quartucciu, Italy and used under Wiki Creative Commons usage guidelines
The Temple of Isis, a temple of learning; photo by Ivan Marcialis, Quartucciu, Italy; used under Wiki Creative Commons usage guidelines

There is a saying in the western esoteric initiatory tradition that seems particularly apt for the ministrant of Isis:  “I desire to know in order that I may serve.” In means that we are not entering into our service simply because we’re greedy for secrets or status. It means that we seek knowledge so that we can better serve the Goddess, our communities, and our world.

Since ministerial service is essentially about giving, improving our own knowledge base and experience also means we will have something valuable to give.

Knowledge

Of course, those who serve the Goddess have always been expected to have some special knowledge, for example, knowing how to properly conduct the rites required to create and maintain a relationship with Isis. But this devotion to learning…

View original post 1,111 more words

1=10 | Tarot Contemplation, Part 2: Minor Arcana

Wands – Work, sex and life purpose prompts:

Ace of Wands – When were you last really horny and what triggered it. Don’t be shy this is an ideal exercise for shedding any inhibitions.

2 of Wands – Describe the most irritating colleague you have ever had the displeasure of working with.

3 of Wands – Write about the last time someone flirted shamelessly with you (or your ideal flirting scenario).

4 of Wands – What sort of bed would you prefer to make love in? Have you ever made love in a really noisy/creaky bed? What happened?

5 of Wands – Talk about the last time you were forced to resist a temptation due to outside influences or the environment.

6 of Wands – Describe a time when you got promoted or recognised for an achievement at work/school.

7 of Wands – When was the last time you felt that you had to defend yourself?

8 of Wands – Write about the last time your received surprising/shocking news regarding someone’s sexual conduct.

9 of Wands – Write about someone at work who broke your trust and how you dealt with it.

10 of Wands – How are you at delegating work. Give an example of a time when you delegated work? How happy were people to help?

Page of Wands – When was the last time you did something really impulsive in terms of sex? What happened?

Knight of Wands – What’s your seduction style?

Queen of Wands – If you had your own business, what would you sell and who would you employ?

King of Wands – You are the boss of one of the largest corporations in the world – describe your office.

 

Cups – Relationships, emotions and psychic development prompts:

Ace of Cups – Describe your first kiss.

2 of Cups – Who was the first person to ask you out?

3 of Cups – Who was your first love rival.

4 of Cups – Write about the last time you cried.

5 of Cups – Describe the last time you experienced a deep sense of loss (does not have to be a person).

6 of Cups – What are your thoughts on soul mate love?

7 of Cups – When was the last time you were really confused?

8 of Cups – Talk about a time when you dumped someone or ended a friendship.

9 of Cups – The last time you laughed so hard your stomach hurt. Who has this effect on you?

10 of Cups – How psychotic is your family?

Page of Cups – Describe your happiest dream – a dream that made you so happy that you tried to repeat it the following night.

Knight of Cups – How romantic are you? Talk about how you express romance in your life.

Queen of Cups – Are you psychic? Talk about how you discovered it and/or how you would like to develop psychically.

King of Cups – Who is the most caring person you know? Write about the connection you have.

 

Swords – Problem solving, intellectual pursuits and communication prompts:

Ace of Swords – Describe your best and shiniest idea at the moment.

2 of Swords – Discuss your (in)ability to fence-sit and postpone important decisions as if you were defending your tactic.

3 of Swords – Write about a time when you tried to reach out and communicate and got totally stonewalled.

4 of Swords – Explore how meditation has helped/could help you gain greater mental clarity.

5 of Swords – Talk about a time when cutting your losses was the only way to resolve a dilemma.

6 of Swords – Have you ever gone away to distance yourself from a problem/situation? Where did you go? Where could you go to gain clarity?

7 of Swords – That time you got away with it.

8 of Swords – A problem you never managed to solve and still puzzle over from time to time.

9 of Swords – A problem that kept you up at night and/or gave you nightmares.

10 of Swords – Have you been stabbed in the back? How did you deal with this problem? What did you learn from it?

Page of Swords – When was the last time you felt like asking lots of questions about a topic that piqued your curiousity?

Knight of Swords – What truth are you willing to die for or at least fight for?

Queen of Swords – How do you use your communication to nurture those you love?

King of Swords – Describe your problem-solving strengths.

 

Pentacles – Body consciousness and wellbeing prompts:

Ace of Pentacles – What gift are you giving your body this year?

2 of Pentacles – If your feet could talk, what would they tell you?

3 of Pentacles – Your right knee has a message from your father and your left knee has a message from your mother… What are they saying?

4 of Pentacles – Describe your favourite method for grounding and centering.

5 of Pentacles – What does your body need right now?

6 of Pentacles – Name six resources that you could start using regularly to feel better.

7 of Pentacles – Write about a health habit that you implemented in the past and how that worked out for you. What did you learn from this experience?

8 of Pentacles – Do you have any OCD tendencies when it comes to your body and health?

9 of Pentacles – Describe your ideal body and how it would feel.

10 of Pentacles – Talk about how your family has influenced your health habits and what you have done to break away from the dysfunctional aspects of them.

Page of Pentacles – What new aspect of wellbeing are you curious about exploring?

Knight of Pentacles – Write about the good stuff you already do on a daily basis and give yourself a pat on the back!

Queen of Pentacles – How do you nurture wellbeing in others?

King of Pentacles – In what area are you wellbeing expert and how can you share more of your expertise?

0=0 | TAROT STUDY AND JOURNALING

Are you keeping a journal? Here are some ideas you will appreciate if you enjoy both writing and the Tarot … or even if you are completely new to the Tarot but open to using a new tool for triggering new thoughts and ideas.

Tarot and journaling are the two tools that can help you achieve self-awareness better than any other. Using the Major Arcana Tarot cards (or archetypal keys) as journaling prompts, combines these two tools in a powerful way and helps you access the realm of the subconscious.

TAROT TIP 1: These prompts can also be used together with your daily draw and will inspire a deeper connection with your card of the day, drawing on your own life experience.

TAROT TIP 2:  After you have completed the entry, come up with a new prompt/WORD based on the same card … simply by looking at the image. Write it down for next time you pull this card.

TAROT TIP 3: Place your deck inside your pillow case and sleep with it for a minimum of one week to connect and bind your energies to it.

HOW-TO PERFORM TAROT CONTEMPLATION EXERCISE AND CIRCLE SPREAD DIVINATION

1 – Perform your LBRP and Relaxation Ritual. If you’ve already performed your daily banishings ritual, there is no need to repeat your LBRP; just perform the Relaxation Ritual.

2 – Recite the Prayer to HRU. (You should be memorizing it for testing purposes anyway.)

3 – Shuffle only the 22 Major Arcana cards only. If you are 1=10 and higher, go ahead and add-in the Minor Arcana.

4 – Divide the cards into four piles, right to left, while intoning YOD-HEH-VAV-HEH (one syllable, one pile each syllable). Recombine the piles, picking up each pile, again, right to left.

5 – You are now ready to use your cards.

6 – If practicing a Circle Spread divination, pull out a blank worksheet and write down your IF-THEN Karmic query. To wit, WHAT ARE THE KARMIC CONSEQUENCES IF I (perform an action or think specific thoughts), OR NOT? (You need to produce 3 dated, completed worksheets to qualify for advancement into 1=10.)

7 – If performing a tarot contemplation exercise, then randomly pick a card you haven’t drawn before, or work through the Major Arcana in order, i.e., Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Emperor, Hierophant, etc.

8 – Journal your results either in your magical journal, or in a separate tarot journal. You can use poetry or prose as your journal entry … Your journal won’t even object to the occasional haiku, hiccup or squiggle… Be free with yourself (like The Fool!) and enjoy! 🙂

9 – Be sure to keep your tarot deck wrapped in a WHITE CLOTH.

Here are some ideas for prompts to contemplate:

The Fool – Describe the last something you did something so spontaneous or ‘off the cuff’ that someone might label it erratic

The Magician – Which skill have you always been good at? Describe how you discovered your talent.

The High Priestess – Write about a vivid and meaningful dream you have had or would like to have.

The Empress – Write about the most positive traits you have after your mother.

The Emperor – Write about the most positive traits you have after your father.

The Hierophant – Write about the teacher you remember most vividly… what made him/her stand out?

The Lovers – Write about how you imagined married life to be when you were 16.

The Chariot – Write about your definition of success.

Strength – When was the last time you had your mettle tested. What did you learn about your strengths?

The Hermit – Contemplate what lessons the past 12 months have brought you. Try writing about the lessons in detail without judging your performance.

The Wheel of Fortune – Write about a time when you took a really big risk. What happened?

Justice – Have you ever had a run-in with the law? Talk about it (even if it was just a parking ticket).

The Hanged Man – Have you ever had an experience that radically changed how you perceived a person or situation? Write it down.

Death – How do you feel about death? Is there an afterlife? What will it be like?

Temperance – Talk about the portion of your healing journey that made the biggest difference to how you view your own health and wellbeing.

The Devil – Write about the last time you gave into temptation.

The Tower – Write about the most traumatic experience you had in the past five years.

The Star – What is your best, brightest vision of where you will be and what your life will be like five years from now.

The Moon – Write about what being anxious feels like in as much detail as possible.

The Sun – Write about your perfect day, when everything you do is done with the utmost ease, confidence and clarity of mind.

Judgment – What is your calling? Where are you on the path of your life’s purpose?

The World – Write about the last time you had a sense of achievement thanks to completing a complex and time-demanding task.

===

(UP NEXT: 1=10 and Higher – Minor Arcana.)

The 4 Worlds of Hermetic Qabalah

Jen's avatarA Tarot Journey

JT-4-worlds

Just as from Kether to Malkuth there is a successive movement from the abstract to the manifest, so there is in the Kabbalistic worlds from Atziluth to Assiah:

AtziluthArchetypal World (World of Emanations) or Divine World
BriahCreative World or World of Thrones
YetzirahFormative world
AssiahManifest or Material World

Four Worlds (linear)Click images to enlarge

Four Worlds (traditional)

These four worlds can be considered as a linear hierarchy, with each world containing its own full Tree, in which Malkuth in one world becomes Kether of the world below, and Kether of one world becomes Malkuth of the world above (as shown to the left). Malkuth is seen as the complementary fulfillment of Kether: the first is Divine Immanence, the latter Divine Transcendence. (1)

To the upper right is the traditional view of the Four Worlds mapped onto the sefirot. Following the Kabbalistic holographic principle, each world maps onto the Tree, but each…

View original post 1,171 more words

Horoscopes July 19-25

Tara Greene www.taratarot.com's avatarTara Greene,Tarot,Astrology,Psychic

The week ahead includes the AQUARIUS FULL MOON at 1+ degree. This is a return to the December 21, 2020 JUPTER SATURN conjunction heralding the beginning of the Age of Aquarius degree.

July 19 MERCURY in CANCER squares CHIRON in ARIES

Communicate your vulnerability creates intimacy and safety. Comfort those who are hurting. Make chicken soup of the soul.

July 20 MERCURY SEXTILE URANUS in TAURUS

A nice positive sales pitch that is way out there may be very successful.

July 21/22 VENUS enters VIRGO5:36 pm PDT/ 8:35 pm EDT/ July 22 at 12:35 am GMT

 Love gets practical, things get OCD, we love to be health conscious, watching your diet is super important and as this irritated upper digestive issues its better to eat a plant based simpler diet. Virgo Venus loves to budget, and save money, its all about the bargains. Venus in PISCES worries a…

View original post 450 more words

What does it mean to serve the Goddess Isis?

Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

The pharaoh, as High Priest, makes offering to Isis
The pharaoh, as High Priest, makes offering to Isis

With a number of us gearing up to serve as ritualists in an upcoming Pacific Northwest Fall Equinox Festival, I’m re-running an older post on what it means to serve Isis as Her priest/ess. (Also, I’m scrambling to get the ritual written before our next Festival Crewe gathering, so bear with me.)

Of course, not all of our Festival ritualists will desire a relationship with Isis beyond the festival. Probably most won’t; they may already have important Divine connections in their lives. But for those who may, I offer these next few posts as starting thoughts for discovering a specific type of relationship with Her.

Oh, and another thing. As these are older posts, they used the gendered terms “priestess” and “priest.” As a community, we haven’t yet settled on a gender non-specific title for the intensely connected relationship with the…

View original post 1,387 more words

72 Spirits of Solomon Part 1 by Ancient Gods and Demons • A podcast on Anchor

This episode is Part 1 of a 10 episode series on the 72 Spirits of Solomon; the first episode will cover 7 spirits and the remaining 9 will each discuss 5 demons captured and imprisoned by King Solomon, according to the Testament of Solomon.

Source: 72 Spirits of Solomon Part 1 by Ancient Gods and Demons • A podcast on Anchor

Offering to Isis: Fall EQ 2021

Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

Yes!

The Pacific Northwest is ON for an Isis-themed Fall Equinox Festival (Sept. 24-26, 2021). This is not the same festival we were planning for 2020. That one was much more…involved…shall we say. This one is a gentle way of coming together once again as a community. So I’d like to share with you the write up for the festival, then I’ll repost something on Making Offering in the Egyptian way that will be related…

Frederick Arthur Bridgman, A Procession in Honor of Isis or An Egyptian Procession, 1902

Offering to Isis: A Fall Equinox Celebration of the Goddess and of Community

If you asked the ancient Egyptians, the act of Making Offering was one of the things that maintained Ma’et, that which is Right and True. Offering helped keep the world in balance. Making Offering is part of the great reciprocal flow between the Divine and the human…

View original post 1,660 more words

Isis the Ass-Kicker

Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

My sacred image of the Goddess in Her Wadj (Green) Temple

A little while ago, I had the opportunity to be in the same room with several other priestesses of Isis and we were talking about Her (as priestesses of Isis are wont to do).

All of us agreed with this statement: “Isis will kick your ass.” And each of us knew exactly what the others meant by that.

We had all experienced it, you see.

But just in case you haven’t yet had the opportunity to have your own sweet butt kicked by the Goddess, I’ll explain.

She insists

When you undertake a relationship with Isis, whether that be as a priestess, priest, or devotee, it is more than likely that She will ask something of you. For instance, She might want you to get your physical surroundings in order so that you can create a temple space…

View original post 383 more words

“Doing Things” for Isis

Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

Concept art from Exodus; my Egyptian dream...
This is concept art from Exodus; an imagined Egyptian royal palace. It looks hot, like it is in Portland right now.

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while may be familiar with my small rants about The Old Gentlemen of Egyptology and their innate sexist attitudes. Well, today it’s time for another rant…just a little one…but this time it’s about the Even Older Gentlemen of Ancient Egypt and their innate sexist attitudes.

A Sem priest...Doing Things
A Sem priest…Doing Things

You see, I just came across a scholarly article by Carolyn Routledge entitled “Did Women ‘Do Things’ in Ancient Egypt? (c. 2600-1050 BCE)” at the same time as Academia.edu served me up a thesis by the same Carolyn Routledge about ancient Egyptian ritual practice, which was an in-depth study of two specific words having to do with ritual, one of which translates as “doing things” (iriḫt).

Routledge…

View original post 795 more words

Loagaeth: The First Leaf (as you call it) is the Last of the Book

kheph777's avatarAnanael (The Secrets of Wisdom)

Greetings Enochian Scholars and Mages!

Dr. John Dee

I’m about to receive some blowback on this one, folks, so get ready! Modern Enochian practitioners (and researchers) are making a massive error. And, here’s the real shocker: it’s coming from a misunderstanding of Dee’s journals.

This error seems to have crept into Enochian study (and practice) sometime around the 1990s – but perhaps it was born even earlier. (Frankly I, blame the whole thing on the Golden Dawn – though only indirectly.) It specifically concerns the practical use of the Book of Loagaeth. If you’ve put any study into the tables of Loagaeth, or seen Enochian discussions online, you’ve doubtlessly run into this already, so you’ll be familiar with the following words:

“And of the First leaf, it is the last of the book.”

Many authors will tell you this is what the Angels (specifically the Mother Galvah) said…

View original post 926 more words

The Keeper of the Pharos Lighthouse

Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

An artist's depiction of reincarnation
An artist’s depiction of reincarnation

I don’t know whether I believe in reincarnation; at least in the usual contemporary sense. Oh, I like the idea of it…and it’s quite true that there are some amazing stories people tell of past lives.

Egyptologists, however, are almost unanimously certain that the ancient Egyptians did not believe in reincarnation; presumably, they had enough going on in their afterlives already.

On the other hand, we do have ancient Greek reports of Egyptian belief in reincarnation or the “transmigration of the soul.”

Herodotus writes,

The Egyptians say that Demeter [that is, Isis] and Dionysos [that is, Osiris] are rulers of the world below; and the Egyptians are also the first who reported the doctrine that the soul of man is immortal, and that when the body dies, the soul enters into another creature which chances then to be coming to the birth, and when it…

View original post 930 more words