Priestess: (Invocation) Mother of all Creation, the Great Deep, Dragon of Darkness Whose star-clad coils encircles us in our Milky Way, Whose spinning spiral travels the cosmos with shining train of sister galaxies, we turn to Thee in our great need. As the God Marduk struck at Thy divine body, so does man ravage our little earth. How may we save our earth and our lonely souls?

Oracle: My child, do not be fearful! It was no God under whatsoever name that strikes at Me, but rather the shining Rays of Ishtar that pierces through My Body, bringing the separation of Light and Darkness: incarnation of souls: the development of mind that discriminates, cuts, analyses.

And this is good, for you would not be here as a human if it were not for mind. For mind is curious to know itself and so reflects itself through sharp focusing on particular knowledge and experience. But this is a dangerous journey of successive incarnations that through concentration loses diffused divine awareness.

Your journey from My Divine Matrix which is the Matrix of all galaxies and the very Cosmos, is only achieved through the gradual loss of all divine attributes save those that you can use for your need. Hence you have your myths of fallen angels. You are all fallen angels. Each time you descend into inert matter you form a balance between positive and negative forces and then instead of gaining union, you lose a part of yourself. So this is a threefold descent. You take one step upwards, and two, downwards into the abyss. Thus you have the descent of Ishtar following Her lover, Shepherd of the starry flocks, Tammuz.

The first loss is of divine union with the Cosmos. You forget identity with Deity. You are now a separate God or Goddess. Still following the mystical Path of Descent in three-fold rhythm you sink to the angelic realm. Finally you totally descend into matter as primaeval substance. You lose all, but through that sacrifice gain experience. Not all of my children incarnate but dwell forever in Eternity.

Your Path of Ascent is perilous, for there is danger of total loss of consciousness. Then you need redemption from outside yourself. The return Path is threefold, one step backwards, two forwards. As you ascend you bring with you fruit of your experience. When you attain humankind you suffer, for you start to remember the Divine Realm from which you have descended. Yet you cannot withstand the passions which ensnare your souls, and which concentrate on particular cravings, whether mental, physical or emotional. But now your need is not for mind, for concentration, for knowledge. To save your soul and return to your divine nature you need to be aware of it! And this is different in kind from analytical thought process. Hence it is said that small children attain reality which sages lose.

You in your evolution have reached the point of no return. Either you will be lost in thought systems and unruly passions, or you will regain your divine heritage! You do well to invoke Me. In losing your little self you will win again your true Being. Come to Me. I am Mother of Gods and Goddesses. Know yourselves!

Priestesses wear silver star crowns and carry white wands; Priests, high silver headdresses and white staffs. Both wear star pectorals. Voyagers wear silver star circlets and star pendants. All are in indigo robes. Altar is draped in indigo and on it are 8 lighted candles, burning incense, a vessel of water and a wound white cord. A jug of water and glasses are nearby.

1st Priest: (strikes 4 times on ground with staff) Fellow Voyagers, we are assembled in our holy Temple to make a trance journey to the heart of the Galaxy, the Milky Way, milk that pours from the breasts of the Goddess Hera. (He holds aloft cord.) in verity the Milky Way Universe is formed by scales of the Galactic Dragon, Tiamat! The lesser is a microcosm of the Greater, so may we through seeking to know the Universe, understand ourselves.

1st Priestess: The lesser may not contain the Greater, but only reflect it. We need the aid of Tiamat Who holds the Tablets of Fate, to gain Wisdom and Love through knowledge of the stars. (She offers incense.) I offer incense to the starry Dragon Goddess of our Galaxy. (She makes the sign of Spiral with wand.) I invoke the Goddess Tiamat! Hear the words written on clay tablets of Babylon about the Creation.

"When in the height Heaven was not named,
And the earth beneath did not yet bear a Name;
And Apsu the Primaeval Who begat them,
And Chaos, Tiamat, the Mother of them both
Their waters were mingled together, and
No field was formed, no marsh was to be seen;
When of the Deities None had been called into being,
And None bore a name, and no destinies were ordained;
Then were created the Gods, all Goddesses;
Aeons were increased; and Tiamat was Mother of them all!"

Thou Who art the Beginning of Creation, Mistress of Magic, Mighty Dragon, Mother of all, aid us in our search for Wisdom and for love. for only from our own origin, the matriarchal Goddess, may we understand the Universe of which we are a part.

1st Priestess: (offers incense) I offer incense to the wise God of our Galaxy and Consort of Tiamat. (makes "X" sign with staff.) I invoke Apsu! His clear mind brings peace to Tiamat and to ourselves. Apsu of the peace of space, help us to control the atoms of our being with that stillness of mind through which we may gain communion with all that is.

2nd Priestess: (anoints each brow with water, saying) May star light be with you!

2nd Priest: In order to reach the matrix of our Galaxy, we need to create a star wheel through magical art. As the lesser is a microcosm of the Greater, our Wheel shall be in the very form of the Milky Way! We shall through magic build a whirling wheel to transcend both time and space. Within it we shall place a crystal Globe, a still hub within a rotating vortex. In this we shall travel in our subtle bodies. To do this we need to invoke the aid of the Four Kerubim.

These Mighty Beings, honoured by the ancient Babylonians and Hebrews, rule the Four Sacred Quarters and the Four Sacred Elements of the Universe. (He makes the sign of Taurus with staff.) I invoke the Earth God Kingu, Divine Bull of the constellation of Taurus! Fellow Voyagers, let us create the Rim of our Wheel.

Music for journey. Mahler, Richard Strauss, Scriabin, are relevant.

2nd Priest makes circle round Voyagers with staff. All follow him in dance, moving faster and faster in circle, from left to right.

2nd Priestess: (makes sign of Aquarius with wand) I invoke the Sea Goddess Omoroka, the First Woman, Tiamat in Human Form. Let us with Her aid create the eight spokes of our Star Wheel like rushing waterfalls. (She marks out 8 spokes with wand. All form an 8 pointed star dance, from centre.)

1st Priest: (makes sign of Scorpio with staff) I invoke the Eagle God Ea to help us create the hub of the wheel. It shall be a crystal sphere in which we can travel motionless. (He forms sphere with staff and all join him through dance.)

1st Priestess: (makes sign of Leo with wand) I invoke the Lion-headed Goddess Allat of the constellation of Leo. May Her Power bring our Star Wheel in a spiral journey through space and time! (She creates column of power with wand and all join her, arm movements towards centre.)

1st Priest: I name this Star Wheel The Eagle, in honour of that noble eagle that bore the Babylonian space voyager Etana into the Heavens!

2nd Priest: To explore the Galaxy in our Wheel we need the skill of Etana, Guide of Space Travel. (He makes doorway in globe with staff.) We ask for the help of Etana. May he be our Guide! Lo, he enters through the doorway, in sky blue robes. He holds our his hands in greeting!

Omnes: Etana is welcome!

THE ZODIAC

1st Priest: Fellow Voyagers, with good heart let us be seated within the Globe of our beautiful Wheel. (All sit.) Know that we start our journey from The Outer Fourth Coil of the Dragon, earthly and aetheric consciousness. We travel within to the third Coil of Tiamat, the Astral Sphere of the Zodiac. The zodiacal creatures are the Brood of Tiamat. With splendour Tiamat hath decked them, and She has caused them to mount on high. Whoever beholds them is overcome by wonder. Their bodies rear up and none can withstand them. She has set up the Viper and the Dragon; the Hounds and the Scorpion-man; the Fish-man and the Ram. She hath made the Female Monster, the Great Lion and the Mad Dog; the Howling Storm and the Centaur, eleven such monsters. And the twelfth She made later, and this monster was a Human. As we contemplate the Brood of Tiamat, our wheel begins gently to rotate. Now it whirls faster and faster and we exceed the speed of light. We travel in our astral bodies so we feel peace within. We can see through our Globe and the Wheel has become a white ring like the ring of a planet, rotating from left to right.

1st Priestess: We see our own solar system sail by us, with its sun and train of encircling planets, our own blue and green earth amidst the rest, with its white moon. * * * The solar system slips behind and is a thin spot of light. Suns fly by and we see constellations pass like stately swans. Now The Eagle begins to slow down and we being to see the rim and the spokes. It hangs motionless in space. We have entered the Sphere of the Zodiac, the Brood of Tiamat.

1st Priest: Hear the words of the magus, le Comte de Saint Germain, as he wrote them in his book, "The Most Holy Trino-Sophia": "A lake of fire presented itself to my sight. I trembled. A loud voice commanded me to pass through the flames. I obeyed, and the flames seemed to have lost their power.

I arrived at a circular space -and I contemplated the gorgeous spectacle which by the grace of Heaven it was given me to enjoy. forty columns of fire ornamented the hall in which I found myself. One side of the columns shone with a white and vivid fire, the other side seemed to be in shadow; a blackish flame covered it. In the centre of this place stood an altar in the form of a serpent. A greenish gold sheen embellished its diapered scales. Its eyes looked like rubies, and on its head rested a cup. I heard a choir of Celestial Spirits and a Voice said to me: "The end of thy labours draws near".

2nd Priestess: Etana stands by the door of The Eagle and it is slowly opening. Through the doorway is the realm of our own Sun Sign. Guided by Etana, let us leave our Globe and all of us shall find our own starry place, where we may gain understanding of the meaning of our lives. This voice will call us back when it is time to return to the Globe.

Silence

2nd Priestess: Let us return to our Globe, bringing with us knowledge of the stars and of our selves * * * we are now once more seated with The Eagle. We need to penetrate still deeper into the second inner spiral of the Dragon. Our Eagle begins to spin, attaining still greater velocity than before. It changes colour from deep red to orange, and so through the colours of the rainbow. Finally it becomes a translucent turquoise blue. The Wheel slows down and once again hangs motionless in space.

THE SPIRITUAL REALM OF NUT

2nd Priestess: Friends, we have attained the Realm of Nut, whose indigo body, glittering with constellations, arches the vastness of deep space. We recognise the Northern and Southern Polar constellations, and Orion and Sirius, Hydra, Cetus, and the other denizens of the Sea of Heaven: here are the celestial lovers, Vega and Altair. Round Nut's ankles winds Fluvius Eridanus, the starry river. This second Coil of the Dragon is Nut's sphere of Spiritual Love.

2nd Priest: Harken to the words of the philosopher Nietzsche: "Thus spake Zarathustra: "If ever there came unto me a breath from the creative breath, and from that divine necessity that compelleth chance itself to dance star-dances - if ever I laughed with the laughter of creative lightning that is followed by the long thunder of the deed, growling but not obedient - if ever I threw dice with the Gods upon the godlike table of the earth, so that the earth shook and brake and shot up rivers of fire - Oh! how should I not burn for Eternity, and for the marriage ring of rings - the Ring of Recurrence! Never yet found I the woman by whom I would have children, save it be by this Woman that I love: for I love Thee, Eternity! For I love Thee, Eternity!"

2nd Priestess: Friends, each of us has a spark of spiritual love within our hearts which is the Sacred Flame. Behold, Etana opens wide the door into the Realm of Nut. Her love ignites the heart of the recumbant body of Her Husband Geb, primaeval matter. Let us go forth in our spiritual bodies, seeking the sacred flame. We shall return to the Globe when I call. * * *

Silence

2nd Priestess: Return now to the Globe, from the Realm of Nut. We bear a glow of love in each heart, the flame Nut has re-kindled within. * * *

1st Priestess: Etana shuts the door, and our Eagle begins to rotate. On this occasion, however, each spoke makes a distinctive note of music, and as the wheel whirls faster and faster, the spokes and rim form a heavenly melody. At first from afar, and then nearer, come other notes and we realise that each star, every constellation, makes a symphony of transcendent harmony. This is the music of the spheres. The music brings us to a state of ecstasy. Then it becomes softer, slower, as our wheel slows down. It is still.

THE STAR OF ISHTAR

We have now reached the first coil of Tiamat, enshrining the Matrix of our Galaxy. This is the divine Realm of the Goddess Ishtar of the eight-pointed Star.

1st Priest: Hear the oracle reported to us by the philosopher Porphyry: "After the Celestial Fire there is an incorruptible Flame, ever sparkling, Source of Life, Fountain of all beings, and Principle of all things. This Flame produces all, and nothing perishes save that which It consumes. It reveals itself by virtue of Itself. This Fire cannot be contained in any place; it is without form and without substance; it girdles the heavens and from It there proceeds a tiny spark which makes the fire of the stars. This is what I know of Deity. Seek not to know more, for this passes thy comprehension howsoever wise thou mayest be. Nevertheless, know that the unjust and wicked man cannot hide himself from Deity, nor can craft nor excuse disguise aught from the piercing eyes of Divinity. All is full of Deity, everywhere."

1st Priestess: There is divinity in each of us, for the Mother is in the child and we are born of the Mother Goddess. Etana opens the door. In our divine bodies we leave our Globe for Ishtar's Realm. Now we are together outside our Eagle, which is behind us. We seat ourselves on a misty cloud. Etana points above us. We see a mighty eight-pointed Star made of the seven sacred colours, the eight being on a higher octave and barely visible. Each ray gives forth a note of music. They reach the outermost limits of our Milky Way. As we watch with awe and wonder, the Universal Star begins to rotate. As first it moves slowly but suddenly whirls faster, from left to right, and as it does so the colours form myriad patterns of beauty and the notes produce an exquisite symphony of sound. Finally The Star Rays are united and The Star shines motionless in the sky, pure White Light. The sound of music has become one long soft note. Friends, let us in silence seek mystical union with the source of our Being. I shall call you back to this cloud when it is time to return.

Silence

1st Priestess: Friends, let us return to our misty cloud, bringing with us the Light of Truth. * * * We feel alone, having left the Mother. Our Star Wheel is behind us hidden by our cloud, and before us is the White Light. As we gaze upon its greatness, it begins to contract, and it even begins to show an outline. It is a diamond! It hangs upon the brow of a Goddess, Whose form slowly immerges from indigo space. And now we realise with wonder that our mighty Milky Way Galaxy is the Brow Jewel of the Goddess Ishtar. The Andromeda Galaxy shines upon her Pectoral and countess others form Her Seven Sacred Insignia: Her jewelled mitred Crown, Her Earrings, Her Arm-bands, Her Girdle and Her tinkling Anklets.

1st Priest: O Mother of the Gods, Ishtar, Lady of Mankind, Who maketh the green herb to spring up, Who created all things, Who guideth the whole of Creation, a prayer will we utter! O Mother Ishtar, Whose side no God can approach, O exalted Lady, that which appears good to Thee, do unto us! We pray for our earth and all the creatures and green herbs and trees thereon.

Omnes: So mote it be. * * *

1st Priestess: Let us feel the jewels of Ishtar within ourselves. * * * The form of the Cosmic Ishtar slowly dissolves into the darkness of space, and Her jewels are once more great galaxies. Our own Milky Way surrounds us, and we find our little Star Wheel behind us! Guided by Etana we enter it once more, uniting with the music of the Spheres. * * * From thence it journeys through the sphere of colours to Tiamat's Brood of the Zodiac, rotating from right to left. We observe our own Sun Sign as it flies past us. * * * Now we recognise our own little solar system, and amidst the planets, our earth, third from the sun. The Eagle sinks rapidly towards it and then becomes slower * * * we see our own land * * * our Temple. * * * The Star Wheel glides through the walls of our Temple and settles in the middle. Let us look at our bodies and return in full physical consciousness * * *

1st Priest: We give thanks to the Sky Voyager, Etana, for guiding us. He lifts up his hands in Blessing and departs through the doorway. Let us dissolve The Eagle Star Wheel.

1st Priest: We give thanks to the Lion Goddess Queen Allat for Power for flight! (She disperses power column with wand and all do likewise.)

1st Priestess: We give thanks to the Eagle God, Ea! (He disperses the globe with staff and all do so.)

2nd Priestess: We give thanks to the Goddess Omoroka. (She disperses spokes with wand and all do so.)

2nd Priest: We give thanks to the Bull God, Kingu! (He dissolves rim of wheel with staff. All do so moving right to left.)

Glasses of water are drunk to ensure return from trance. Reports are shared and star rays of wisdom and love are sent to all beings and existences. Priesthood give thanks to Tiamat and Apsu, Nut and Geb and to Ishtar.

 

Sources: "The Gods of the Egyptians", E. A. Wallis Budge, Dover. "Babylonian Religion and Mythology", E. A. Wallis Budge, Kegan Paul, Trench & Trubner, Watkins 1899. "Goddesses of Chaldea, Syria & Egypt", Lawrence Durdin- Robertson, Cesara. "The Most Holy Trinosophia", le Comte de St. Germain, trans. Manly P. Hall, Philosophers Press, Los Angeles, 1949. "Thus Spake Zarathustra", Friedrick W. Nietzsche, Everyman's Library. "Le Comte de Gabalis", Abbe N. de Montfaucon de Villars, 1670, Private Edition.