Priestess Alchemist: (to Twin Apprentices) Your next ordeal through the mystical Houses of the Zodiac, is to face the evolution of consciousness through the cycles of space and time. Let us invoke the Oracle of the Goddess Nuit, starry Mother of Isis and Osiris. It is Her divine body, which the wise ones of Egypt saw as arching over the heavens as the Milky Way. Nuit of our daytime stars, brings us your Wisdom and Love. It is Her twin sister, Naut, Whose body is the night sky, crowned with the beauty of the moon.

ORACLE OF THE GODDESS NUIT- NAUT OF EGYPT

Invocation: Mother of the Gods the Great Deep the celestial Abyss Nuit, protect us as we face the Mysteries. Aid us who dread the Unknown: wrap Thy starry mantle about us, Thou Who archeth the heavens with Thy body, that holds the Milky Way as Thy veil. As Thou art great, pity our littleness: as Thou art mighty, strengthen the weak: as Thou holdest all time and space in Thy darkness, bring our souls into their true fruition of Eternity.

Oracle: Fear not the unknown: for I am the Unknown. From Me riseth suns and their children the planets: and when suns reach their appointed time, I take them to Me in My dark embrace: for I am both Birth and Death. And the sun that loses its brightness, in My Abyss, returns to greater life in other spheres: for I am Mistress of the Spheres. I am the space within each atom: from its heart I give birth to new galaxies. I take to Myself that which is to be transformed into greater life.

So is it with yourselves. I need each sun, each tree, each one of you: for without the least of you My starry body is incomplete. I know you. Learn to know Me.

When you honour Me as the Earth Mother, you face My Abyss with the confidence of children turning to their Mother, source of all good. As you grow in activity and thought, I put you from Me. I withdraw from you, first aiding your steps: then, I leave go of your arms, and you walk alone. You walk in pride of your new found skills and conquests, and you forget Me. And this is My will. You walk into the light of day. You turn to the Father. From Him you learn laws and how to enforce them.

When you reach the end of your schooling and turn from the Father, you turn to Isis. She lures you with strange enchantments to the magical Sphere of the Moon. And Queen Persephone draws you to the World of the Shades and teaches you mysterious arts. The shining Sun Goddess Grainne brings you a longing for the Divine Marriage of twin souls in deathless Love.

Yet when darkness falls and cold winter comes, you face the grim twin pylons that guard My Abyss. And you know that I long for you, as you long for Me. In My azure arms I hold the Mysteries. In My sleep of death is your awakening. Come to Me!

Priest Alchemist: This knowledge is essential for any brave soul who dares to face Those Who have a vaster consciousness than our own. A ladybird on the finger of a Professor has equality! The Professor has more intellect; the ladybird has greater beauty. (to Aidan) You, who have always longed to join the elite of an inner order, need to face the spirals of consciousness, yet retain self-awareness. Are you willing to pass through the portals of the constellation of Aquarius, that leads to a new era for our earth?

Aiden: I am willing. I feel this will bring me either success or disaster.

Music. Trance Journey.

Aiden: (reports) How different the Temple of the Zodiac looks! It is no longer a stately Temple set amidst the stars, and crowning a hill-pyramid. I can hardly find it. It is a soft blue amidst swirling clouds of constellations. I feel giddy. But I focus my mind on the Eternal Flame - and I find myself within the Temple; and the encircling constellations assume their usual appearance as pinpricks of light. The Portals of Aquarius bear a homely delineating of Nuit and Her sister Naut, encircling the entrance. They are painted in, as if by a ten-year old child. Nuit has a kindly air, but Naut under Her moon headdress has a mischievous look! Surely this is not formidable! I enter in high spirits. I remember what the Alchemist said. We are all equal.

But the very moment I cross the threshold - I am hit by a tornado. I find myself in a vortex of whirling atoms - or are they stars? I try to right myself - but here there is no height, no depth, no up, no down. Then I hear a cold voice like the sound of a river of light speaking. "Add three to two and you will expand. You will control." What does this mean? I make a violent effort towards my left and then my right, and then add "the third", a push forward.

I find I am at the centre of the vortex. I try to steady myself, and as I do so I have changed! My consciousness has expanded beyond any human comprehension. I am made of golden Light. As I ascend through the spirals of time and space, my consciousness continues to grow more and more vast. I am omniscient. Omnipresent. Omnipotent. Aeons pass but time means nothing to me and I extend throughout all space. By my side is seated the Immortal Beloved. I cannot see her clearly because she is beside me. We are surrounded by a mesh of golden web, and at each intersection is a star.

Then I become aware of a figure before me, made of white Light. From Her head is extended white lightning, forming a V shape. Somehow, I realise that the golden glory of the mesh that surrounds the Immortal Beloved and myself, are interconnected with the White Light from this Being. Our gold light radiates love through all that is. The white Light brings the reality of Truth. These two form the rainbow beauty that brings harmony through the cosmic spirals.

But suddenly, my profound mystical experience is interrupted in the most ridiculous way! A fly has settled on my nose. I feel a strong inclination to sneeze. I fear to disgust the Goddess beside me. I call for help, and see my red-haired Witch. She whispers: "Don’t be a fool. Scratch your nose!" I feel a gush of indignation and relief all at once. I whisper back: "How can I get smaller again? It’s too great here for me." And she answers in an odd way. "It’s like knitting. Instead of expanding, 2 to 3, all you do is to reduce - 3 to 2. That’s the way home. It’s a reverse waltz!"

I try to follow her instructions - I am tumbling head over heels through the spiral of consciousness. The mighty knowledge I had is dissipating - my omnipotent power has dwindled - and I have lost consciousness within all that is - I am just myself again, imprisoned as a human-being. And am I relieved! And I hear the Witch saying: "Where you want to be is not at the end of an arduous pilgrimage. It is where you start out from. The circle is complete." Oh . . . I’m back. Now I recognise the red-haired witch. She’s Elaine!

Priest Alchemist: Passionate love for the Immortal Beloved ebbs and flows like the oceans. It is under the aegis of Eros. But Agape, Divine Love, is won most easily through ‘Filia’, friendship, as with twins.

The Company agree that Aiden has passed the Test of the Realm of Aquarius. Trance reports are shared. Rays of Harmony are sent forth. Thanks are given to the Deities.

End of Rite.

 

Note: When working with the rituals in "Nuit of the Milky Way", a Priestess/Priest Alchemist has the following choices. They may:

(1) use the rites presented in the book, or,

(2) create their own rites based on the Oracles presented in the book.

 

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