Priestess Alchemist: Beautiful Ishtar, Lady of Fifteen, Goddess of the Eight-pointed Star, You descended through seven spheres from heaven to hell, to rescue your lover, Tammuz, Shepherd of the Starry flocks of Aries. As your love saved Tammuz, bringing him from death to life, bring us also from imprisonment on earth to bright heaven.

Oracle: It is ever the weakness of mortal men to despise where they are, in order to achieve some greater state! As the mind of man develops, he uses it to dominate lesser creatures - so he regards the animals committed to his care - he wishes to become a God! And this despite the warnings of fallen Gods, who flew too high. Women on the other hand have no such ambitions, because they know themselves as Goddesses, for they give birth to men! No compensating myths about men producing women from their spare ribs really work. And women, through foolish love, allow men to dominate them, their children and the earth herself.

It is only now that women are awakening to the fact that ‘god-like’ men are destroying the very home planet on which they hope to dwell, through successive generations. Humans despair.

Because of this very despair, drawn from a materialistic mindset, We who belong to a more advanced realm can help you - but only if you will accept our aid! We are here. We come!

Priest Alchemist: (to Twins) To enjoy the joys of the planet Venus, you need to return to the Temple of the Sacred Planets, in a trance journey with us all. (to Aiden) You have an impatient soul that needs the peace of Venus. So you will give your report. Let us enter trance.

Aiden: I ascended the steps and entered the Sacred Temple of the Planets. At once I honored the Sacred Flame in the centre, and then approached the Portal of Venus in the East. In the centre, on the lintel, was the sign of Venus in green and gold. Above it on either side were three signs of the constellations of Taurus and Libra. I felt secure in myself because I had studied these signs and their meaning. As I had to balance Venus with Mars, I took Libra to be my guide - balance. So I passed through the portal, pulling aside heavy green and gold curtains *** I was taken aback - surely I had entered the wrong place! I was in a tent facing a snow-crested mountain. My companions were muscular young men in climbing gear. I gathered that I was a member of a prestigious group - the Lord Death Club. It aptly fitted its name, because we undertook feats that involved the risk of sudden death. Already we had conquered rapids in Canada in canoes. Off the coast of Australia we had shared the deep ocean with harks. We had pot-holed in the Urals, and had drunk champagne wearing dinner jackets on a storm-beaten rock off the Scottish shores.

Now our purpose was to scale this mountain - Mount Ararat, with no ropes and at the wrong time of year - which included snowstorms. Our aim was to discover on the summit the remains of Noah’s Ark. We began the ascent and it was taking hours *** but now I became aware of my own fear. This was not of death but of my companions. I was not really accepted. I did not know why. And this was not because of any exact fault - I was rather laughed at - not taken seriously - indeed one of them called me “sensitive”.

The storm became more intense and with no rope I was given the opportunity of reaching the summit! It shone gloriously like a shining silver pyramid. To reach it would make me a hero - they would have to accept me. I might be given a medal at the Palace. But at that very moment - my finest hour - I was distracted. To my left was a precipice, and below it, a black hole. And from this hole came the most heavenly singing I have ever heard! At first I thought it might be the soughing of wind through a crack in the rocks. But soon unmistakably it was a woman singing. And I noticed a steep stairway, gleaming with green basalt. It was leading to an abyss. Intoxicated by that singing and by a burning glow in my heart - I threw away my alpenstock and began to descend. On and on I went, deeper and deeper and now other women’s voices joined in exquisite harmony.

I found myself in a beautiful hall and I remembered Admiral Byrd’s vision in arctic snows. I have never seen such beautiful women! One, reclining on a silver chair, was more compelling than the rest. She wore a silver coronet and her draperies flowed around her like water in moonlight. It was She who had first called me. She beckoned to me and I approached her *** I was enveloped in rainbow colored lights and the scent of roses *** I was in the arms of the Goddess of Love *** I did not enjoy returning when I was summoned back from trance!

Priest Alchemist: Companions, those of you acquainted with Babylonian religion must connect this vision with the experience of the hero Gilgamesh. The warrior king fought battle upon battle and refused to enter the House of the Goddess of Love, Ishtar, as was the custom for heroes. I feel our apprentice has redressed the wrong, and by accepting the divinity of Ishtar, has brought balance to the energies of Mars and Venus. It was Ishtar who saved the remnant of humanity in the Babylonian Great Flood Myth. So, as he has done his year’s work well, I suggest he has earned his degree.

Sources: “A History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria”, the section titled “Babylonian Liturgy”, by G. Maspero and S. Rappoport, containing translations by Frazer, Hook, Sandars, 13 Volumes, the first 9 Volumes by G. Maspero, the last 3 by Rappoport, The Grolier Society, London, 1903 - 1904. “New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology“, introduction by Robert Graves, Paul Hamlyn , London, 1959. Rare books quoted in “The Goddesses of Chaldea, Syria and Egypt”, Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, Cesara Publications, Clonegal Castle, Ireland, 1975. “Books on Egypt and Chaldea, Volume IV (of the series), Babylonian Religion and Mythology”, Leonard W. King, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, London, 1899. “Lucian, Volume IV”, (an 8 volume set) translated by A. M. Harmon, Heinemann, London & Harvard, Massachusetts, 1921. “A New Translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses into English Prose”, translated by Joseph Davidson, London 1748.

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