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| A statue of Epona from the Roman period |
Twenty-first Anniversary of the First
Iseum of the Fellowship of Isis, 1998
Iseum of Rhiannon of the White Horse
Founded January 1977
In May, 1998, Lady Olivia Robertson wrote the following: "… the happiest way to celebrate the
founding of our first Iseum would be for members to send the Founders anniversary cards, or small tokens like homemade incense.
For truly Violet and Victor Hillman of our first Iseum of Rhiannon of the White Horse deserve expressions of our
love and thanks. They required courage at that date as Victor was manager of a cinema. He brought the Goddess into
his cinema by his choice of films suitable to develop childhood imagination at afternoon performances. Violet gave astrological
readings and spiritual paintings free to those who needed them. However, their most courageous act was to give an interview
and photograph to the News of the World! Their friendly, unassuming manner, their integrity and hospitality so much
impressed the journalist that she wrote a good, even enthusiastic article. The photograph of Violet holding aloft a lovely
figure of the Cow Goddess Hathor was delightful. Their address is … Surrey, UK, where they founded the Iseum so many
years ago, before our younger members were born."
| The Travellers' Rest |
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| A popular feature in the locale of the Iseum, it is said to contain stone from Sandon Priory |
1976 - 1977
Violet wrote: "Our tiny cottage is over 300 years old and stands where Sandon Priory stood - or rather what must have
been part of the grounds of the Priory - and only a few hundred yards away, on a wooded hill above Sandon Racecourse, there
was a Saxon settlement where the Goddess, as Rhiannon or Epona, the White Mare, was worshipped. Often, mostly when I'm
meditating alone, I feel the presence of the Goddess and I'm sure She is near when we hold our ceremony."
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| Goddess of the White Mare |
Violet wrote to Lady Olivia requesting that prayer and healing be sent to all suffering creatures, especially
those who are exported in appalling conditions, and those who are slaughtered. One of this series of letters, from 1976, is
quoted here: "I would ... like to request in thought and prayer of members when we 'meet' in morning or evening session
with the Goddess for all suffering creatures during this Animal Welfare Year. These, as you know, consist of consist
of laboratory animals (suffering often needlessly to produce some cosmetic or shampoo), factory farm animals, including live
food animals being exported, who suffer appallingly both in lengthy journeys without food and water sometimes and finally
in the method of slaughter in foreign abbatoirs, and animals in the wild who are slaughtered for their pelts, etc."
A request for prayer that is still equally valid today.
The first formal meeting of Violet and Victor's group as an FOI Iseum took place in January of 1977. Violet continued:
"Our Group ... you will be pleased to hear, is now well and truly off the ground and we held our second ceremony on Sunday,
6th February ... We held our third ceremony on 26th February, ... and it was a very harmonious and somehow a very significant
Ceremony. We incorporated a "talk-through" meditation on Isis, ... and had as our intent the sooty-bark disease of the sycamore.
(We sent healing to the affected sycamores through Hathor, the Lady of the Sycamore.) We intend to have a meditation
on each member of the Isis family, and have done Horus. Next month it will probably be Nephthys, and for May and World Tree
Day we may meditate on the Lady of the Sycamores again."
Fall of 1977 Olivia wrote: "The Centre of Rhiannon has become a lively nucleus for those who wish to
aid animal and plant life ... Violet is herself involved with the Lyndham House group who run "Compassion in World Farming"
in Petersford, Hampshire."
Early members of this iseum included the authors Athene Williams (who later wrote many works under
the name of Murry Hope) and the late Cottie Burland. Early literary works written under the name Athene Williams include
contributions in the book "The Fortune Tellers" (sections on runes and working with crystals) in
1974, "Story of Isis and Osiris: A Ritual Drama" published by Cesara Publications, September, 1976 and as
editor and contributor to a re-print and expanded edition of the 1974 book under a new title, "Fortune Telling"
published in 1991, along with a foreword for the book "Rune Magic" by Carlyle A. Pushong.
Cottie Burland's scholarly works are considered classics in his field of research and are used as
reference material, especially his works focusing on indigenous cultures in Mexico. Some of his most sought after volumes
include "Art and Life in Ancient Mexico", "Basis of Religion in Aztec Mexico", and "Feathered Serpent and Smoking
Mirror. Gods and Fate in Ancient Mexico". He authored many other significant works as well, which featured
his research of magic and mythology in other ancient cultures, including Rome and Egypt.
Olivia wrote in May of 1999, "Dulce Domum. The Gentle Home. Violet Hillman, beloved wife of Victor
Hillman, has left us for Spirit Sphere. Violet with her husband founded the First Fellowship of Isis Iseum twenty-two years
ago. She was a loyal and creative daughter of the Goddess, glorifying her faith through painting, study and writing."
Back to FOI Archives
Special thanks to Rt. Rev. Olivia Robertson, FOI co-founder, to M. Snowden, Caroline Wise, Johnny Merron,
Loreon Vigne and Connia Silver for sharing early editions of Isian News. Photo of Travellers' Rest courtesy
of Esher District Local History Society, used by permission. Photos of the 'Goddess of the Mare', courtesy of H Tillman. All
rights reserved. Reference source: “The Emerging Network: A Sociology of the New-Age and Neo-Pagan
Movements”, Michael York, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., Oxford, UK, 1995, p. 149.
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May Isis richly bless all who visit this site. This
central Fellowship of Isis website is officially authorized and chartered by Fellowship of Isis co-founder Rt. Rev.
Olivia Robertson, AU, FOI Foundation Centre, Clonegal Castle, Enniscorthy, Ireland Copyright © 2004-2009
The Circle of Isis Notice of Copyright and Disclaimer of the Circle of Isis Website
Contents: The Circle of Isis - Fellowship of Isis Central Global Website is an officially
sanctioned central global website of the Fellowship of Isis, authorized by Rt. Rev. Olivia Robertson, AU, co-founder
of the Fellowship of Isis, Foundation Centre, Clonegal Castle, Enniscorthy, Ireland. The contents of the Circle of Isis Website
are not public domain. All contents published under the name the "Circle of Isis - Fellowship
of Isis Central Global Website" on this website are copyrighted. Our original URL (www.thecircleofisis.com) is copyrighted
as well as our new updated URL (www.fellowshipofisiscentral.org). The name of this website "Fellowship of Isis Central
Global Website - Circle of Isis" is copyrighted. Direct links to these webpages are permitted.
Copying the appearance, content or format of these pages is not permitted. All rights reserved.
Notice of Copyright of the Fellowship of Isis Liturgy: Fellowship
of Isis Liturgy copyright is legally shared by the author, Rt. Rev. Olivia Robertson, AU, FOI co-founder, with
members of the Circle of Isis Advisory Board. Those members are Rt. Rev. Loreon Vigne, Rt. Rev. deTraci Regula, ArchDrs.
Linda Iles and Rt. Rev. Caroline Wise. The content and format of the Fellowship of Isis Liturgy presented on the Circle of
Isis website are not public domain. The content and format are protected by a separate copyright. Rt. Rev. Olivia
Robertson, AU, FOI co-founder, personally upholds our copyright. Private or public distribution, private or
public reproduction, private or public publication in any form, by any means, of the FOI Liturgy as presented on
the Circle of Isis website, is not permitted. Direct links to the FOI Liturgy pages on the Circle of Isis website are
allowed, printing a copy for private ritual use is allowed. All other rights reserved. "Circle
of Isis" line drawing by Rt. Rev. Olivia Robertson. Used by permission of the artist. All rights
reserved.
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