The First FOI Convocation in the USA

Isis Oasis, Geyserville, California, 1990

In October of 1990, Loreon held the first FOI Convocation at Isis Oasis in Geyserville. This was prior to the Parliament of World Religions held in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, and six years before the Temple of Isis was legally formed through Loreon as a vehicle for legal priesthood for the FOI. Loreon writes; “The first Convocation was a small affair. We invited Olivia, but she declined, saying she did not like to fly. A priestess with the Fellowship, Morgan le Fey, from Georgia attended. She was very knowledgeable and well-versed in all the liturgy of the Fellowship, having spent a lot of time at Clonegal Castle. This event was on the front page of the ‘San Francisco Chronicle’ with photos, as they happened to be doing a story on Isis Oasis that weekend.

"Morgan and I shared about our experiences with the Goddess and with the Fellowship of Isis. Morgan shared many wonderful stories about Olivia and about the castle. Her knowledge of the FOI liturgy was impressive. Enthusiasm ran high, and by the closing of the event, we had seventeen people who were interested in becoming ordained into the FOI priesthood as part of their service to the Goddess. Many of them were already very well known, some internationally. Most of these did so eventually and have formed a local core community of FOI priesthood in our immediate area."

Morgan le Fey is featured in a photograph with Lawrence Durdin-Robertson and Lady Olivia in Lawrence’s “Guide to Clonegal Castle”. The photo was taken in the late 1980’s. Morgan and another priestess from Georgia, Shasta Zaring (whose picture also appears in the same publication), later went on a trip to Egypt with Loreon and six other FOI priestesses. Olivia writes that Morgan le Fey and Shasta Zaring were responsible for the flowering of the FOI in the United States, particularly in the southeastern portion. People trained by these two priestesses went on to form FOI centers of their own which in turn, fostered the birth of other FOI communities. Among these is Deborah Merwin, Prs. H., whose work has created a viable and active community in Florida. Other attendees of this early convocation included Diane Conn Darling, Oberon and Morning Glory Zell.

One of the entertainments arranged by Loreon included a harpist who played at various times throughout the event.  She is pictured here below playing in the entrance to the Isis Chapel.