The Magician

Tara of the Oracles
The Alchemical Twins Face the Fates

Fellowship of Isis Liturgy by Olivia Robertson

The Gateway. II: Portal of Aries
The Magician

Ritual No. 3

Even the Gods Obey the Fates

The Octagonal Temple of Alchemy

Priest Alchemist: (To Twin Apprentices Aiden and Elaine) To work with one’s own Fate rather than defy it, you need to honour the Three Arbiters of Destiny, Sekhmet, Bast and Ra, The Constellations of Leo and Virgo, “The Anthrosphinx.” These Deities honour the Goddess Taur, Who holds the Tablets of Fate, inscribed in hieroglyphs on stone. These are known as the Torah and the meaning is concealed within the Tarot of the Egyptians, the lost “Book of Thoth.” Let us invoke the Goddess Taur.

Priestess Alchemist: (raises wand) I invoke Thee, Holy Goddess Taur, Arbiter of the Fates of stars and every creature. Guide us on our spiritual path that we may attain the stars.

ORACLE OF THE GODDESS TAUR

Your Fate is written in the palms of your hands, the humble soles of your feet, and locked within each cell of your physical bodies! Your bodies themselves host solar systems of atoms, which in their turn contain inner constellations as yet unknown to the learned, but understood by the wise.

You cannot transcend your Fate into some glorious divinity by ignoring, even repressing the innate order written into each atom of your bodies. For your bodies themselves are a fractal of your etheric bodies, more solid, more real than the biological vehicles you set such store by. And these bodies are but an expression of greater luminous beings, which extend through the spirals of space: infinite, eternal, yet original in every minute particular.

Divine Law gives you freedom of choice. When you do evil it is like stroking a cat’s fur the wrong way to annoy her! Evil is transient, stupid, a shadow. Good is written into the Philosopher’s Stone of Destiny. Find this, and you shall find your own uncreated Divine Being awaiting your delighted discovery! Endure. We wish you success.

Priest Alchemist: We give thanks to the Goddess Taur.

Priestess Alchemist: (to Aiden) Aiden, we know the longing in your heart to fulfil your destiny. Are you willing to face the Ordeal of the Sphinx of Destiny - knowing that King Oedipus failed, and so was blinded by too much spiritual Light?

Aiden: It is the wish of my mind and heart.

Priest Alchemist: So be it. (shows tarot card from altar) Study this card from the Marseilles Tarot, and tell us what you see.

Aiden: The card shows “Le Bateleur,” the Conjurer. He is wearing four colours, red, blue, yellow and green. His hat is formed in the symbol of balance, a horizontal figure of eight. On a table are 10 objects, and he holds a wand and coin, making 12. He is manipulating the 4 elements, earth, air, fire and water, in order to gain control over their counterparts in the inner planes.

Priest Alchemist: You have begun your quest. You now need to enter trance in order to face the Riddle of the Sphinx. We shall accompany you on your journey, but not help you.

Trance Journey

Aiden: I feel relieved at facing the Temple of the Zodiac, as I know the way. I climb up the hill and enter. I pay respect before the Eternal Flame in the centre *** And I easily find the Portal of Aries, with the Emblem of the victorious Lamb. Was this there before? He - or she - is holding a flag with a curious emblem on it - a Right Hand marked with a spiral. I pass through the doorway.

At once I am nearly overthrown by a mighty wind. I am in a desert and sand stings my eyes. At first I can see nothing. Then I see towering above me the Egyptian Sphinx. It looks far larger than I imagined. What is curious is that his or her face keeps shifting. Sometimes it has a nose - then no nose. There is a braided beard - then none. And as I watch, it becomes a woman with high rising wings - now returns to its ruined form.

I hear a woman’s voice behind me. She is veiled against sand and wind and wears a lion skin. Or is she part lion?

Her voice is deep and melodious. “I am Maunet, daughter of Sekhmet. I am here to guide you. What is your intention?”

“I would solve the Mystery of the Sphinx – if there is one.”

“Why?”

“I wish to obtain eternal life and when I have it, to help others to reach the goal.”

“Answer this simple riddle.”

“I am prepared.”

“What is it that goes on all fours at first, then on two legs, and ends on three? The given answer is Man. Everyone knows that. But do they understand it?”

“I can make a guess. Maybe this is evolution. Man starts as an animal, attains being human – I don’t know about the three legs – I suppose a wand or sceptre?”

“This answer is not satisfactory.”

“What can I do?”

“You do nothing - I will do something.” ***

To my terror a mighty shaft opens before my feet, hidden between the Sphinx’s mighty paws. I find myself sinking down a shaft into a complex of underground passages with hieroglyphs carved in stone. I try to read them but cannot. I walk down endless passages – until I reach a mighty burial chamber in which I find a sarcophagus.

The sarcophagus is elaborately decorated with pictures of a Pharaoh protected by Anubis and other Deities. At the four corners are statues of Isis, Nepthys, Selket and Neith. I recognise these from the Tutankhamun exhibition in Egypt. On the walls are pictures, not of King Tut, but of some very warlike king defeating various enemies - holding them by the hair - and galloping over the walls in a war chariot. There is a Queen - but she is depicted as high as the Pharaoh’s knees in a Hunting Chariot. I begin to dislike this man very much. We have nothing in common. Why have a mummy of his earthly body anyway? This is not the spiritual experience I was hoping for.

Suddenly I hear a plaintive ‘miaou!’ I look down and see a tiny kitten scraping desperately on the wall. I remember cats used to be sacrificed to the Cat Goddess Bast, their mummies being given to clients looking for good luck. Indignantly I pick up the cat to rescue her.

Everything goes black as I hold the wriggling body close to my own. To my horror I am cataleptic – caught in a coffin. I am imprisoned in a mummy case, I am ugly, bony, my teeth bared. I am a corpse with rotting flesh. Suddenly golden light from a Winged Disc shines upon me. The cat is alive. I hear a soft voice coming from her:

“Osiris, awaken! You have solved the Riddle of the Sphinx! It is yourself!”

End of Trance

As Aiden slowly returns from trance, still very upset by his ordeal, the Companions agree he has earned his degree. Reports are shared. Thanks are given to the Deities.

End of Rite

Sources: “The Gods of the Egyptians,” (Vol. 1 - 2), Sir E. A. Wallis Budge, Dover Publications Inc., New York, 1969, (a reprint of the Methuen & Co., London, 1904 and Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., London, 1912 editions) several reprints from Dover available. “Egyptian Mythology,” Veronica Ions, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1965. “All Colour Book of Egyptian Mythology,” Richard Patrick, Octopus Books, London, 1972. “The Goddesses of India, Tibet, China and Japan,” Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, illustrated by Anna Durdin-Robertson, Cesara Publications, Clonegal Castle, 1976. “Apollodorus: The Library,” (Vols. I and II) Apollodorus, translated by James George Frazer, William Heinemann Ltd., London and Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1954.

Tarot of Marseilles (French: Ancien Tarot de Marseille), earliest known variants dating possibly to fifteenth and no later than seventeenth century. A standard Marseille Tarot deck first issued by B. P. Grimaud, 1930, Paris, France, is the version used for these rites.

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