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Archive for November, 2007

Ancient farmers were advised to pick the grapes and press the new wine at the Vindemia, the vintage. Nine months have passed since we began our journey, pacing the agricultural cycle month by month from the times of new growth to maturity and eventual fall festival fruit harvest. We now arrive at October, the month of the fall vintage, when the plump juicy grapes that have ripened on the vine during languid summer days are finally plucked and pressed, producing a frothy deep purple new wine. Now the dappled sunlight is noticeably shorter and the cold dark time of winter rapidly approaches. Life in the natural world this month goes underground as animals hunker down for the long haul, birds retreat to warmer climates, and seeds lie dormant awaiting the period of rebirth. We also beat a hasty retreat into the dry, warm confines of home and hearth, driven inside by chilling temperatures and drenching rains. In some regions, an icy crystal blanket covers the fields and trees at the first frost. October portends the bleak winter season, while nature herself compels us to consider endings and death.

In ancient Roman times, October marked an end to an intensely active period for farming as well as travel, commerce, and military conquest. During this fall month, farmers busily prepared for the coming of winter, making certain of adequate supplies and provisions to last through the dark cold months looming just ahead. Likewise, the threat of snow and treacherous weather brought a halt to much of the travel and trade in the ancient world. In fact, in the earliest days of Rome, military campaigns lasted from March through October, when the Roman soldiers returned to their homes and farms. October was the month when many activities came to an abrupt end. Appropriately, the Isia, the sacred rites to the goddess Isis and her days of mourning for her lost husband, Osiris, were held in ancient Rome during the final days of this month.

Isis was originally an Egyptian goddess worshiped by the people living along the Nile River since prehistoric times. During the second and first centuries B.C.E., however, her cult spread throughout the Mediterranean, reaching Italy, where her popularity grew among Romans of all classes from members of the imperial family to slaves. Her fall ritual, the Isia, which ran from October 28 to November 3, became so popular in the Roman world that it was added to the rustic Roman calendar, the rural menologia, about 40 C.E. Who was this most ancient Egyptian goddess? What does Queen Isis offer?

In the beginning was Isis, Oldest of the Old, Great Lady of Egypt, Queen of Heaven and Mistress of the House of Life, represented by the ankh, her symbol for "life." In antiquity, this goddess found faithful worshipers among people of all social rank dwelling in such far-flung lands as Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, Britain, and the shores of the Arabian Gulf and Black Sea. The goddess Isis welcomed all and did not discriminate by gender, social class, wealth, or racial background.
Isis bestowed her love on all peoples and was a goddess of redemption and forgiveness, welcoming those who had sinned equally with the sinless. Isis gave freely of love, pity, compassion, and forgiveness, for she herself had known great sorrow. Isis, the Mother of Life, offered unconditional love.

The worship of Isis brought hope and meaning to many people, as she addressed directly the eternal questions of life and death. Queen Isis sails her sacred ship on a journey to the very borders of the world of the dead. And she returns. Thus, it is also fitting that the Isia was held in late October, a focused period of endings and closure, when the worlds of the living and dead touched and the veil between them was thin. Today we experience this dark magical time as Halloween, All Hallows' Eve, Samhain, or the Day of the Dead. In antiquity, these days of October belonged to Queen Isis.

The story of Isis is a very old one and has been retold and reshaped over thousands of years by people of many different cultures living in countries throughout the Mediterranean world. This myth of a dying god, a grieving goddess, and a sacred birth is rooted in the natural cycle of the Nile River and the yearly ebb and flow of its life-sustaining waters. It is ultimately a story of faith, hope, and love.

Commemorate the season with one of our fall themed gift baskets such as the autumn cornucopia gift!

Geb, the Great God of Earth, and Nut, the Supreme Goddess of the Sky, produced their first offspring, Isis and Osiris, who, while still in their mother's womb, had fallen in love and mated. Isis and her brother/ husband, Osiris, formed a perfect union and ruled the world in peace.

Osiris traveled across the lands bearing volunteer gifts to all people. It was Osiris who sent forth the sun's rays to all parts of the world both on land and sea.

Osiris evoked anger and jealously in his brother, Seth, who plotted revenge. Seth attacked Osiris and treacherously murdered him.

Isis deeply mourned the loss of her brother’s husband, Osiris, traveling the land for many days in search of his body, when she learned that Seth had savagely dismembered the corpse and scattered the parts in various places. She grieved and mourned his loss openly. The unconstrained flood of tears down her divine cheeks fell gently into the Nile
River, causing the annual inundation so essential for the continuity of all life forms, vegetal, animal, and human. Divine Isis found and retrieved all the parts of her beloved except the phallus. She miraculously mated with the dead Osiris, conceiving the child Horus in a union with her dead husband. Osiris was brought back to life by the magic of Isis, who breathed the wind of life into his nostrils. Osiris was reborn and resurrected in the image of his own posthumous son Horus. Thus, the great god Osiris was reborn through the child Horus and continued the struggle with the evil Seth, finally vanquishing his powerful enemy and rising to rule the world once again.

It was the wish of Isis that all people living in Egypt honor Osiris. So she made out of spices and wax many replicas of the body of Osiris. The goddess then called together all the priests from all the regions of Egypt and instructed them to take a waxen image of Osiris back to their various districts and bury it with the rites of mourning.
Isis told the priests to worship Osiris as a great god and at the same time to sanctify an animal native to each of their districts. Therefore, each region in Egypt claimed to possess the tomb of Osiris and venerated a variety of animals held sacred to the god.

We learn from this story about endings and death; we learn of faith and commitment; and we come to understand the promise of salvation. The goddess Isis teaches the capacity to feel deeply and to express outwardly the pain brought on by immeasurable grief. We learn to face those difficult moments in our lives when we become separated from our loved ones or when we face the conclusion or ending of something special such as a job, a project, or a relationship. We learn that the aging process and death itself are integral components of the natural cycle. Together, we can grieve with this goddess, knowing that she understands: "
Isis cries out with a loud voice and the earth quakes" (Pyramid Texts 1270).

From Isis we also learn forgiveness and acceptance and to cherish those close to us. Isis offers the blessings of faith, hope, and love. Isis teaches us to honor the earth and respect all forms of animal life, for they are manifestations of the divine. The powers of Isis, too, are rooted within the natural world. Her tears over Osiris initiated the yearly inundation of the Nile's water, so vital to all life in Egypt. Isis was the soil of Egypt commingling with the
Nile waters to bring fertility. As Life-Giver, Isis was the goddess of all animals, yet the cat, held sacred in ancient
Egypt, was special to her. Her cult creatures also included the cow, falcon, vulture, ibis, crocodile, gazelle, goose, and swallow. On her head she wore the crown of her sacred snake, the asp. Cleopatra, who envisioned herself as the goddess Isis incarnate, chose to die by the bite of the asp.

The many components of the natural world are each sacred, entwined, and interrelated-the seed, the tree, the animal that feeds from the tree, human that feeds from the tree and the animal. Each goes through similar phases of life-birth, growth, death, and return to the eternal womb (the earth), an endless cycle of rebirth and renewal. For those who believe devoutly in the goddess Isis, nature may be manifest in the various gods and goddesses, but in essence they are really only One. By whatever path you take, whatever name you invoke, whatever rite you perform, you honor the One Divine Feminine.

The ancient Greeks called me Minerva; those living on the island of Cyprus worship me as Venus; the people of
Crete hail me as Diana; the Sicilians call me the ancient goddess Ceres. Some call me Juno; some call me Hecate; some Ramnusia or Bellona. Let those who are enlightened by the earliest rays of the divine sun, those who exceed all others in ancient lore and worship me by the customs of their ancestors, the Egyptians call me Queen Isis.

How many different emotions are stirred by the approach of the Christmas season? Some can scarcely realize that it is Christmas again, so swiftly do the years fly when one is happy and busy. Others feel that they have lived an eternity since last Christmas Eve, so much has happened in the time, so many changes have come into their lives. Truly life is measured in heart throbbing and not in figures on a dial.

What changes has the past year brought in your life? Many are doubtless facing for the first time all the hardships of pioneer life. You almost dread Christmas; it will be so different from any Christmas. You will miss more than ever the dear friends you have left, and you will think of them all together - you alone missing.

Others are dreading Christmas time because a lonely grave on the prairie holds all that is left of one who was the light and seasonal joy of your home just a year ago. Your Christmas vision is a vacant chair, a desolated home and a grave. May the Kind Healer of all human 'sorrow help you to be strong, for your burden is heavy.

"Peace on earth and good will to men." That is our Christmas motto, which can be lived just as nobly in a shanty on the lonely prairie as it can in the largest city in the world. There are many lonely hearts and some bitter ones; cannot you bring peace to them?

Make special preparation for the Christmas season. You may not be able to spend any extra money. Well, never mind. Give the house an extra cleaning, and bake some gourmet cookies, or if you cannot do that, dress a little better yourself. Make Christmas candy for the children; only be sure to do something to mark the day and make it different from all the rest. You may try to forget, but you cannot. There is something about the ages old custom of Christmas that you cannot get away from.

Do not spend Christmas alone. There is always someone who would be very glad to celebrate Christmas with you. On the one day do not think only of your own pleasure, but think of the one who needs remembrance. "Peace on earth," that is your motto, and also "good will to men." Open your home to the one who needs you and you will be living the Christmas teaching.

Take some time to examine your faith and your spirituality as October draws us on toward the darkest months. Affirming your faith is a very personal act; reaffirm your faith with an appropriate ceremony or just a personal prayer. October is a good month to look seriously at your spiritual life. Visit your church, temple, or place of worship, or just head outside to a park or garden. Find someplace where you can think deeply, light a votive candle, or meditate privately for a little while.

Often organizations or religious centers conduct day or weekend retreats for contemplation and prayer. You may wish to recommit to your faith or consider conversion to a new form of belief. Take heart! October was the month of the goddess Fides, or Faith, and the month for commitment.

In October we come to examine our spiritual foundation and our beliefs. The cold outside, the darkened sky, the gray hues, and somber tones of the natural world seep inside of us through all our pores. The natural world won't let us escape, but prods us on to think long, heavy thoughts of death and search for a spiritual solution and solace. As much as we pretend to be so sophisticated with modem technological achievements, we really are no different than the ancient Romans living two thousand years agothose pagans faced the same questions we do regarding birth, life, and death. They likewise sought personal answers in the spiritual world.

Modern Ritual: Prayer of Affirmation

When praying to the deities, the Romans spoke the words outside in the open air in the privacy of a garden or in a temple precinct. The customary way to pray was with palms facing upward and outstretched hands. Read aloud this marvelous prayer to the divine:

Most holy and everlasting Redeemer of the human race, you kindly cherish our lives and bestow the consoling smiles of a mother upon our hardships. There is no day or night, not a moment in time, that is not filled with the eternity of your mercy.

You protect us on land or sea. You chase away the storms of life and stretch out your hand to help the dejected and troubled. You can untangle the hopelessly entwined threads of the Fates. You can mitigate the tempests of Fortune, and check the stars bent on an unfortunate course. The gods of heaven worship you. The gods of hell bow before you. You rotate the globe. You light the sun. You govern space. You trample hell. The stars move to your orders. The seasons return, the gods rejoice, the elements combine. At your nod, the breezes blow, clouds collect, seeds sprout, blossoms increase. The birds that fly in the air, the beasts that roam on the hills, the serpents that hide in the earth, the fishes that swim in the ocean tremble before your Majesty.

My voice has no power to utter what I think of you. Not a thousand mouths with a thousand tongues, not an eternal flow of unwearied declaration could give you sufficient praises. Poor as I am, I shall do all that a truly religious person can do. I will hold your divine countenance within my breast, and there in the secret depths I shall keep divinity for ever guarded.

I, the natural mother of all life, the mistress of the elements, the first child of time, the supreme divinity, the queen of those in hell, the first among those in heaven, the uniform manifestation of all the gods and goddesses-

I, who govern by my nod the crests of light in the sky, the purifying wafts of the ocean, and the lamentable silences of hell-

I, whose single godhead is venerated all over the earth under manifold forms, varying rites, and changing names.

Isis and Isia

Since the worship of Isis was another mystery religion, very little is known of the events of the Isia. The procession to her shrine, however, was a mesmerizing event. The parade began with men and women dressed "as their votive fancy desired" leading the way. A chorus of women followed wearing only white and strewing the path with fresh flower blossoms and perfumed oils. Others came in order carrying torches and waxen candles to honor She Who Made the Stars of Heaven.

Next followed musicians and a choir of young people in snow-white garments singing songs to the pipers' tune. Then came the priests and priestess shouting. "Make way for the goddess." A band of men and women of all classes and ages who had been initiated into the mysteries of the goddess and who wore linen clothes of the purest white followed. The women had their hair done up with veils (not confused with wedding veils) of the finest silk covering their heads; the men had all shaven their heads. They each carried a silver or bronze sistrum, rattling the sacred instrument as they walked.

Isis was accessible to slave and emperor alike and could be approached through personal prayer. She listened to all supplications and required only faith and devotion from her followers, not money or expensive offerings. Two thousand years ago, Apuleius invoked her presence with devout faith as follows:

Queen of Heaven, who wanders through many sacred groves, and who is worshiped and esteemed in different ways, 0, Goddess of the Moon who shines upon the walls of cities with beams of female light, who nurtures the wildflower garden seeds in the earth with your moist heat, and glows with divine radiance when the sun has set. ° by whatever name, and by whatever rites, and in whatever form that you may be invoked, come now and help me in my hour of need. And, moved by the prayer and declaration of faith, she appeared:

The first thing that I noticed was her abundant dark hair falling gently in soft curls onto her neck. Upon her head, she wore a garland woven with a great variety of flowers. She was crowned with a divine tiara worthy of description, for in the center, just above her forehead, was a plain circular object that was in fact a miniature full moon that glowed with a soft clear white light. On either side of the moonlike globe, two serpents were placed together with sheaves of grain.

Her multicolored gown was of the finest linen, a part was pure white, another was dyed the color of yellow crocuses, with a third the color of rich red roses. Yet, the pitch-black cloak around her shoulders caught my eye, for it shone with a dark glow. This amazing garment fell in soft folds of fabric, swaying gracefully to the ground in a hem of knotted fringe. The elaborate border seemed to cling to the garment of its own accord, of brilliant hues, comprising every kind of fruit and flower. This magical cloak was sprinkled with glowing stars and in the center was a full moon emitting soft moon beams in every direction. The goddess held in her right hand a bronze rattle, a sistrum, her sacred instrument. She carried a miniature golden boat in her left. An asp with raised head and puffed out throat encircled her right arm. Such was the goddess Isis.