Another difficulty is that some rituals may be placed on more than one Sphere or Path. Direct quotes from the FOI
liturgy are presented in deep blue. My own comments appear in black. I must offer thanks to the late Ellen Cannon
Reed, an early FOI member and FOI Priestess. I am also indebted to ArchDrs. Linda Iles, for her excellent
work on the FOI liturgy rituals. Without her work, this project would not have been possible. At any rate, what
follows is the correspondences I have drawn and a brief discussion of my rationale for each of the Magi Degree rituals for
the College of Isis:
1. Rite of Rebirth--Path 32
2. Ordination of Priestesses and Priests--Path 20
3. The Isis Wedding Rite--Path 16
4. The Mystery of the Awakening of Osiris--Path 24
5. The Mystery of the Spheres--Path 25
6. The Mystery of Demeter and Persephone--Path 22
7. The Mystery of Eros and Psyche--Path 21
8. Mystery of the Labyrinth--Path 26
9. Space Magic--Path 15
10. Time Magic--Path 31
11. Sun Magic of the Life Force--Sphere of Tifareth
12. Lunar Magic of the Tides--Sphere of Yesod
13. Earth Magic of Transformation--Sphere of Malkuth
14. Magic of Mars and the Morrigan--Sphere of Geburah
15. Magic of Venus and Vishnu--Sphere of Netzach
16. Magic of Mercury and Sophia--Sphere of Hod
17. Magic of Jupiter and Hathor--Sphere of Chesed
18. Magic of Saturn and Astarte--Sphere of Binaih
19. Magic of Uranus and Sarasvati--Sphere of Chokmah
20. Magic of Neptune and Ngame--Sphere of Kether
21. Mystical Awakening of Pisces and Cerridwen--Path 30
22. Mystical Awakening of Aries and Durga--Path 27
23. Mystical Awakening of Taurus and Isis--Path 14
24. Mystical Awakening of Gemini, Artemis and Apollo--Path 17
25. Mystical Awakening of Cancer and Tiamat--Path 29
26. Mystical Awakening of Leo and Sekhmet--Path 19
27. Mystical Awakening of Virgo and Dana--Path 13
28. Mystical Awakening of Libra and Kwan Yin--Path 23
29. Mystical Awakening of Scorpio and Kundalini--Path 12
30. Mystical Awakening of Sagittarius and Brynhild--Path 18
31. Mystical Awakening of Capricorn and Terra--Path 11
32. Mystical Awakening of Aquarius and Juno--Path 28
33. Mystical Initiation (Conferred by Direct Communion with Deity)--Sphere of Daath
1. The Rite of Rebirth - Path 32: Malkuth-Yesod
"There are those who dwell quietly on the earth and only accept the time of initiation at birth into
physical life and at its end in death...So the dwellers in heaven lament when a soul makes the perilous journey into
the Sphere of Earth. Yet the dwellers of Earth rejoice that to them a child is born."
We journey up and down this path when we are born and when we die. So any symbolic rebirth is to be found on this
Path. We experience it when we meditate, emote, and become inspired. We journey up this Path in initiation.
We move from the physical world of Malkuth to the Otherworld of Yesod, where exist all the astral heavens and hells.
According to Yetziratic text, the intellegence of this Path directs the seven planets in their proper courses.
Ishtar is Mistress of these Spheres. She must give up dominion and then die like a mortal to enter teh Underworld.
This is symbolized by the removal of clothing and jewelry at 7 gates.
The planet of this Path is Saturn, which is also the planet of Binah, which in part, represents the Underworld.
So that Sphere's energy can be found on this Path. On this Path we become aware of the nature of physical life
and how it is affected by those realms that are not physical. This is initiation--the beginning of the journey.
2. Ordination of Priestesses and Priests - Path 20: Chesed-Tifareth
There is a wand by the altar. In Qabala, it is a mental symbol, regarding learning and teaching. The card
for this Path is the Hermit/Seeker. In many decks, he carries a lantern, which provides illumination and banishes ignorance.
Chesed is the Sphere of the Ancient Ones--those who have evolved to a point beyond the need for physical incarnation,
but stay at the level of Chesed to teach and guide. When we get their attention, our Temple is said to be "contacted."
The archangelic color of Chesed is blue.
"Between heaven and earth over the valley was a vast figure aureoled with light, and it descended
from that circle of light and assumed human shape and stood before me and looked at me. The being vanished and was instantly
replaced by another vision of a woman with a blue cloak around her shoulders..."
On this Path, we both dedicate ourselves to and affirm our spiritual path and also take on the responsibility for leading
others. Chesed gives energy to Tifareth that we experience spiritually. On this Path, we go beyond our
conscious mind and experience spirit at its deepest levels. This Path is beyond what we read in books. It sets
the aspirant up for direct experience with spirit and spiritual beings. We really have to work this Path.
That is the only way to comprehend it. The Hermit/Seeker represents both the aspirant and the guide. In a way,
this is the end of a journey. In another way, it is only the beginning.
3. The Isis Wedding Rite - Path 16: Chokmah-Chesed
In the ritual, those to be married hold a pot of fire. This represents the union of male and female with water
and fire being their symbols. The pure force of Chokmah enters Chesed, the kind ruler. Energy manifests into reality,
both physical and spiritual. The male partner takes on the role of the High Priest and the female that of the High Priestess.
This is the Path of the Great Rite. And as the rod is to the God, so the chalice is to the Goddess, their 2 energies
join and are channeled from the force of Chokmah to the creative Sphere of Chesed--and it is an act of creation, which is
why the 4 elements are used. Eventually, the force is grounded in Earth. We are not merely joining the man and
woman, but through them, the God and Goddess. The energy eventually passes into Netzach and we have birth, rather the
birth of a child of of creative inspiration. Here we touch eternity and know true joy.
4. The Mystery of the Awakening of Osiris - Path 24: Tifareth-Netzach
Netzach is essential here: "...without inspiration [Netzach] the
colors will dim, the power lessen. No amount of stimulation from your thought or from your senses, no act of will can
then bring life. You will slowly sink into unconsciousness and your dreams become nightmares, you yourselves will fall
victims to your self-created images of fear."
The "self" that creates these "images of fear" is the personality. And it is on this Path, that that "self" must
die.
"Truth expresses Herself as new understanding and She may not be bound or blindfolded. The
courage to face the unveiled truth means that you lose the sleep of nonentity. You breathe freely, you open your eyes
fearlessly: you sit; you stand; then with the wings of Horus you fly by Me. You use the many-colored winding sheet
of dreams that once found you as a robe wear as you will."
We must face the Truth that our personality is transitory and will die as surely as our bodies. But this death
is an expansion, not a contraction. It is an awakening. Have you ever had a dream where you were someone else?
The perceived self, the personality, may have been totally different, but it was still You. When you awakened,
you did not mourn the loss of that person, but returned to yourself.
"Osiris...died yet what dreams hath He in His sleep of death? He liveth in dreams: He
fleeth, yet his enemy killeth him many times. He is dismembered and each fragment is concealed throughout Two Lands
of Khem."
If we cling to the personality after death, we enter a nightmare-like state and our true self is fragmented and concealed.
"Osiris in his sleep of death heareth the words of Isis and her search. Memory cometh unto
him. Lo! Love awakens in my heart for my wife. Show myself to be Osiris...Hear the call of Isis to Thee, Osiris,
that thy soul may awaken...Come to Thy house, come to Thy house...come to Thy house that Thou mayest see Me. I am Thy
wife whom Thou loves: Thou shalt not part from Me, O fair Youth; come to Thy house. Yet doth my heart yearn after
Thee and Mine eyes desire Thee. Come to Her who loves Thee, Unnefer, blessed one. Come to Thy wife, come to Thy
wife. Come to Thy house and Thy wife. I am the Twin of they soul, for we two are children of the Goddess Nuit,
Whose starry body arches across the sky at night. Thou art in verity the shepherd with the crook that guardeth the starry
flocks of darkness. With My White Star I follow Thee as Thou sinkest into the depths of the Western Ocean at the
end of the world. Gods and men have turned their faces towards Thee and weep for Thee together. I call after them and
weep. Yet am I Thy Wife Whom Thou didst love. My Lover! My Lover! "
There is a deep mystery here. The dead God Osiris represents the personality which must die. Isis represents
the Individuality, the inner, more genuine self. If the doomed personality comes to the Individuality and allows itself
to be absorbed, it increases, rather than decreases.
"I see Myself in many dreams with many names and forms; I hear the call of my beloved Isis:
and I call my many selves unto me and I name them. For all are Osiris. May all of these be awakened with Me, for
are they not my kin?"
Once again, dying is at first like entering a dream state. You become aware of all your past personalities and
have to do the work of letting the present one go. Then you are ready for reincarnation (Hopefully after a break first!)
"Isis opened the painted chest, and laying her face on the face of Her Husband, and Her heart upon
His heart...She wet his face with her tears. The winged Isis breathed into his nostrils and His mouth the Breath
of Life and behold, He lived again."
Hence the Individuality creates a new personality, a new vehicle for itself.
"From Osiris take immortal wheat that your soul may awaken and gain the harvest of many lives.....From
Isis receive the Water of Life. May you know your immortality."
Every birth is a death and every death is a birth.
5. The Mystery of the Spheres - Path 25: Tifareth-Yesod
This is the Path of the Tower and its experience is very much like that card. A bolt of lightning strikes you,
weakening your faith in the things you have come to rely on. It creates a feeling of emptiness, of not quite belonging
on this planet anymore. If you are at all deluded this Path will decimate your delusions. This experience illustrates
that no matter how far you have come, there is much further to go, and that you haven't come as far as you would have
liked to think.
"[Nuit], As Thou art great, pity our littleness: as Thou art mighty, strengthen the weak."
This Path does indeed show us how little we are and we will need every ounce of strength Nuit can give us.
"Yet when darkness falls and cold winter comes, you face the grim twin pylons that guard my abyss...In
my azure arms I hold the Mysteries. In my sleep of death is your awakening....
It was night. The moon, veiled by dark clouds, cast but an uncertain light on the crags of
lava. My head covered with the linen veil, holding in my hands the Golden Bough, I advanced without fear to the spot
where I had been ordered to spend the night. Lightning flashed through the night and gave to the flames of the volcano
a blood like experience. I placed the mysterious bough on the altar. Instantly the earth trembled under my feet,
thunder crashed. The hallowed bough was ablaze."
This is the Path of thunder and lightning as can be expected from its tarot card. The aspirant IS the Tower.
This is part of the "Path of the Arrow" through which the energy of Kether moves directly into Malkuth. And here is
where that energy brings a dark night of the soul. This violent awakening will cause your foundations to crumble.
However, if you get through it, you are stronger on the other side.
"The candidate has received the Initiation of the Goddess Persephone in the Underworld. So
he can acknowledge the hidden wisdom of the depths..."
As this is an initiatory Path, we must make the journey of descent and face the Dark Goddess.
"On the capitals of 4 white marble columns were set 4 bronze statues: They had wings and sounded
trumpets."
These are the archangels of the four directions. It is necessary to experience the elements at this point.
"I touched a golden sun which turned to dust."
Indeed at this point, that which lights your way, symbolized by the sun, turns to dust: you are left with nothing
to lean on. You must stand on your own.
"Then each molecule became a golden sun similar to the Original Sun."
By working this Path, we open ourselves and let the light in (sometimes with violent results).
6. The Mystery of Demeter and Persephone - Path 22: Geburah-Tifareth
"A grain of wheat is reaped in silence. The Teacher gives knowledge: the student
through meditation receives that which is given and by inner understanding transmutes knowledge to wisdom...
But their true selves enjoy eternal beauty with Demeter and all Deities: as I do now and forevermore."
Once we have attained enough wisdom, we can end our cycles of incarnation and ascend. We also need to work
on our karma. This is where we are judged. This is a path of the Underworld which Demeter must descend into to
find her daughter. We must all share their journey between lives. As Demeter is Goddess of "fruit, trees, and
corn, thus we must reap the fruit of our actions. Thus, this is a karmic Path.
"Through Balance is Harmony maintained. Let Persephone spend one third of the year with Hades
in the Underworld. There She will rule in the name of the Mother. For one third let her dwell as Psyche upon the
green earth. For one third She may dwell in the Olympian Heaven, a celestial body from her chrysalis awakened."
The card of this Path is Justice, so it relates to Balance and Harmony. We experience, at one time or another,
all of the states that Persephone does. Once we have purified ourselves through earthly existence, we may break free
of our own chrysalis.
"And whence Mother and Daughter returned to the plains, spring came to the wide earth."
The spring is symbolic of the time we plant our karmic seeds that later we will reap.
7. The Mystery of Eros and Psyche - Path 21: Chesed-Netzach
"Step aside in a quiet moment, and you will find all time, past, present, and future, with you now..."
The card for this Path is the Wheel of Fortune, which encompasses past, present, and future--especially our visions of
how we want the future to be.
"Take the casket which contains all visions and ecstacies of the soul [Netzach]. Henceforth,
thou shall have the power of guiding souls through the spheres."
Even as our personality has a destiny, so does our Individuality/soul. We hunger for ascension, often without knowing
what we hunger for. Psyche is given the ability to guide us on that path.
"Psyche, aim not to reach the Heights, for many fall from these as did Icarus and Phaeton.
Rather pick wool left on briar hedges by flocks of sheep. Is not wool golden in the evening sunlight?"
This is an affirmation that we must earn our own ascension by fulfilling our personal destinies here on earth.
Why else would we be here? In this way, we reach higher realms.
"Psyche, thou has found beauty in the hedges." So thou dost live in Heaven, seen with the Lamp
of Truth...Thou hast seen immortality in a seed. Know that thou art immortal."
And our Individuality is. This is a ritual about our individuality and its destiny. It is
about the Path of ascension and rising from the mortal state to become like a God.
8. Mystery of the Labyrinth - Path 26: Tifareth-Hod
This is about accepting that some things cannot be proven. There is not just one way of doing things. Some things
can't be neatly classified. It's card is the Devil (or the Horned One depending on your deck) so here we have to go
through another dark night of the soul and face our Shadow and animal self. The minotaur is also a symbol
of this part of ourselves, being half human (spiritual nature, higher intelligence), half bull (animal nature, instinct).
"Wise Ariadne...Thou who art above the Labyrinth of the mind, aid us in our thought."
Here we have to rise above the conscious mind and the forms we have come to rely on.
"For thou, daughter of truth are wed with fiery Dionysus."
Dionysus is associated here because he is a horned god and his fiery nature. For some people, this
path will be like walking through fire.
"And so through reconciliation with the enemy comes creation."
What greater enemy is there than the Devil? We must indeed reconcile with that which is him within us.
"For votary of high spiritual truth needs the warm glory of the Lover, lest she freeze into an ice
maiden. And the Lover, demoniac in his passion, seeks the ice maiden that will still his ardour.
When you reach the nadir of the Labyrinth, and face that which you most fear, you may drop the thread."
What we most fear is our own Shadow.
"Shut thine eyes and then thou shalt see the Gateway."
Shutting of the eyes is a willing letting go of form, which we must do on this Path.
"I have reached the Centre. Cold horror fills my soul. What evil form is this, crouching
in the darkness? ...Half-beast, half-human all filled with fear and fury.
No man may fight his Destiny. The beast may slay me, yet not the Minotaur, but Destiny.
I drop my sword. He drops his own. Now in truth I know my enemy. He is my Shadow. He is myself."
9. Space Magic - Path 15: Chokmah-Tifareth
The 15th Path is about being motivated, indeed pushed forward, to follow one's spiritual path.
"Lady of Heaven, Inspire us to follow Thy Path of Truth. We would tread in Thy footsteps and
ascend into Heaven, that we may learn Wisdom from the Deities."
The "Heaven" spoken of is the Sphere of Chokmah.... Like all Paths, this one can be travelled in two directions:
"Whether you travel the Path of Ascent and experience the cosmos within yourself [Chokmah] or follow
the Path of Decent and fell the Love [Tifareth] of every creature and every clod of earth--remember your place corresponds
to what you are.."
This Path is also where we expand our vision.
"Celestial Anat...let our small consciousness know more of Thy Great Being that we may wonder at
the Glory of the Cosmos!"
One Vision of Tifareth: The Vision of the Harmony of Things. Zeus, a God of Chokmah is invoked in the east.
Horus, a god of Tifareth is in the south. Horus is also a God of the 15th Path.
"Lend us the Eye of Vision that we may too see far and wide."
An expansion of vision.
"May we be giants, as Thou art, and me we too stride across the skies in our quest."
The card of this Path is the Emperor. The following speech takes that into account as well as the concept of an expansion
of vision:
"He, the Upholder of Order,
Who knows the track of the wind,
Of the wise, the bright, the mighty:
He who knows those who live on high;
He, the Upholder of Order,
Varuna, may he protect us,
He, the wise, sits in the Great Place to govern
From thence, perceiving all wondrous things.
He sees what has been and what will be done...
[Odin is in Chokmah:]
"Give us the courage to travel in place and mind for Truth."
"Infinite Space" is beyond our view, so we must call upon the "Eight Daughters of Space." We ask for help to further
our journey.
"Bright is Thy Path in the Heavens, leading from star to star, from place to place."
At one point, we rise above and see the world below us.
10. Time Magic - Path 31: Hod-Malkuth
The 31st Path deals with time. It is about how we mentally evolve and abouto history itself. This is also
a Path of purification.
"Let the Cosmic Clock strike twelve, as the old era dies, giving birth to the new dispensation."
This Path is about our past and how that past makes us who we are. It is also about the destiny that we choose
for ourselves between lives.
"Companions on the quest for All-Time, we are gathered together in this Holy Temple to call upon
the Star Deities, that they may aid us to gain the harvest of the past, and through the gateway of the present, know our Destiny.
Poseidon...bring us knowledge from the depths of past ages."
In addition to the past life work, this is a Path of purifying fire.
"Not enough, Divine Goddess, is it for us to drink of memory's fount. With the bite of Thy
fiery scorpions we would awaken Thy Inner Flame of Life. May we live again in the past so that it becomes the Present.
So we, Thy children shall know immortality.
Holy Python Goddess...bring us Thy Life through Thy snake's bite, that we may learn to enjoy our
future lives even as we dwell in the present...For this is life eternal: to experience past, present, and future as
one whole.
I invoke Phoebus Apollo...bring us the art of withdrawing from passing time so that, safe upon the
hub of the wheel, we may watch the passing ages, and like Thee know our eternal self.
Even the Deities obey the Fates, under whose aegis all things live their allotted spanof many existences.
The 3 Norns spin Past, Present, and Future."
We choose our destiny/chart/contract:
"On their arrival in the next life, souls go before Lachesis and they are told, 'This is the word
of Laches is Soul of a day, here you must begin another round of mortal life. No Guardian Angel will be allotted to
you; you must choose your own. Goodness knows no master. A man shall have more or less of her, the angel according
to the value he sets on her. Faults lie not with the Deities but with the soul that makes the choice.
And when the souls make their choice, they are led to Atropos who presents them with their lot in
the new life: and after saluting her, they are led to Clotha, who by spinning made the thread of each destiny irrreversible.
...we pray the Fates that we may be granted memories of where we have come from and our former
lives...
Behold the movement of Time! Shut your eyes. Feel yourselves moving backwards.
You sink into a waking sleep. You hear the faint sound of a gong and you know it is your heartbeats. These grow
slower and slower...Backwards through Time, you become a child, an infant. You look upon your infant body.
You see an ancient silver mirror, spotted and old. It is veiled with dust. You look into it...You enter it...and
in silence make your way on your appointed path...
Behold the movement of Time. Shut your eyes. Feel yourself moving forwards.
You enter into a waking sleep. You hear the faint sound of a gong and you know it is your heartbeats. These grow
faster and faster. The pendulum swings quicker and quicker...Forwards through time, you become old, you are dying.
You look down on your dying body. You rise above it..."
About the Author: K. Matthew Bearden is an Adept within the Fellowship of Isis. He was ordained into
the FOI priesthood by FOI co-founder Olivia Robertson. He co-heads the Iseum of Apollo and Artemis with Rt. Rev. Michael
Artonn Starsheen. Matthew is the founder and head of the Iseum of Aradia, and Priest Hierophant of the Lyceum of Hathor
of the Ten Houses. More information about the work of this iseum and lyceum can be found here:
www.geocities.com/iseumaradia He is currently in the process of working toward becoming a Hierophant in
the College of Isis. Matthew is also a Reiki Master and TCBA Certified Tarot Consultant. You may learn
more about Matthew's work as a Tarot Reader and Reiki healer here:
www.geocities.com/wwdivinations
He owns the following online discussion groups:
Tarot Traditions:
Iseum of Apollo and Artemis:
