The Crossroads Iseum/Lyceum Spiritual Experiences Earth Magic Mystery Drama from: Urania, Ceremonial Magic of the Goddess Submitted by Judy M. Submitted by White Raven Woman Submitted by Sophie Kahauonalikolehua K. Submitted by Silver Oak Moon Submitted by Grainne Earth Magic of Transmutation By: Judy M.         I performed the ritual in my meditation room. I used a marble tile for my hearth stone. I cleaned the space and then got ready. I had a brown cape with a colorful earth tone shawl wrapped around me. I had the appropriate candles on my altar. I burned patchouli over the charcoal for my incense. I also added some cedar and sage mixture when that burned off. It all smelled "earthy."         While I was meditating a woman who had long gray hair in braids came to me. She said that we were both in our crone stage of life and I should be proud of it. She helped me braid my hair. She seemed to be Native American. Then she sat next to me and she was sitting on the earth, not in my room. Her energy was of a very strong woman. I just knew she was one of the "wise ones."         She told me I need to do more work in getting my hands in natural substances, i.e. gardening and making potions in rituals. She said I need to do more with my hands. (Of note, I just started making bath salts which my friends enjoy using, as I do myself.)         After the ritual and in the weeks following, her energy seemed to linger. It was of a supportive nature but also one of strength. I looked at my Goddess cards to find out who she was but could not make a definite decision of who this woman was. I just know that it felt good to be around her. Return to top Earth Magic of Transmutation By: White Raven Woman         As I reached the meditation portion of this rite I was compelled to sketch. With eyes closed I sketched a goddess. I am sure the drawing was directed by the goddess herself as I could feel a very strong presence throughout the room. I asked for her name and my hand was directed to write Ana Kara. I asked if she had any words for me and they came through so quickly that my hand had difficulty keeping up with the writing. Some of the words which flowed across the paper are harmony, grace, empathy, compassion, forgiveness, love, joyousness, giving, protection, inner peace, nurture, strength, beauty and divinity.         As I said the final blessing I was moved to tears. The outpouring of love I felt was very great. The rite was very powerful, moving and empowering. At the end of it my chosen hearthstone was quite warm, whereas at the beginning of the rite it had been very cold. The stone now resides in the living room/play area of our house and has maintained it’s great warmth.         Since enacting the rite I have communed with the goddess Ana Kara on a few different occasions. She has come to me while I am in a deep trance state. When she comes I feel as if She is being channeled through me in order to communicate further. I have kept my journal close while seeking Ana Kara. On two occasions was moved to spontaneously writing Her words. On one occasion I asked her what she seeks from me. What came through via the writing is this:         Create a place for all who seek me. Peace shall be within your heart and home; flowing outwards as the fountain flows, as the stream flows. Touching all you see, meet, encounter. No room for anguish, negativity, fear. Compassion and understanding rule the way.         Seek within yourself for the clear path you must share.         As I had been unable to find any information on the goddess Ana Kara I once again asked Her name. What came through in my writing was this:         I am Isis; I am Ana Kara. I am all there is.         Ana Kara is the Lithuanian name I am known by. It has been forgotten, but you knew me by it at one time. Long ago when you were a peasant herb woman. When you were a seer and a friend. When you were a lover of all nature as you are now, I knew you. I held you as you cried my name as the flames licked your face.         You know me still.         This last communication was very powerful and moving. I am have no doubt that this goddess is one I knew once, long ago. I am not familiar with this particular past life, although I know in great detail several others, but there is no doubt in my mind that I was a peasant herb woman who knew Ana Kara well. Since this last communication I have not "channeled" the Goddess again, but I feel that I don’t need to. My questions of who she is and why she has presented herself to me at this point in time have been answered.         Since enacting the rite I have been presented with opportunities to help other women. People I have not heard from in ages have contacted me with their problems and I have offered spiritual advice based from my own experiences. A dear friend has told me that the advice I gave to her friend Robin has touched her soul in such a powerful way. Although I feel I didn’t do anything, just shared my experiences with chronic pain and how I cope with it, I am happy that I was able to help another with my words. I feel strongly that the goddess has empowered me and is helping me to "make a home" based upon comfort for others in need. Return to top Earth Magic of Transmutation By: Sophie Kahauonalikolehua K.         Although my new house has many nurturing places, there was no doubt in my mind where its heart lay. The living room, floored in old oak, has a large formal fireplace that both draws and radiates supportive energy. Not long after I moved in I had a dream about this fireplace. I had thought my home would be dedicated to Brighid, but in the dream I was greeted by Pele Who announced that She would be the primary deity of my hearth. She showed me that Her image would hang above the fireplace and gave me some instructions (more to come in future) about how the space was to be used in Her Name.         A few days later I received a name for the house. I saw an image of a lehua flower, and the word "kipuka" flashed through my mind. "Kipuka" means a refuge or sanctuary, and is generally used to describe a place where lava has divided and flowed around, sparing the existing growth. These kipukas become islands of isolated forest in the sea of hardened lava, much like oases in the desert. Kipukas often have proper names the same way mountains do - Kipuka such-and-such. Ah, I thought, the house is Kipuka Lehua. But this didn't feel quite right. I followed my senses, playing with different words and finally arrived at Kipuka Liko. Liko means the bud of a flower not yet in full bloom. Likolehua, the buds of the lehua, are often used to decorate leis dedicated to Pele. The promise within the bud, of life unfolding, renders the liko especially sacred.         Now likolehua is also a piece of my sacred name, so I knew I was on track. Furthermore, my name was given to me in dream by the ghost, or spirit, of Princess Ruth Ke'e liko lani, a royal of old Hawai'i. In Hawai'ian tradition, lineage is passed on by a root word, not usually obvious but tucked into the name. When I described my name to my Hawai'ian teacher, without telling her anything except that I dreamed of an "ali'i" (an ancient chief), she immediately said, "Ah, that would be Ke'elikolani who gave you the name. you have 'liko' as well. That is the lineage root." So my root lineage name is the right name for this kipuka, this sanctuary that apparently my home will be.         On Monday I spent the afternoon scrubbing the tiles of the hearth, cleaning the room and setting up for my ritual. I cleared the space with clapping and chimes. My garden walkways are bordered with bricks and I'd moved several of them to do some landscaping, so I looked them over and chose one for the hearthstone. After attunement with the Lyceum I bathed, put on a emerald silk caftan bordered with pink orchids, green beaded copper earrings, my rainbow-moonstone necklace and my sacred jade bangle. Before lighting the altar candle I invited every power I could remember having supported me - ancestors, deities, animals, elements. The invitation took almost half an hour. The room filled with wonderful loving energy, it felt like a party! My hearth-warming celebration. I asked each power to join me here, using the house's new name for the first time aloud - Kipuka Liko, a Sanctuary for New Life.         Then I cast my circle and lit the altar candle. I used pine needles for my incense which give me such a wonderful connection with Earth. As the ritual proceeded, I had a very different sensation from most of my circles. Usually I get clear awareness of a particular sentience. This time, although my senses were heightened and objects stood out with the same clarity they do when the Goddess and God are present, there was no personal feeling, no sense of a specific personality, with one brief exception. When I invoked Prithivi I got an intense image of a great loving cow wreathed in flowers whose milk poured out like a cascade of stars. This passed almost at once, and I moved on to invoke Tellus Mater. After the invocations I remained in meditation for some time, but "nothing happened." Since it was growing quite late and I had to get up for work the next morning, I ended my ritual and got ready for bed.         As I lay down, some troubling thoughts came back into my head. I'd set them aside to focus on the ritual, but they were ready to bother me again now. My children had some problems, not dramatic but difficult, and we'd had a rough week sorting them out. As these thoughts scrambled back, I suddenly felt an enormous pair of arms go about me. Soft as clouds, dark brown as rich earth, they enfolded me in the most tender embrace I'd ever experienced. I heard a gentle voice, absolutely radiant with compassion and understanding, whisper: "Don't worry dear one. Don't worry so much! All is well and will be well. Rest now, rest now. You are safe with Me." The arms began to rock me softly and a sweet humming filled my ears. I fell deeply asleep.         These days I rarely sleep well, courtesy of hot flashes and turbulent dreams. That night I had an unbroken rest and awoke more refreshed than I'd been in many months. Although the day at work was extremely busy, I found myself bubbling with laughter and good humor all the day long. And when I returned home that evening, the hearthstone lay in its appointed place, glowing with inner warmth, safety and welcome. "Don't worry," it seemed to say. "All is well You are safe with Me." Return to top Earth Magic of Transmutation By: Silver Oak Moon         I gather all the necessary things. I choose to do this ritual on my hearth, which is the place that I do most of my rituals including Sabbats, Esbats, and most of my solitary circle work. My hearth faces East, so most of my rituals are oriented to the East. I have already dedicated this altar to the Goddess Bast, whom I have a large statue of on the hearth and who also keeps us safe and protected. She was dedicated for this purpose shortly after moving into this house, which has been about 2 years.         It is Harvest/Samhain time, and I drape the altar with a green and brown altar cloth that I have used at this time of year for other rites. I get some earth from outside and I notice it is like "the red earth of Tara" (from Gone with the Wind) and I note that my thinking about Tara, (not the Tara in GWTW, but the one in Ireland) is no coincidence.         I take my ritual bath with "inspiration" from Aura Cacia, which is a mixture of Bergamot, Lemon, Sweet Basil and Rosemary, and then anoint myself with some of Young Living "Abundance" oil, which is quite heavy with Patchouli. I don a copper-colored circlet for my hair and two bracelets from Tibet, which contain copper as well as some other metals. I am wearing a brownish kind of animal print outfit, which really seems to suit the occasion. So, I am ready!         I start the ritual almost exactly at 12:00 noon. When I get to the part called "meditation," I start thinking, "OK, who is it that I'm going to see", I try to put all thoughts aside and just "be" and listen. I am thinking of all the mothers. I start with Gaia, whom I feel a great connection to presently, and then I think of Hecate, whom I was really into for awhile. I then get into this old meditation of mine, going down these obsidian stairs into the earth where Hecate is standing at a crossroads next to a waterfall, Almost immediately, I am literally grabbed and lifted up out of the bowels of the earth by Sekmet. We pierce the crust of the Earth and fly up to the sun, almost instantly. She says "no, it's no longer time for you to dwell down there" Then, many different Goddesses come to mind, Isis, queen of heaven, Gaia, (again), Diana, Venus, but finally I get this definite picture of Maat.         I don't know why, but she definitely has the crook and staff in her hands and they are crossed across her breast as the pharaohs are depicted. She has long black hair and is dressed in red. She says to me "may your heart be as light as a feather" and "do not get burdened by the sorrows of the world and do not become entrapped by bitterness or petty grievances. Keep always to the goals of Love, Beauty and Truth and Know that the FOI is indeed my chosen vessel for disseminating my wisdom to you and that you are accepted into it." Wow, what can I say!         At this point it is very difficult because this was a highly personal experience and it is hard to put it down on paper. In any case, she kept repeating and thus verifying this so that I could remember for this report. I can only say that I had no expectation of this and that I truly tried to just empty myself of preconceived ideas of what should transpire. I did pray for divine guidance and the blessing of the Goddess' presence in whatever form she chose to show me at the beginning of my ceremony. I stay in this place with Maat for awhile and become exceedingly joyous and connected. After awhile, I thank the Goddess very deeply, and envision a green light emanating out of my heart center with just such awe and gratitude. I close the circle and have what I call "The Simple Feast" of bread and wine,         Throughout the next few days, whenever I feel "stressed out" I just think of the ritual and Maat/Isis and I feel great peace. All things considered, I feel much closer to the Goddess while meditating and I feel I've been connecting with her in a more meaningful way since I've enacted this ritual. Return to top Earth Magic of Transmutation By: Grainne         On August 15, 2001 I performed the Ritual "Earth Magic of Transmutation." This was the day my first tomato ripened. The Hearthstone I chose to dedicate was a natural flat stone, gray on one side and white on the other mixed with bits of mica.         I spent a few hours cleaning the kitchen, which is where I performed the ritual. Then I took a shower and prepared the area I was going to work in while setting up the altar. The ritual itself was very beautiful and moving. I incorporated the tomato into my altar setup. I left it outside for the wild animals after the ritual.         When I got to the part of the ritual when it was time for contemplation, for a long time nothing seemed to happen, but then I felt like I opened completely up. I saw and heard what looked like white bird wings flapping, the image was very out of focus although I could hear very clearly. Then I saw mother animals with their babies. I started to remember bits and pieces of different Goddess poems that I had read. I felt the palms of my hands, which were resting on my thighs begin to warm up and I remember thinking to myself "I wonder why I am getting Reiki hands".         At this time I saw a rainbow that was round not an arch and it came out and around me almost like I was going through a tunnel and I caught my breath for a moment. At the other end of the tunnel I saw white horses running then I returned to normal consciousness for a moment before going through another rainbow tunnel. By this time my hands were really hot. I saw the white horses again and they seemed to turn into the white wings which I could now tell were goose wings. The wings turned into black crow wings. For a moment I saw Kwan Yin riding on the back of a large goose. That image faded and I saw a large bear. I was not afraid, I saw how fiercely she protected her young.         I was thinking of so many different kinds of animals now and how they were associated with so many different Goddesses. The image changed again into a beautiful African woman crowned with stars in a deep blue gown that became green as it got closer to the earth. She had a baby on her lap. I was wondering about all the images I had seen and what it meant. She spoke and said that the many images had been ascribed to Her but that they were really describing one Goddess; Mother Earth. I saw one more image of a woman whose pregnant belly was a large hill. I was still a little confused and wondering what it all meant when I heard a very soft voice telling me that despite human foolishness we were given two gifts that made us like Mother Earth. We all carry the Hearth within our bellies and that is how we create, from the fire in our bellies. All people have this ability to some degree, men and women both. The other thing is the ability to nurture others, which we usually learn directly from our own mothers but which ultimately derives from Her, and this comes from the heart. She told me that this is the most important gift She has given us and that this gift too is shared by both men and women.         I returned to normal consciousness at that time and finished the ritual and thanked the divinities and energies who had joined me. Later as I was writing my experiences down I heard coyotes howling. About a week later I went to a women’s retreat for the weekend. The theme of the weekend was returning to the Earth. It was a great coincidence that helped me to work further with all the different earth energies. I especially felt close to my power animal, Goose and to Snake one of my allies. I can’t put my finger on it but I have been different since the Earth Magic of Transmutation. I read through the script sometimes and it seems to grow in meaning for me. I feel I have been opened up a little more on a permanent basis. I am definitely less fearful and less shy. It is a little strange because I have never felt like this before. Return to top Return to the Mystery Drama Section Return to the Spiritual Experiences Section Contact Us Crossroads Lyceum - Home-Study Courses Fellowship of Isis - General Information Crossroads Iseum - Hearth of the Goddess                       Guestbook                             Bookstore Copyright Page © Crossroads Lyceum Fellowship of Isis All Rights Reserved