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Please read the following article Mary Is She Isis? and the Rites of Isis below. Then answer the Questions at the end compiled by Priestess Initiate Maya: (If the above link is broken, the text of the article Mary Is She Isis? is included lower on this page.)
Rites of Isis
Daily Rites of Isis The Dawn Rite of Abundance, and the Evening Rite of the Five Elements. See http://www.fellowshipofisis.com/liturgy/dea.html
Autumn Festival of Search and Discovery
The Isia — A ten day fast preceeding this festival begins on the 21st Oct
The Isia, The Zetesis and Heuresis, First Day. (Witt, Isis in Graeco-Roman World, p. 180) “We have only to glance at the Calendar of Philocalus to ascertain that besides the Isidis Navigium in March the six-day ceremony of the Search and Discovery (Zetesis and Heuresis) took place in October, ending with the Hilaria on 3rd November”.
(Plutarch, De Iside et Osiride, 366, D) “They say, then, that the disappearance of Osiris occurred in the month of Athyr .. As the nights grow longer, the darkness increases, and the potency of the light is abated and subdued. Then among the gloomy rites which the priests perform, they shroud the gilded image of a cow with a black linen vestment, and display her as a sign of mourning for the goddess, inasmuch as they regard both the cow and the earth as the image (eikon) of Isis; and this is continued for four days consecutively”. See also under November 13th.
(Witt, Isis in Graeco-Roman World, p. 162) “From the account given us by Plutarch, it is clear that the ‘Seeking and Finding’ of the body of Osiris .. was in his day not so much a hidden mystery as a public performance .. We may plausibly believe that the ritual of the ‘Seeking and Finding’ was elaborated in the Ptolemaic age in conformity with the closer associations between Isis and Demeter. We must remember, however, that it was not conducted in strict secrecy, for it was an undisguised pageant of the resurrection of Osiris performed by Isis, a drama out of doors”.
The Isia, or rebirth of Osiris, in Egypt was time of the receding waters of the Nile floods. This rebirth does not mean reincarntaion, but a rising from the dead. After an anactment of the story of Osiris’ death at the hands of his brother Set, the people followed the mourning Isis to her temple. There the drama continued with the combat between Horus and Set. Images of Osiris were made of paste and grain; they were watered until the barley sprouted and then floated down the Nile with candles as part of the planting ceremonies. James Frazer, in The Golden Brough, translates a “Lamentation of Isis” which has the goddess say that she is the Osiris’s sister, child of the same mother, and that the god shall never be far from her.
In Egypt, and many parts of the Roman Empire, this day was one of the days set aside to honor Isis. This day was called The Isia, but the Festival of Isis continues through on November 3rd. Isis was one of the most popular foreign deities in Rome. Isis was the Egyptian mother goddess. Although a foreign deity, Isis was honored with a temple at Rome. Professional singers, musicians, and dancers, mostly female, would perform at the temple during this festival. The performance involved actors playing the parts of Isis and Nephthys in the mystery plays celebrating the death and resurrection of Osiris. These were perhaps the oldest mystery plays on earth,
2nd Nov was Hathor festival in Egypt
HATHOR. (Perp. Fest. Cal.) “October 28. Hathor, Aspect of the World Mother”. (Fell. of Isis Dir.) “October 28th: Hathor. Love. Beauty, joy. Motherly Warmth. Respect for cows and care of all beings. Poetry, and all the arts. See also under Goddesses of the month.
The Passion of Osiris.
The chief public festival of the Alexandrine cult was the Passion and Resurrection of Osiris, God of great Gods. The celebration began with a fast of ten daysa fact not to be overlooked in the psychopathy of the festival. In a passion-play Isis sorrowfully sought the dismembered Osiris, a quest in which the priests and initiates joined with loud wailing. Finally, Isis grief is turned to joy by the Finding of Osiris, which the initiates exultantly celebrate with the cries, We have found him: we rejoice together, after which follow banquets in the temples and public games. Thus, says Minucius Felix, they never cease year by year to lose what they find and to find what they lose.
The cycle of grief and joy commemorating the search of Isis for Her Beloved, and ending in the recovery of Osiris from his scattered fragments on the last day (cf. kalligeneia).
(Cumont, Orient. Rel. p. 97) “of all the celebrations connected with the worship of Isis the most stirring and the most suggestive was the commemoration of the ‘Finding of Osiris’ Inventio, Heuresis). Its antecedents date back to remote antiquity. Since the time of the twelfth dynasty, and probably much earlier, there had been held at Abydos and elsewhere a sacred performance . . in which the events of Osiris’s passion and resurrection were reproduced. We are in possession of the ritual of those performances (Schafer, Weidemann, Junker) . . The same myth was represented in almost the same manner at Rome at the beginning of each November . . after the corpse had been found, rehabilitated and revived, there was a long outburst of joy, an exuberant jubilation that rang through the temples and the streets”.
(Plutarch, De Iside el Osiride, 366F) on the third day of the Seeking of Osiris: “they go down to the sea at night-time; and the keepers of the robes and the priests bring forth the hallowed chest containing a small golden coffer, into which they pour some potable water which they have taken up, and a great shout arises from the company for joy that Osiris is found. Then they knead some fertile soil with water and mix in spices and incense of a very costly sort, and fashion therefrom a crescent-shaped figure which they clothe and adorn”.
(Witt, Isis in Graeco-Roman World, p. 213) “The search instituted by Isis for the recovery of the missing members of Osiris’ body lasts until the 7th day of Athyr, i.e. 3rd November”.(id. p. 162) “They went out of the temple and down to the sea on the final night. It was a public occasion, marked in the Roman calendar with the name Hilaria, ‘Osiris has been found’ – so the crowd shouted for joy . . Another variation of the formula was ‘we have found, and rejoice’. Even though the ceremony did not take place in daytime it was open to view”. (id. p. 180) “the Hilaria on 3 November. . ended with a procession down to the seashore by night. Between the daytime pageant such as Lucius witnessed (i.e. the Isidis Navigium on March 5th) and the one carried out by torch light in wintry gloom there was obviously room for differences of procedure . . A search that lasted nearly a whole week must have involved an elaborate ritual . . the image of a cow was carried as a fertility emblem . . At the end, when ‘Osiris has been found’ had been shouted, the priests would. . fashion a small image in the shape of the crescent moon. This was the November rite”.
Frazer (Golden Bough abgd. p. 366) on the resurrection of Osiris: “Then Isis fanned the cold clay with her wings: Osiris revived”. (Larson, Rel. of Occident, p. 8) “Isis breathed her own life into the nostrils of Osiris, and with the help of Thoth, and of Horus, who opened his mouth . . she accomplished the resurrection of Osiris to a second and eternal life; and thus he became the first-fruits of them that slept”.
(Larson. id. p. 178) On the autumn festival of Isis: “The fourth day (note: see October 31st) of the festival was called the Hilaria and was given over to the most unrestrained rejoicing since the god, now risen to immortality, would [assess] all who had become divine by drinking the milk of Isis. And there could be little doubt concerning the future felicity of those who put their trust in her”.
The Isia; The Zetesis and Heuresis, Last Day, The Hilaria. (Philocalus, Kal. anno 354) “November 3. Hilaria “.
(Cumont, Orient. Rel. p. 97) “of all the celebrations connected with the worship of Isis the most stirring and the most suggestive was the commemoration of the ‘Finding of Osiris’ Inventio, Heuresis). Its antecedents date back to remote antiquity. Since the time of the twelfth dynasty, and probably much earlier, there had been held at Abydos and elsewhere a sacred performance . . in which the events of Osiris’s passion and resurrection were reproduced. We are in possession of the ritual of those performances (Schafer, Weidemann, Junker) . . The same myth was represented in almost the same manner at Rome at the beginning of each November . . after the corpse had been found, rehabilitated and revived, there was a long outburst of joy, an exuberant jubilation that rang through the temples and the streets”.
(Plutarch, De Iside el Osiride, 366F) on the third day of the Seeking of Osiris: “they go down to the sea at night-time; and the keepers of the robes and the priests bring forth the hallowed chest containing a small golden coffer, into which they pour some potable water which they have taken up, and a great shout arises from the company for joy that Osiris is found. Then they knead some fertile soil with water and mix in spices and incense of a very costly sort, and fashion therefrom a crescent-shaped figure which they clothe and adorn”.
(Witt, Isis in Graeco-Roman World, p. 213) “The search instituted by Isis for the recovery of the missing members of Osiris’ body lasts until the 7th day of Athyr, i.e. 3rd November”.(id. p. 162) “They went out of the temple and down to the sea on the final night. It was a public occasion, marked in the Roman calendar with the name Hilaria, ‘Osiris has been found’ – so the crowd shouted for joy . . Another variation of the formula was ‘we have found, and rejoice’. Even though the ceremony did not take place in daytime it was open to view”. (id. p. 180) “the Hilaria on 3 November. . ended with a procession down to the seashore by night. Between the daytime pageant such as Lucius witnessed (i.e. the Isidis Navigium on March 5th) and the one carried out by torch light in wintry gloom there was obviously room for differences of procedure . . A search that lasted nearly a whole week must have involved an elaborate ritual . . the image of a cow was carried as a fertility emblem . . At the end, when ‘Osiris has been found’ had been shouted, the priests would. . fashion a small image in the shape of the crescent moon. This was the November rite”.
Frazer (Golden Bough abgd. p. 366) on the resurrection of Osiris: “Then Isis fanned the cold clay with her wings: Osiris revived”. (Larson, Rel. of Occident, p. 8) “Isis breathed her own life into the nostrils of Osiris, and with the help of Thoth, and of Horus, who opened his mouth . . she accomplished the resurrection of Osiris to a second and eternal life; and thus he became the first-fruits of them that slept”.
(Larson. id. p. 178) On the autumn festival of Isis: “The fourth day (note: see October 31st) of the festival was called the Hilaria and was given over to the most unrestrained rejoicing since the god, now risen to immortality, would [assess] all who had become divine by drinking the milk of Isis. And there could be little doubt concerning the future felicity of those who put their trust in her”.
THE OSIRIAN MYSTERY
November 27 Isis discovers Osiris has been
murdered Nov.12
November 28 Isis searches for Osiris Nov.13
November 29 Isis finds the body of Osiris Nov.14
November 30 Isis has reconstructed the body of Osiris and conceived Horus. Festival of rejoicing. Nov.15
OCTOBER 28th
Egyptian: HATHOR. (Perp. Fest. Cal.) “October 28. Hathor, Aspect of the World Mother”. (Fell. of Isis Dir.) “October 28th: Hathor. Love. Beauty, joy. Motherly Warmth. Respect for cows and care of all beings. Poetry, and all the arts. See also under Goddesses of the month.
ISIS; The Isia, The Zetesis and Heuresis, First Day. (Witt, Isis in Graeco-Roman World, p. 180) “We have only to glance at the Calendar of Philocalus to ascertain that besides the Isidis Navigium in March the six-day ceremony of the Search and Discovery (Zetesis and Heuresis) took place in October, ending with the Hilaria on 3rd November”.
(Plutarch, De Iside et Osiride, 366, D) “They say, then, that the disappearance of Osiris occurred in the month of Athyr .. As the nights grow longer, the darkness increases, and the potency of the light is abated and subdued. Then among the gloomy rites which the priests perform, they shroud the gilded image of a cow with a black linen vestment, and display her as a sign of mourning for the goddess, inasmuch as they regard both the cow and the earth as the image (eikon) of Isis; and this is continued for four days consecutively”. See also under November 13th.
(Witt, Isis in Graeco-Roman World, p. 162) “From the account given us by Plutarch, it is clear that the ‘Seeking and Finding’ of the body of Osiris .. was in his day not so much a hidden mystery as a public performance .. We may plausibly believe that the ritual of the ‘Seeking and Finding’ was elaborated in the Ptolemaic age in conformity with the closer associations between Isis and Demeter. We must remember, however, that it was not conducted in strict secrecy, for it was an undisguised pageant of the resurrection of Osiris performed by Isis, a drama out of doors”.
(Philocalus, Kal. anno 354) “October 28th. Isia.
The above info on the Search & Discovery Festival was taken from: http://www.skydance.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Iseum/library/festivals/Isia.htm
Spring Festival of Navigium Isidis
Sacred Source’s calendar says: March 5, Navigium Isidis – Old Egyptian festival honoring Goddess Isis as Lady of the Moon and Ruler of the Sea; celebrated with the launching of a boat of offerings.
The Fellowship of Isis’ very long and complete Calendar at http://www.fellowshipofisis.com/jc/jcmar1.html says:
MARCH 5th
Egyptian: ISIS; The Ploiaphesia, Navigium Isidis, The Ship of Isis. (Seyffert, Diet.) “Isis . . the festival, held on the 5th of March [is] called the ship of Isis (Isidis Navigium), in recognition of her being the patron of navigation and inventress of the sail”.
(Apuleius, Met. XI) Isis addresses Apuleius: “The eternal laws of religion devote to my worship the day born of this night. Tomorrow my priests offer me the first-fruits of the new sailing season by dedicating a ship to me; for at this season the storms of winter lose their force, the leaping waves subside and the sea becomes navigable once more”.
(id.) The author describes the ceremony, as it was observed at Corinth: “Soon a golden sun arose . . and at once the streets were filled with people walking along as if in a religious triumph. Not only I, but the whole world, seemed filled with delight. The animals, the houses, even the weather itself reflected the universal joy and serenity . . and the song birds, assured that spring had come, were chirping their welcome to the queen of the stars, the mother of the seasons, the mistress of the universe. .
“Presently the vanguard of the grand procession came in view. It was composed of a number of people in fancy dress of their own choosing . . a pretended magistrate with purple robe and rods of office; a philospher . . a tame she-bear, dressed like a woman, carried in a sedan chair; and an ape in a straw hat and a saffroncoloured Phrygian cloak. . These fancy-dress comedians kept running in and out of the crowd, and behind them came the procession proper.
“At the head walked women crowned with flowers, who pulled more flowers out of the folds of their beautiful dresses and scattered them along the road; their joy in the Saviouress appeared in every gesture. Next came women with polished mirrors tied to the back of their heads, which gave all who followed them the illusion of coming to meet the Goddess, rather than marching before her. Next, a party of women with ivory combs in their hands who made a pantomime of combing the Goddess’s royal hair, and another party with bottles of perfume who sprinkled the road with balsam and other precious perfumes; and behind these a mixed company of women and men who . . propitiated her by carrying every sort of light lamps, torches, waxcandies and so forth.
“Next came musicians with pipes and flutes, followed by a party of carefully chosen choir-boys singing a hymn . . also a number of beadles and whifflers crying: ‘Make way there, way for the Goddess!’ Then followed a great crowd of the Goddess’s initiates, men and women of all classes and every age, their pure white linen clothes shining brightly. The women wore their hair tied up in glossy coils under gauze head-dresses; the men’s heads were completely shaven. .
“The leading priests . . carried the oracular emblems of the deity. The Chief Priest held a bright lamp . . it was a golden boat-shaped affair with a tall tongue of flame mounting from a hole in the centre. The second priest held an auxiliaria, or ritual pot, in each of his hands – the name refers to the Goddess’s providence in helping her devotees. The third carried a miniature palm-tree. . The fourth carried a model of the left hand with the fingers stretched out, which is an emblem of justice. . He also held a golden vessel rounded in the shape of a woman’s breast, from the nipple of which a thin stream of milk fell to the ground. The fifth carried a winnowing-fan woven with golden rods, not osiers. Then came a man, not one of the five, carrying a wine-jar.
“Next in the procession followed those deities that deigned to walk on human feet. . Anubis with a face black on one side, golden on the other, walking erect . . Behind, danced a man carrying on his shoulders, seated upright, the statue of a cow, representing the Goddess as the fruitful Mother of us all. Then came along a priest with a box containing the secret implements of her wonderful cult. Another fortunate priest had another emblem of her godhead hidden in the lap of his robe. . It was a symbol of the sublime and ineffable mysteries of the Goddess. . a small vessel of burnished gold, upon which Egyptian hieroglyphics were thickly crowded, with a rounded bottom, a long spout, and a generously curving handle along which sprawled an asp raising its head and displaying its scaly, wrinkled, puffed-out throat.
“Meanwhile the pageant moved slowly on and we reached the seashore. . There the divine emblems were arranged in due order and there with solemn prayers the chaste-lipped priest hallowed and dedicated to the Goddess a beautifully built ship, with Egyptian hieroglyphics painted over the entire hull, but first he carefully purified it with a lighted torch, an egg and sulphur. The sail was shining white linen, inscribed with large letters with a prayer for the Goddess’s protection of shipping during the new sailing season. The long fir mast with its shining head was now stepped, and we admired the gilded prow shaped like the neck of Isis’s holy goose, and the long brightly-polished keel cut from a solid trunk of citrus-wood. Then all present, both priesthood and laity, began zealously stowing aboard winnowing-fans heaped with aromatics and other votive offerings and poured an abundant stream of milk into the sea as a libation. When the ship was loaded with generous gifts and prayers for good fortune, they cut the anchor cables and she slipped across the bay with a serene breeze behind her that seemed to have sprung up for her sake alone. When she stood so far out to sea that we could no longer keep her in view, the priests took up the holy emblems and_ started happily back towards the temple, in the same orderly procession as before.
“On our arrival the Chief Priest and the priests who carried the oracular emblems were admitted into the Goddess’s adytum with other initiates and restored them to their proper places. Then one of them known as the Doctor of Divinity . . went up into. a high pulpit and read out a Latin blessing upon ‘our liege lord, the Emperor, and upon the Senate, and upon the Order of Knights and upon the Commons of Rome and upon all sailors and all ships . . ‘ Then he uttered the traditional Greek formula ‘Ploeaphesia,’ meaning that vessels were now permitted to sail, to which the people responded with a loud cheer and dispersed happily to their homes, taking all kinds of decorations with them: such as olive boughs, scented shrubs and garlands of flowers, but first kissing the feet of a silver statue of the Goddess that stood on the temple steps”.
(Philocalus, Kal. anno 345) “March 5. Isidis navigium,
(Witt, Isis In Graeco-Roman World, p. 165) “The launching of Isis’ ship was a natural development in a religion that was never land-locked. It drew its warrant from the processions in honour of Isis at such centres as Philae and Busiris”.
(id. p. 178) “The ploiaphesia is well attested. In the region of Byzantium- three centuries before this city became the capital of the eastern empire, the Ship of Isis was launched by its symbolic captain, a certain Artemidorus. In Eretrea of Euboea the ceremony was in existence by the first century (before this era). We have the interesting names of ‘captains’, including two men named Socrates and women called Parthena, Isidora, Theopompis (‘the lady of the sacred procession’), Isias (twice), Demetria and Paedeusis (‘the lady professor’). At Ephesus an Ark Mariner of Isis (Naubates) bore the very Roman name of M. Pomponius Latinus.
“The writer John of Lydia . . who had links with the emperor Justinian (483-565), assures us that the Voyage of Isis was still being performed in his day and specifies that the date was 5th March. It was called ploiaphesia, he tells us, in honour of ‘ancient Isis or the Moon’ (Johannes Lydus, De Mens. 4,45 . .). The Egyptians pay her due worship at the commencement of their sea voyages ‘because by her nature she presides over the waters’ “.
(id. p. 184) “The Festival of Isis on 5th March has many ecclesiastical as well as secular parallels. The common source is surely the religious processions of the Nile in ancient Egypt. ‘The Ephiphany Festival of the Eastern Church termed that ‘of the Lights’ (Ton photon) involves a procession of priests and marching choir down to the waters edge. Margate, in Kent, now sees it, like the Piraeus in Greece. The spirit of the ceremony, however, is exactly the same as that we have observed in the rites of Isis . . The ritual of the Christian Church owes a considerable and unacknowledged debt to the Egyptian religion that preceded it in the Graeco-Roman world”. See also under Moveable Festivals: The Carnival. ,
(Eisler, Royal Art of Astrol. p. 269) from a description of an illustration: “the Zodiac of the main porch of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Parts. Reproduced after Charles Dupuis, Origines de Tous Les Cultes, Paris 1792, pl. XVIII.
“. . Still further left (i.e. of January) Aquarius and Isis launching a ship (Isidis Navigium, known to have been celebrated in Paris). The ship is Navis seen just opposite Aquarius. Over this figure we see Pisces. ”
See also under February 5th: St. Agatha and Moveable Calendar: The week before Lent, The Carnival.
(Fell. of Isis Dir.) “March 5th. Isidis Navigium. Isis Spring Festival of the Ship. Hope. Adventure. New Enterprise. ”
THE GREAT WORLD MOTHER. (Perp. Fest. Cal.) “March 5th. The Great World Mother.
Winter Solstice as celebrated by the Cult of Isis (From: http://www.wiccaweb.com/yule.php)
The Winter Solstice rebirth and the Goddess’s part in it, were portrayed in ancient Egypt by a ritual in which Isis circled the shrine of Osiris seven times, to represent her mourning for him and her wanderings in search of the scattered parts of his body. For the festival, people decorated the outside of their houses with oil-lamps that burned all night. At midnight, the priests emerged from an inner shrine crying, “The Virgin has brought forth! The light is waxing!” and showed the image of a baby to the worshippers.
Lamps burning all night at Midwinter, survive in Ireland and elsewhere, as the single candle burning in the window at Christmas Eve, lit by the youngest in the house – a symbol of microcosmic welcome to the Macrocosm.
QUESTIONS Back to Top
Please copy and paste the following questions into a new e-mail, answer them, and send them to the Mystery School with the subject line, “ODM Postulant 13 from _________ (your magikal name)”
1. True or False? – Every culture in history, whether monotheistic or polytheistic had a female figure who embodies the role of Motherhood.
2. By what other epithet was the Roman Goddess, Cybele known?
3. In Islam, the Great Mother is known as Maryam, Mother of the Prophet Isa. Christians know Her as Mary, Mother of Jesus. Both names come from the Hebrew, Miriam. In your own words, why do you think the names are similar and both are forms of a Hebrew name?
4. What is the translation of the epithet, Isis Myrionymos?
5. Which encyclopedias now describe Mary as being identified with Isis? Does this surprise you? Why or why not?
6. What are some of the titles Mary shares with Isis?
7. What does the title Queen of Heaven reflect for Isis?
* * * * * *
8. How did the Cult of Isis celebrate the Winter Solstice? How are our celebrations similar?
9. What is the Spring Festival of Navigium Isidis?
10. a. What is the Festival of Search and Discovery? b. Which Autumn holiday does it remind you of? (Think zombies and dead people.)
11. Isis’ daily rites included what? (Note: This is important because our daily work as an Order uses adaptations of these rites, you will take part in them after your soon-coming Initiation)
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by Ishara
At first, the idea of equating Isis, an ancient Egyptian diety, with Mary, the the holy Virgin of Christianity and the mother of Jesus, may seem strange and to many Christians even blasphemous. However, many Pagans and Witches, particularly those who were raised as Catholics, now regard Mary as one of the numerous forms of the Goddess. Every culture in history, whether monotheistic or polytheistic, has had a female figure who represents and embodies the role of motherhood.
In Egypt this was Isis or Aset, to the Romans She was Cybele or Magna Mater – The Great Mother – who was also known as Rhea to the Greeks. To Hindu’s She is Kali, Parvati and Durga – all forms of Mahadevi, The Great Goddess – and Buddhists know Her as the bodhisattva Tara or Quan Yin, the consort of Avalokitesvara.
In Islam She is Maryam, the mother of the Prophet Isa, and to Christianity She is the Virgin Mary, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name Miriam. Isis is often known as Isis Myrionymos which roughly translates as ‘Isis of the Thousand (or Myriad) names’. Her attributes encompass those of all other Goddesses and it is now common for encyclopedias such as the Encyclopedia Brittannica and the on-line Encyclopedia Mythica to describe Isis as being ‘identified with the Virgin Mary’.
One of Isis’ many epithets is Theotokos or Mother of God (Horus)’ which is one of the most popular of titles attributed t6 Mary. Mary is also known as Stella Maris or ‘Star of the Sea’ while Isis was given a similar title of Pelagia meaning ‘of the ocean’. Another title Mary shares with Isis is ‘Queen of Heaven’ (also a title of lshtar/lnanna) which for Isis reflects Her Goddess status as the ruler of all that is while for Mary it represents her assumption and coronation in Heaven as spouse of the Holy Spirit.
With the acceptance of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire by the Romanan Emperor Constantine in the fourth century C.E. the worship of Isis was slowly banned, despite the fact that Constantine, who was originally a henotheist and Sun worshipper in early life, tolerated Paganism. Isis’ Temples, called Iseums, were destroyed or else converted to Christianity as the new religion travelled the length and breadth of the Empire. The icons of Isis and Horus were renamed as the Madonna and Her child. lndeed, in many of the earliest carvings, it is impossible to tell which pair, they depict.
The most familiar of all statues that have survived shows Isis holding Her son Horus to Her breast and it is this classic pose which is repeated in Christianity but Isis and Horus are replaced by Mary and the infant Jesus. Indeed, in Orthodox and Catholic icons across the world, Mary is shown holding Jesus in Her arms, the universal sign of motherhood. There has also been recent controversy on the Internet about Pope John Paul Il’s intention to give Mary a new title for the millennium, that of “Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Grace and Advocate”. This would, for all intents and purposes, place Her on a par with Jesus Christ and give Her Goddess status.
At present this matter remains unresolved by the Vatican and, according to the Catholic organisation Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici (Voice of the People for Mary Mediatrix) this issue awaits the ‘final and definitive judgement’ of Pope John Paul II. Mary’s role as the compassionate intercessor and advocate for humanity is well known, particularly in the Roman Catholic denomination where She holds a special place in their hearts, more so than any other branch of the Christian faith. Isis also listens to Her devotees prayers, in fact one of Her epithets is All-hearing.
While Mary is the Christian vision of women: meek, passive and subdued, Isis is powerful, wise and no man can prevent Her from doing as She wishes.Christians, regardless of denomination, are always the first to say that Mary is not on the same level as God or Christ and that She is only a mortal woman. However Her attributes are certainly Goddess-like and very reminiscent of Isis. The two certainly share similarities beyond just coincidence.
From the Pagan point of view, Mary is one of the numerous names of the Goddess, as is Isis and they are both manifestations of Her many forms. Both are in essence the same Goddess and embody the aspect of the divine Mother. In a way, to the Christians who destroyed Her temples and killed her devotees, Isis lives on as Mary, a Christian-friendly figure who had taken on many of Her major epithets and attributes, thus making Her acceptable to a patriarchal monotheistic religion.
Glossary:
Epithet – A name or title given to a deity who expresses a particular quality that deity possesses.
Henotheist – A person who adopts a specific God or Goddess from a polytheistic pantheon as a personal deity.
Bibliography
The Mysteries of Isis – deTraci Regula (ISBN: 1567185606)
Isis in the Ancient World (previously Isis in the Graeco-Roman World) – R.E. WittMarian
Coredemption: A Retrospect – Rev. Fr. Peter Damien Fehler (http://www.marymediatrix.com) Co-Redemptrix,
Mediatrix and Advocate: A Response To the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission – Dr. Mark I. Miravalle (http://www.immaculateheart.com/maryonline/html/coredemptrix)
The Catholic FAQ: The Blessed Virgin Mary (http://www. newadvent.org.faq/faq005.htm)
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OLD LESSON NO LONGER AVAILABLE DUE TO LOST ARTICLE
Please read the following article on Mary and Isis and return here to answer the following questions, compiled by Nisut Mark James.
QUESTIONS
Please copy and paste the following questions into a new e-mail, answer them, and send them to the Mystery School with the subject line, “ODM Postulant 13 from _________ (your magikal name)”
1. Tradition says that John Mark, Gospel-writer and child disciple of the Krist, founded the Church in Alexandria. Which mainstream Christian Church still maintains that Mark was the founder of their Church?
2. Which Gospel says that Mary and Joseph took the Infant Yeshua to Egypt?
3. Which city do scholars think the Holy Family would have gone to? Which cult did this bring about?
4. How did the Pagans of Alexandria see Mary? What about the Jews and the Christians?
5. Which cult celebrated a Eucharist to the Blessed Mother?
6. What was Isis’ symbol?
7. CRITICAL THINKING: Isis is called the Goddess of Many Names. How has Mary ultimately become the same way?
8. Whom did the Pharaohs believe they were the incarnation of? How is this somewhat similar to the Roman Catholic papacy?
9. How do Osiris and Isis differ from Yah and Mary? (Hint: Osiris is the God of Water, now take it from there).
10. Isis’ daily rites included what? (Note: This is important because our daily work as an Order uses adaptations of these rites, you will take part in them after your soon-coming Initiation)
11. What is the Festival of Search and Discovery? Which Autumn holiday is it somewhat similar to?
12. What is the Spring Festival of Navigium Isidis?
13. How did the Cult of Isis celebrate the Winter Solstice? How are our celebrations similar?
14. Mary was first called _______ in Alexandria.
15. Monks and theologians saw Mary as _______, but the ordinary people of Egypt still saw her as the _______.
16. Which month became Mary’s month?
17. Mary is called the Neck of the Body. Why?
18. Who do we, the Church of the Way, see as the Bride of the Krist? (This is important. We want everyone to realize that, in this situation, the Mother and the Bride are not the same entity).
19. When comparing Adam to the Krist, Irenaeus compares Mary to what? (It’s not Eve we’re looking for here).
20. The Church of the Way thinks it was possible for both the Krist and the Mother to make mistakes, because they were both Divine AND human. But think back to your lesson on Mary as Maiden. Irenaeus believes that Mary is the one who makes a mistake at the Cana wedding. Who do we believe may have made the mistake, and why?
21. Athanasius believes that Yeshua handed Mary into John’s care because he didn’t have any brothers or sisters to care for her. What do you think is wrong with this logic?
Essay
Do you think that Mary was closely associated with Isis by not only Egyptian Christians, but my many Hellenized Christians as well? If so, why?
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