Temples of Goddess - Past and Present
Present
The Goddess Temple of Orange County....
Women of the Sacred Feminine Priestessing the Earth towards Peace and Prosperity.
When visiting the temple you will be drawn in by its warmth and beauty as you visit Bridget's Well, Oshun's Lounge, Quan Yin's Place of Peace, Diana's Grotto, Cleopatra's Library or attend one of the inspiring and joyous Sacred Feminine Sunday Services for Women. Located at 17905 Sky Park Circle, #A, Irvine, CA 92614. Contact the temple by calling 1-877-N-Temple or emailing ava@carpentercompany.com Check out the website at www.goddesstempleoforangecounty.com
In ancient times, worshippers gathered in the homes and gardens of like-minded friends to share sacred space. Today contemporary worshippers are once again following this tradition until more brick and mortar temples are available in our neighborhoods.
Gayle Heron's East Coast Temple of the Ancients
Dedicated to Isis
The Isis Temple of Thanksgiving, Venice, CA
The Isis Temple of Thanksgiving was dedicated on Saturday, January 13, 2001 to honor Isis for all she has bestowed upon us. The temple,is available to friends of the community including the Iseum of Isis Navigatum and The Isis Ancient Cultures Society for special ceremonies. The sacred space is so named in part because it's physical creation began on Thanksgiving Day, during the harvest time of our circle of the year, when we give thanks for our abundance, but most importantly, the space is dedicated to honor our Mother and Creatrix, She Who is All Things, the great and ancient Goddess, Isis.
This temple was founded on the principles of the Goddess Ma'at, honoring Her decrees of divine order. Balance is the chosen and perfect vehicle to express the quality and potency of the work of this temple. It has been symbolized in the two lotus columns and the representations of the sun and moon which contrast in a harmonious balance. It is symbolized in the loving polarity of masculine and feminine of the temple caretakers and founders, life partners over 20 years, reflecting a balance of yin and yang which underlies the perfect expression of order and truth. The work of this temple will be one of constant progression, of partnership and inclusion; in harmony with the moving balance of the forces of nature, the unity of creation which is the physical expression of our Lady Ma'at. Her symbol is a perfect white feather, illustrating the purity and lightness of the unstained heart.
On the eastern wall, with a backdrop a 16 foot Egyptian temple, the Isis Temple of Thanksgiving has in the center a 4 foot statue of Isis on a two foot pedestal, bringing the central altar to approximately 6 feet in height. Surrounding the goddess are canopic jars, serpent candle holders and beautiful representations of earth in the form of large quartz crystals and amethyst geodes. To the left and right of the Isis Altar are two twelve foot lotus columns and on each side of these columns are four altar niches, two to the left dedicated to Horus, Thoth and Anubis and two to the right dedicated to Bast and Sekhmet. Below each niche is a pedestal for offerings which holds candles for the dieties and to the left of the Isis Altar is a pedestal holding the Isis Candle and to the right of the Isis Altar is the pedestal holding the candle of the Light of the Temple. At the highest central point of the temple sits a golden winged Isis flanked on either side by golden statuettes of Hathor, Bast, Sekhmet, Anubis and Horus. The motif of the temple, using leopard print wall hanging, pillows and furniture coverings as well as other framed prints, papyrus and images of ancient Egypt includes hieroglyphics beseeching Isis to Deliver Us From Evil or Aset, Nehem, Un Em Nah...
For Information about our Events or The Isis Temple of Thanksgiving, please e-mail us.
Worship of Isis Today and Yesteryear
From the earliest period of Egyptian history to well into the early Christian era, the worship of Isis spread north beyond the boundaries of Egypt into what we know today as Europe and the British Isles, and east toward Turkey and India. In his book, Isis in the Ancint World, R. E. Witt wrote, "If Western civilization could have somehow developed on a matriarchal basis, Isis might have been too stubborn a mistress to dethrone." Even without a matriarchy, Isis has proven to be tenacious. Today, Isis worship is almost as widespread as it was then, with devotees across the globe. Just one example reflecting this Goddess' enduring and far-reaching appeal is the Fellowship of Isis, based in the Republic of Ireland and founded in the 1960's, which today boasts thousands of members on five continents. It is indicative of the interest of Isis that Cara, the in-flight airline magazine for the Irish national airline Aerlingus, recently highlighted this international organization and one of its founders, Lady Olivia Robertson.
Today's worshippers of Isis, called Isians, are an eclectic group, often adhering to reclaimed traditional Egyptian practices, reconstructed versions of traditional worship redesigned in a modern context, or a mixture of the two. Much like early Christians met in the homes of the devoted, often modified to meet certain liturgical needs and decorated by personalized images such as frescoes representing important scenes within their faith, Isis advocates today often meet in similar settings. But Isians do not only gather in private homes and gardens that have been lovingly designed to reflect the flavor and theology of Isis devotion, they also gather for devotional services in temples, meeting spaces and public, natural settings.
Groups like the Isis Ancient Cultures Society, based in Venice, CA not only have the above elaborate home temple for their use, called "The Isis Temple of Thanksgiving," they also gather throughout the year in full ritual regalia to reenact rites of antiquity executed and designed to be relevant for today's practitioner. One such ritual is the annual Isidis Navigium held each March which parallels the celebration of the same name from Egyptian and Greco-Roman antiquity. Devotees gather at the beach or on a body of water, and launch boats to honor their patroness, Isis. But rather than launching full-sized boats laden with offerings as was done in ancient times, these men and women launch ecologically appropriate miniature vessels made of colored ice which they cast upon the waves with prayers and thanksgiving. With this enactment, they ask Isis' blessing for their life's journey during the coming year. As Isis is believed to inspire art, music, and healing, corporations that manufacture everything from imaging software to pharmaceuticals, as well as film companies and day spas are named with her attributes in mind, or as a tribute to her. And today, as in ancient times, pilgrimages are made in her honor.
The appeal of Isis today is much the same s it was to her devotees in antiquity. Today Isis, when viewed as a Mother Goddess. is felt to be approachable, empowering, and powerful. She is also considered a Savior Goddess whose mythology suggests to her followers that she understands their needs and hears their prayers, even promising rebirth after death. At one point in history the worship of Isis was eclipsed by that of Christ. However, Isis' imagery lived on. It is widely accepted that the likeness of Isis holding her son Horus inspired the imagery of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus on her lap, as Christian culture adopted this popular image of the Goddess to suit their sensibilities. Isians today are often heard saying, "Isis is all things and all things are Isis," much as their acestors identified "She of Ten Thousand Names" as a personification of the ultimate divinity.
-- Excerpted from Sacred History Magazine, Issue #2 written by Karen Tate
Villa of Isis Priest in Pompeii
The Temple of Isis in Pompeii....
In Pompeii, the Temple of Isis was prominently located in the center of town. It was the size of a typical modern christian church with several features common to egyptian temples - namely the underground crypt used for ceremony, storage and ritual as well as a form of nilometer that traditionally measured the water level of the Nile River. Evidence points to some temples (or iseums as they were called) as well as homes of clergy were built with channels (see above) that water could flow through and re-enactments of the overflowing of the Nile could be portrayed.
In Pompeii, the temple was decorated with many frescoes. Some scenes were yellow, black, pinkish-red in hue and depicted flowery trellises, the mummy of Osirus, Perseus liberating Andromeda, Mars and Venus as well as Isis welcoming Io and Isis with an ankh. Throughout the temple were many altars and niches to hold statues of Isis and Sarapis (Osirus) and within the quadrangle compound where the Temple sat center-stage, there were also rooms to the side and back for the Isian priesthood and meeting rooms for the initiates. The underground crypt or Megaron as it was called which was used for initiations was adjacent the Temple itself. In it was stored the water of the Nile.
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Isis Temple in Pompeii, Italy
Priestesses & Priests of Isis....
From scenes on murals and artifacts it appears priests and priestesses enjoyed equal prominence in the Isian clergy. The priestesses of Isis were called the Garments of Isis as they were the vehicle for the presence of the Goddess within the physical world. There were many categories of duties within the clergy....canephores carried the ritual basket in processions, athlophores were prize bearers who carried prizes in processions to be awarded at festivals. Isides sacrorum applied to women who worshipped Isis from the lower raks of society while the middle ranks were called Isiaci. Statue bearers were called pastophores. The stolist dressed the statue in ritual garb and processional guards were called ephebes. Women were often professional libationers or mourners.
Males were usually circumcised and sported shaven heads while women did not have to shave their heads. Both shaved body hair thrice weekly and bathed several times a day in cold water. Shoes were made of papyrus or palm leaves and garments were of white linen. Both sexes were seen to wear the headgear of the uraeus or cobra. While diets varied, the priesthood in Pompeii ate mostly eggs, lentils and nuts.
There were two brotherhoods within the Isian community - the Wearers of Black or melanephoroi and the Guild of Servers or therapeutai whose job it was to see that the temple was maintained and improved.
Services within the Temple....
Mornings began with the "keeper of the keys" opening the Temple before dawn. Purification of the temple was accomplished with water, fire and incense. The deities were awakened and dressed and presented to the devotees for worship with song, offerings and the shaking of sistra led by the clergy. At 2pm there would be a second ceremony held for adoration of the consecrated water of the Nile, later an afternoon meditation and in the evenings the deities were disrobed and closed in the sanctuary for the night.
Isis Temple on the Island of Delos in Greece
For more related information, request the story entitled..."Isis in Pompeii - Her Priestesses & Priests" which was published in Circle Network News.
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