The Fellowship of Isis (FOI) is an international spiritual organisation devoted to promoting awareness of the

Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes ...

. It is dedicated specifically to the Egyptian goddess

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

because the FOI co-founders believed Isis best represented the energies of the dawning

Aquarian Age {{nihongo, Aquarian Age, アクエリアンエイジ, Akuerian Eiji is an out-of-print Japanese collectible trading card game. It is marketed and produced by Broccoli, which produces games and Anime-related goods. In the game, the player take ...

. The FOI is a multi-faith, multi-racial, and multi-cultural organisation, and despite worshipping

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

deities, does not consider itself to be a

Neopagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...

faith.

History

The FOI was founded at

Huntington Castle Huntington Castle was situated in the village of Huntington in Herefordshire, England, 2½ miles south-west of Kington (). Natural Site The castle is sited on a commanding position on the modern day England Wales border in what was the ...

, Co. Carlow,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

at the Vernal equinox of 1976. The three co-founders were

Olivia Robertson Olivia Melian Durdin-Robertson (13 April 1917 – 14 November 2013) was an author, artist, co-founder and high priestess of the Fellowship of Isis.Thomas Herbert Robertson (Thomas) Herbert Robertson (26 April 1849 – 11 July 1916) was a British barrister and Conservative politician. He was the only son of Thomas Storm Robertson, a physician and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Following education at M ...

) and Lawrence's wife Pamela. Their aim was to create a fellowship to "help the

actively in the manifestation of Her divine plan." Olivia has described Isis as "God in female form." The FOI grew out of a "working group" created in 1963 called the Huntington Castle Centre for Meditation and Study. This Centre was active in gathering together various occult and theological figures such as

Ross Nichols Philip Peter Ross Nichols (28 June 1902 – 30 April 1975) was a Cambridge academic and published poet, artist and historian, who founded the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in 1964. He wrote prolifically on the subjects of Druidism and Celtic ...

, Josephine and Mohun Lall, and Gerald Gough. The experiences shared within this group, along with the personal spiritual revelations and experiences of the three FOI co-founders led to the eventual founding of the Fellowship of Isis on the Vernal Equinox, 1976. From 1976 until the early 1990s, the group steadily grew. In August 1993, the Fellowship of Isis was represented at the

Parliament of the World's Religions There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...

at Chicago by Olivia Robertson and other member delegates. It is the first time that the Religion of the Goddess has been acknowledged as a world faith at this Parliament.Robertson, Olivia. ''The Handbook of the Fellowship of Isis.'' Enniscorthy: Cesara Publications, 1992. The Parliament "became a showcase for the new religions in America, especially since mainstream Christianity was much underrepresented . . . Two feminist neopagan groups, the Covenant of the Goddess and the Fellowship of Isis, were among the sponsors of the parliament."Keller, Rosemary Skinner & Ruether, Rosemary Radford. ''In Our Own Voices, Four Centuries of American Women's Religious Writings.'' San Francisco: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995. pg. 428. Custodianship of the Fellowship of Isis Foundation Centre is now under the aegis of the Durdin-Robertsons, heirs of the co-founders. In 2011, Olivia Robertson named her niece, Cressida Pryor, successor and FOI steward. In October 2014, Cressida announced the Irish-based Circle of Brigid the "central parliament" and "executive board" of the Fellowship of Isis Foundation Centre, of which she is overall adviser. The Circle of Brigid is also responsible for festivals at the Castle Centre in Ireland and has a subcommittee to sort ethics grievances. The Fellowship is a globally organised religion, whose international and Internet presence is very large by comparison with its Irish base.

Practices

"Over the past 30 years a body of liturgy has developed, detailing how the anifestoprinciples can be practised by interested members through establishing a relationship between self and deity. Members are encouraged to express this spiritual relationship by enacting rituals, prayers and meditations, as detailed in the liturgy. This liturgy is drawn from the ritual structures of contemporary paganisms, Goddess spirituality and diverse archaeological scholarship into religious experience in the ancient world."Melton, Gordon J., and Partridge, Christopher, ''New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. pg. 300 The

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

of the Fellowship of Isis was written by

Olivia Robertson Olivia Melian Durdin-Robertson (13 April 1917 – 14 November 2013) was an author, artist, co-founder and high priestess of the Fellowship of Isis.pantheons, and including a divinely channelled

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word ...

encouraging spiritual communion with that

Deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

. These rites may be used for personal spiritual enhancement or, via instruction from a Fellowship of Isis centre, various degrees may be attained.

Focus

The stated goal of the Fellowship of Isis is to support and promote the idea of the Divine Feminine. The Fellowship of Isis Manifesto sets out the basic principles of this society. The Fellowship accepts religious toleration and is not exclusivist. Members are free to maintain other religious allegiances. The good in all faiths is honoured. The Fellowship of Isis has no particular affiliations. It practices total religious tolerance, forbids sacrifice of any kind and discourages asceticism. It is sometimes considered pagan, but co-founder

Olivia Robertson Olivia Melian Durdin-Robertson (13 April 1917 – 14 November 2013) was an author, artist, co-founder and high priestess of the Fellowship of Isis.Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Protestants Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

, Spiritualists and

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

as members. All love and follow the religion of Isis of 10,000 Names." All members in the Fellowship of Isis have equal privileges within it, and membership is free.Adler, Margot. ''Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today.'' New York: Penguin Group, 2006. Membership is open to anyone who wishes to join – once an individual has read through the Fellowship of Isis Manifesto and finds themselves in agreement with the principles laid out within it. There are no vows of secrecy. Members are free to resign at any time, if they so choose and to rejoin again at a later time.Robertson, Olivia. The Handbook of the Fellowship of Isis. Enniscorthy: Cesara Publications, 1992. The Fellowship is dedicated to spreading the religion of all the Goddesses throughout this planet. The Gods are also venerated. The

is seen as Deity, the Divine Mother of all beings, as well as the embodiment of Truth and Beauty. "The ecumenical nature of this nonprofit organization reveals itself in a membership that includes Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, Cabalists, Spiritualists, and Wiccan and pagan worshippers of all kinds."Cott, Jonathan, ''Isis and Osiris''. New York: Doubleday, 1995. pg. 52. FOI sub-groups, called "FOI Foundation Center Societies" or "Daughter Societies" of the Fellowship of Isis consist of the ‘College of Isis’ (Lyceums), the ‘Spiral of the Adepti’ (Iseums), the ‘Spiral of Alchemy’ (Solar Iseums), the 'Druid Clan of Dana' (Groves) and the 'Noble Order of Tara' (Priories). There are sub-chapters of these societies of the FOI in many major cities and countries around the world. The Fellowship of Isis claims over 24,000 members in nearly a hundred countries. Members often blend their own traditions and beliefs with those offered by the Fellowship.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fellowship Of Isis New religious movements Religious organizations established in 1976 1976 establishments in Ireland Isis