9 10 105 https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/65317cd170fb59dd4d36449cfd265ab4.pdf 2a3ca71a267d516f6386de07f3ce4e5c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, handwritten (3pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document An Amazon Song "The Iron Ring" is a popular English Madrian song. It is said to be an English version of a song sung by the Amazons in early patriarchal times. The Iron Ring was a defensive formation employed by hand-picked groups of Amazon infantry. They would form into a circle, their outward-facing swords and peltae [sp?] (the light Amazon shield) forming a "ring of iron". Sometimes archers were stationed inside the Ring to fire out over their heads. The formation of a Ring to protect the wounded and the sisters attending to them is briefly described in Projection 6 of The Moira Handbook. Such was the strength of the formation and the prowess of the maids who formed it that it is said that throughout the whole of Amazon history (which covers several hundred years) the Ring was never once broken. In difficult times, the Iron Ring was often the key factos in preserving the safety of the Amazons' mountain fortresses. The verses are sung by a single singer, the chorus by the whole group of singers, and it has a faster and more robust rhythm than that of the verses. In the last four lines of the chorus everybody joins, and they are usually repeated. The Iron Ring O, the Temples are in ruins, There is treason in the town; The statues in the market-place Have all been broken down. Our dear Lady is forgotten Through the whole of Her fair land, For it languishes in darkness 'neath The tyrant's bloody hand. Chorus: But we love Her in the mountains Where the air is fresh and clear, For the bloody hand of tyranny Can gain no entrance here; [cont'd:] And we raid them and we mock them And we feast and we dance and we sing And if they want to stop us Let them break the Iron Ring [cont'd:] Let them break the Iron Ring, Let them break the Iron Ring, All the men from here to Hades Cannot break the Iron Ring. O the tyrant has made idols With his own unseemly face And has tortured our dear kinsfolk From our Lady's loving grace; And there's many a saintly priestess That has died by sword or flame For she would not call on any but Our Lady's precious Name. Chorus: But we love Her in the mountains... Let us praise our noble warriors That protect us from our foes, Let us praise their shining armour And their swiftly-arching bows; For their eyes are ever laughing And their lips forever sing. Let us praise the noble soldier-maids That make the Iron Ring. Chorus: For we love Her in the mountains... Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource An Amazon Song: The Iron Ring Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Description An account of the resource A Rhennish song attributed to the Amazons, celebrating resistance to tyranny. https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/7e564a2c102880b1e16b1f5b1405bead.pdf f2d7e709b7aa2ee4ae5a974fb3200254 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, typewritten (3pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document The Femaleness of God: the image and essence of the Divine Perhaps the first thing we can say is that the Goddess is not passive. When images and symbols of Her persist through the ages, it is not by accident, but because She is flooding our unconscious with memories of Her and Her acts, stimulating our appreciation of symbols and guiding the hands of our artists. She is present and active within us, and increasingly so as we open ourselves to Her. It would be too much to expect that we could directly apprehend the nature of the Divine in this life. Our knowledge of the Goddess is shaped by the limitations of our understanding, and it is precisely because of these limitations that we must trust to Her revelations, rather than to any any 'rational' theorising. Each soul must seek to develop her own relationship with and understanding of the Goddess by every means in her power, and in this world the Goddess has revealed Herself to us most fully in myth. It is sometimes asked, "Can't we get at the truth behind the mythology directly? Must we have it in 'story' form?" I think of this question, or rather of the whole complex of attitudes leading up to it, as an appetite suppressant. It has been asserted that all our nourishment could be taken in the form of a few small pills. One of the pills would, of course, have to be an appetite suppressant. It is quite easy to image a person so bored by these pills, or finding them so hard to swallow that she only bothered to take the one which stopped her feeling uncomfortable – the suppressant. She would, of course, starve to death. It is quite possible to extract a dry theology from the myths.* Like the pills, it is hard to swallow and not particularly interesting. So most people take only the appetite suppressant, which is readily to hand, and become, for all practical purposes, atheists. We are not so 'advanced' as we like to suppose: like our ancestors, we must eat. The myths refer to Ultimate Reality, or the Absolute as "The Mistress of All Things." The further back in time we go, the more frequently we find the Goddess at the centre of the myths and as the subject of all religious art.** And this was in the highly sophisticated civilisations of the remote past as well as the less civilised societies introduced by early patriarchy. It is evident that the male god first made an appearance as the political tool of patriarchy, and he has been used as a political tool ever since. Yet the original image of the divine still reigned in the popular imagination. The frequent emergence of the Goddess as the central religious image in the face of prevailinig political ideologies is a striking testimony to the strength of the Divinely inspired archetype in the human soul. Our image of the Absolute as Goddess has two main aspects: the Personhood of Divinity and the perception of that Personhood as female. We can describe these aspects as symbols or metaphorical, just as in addressing the Goddess as "Rose of the World" or "Great Dove of the Waters" we are using symbols or metaphors. But we must also say that the symbol of the Absolute as Goddess is absolutely central to our understanding of Her. It is the best way that we are capable of perceiving Her, and thus it is the way in which She presents Herself to us. We see Her in human terms because the highest thing we encounter in this world is the human personality. We can only speak of things outside our experience in terms of our experience. Try to think of a six-dimensional universe, or existence outside time. Some people describe the Absolute as a 'power' or a 'force', thinking that they are getting 'behind' the myths; but of course, they too are using a physical metpahor – comparing Deity to a wind or magnetism or electricity. But these things are great only in a quantitative sense – they are bigger or stronger than human beings, but nor morally or spiritually superior. Any abstract thing, having no personality, is less than a person. The Goddess is more than a person. She does not lack any of the attributes of personality, but rather has them to an absolute degree which we can hardly appreciate. Her Personhood is infinitely more sublime, more intense and more complete than ours. We have seen that the femaleness of the Divine Person is not a human invention but a Divinely inspired image. The meaning of that image can be difficult for those brought up in a masculist environment to understand. Some may be unable to see any essential difference between the Goddess and the male god they have been driven to reject; others may want a 'balance' of femininity and masculinity in the Divine as a result of sensing a severe imbalance in the male god. I can sympathise with such difficulties; the issues worried me for a long time until I realised that my problem was simply a misunderstanding. I first began to see light when I realised that principles, not people, were involved: the feminine and the masculine principles, not maids and men. Maids and men are not very different from each other, but the ideas of masculinity and femininity have always been seen as very different. That is because they are the archetypal symbols of two principles which operate at every level of fallen creation. Both principles operate in both maids and men (thought the balance differs in each individual, and will tend to fall more heavily on the feminine side in maids). The whole subject as been obscured by the frequent use of the phrase "God is a woman." God is not a woman; She is God. In this context, God can be described as the embodiment of the feminine principle. The feminine and masculine principles have been explained more fully elsewhere,*** and I shall just cover the main points. The ancient symbols are strikingly appropriate. The female symbol [astronomical symbol of Venus within parentheses] shows the dominance of spirit (the circle) over matter (the cross); the male symbol [astronomical symbol of Mars within parentheses] shows matter (the cross or arrow) partially dominant over spirit. (This is the standard interpretation of the components of planetary symbols – see, for example, Teach Yourself Astrology, pages 29 and 31.) The feminine principle represents the dominance of spirit over matter, quality over quantity, while the masculine principle represents the reverse. Furthermore, the masculine or material principle is dependent on the beyond-matter, the feminine or spiritual principle, for its very existence is temporal and insecure – the cross/arrow cannot dominate the circle. On the other hand the feminine principle is absolute and self-sufficient. Now the Divine is defined as Asolute, spiritual, qualitative, and Self-existent – and therefore quintessentially feminine. The "male god" is a contradiction in terms. It is this forcing together of opposite and opposing ideas – masculinity and the Divine – which gives the image of the male god its fatal imbalance. The answer is not to add a feminine "aspect" to the masculine, but to eliminate the intrusive masculine and leave the naturally feminine God. As to whether the Goddess is in essence different from the male god, if anyone is still in doubt – well, one has only to experience Her to know that She is. Various lukewarm Christians and others have tried to persuade themselves that there is no significant difference, but, in the words of one of the most intelligent and clear-sighted Christian apologists:– "Without drawing on religion, we know from our poetical experience that image and apprehension cleave much closer here than common sense is prepared to admit; that a child who has been taught to pray to a Mother in Heaven will have a religious life radically difference from that of a Christian child."**** Having known only the parody, when faced with the original, we may say: "This is just like the other thing! Look at this bit, and this!" Our Lady is waiting for us to stop counting Her fingers and start looking into Her eyes. First published in The Coming Age No. 3 *Though in practise this would not be an 'adequate diet'. The myths are the perfect expression of religious Truth for creatures at our stage of spiritual development. Abstract theological stuctures are only an aid to understanding the myth. To have the theology without the myth is like have the binoculars without the scene. **The male god rarely figures prominently in religious art. Extreme masculist religions (e.g. Islam and extreme Protestantism) tend towards iconoclasm, one suspects for this very reason. Almost all the religious art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance centred on the Virgin Mary, the Christian 'goddess' figure. ***In "The Feminine Principle" by Camilla in The Coming Age, 2. ****C.S. Lewis, Undeceptions, London 1971, page 194. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Femaleness of God: The Image and Essence of the Divine Subject The topic of the resource femininity, thealogy, theology of religions Description An account of the resource An essay exploring the metaphysical evidences for, and devotional significance of, a feminine conception of God. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text andromorphism femininity metaphysics thealogy theology of religions https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/b3f9ec4aae862007982b13051f3e201b.pdf f65b2c4890e732e99a099edeff8658c1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, typewritten (3pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document On Going all the Way To have adventures without taking any risks; to swim without getting wet. In a sense we all want to do such things, but in an imperfect world we will never be able to – no advance of science can ever allow us to. For these things do not simply happen to be impossible (in the sense that we happen not to have wings), they are contradictions (like two and two making five.) The very essence of the spirit of adventure is the consciousness of real danger of one sort or another. Nothing else can be called adventure. I mention this rather obvious fact partly because it is one of the many examples which make nonsense of the prevalent modern idea that all unpleasant things in the world are 'accidental' and that if enough scientists and politicians could be got together to sort them out, everything would be all right. In many of the most worthwhile things the pain or difficulty is quite inseparable from the pleasure, and one cannot get rid of one without getting rid of the other. People sometimes say that a heaven of pure happiness would be ghastly – and if they are thinking of anything that can be imagined in terms of this world, they are right. In this imperfect world, a life full of 'pleasures' and stripped of all difficulty and discomfort would lead merely to lethargy, decadence and depression. There can be no heaven on earth. Today, more and more people are coming to realise this. It is not just that the materialist's paradise on earth looks like becoming a techno-bureaucratic nightmare. In a far deeper sense, it is true that the more the consumer society gives us, the less we appreciate it. That is not because we are 'ungrateful'. It is because the very success of industrial-materialism (even a very limited success) gives us a sample of the goods. We see how limited, how sterile, how fundamentally unsatisfying material acquisitions are to the human soul, at least when they are the sole aim. When we don't have them, we can be talked into believing that they are the answer to all our wants – but once we can see them we can also see though them, and we know that even if material prosperity gave us the very most that it is capable of, it could not bring real satisfaction. As I have said, more and more people are coming to realise this and are seeking something beyond the purely material – something 'spiritual'. In recent years there has been a great deal of talk about 'spirituality'. Now, very obviously, this must be a step in the right direction; but I have always felt rather uncomfortable about the word. At first I wasn't quite sure why, but now I think I understand. The trouble is that in one sense the idea of 'spirituality' is just like the materialist world-view. It implies an anthropocentirc (human-centred) rather than a theacentric (Divine-centred) view of the world. People talk about 'my spirituality', or 'the spirituality of women'. They are putting in the centre themselves, or those around them – they are not putting the Goddess in the centre. I am not saying this cannot lead on to better things – very often it does. But all too often it is a sort of escape-route. It allows a little other-worldly perfume into the disinfected corridors of materialism while ducking the issue of a genuine religious commitment. What is wrong with this is that it is simply a circular detour which leads us in the end back to where we started. Materialism is not sterile because is is materialism. Materialism is simply one way of avoiding the overwhelming challenge of the Absolute – the love of the Goddess which demands not less than everything. The sterility comes from that avoidance. But when 'spirituality' just becomes a more roundabout way of making the same avoidance, it quickly returns to the same sterility. That is why vaguely 'spiritual' movements always have such a very high membership turnover and a very short active life. The utter anthropocentricity of much (though not all) the talk about 'spirituality' is epitomised in such phrases as "we should explore our spirituality" – as though spirituality were just another human attribute like, say, musicality. Not spirituality, if it means anything, means the faculty through which we perceive the Divine. Imagine coming upon a breathtaking and awe-inspiring view of a mountain range, and try to imagine a person who, instead of saying "Look at that!" would say "explore your eye-sight." All the attention is shifted from the perceived to the perceiver. The idea behind this is the view of spirituality as one small department of the whole human makeup, and 'religion' as one small department of the whole of life. Now to a Madrian, this is quite wrong. 'Religion' is not a small department of life – rather, the whole of human life as we know it is but one small department of the vast pattern of intelligent life, spanning the whole universe (both physical and non-physical) which is shaped and moulded solely by the varying levels of relationship to the Absolute Being Who is Creatrix of it all, and whose one true aim is to return to perfect union with Her. The word we humans give to the pursuit of this aim is 'religion'. You may disagree with this. You may reject all the claims of religion in general and Madrianism in particular. But there can be no doubt about what those claims are: religion claims to tell us about the origin, the meaning and the end of life – what the universe is, and what it is for, and to give real knowledge about the Absolute Principle of the universe and our relationship with Her. Those claims can only be one of two things. Either that are true, or they are worthless nonsense. They cannot be anything else. Either religion is the one most important thing on earth – or anywhere else, for that matter – or else it is completely unimportant. The vague idea that religion is all right, but one shouldn't carry it too far, is nonsensical. Religion is either all-important or unimportant. The one thing it cannot be is relatively important. The demand of our Lady is both beautiful and terrible in its simplicity: "Give your whole self to Me." She is the one true home of the human soul, and without Her we must suffer perpetual dissatisfaction. The only completion of the soul is union with Her. Because we have turned from Her at the dawn of time – the beginning of our stream of incarnations – we are imperfect creatures, mixed of good and bad, true and false. And the false self – that part of us which turns from Her (the word selfish means 'concerned with the false self') – has a real terror and revulsion from turning back to Her. To love the Goddess is continually to conquer the false self (literally 'self'-control) which is often very hard. Faced with the sterility of materialism, it is a very natural desire to wish to reject the sterility without making any real self-commitment – to have adventures without taking risks, to swim without getting wet. For the sterility and the lack of commitment are one, and the difficulty of disciplining the false self and the joy (far deeper than mere 'pleasure') are alike one, while we are still imperfect. Yet it is natural to try; and this is one of the innumerable subtle ploys which the false self will use to lead us back into the spiritual darkness in which it thrives. A recent letter from an intelligent and sensitive maid contained these words; it is very typical:– "The need for women to recognise and develop their spirituality is vital. What I can't go along with is worship – though I believe in a devout attitude to life." One can almost see the false self struggling with the true. What is this abstract 'life' to which we should have a devout attitude? And if we will not worship, what does being 'devout' mean? But behind these words we see the very understandable cry of the soul, torn between the true and false self: "I realise the need to seek the Divine and to love Her – but I want to keep my independence. I would feel so much more comfortable with vague abstractions about life than with the living Goddess and an absolute demand." Related to this is the temptation to which those groups have succumbed which began by seeking the Goddess, and have confined themselves to the study of ancient texts – they have reduced Her to an academic 'subject' and so side-stepped the issue of real commitment. I am not intending to attack anyone, for heaven knows, my own faults are great enough. But the pitfalls of which I have spoken are perhaps the most dangerous of all, for they do not merely hamper us on our way, they lead us down a side alley before we have even begun. The total relinquishment of the self to the all-consuming love of the Goddess is the most difficult and the most beautiful of all possible acts. Few of us will achieve it in this life, for few of us are heras [helati]. But once we have made the first few faltering steps towards Her, our whole view of the world must change. It must stop being human-centred and start being Divine-centred. For an anthropocentric religion is no religion at all, however much easier it is for our materialist-conditioned minds and more comfortable for our pride. Anyone who is looking for easy or comfortable religion would do better to go to any modern 'liberal' Christian church. That is why she will find it empty. First published in The Coming Age No. 3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource On Going All the Way Description An account of the resource An essay concerning the absolute nature of religious claims in general, and the impossibility of "relative importance" in religious matters. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text materialism social criticism theology of religions vyasucri https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/c69c905dd453473d3afdb52d1e135977.pdf 35ad896e3bfa65501058c39860f608f0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, typewritten (8pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document Intellect Against Intellectualism Sketches towards a manifesto for Madrian education Sometimes one is asked if Madrian thought is anti-intellectual, or even anti-rational. Well, we are anti-rationalist, which is not the same thing as being anti-rational, and we are against intellectualism, but strongly in favour of intellect. These last two are not in the least sense similar – indeed, they are opposites. Anyone who has moved in the 'intellectual' circles of the universities and elsewhere will know that certaint ruisms are universally accepted as a starting-point of all thought: a quasi-materialist construction of the world (even in those who profess a religion); a progressivist-evolutionist construction of history; an implicit and unquestioning rejection of certain areas of human experience as 'mumbo-jumbo'. In short, a narrow and self-complacent world-view which rests on a group of assumptions which have never been tested or discussed, or even thought about critically.* It is not our purpose here to criticise these assumptions in detail, but only to point out that intellect is the direct opposite of intellectualism. Intellectualism – being an 'intellectual' – entails working within the framework of an accepted world-scenario, not going beyond certain 'respectable' assumptions. A lot of intellectual one-upmaidship centres around being au fait with the most fashionable new thing to think. But intellect is a razor-sharp sword which slices through received ideas and fashionable assumptions. Intellectualism can display considerable agility on the surface of things, but must never question its basic assumptions. But intellect always penetrates to the heart and core of the matter; always begins from first principles and tests the ground on which it is standing. Intellect is radical – it starts from the roots of things. Intellectualism (though the word is bandied about with ludicrous frequency by intellectuals) can never be radical. So does the Madrian attempt to work without assumptions? Not at all; that is precisely what the intellectual does. The intellectual is never aware that her assumptions are assumptions. That is why they have such an iron grip over her. The Madrian accepts the simple psychological truth that the human mind is unable to proceed without some working hypothesis. If we do not construct our own assumptions we will passively and unconsciously accept those which happen to be around us. We can suspend judgement, but we cannot suspend the grounds upon which we would make a judgement if we chose to. Anyone who thinks she can do that is merely suspending her intellect. The choice is not between having assumptions and not having assumptions. The choice is between on the one hand having our own freely chosen assumptions which we are able to criticise and modify and even reject if necessary, and on the other absorbing our assumptions through the pores, as it were, from the surrounding cultural atmosphere and being unable to question them because we are not even aware of their existence. We either assume our assumptions or are assumed by them. The essence of intellectualism is implicit in its name: that it makes an 'ism' – a creed – of intellect or rational consciousness instead of regarding it as one faculty among others. At the root of this creed lies an emotional necessity bred by one of the primary assumptions of the intellectual milieu: the assumption of a mindless or meaningless or Godless universe. Given that the universe has no meaning, the only thing we can trust, the only thing that is not utterly alien and void, is the human mind – and only the conscious part of that. To trust any message from without, or even from within, is to give way to the amoral and meaningless chaos of the mindless universe. Thus a fully rational world must be constructed wherein we deny all that cannot be contained within the quantitative formulations of rational calculation. We cannot admit that the assumptions of rationalism are assumptions, because the primary assumption of rationalism cannot, of course, be established by reason (we cannot use reason to prove that reason is right). Therefore these assumptions must be established as tenets – as dogmas which do not need proof. Reason itself must have come about as the result of something which preceded reason (either Deity or the accident of evolution). But evolution is a part of the mindless universe – there is no reason to suppose that its products will give us anything which can be called "truth". A hundred contradictions lie at the roots of rationalism which a truly radical investigation of any subject will begin to uncover. That is why rationalistic humanism can never be radical. The consequences to emotional security would be too disastrous. The intellectual is as one who climbs a ladder and dare not look down – for the feet of the ladder are not resting on the ground. Celia Green in The Human Evasion has shown how the various branches of academic study are devices not for discovering reality but for avoiding it. Similarly, their characteristic technique of splitting up study into smaller and smaller specialisms is a device for concetrating attention on minute sections of the surface rather than on the Whole, and also for implying that nobody is really competent to say anything about the Whole. For the Madrian, to look at the universe is not a Blick ins Chaos ("Fear not the unknown" says the Goddess, "for I am the Unknown"). She believes in the ultimate meaning of the universe, though it is a meaning far beyond the grasp of dialectical reason. She also knows that the roots of her primary assumptions lie "before and beyond" the rational process. Therefore she has no fear of the radical examination of any subject. The Madrian sees rational meaning as but the tip of the iceberg of all actual and potential forms of meaningfulness. She does not need to reduce all things to quantitative description; neither does she perpetuate the artificial distinction between the 'objective' and the 'subjective'. Moral and spiritual phenomena are just as objective and material as physical ones. All events are the material outworking of a subtle complex of spiritual and moral causes. The masculine principle in education tends toward the fragmentary study of 'things out there'. The feminine principle is organic. To study any thing is to study a microcosm, and therefore a reflection of some aspect of the whole and of oneself. As masculism increases as the cultural and spiritual dominating principle, the prerogative of discovering things about the Whole becomes limited to a progressively smaller elite, and finally disappears entirely. As feminism increases, it devolves to each individual, since we seek not only definitive rational formulations, but personal and subjective revelations. We believe that these principles contain in embryo the whole theoretical basis of Madrian education. But it will be asked how they are to be applied, and whether, if they should be applied, they would not turn study into a mere subjective reverie. Again we must direct attention to the difference between the masculine and feminine principles. The masculist method is to wrestle in an almost physical way with externalities; the feminist method lies in subtle but radical modulations of the informing principle, the noumenon which must in turn affect the whole. To use the metaphor of a circle; the masculist method operates on the circumference where many miles represent but a few degrees, while the feminist method works at the centre where the slightest shift may represent a great arc at the circumference. The practical application of these principles will depend upon the circumstances with which we are presented. The ideal unit of Madrian education is the school community. The organic concept is central to Madrian thought about community and individual. In the extreme of masculist materialism to which profance society is now approaching, the individual is regarded as a socioeconomic unity with no real individuality. She cannot be regarded apart from the community, but at the same time, being a fragmentary unit whose existence ends (both spatially and temporally) with her physical body** she can have no real spiritual cohesion with the community, but is only bound to it by physical and emotional necessity. Madrianism, on the other hand, sees the individual as microcosmos: the immortal expression of an unique mode or facet of Deity, imperfect, yet potentially sublime. The primary educative purpose of the community is to assist the moiraic [werdic]*** development of the soul towards perfection. In order to perform this function, the outlook of the community must be Theacentric rather than anthropocentic, for only in a truly organic community can each member be equally complete in herself and a part of the whole rather than an enforced unit. In the ideal organic community the moira [werdë] of each will harmonize with the moira of the whole. The only way in which a community can become a spiritual organism is by attuning itself with the Source and Fountainhead of all spiritual life. The community which is turned towards the Goddess will achieve human development as a natural consequence. The community which neglects spiritual development in favour of purely humanistic aims will achieve neither. But we are not speaking merely of "spiritual development" in the narrow sense in which the term is usually used, for all genuine personal development is spiritual development (conversely, it is the absence of spiritual nourishment in the modern world which accounts for the widespread lack of real personal development.) The Madrian concept of education is rather wider than the more conventional concept. As masculism, and with it the need for an exclusively rational construction of the universe, has increased, the process of educating the individual has been seen increasingly in terms of equipping her to appreciate and participate in this construction. Education has concentrated on the mental and academic functions, dropping the non-academic individual as quickly as possible and finding her an embarrassment in the interim. Attempts to deal with this have only increased the problem, since the basic assumtpions remain unchanged, with a slight shift of emphasis from rationalism to utilitarianism ("fitting the individual for society"). The Madrian philosophy recognises that acadmemic development is not the metiér of every individual, and sees that not as a shortcoming, but as an indication that the person is in a mode or phase of moiraic [werdic] development which does not entail a very great participation of the faculty of intellect. Education should in some cases, therefore, concentrate on creative development of a non-academic kind, and should always contain an element of it. This does not, however, indicate a neglect of academic standards, or of reason and logic. The profane intellectual community, for all its implicit ideological rationalism, is not notable for its crisp and clean use of reason. On the contrary, there is a tendency greater than at most historical periods towards vagueness of concept and slipshod intellectual operation. This is precisely because of the ideology of rationalism. Conscious reason and material causality are stretched far beyond their legitimate province in order to explain (or explain away) the whole material and spiritual phenomenon of the manifest universe. Both logically and psychologically this is damaging to the legitimate operation of reason. Logically, because extending beyond its province, rational-material causality is made to perform conjuring tricks in order to seem to encompass that which is cannot encompass – and having once been used in such contrived and fantastical ways, it becomes impossible to restrict it to that strictness and economy upon which its genuine effectiveness rests. Psychologically, because the human mind necessarily thinks in mythic terms whether it will or no; if reason is to be the sole medium of truth, then rationalistic mythologies must be created. Mythology and reason are both media of truth, but unless each is recognised and respected on its several level of interpretation, then each must do violence to the other. Rational "explanation" is a destroyer of myth, and equally mythologisation is a destroyer of reason. Yet mythologisation there will be, if other myths are to be denied (or explained). Thus the intellectual, denied all teleology, will make a vague quasi-teleology of evolution; sometimes explicitly, using non-sensical phrases like "cultural evolution" or "social evolution"; sometimes denying it in explicit terms, but allowing to to ferment among the [illegible] assumptions which provide the backdrop to all her thought – thus she will [?] use such terms as retrogressive, reactionary, progressive, forward-looking as statements of value. We shall not here multiply examples of the mythologisation of rational-material concepts. No longer forced to bear unnatural burdens, and cleansed of the adulteration of false usage, reason can take its rightful place among the human faculties and become the sharp and accurate instrument that it should be. The Madrian who has aptitude for the use of intellect will be trained to use it with a cleanness and precision which is becoming all but impossible elsewhere. For the present generation of new Madrians who wish to place their mental faculties at the service of our Lady, the first educational task will be to sharpen the sword of intellect, long blunted by ill-use, and to learn to wield it with skill and confidence. But thought must also be creative. Intellect is an instrument for testing, for dividing, for paring away. Nothing is more debilitating to academic thought than the need to pretend that all its conclusions are derived from observation and reason. All worthwhile thought is an act of spontaneous creation. Observation provides some of the raw material, reason is one of the tools, but the act of creation transcends both of these. Every act of thought is a self-expression of the soul. To act in ignorance of this fact leads to two opposite and complementary errors: the suppression of creativity in the name of 'objective thought' (a contradiction in terms, since thought by its very nature is subjective: could real 'objectivity' exist, it would be the property of a mindless automaton); and the casting aside of all the disciplines of thought or creation in the name of 'free expression', a term equally meaningless, for all articulate thought is an act of self-expression, and no expression can be free, for the very difficulty of ex-pressing the essentially inward and inarticulate matter of the soul's experience is the greatest of all constraints. All the disiciplines of thought and creation are but devices for the overcoming of this constraint. Creativity of thought cannot, of course, be 'taught', but teaching in the conventional sense should not be the major part of education. The disciplines of thought can and should be taught; facts and precepts should be taught and the teaching process, as an inculcator of mental discipline, can be beneficial. The negative function of teaching (in its narrower sense) is the overcoming of the inertia natural to each of us; its positive function is the provision of the material. But the full function of education is the provision of impetus and the incubation of the positive development of the soul through the moira [werdë]-pattern of her present incarnation. This will be achieved partly through all the functions of teaching in the broadest sense, and partly through the spiritual orientation of the whole community. Section II: Some Practical Propositions A Madrian school should be a unified whole, containing no sharp division between those who 'teach' and those who 'are taught'. Education is a way of self-development via the pursuit of wisdom (which may include, but is by no means coterminous with, knowledge). Every member of the community should be engaged in the process of education. The chain of authority should extend downwards as far as possible with the greatest practicable degree of self-government at every level; and there should be no radical change in this structure as one moves from the most senior students to the most junior staff. It has been suggested that the words 'students' and 'staff' be replaced by 'seminary' and 'academy' respectively. More tentatively, it has been suggested: 1) that seminary should include some junior staff members 2) that the line of demarcation should be variable according to individual cases 3) that there should be some intermediary category including some staff and some students 4) that academy should include some senior students. It is unnatural for any community to continue its activities without variance through winter and summer. The cycle of the seasons is a hierophany, a showing-forth of the Divine Mysteries in every level of nature, from the ebb and flow of vegetative life to the undefinable intricacies of movement in the subtlest strata of unconscious intelligence. The attempt to make the human mind independent of this cycle typifies the hubris of masculist culture. But the mind is never separated from the cycle, only estranged from it. The Madrian community should bring its work into harmony with the pulse of the macrocosm. At the most elementary levels of the educative process, as many areas of study as possible should vary in aspect and approach according to the seasonal changes of nature, the divine Mysteries and festivals of each period of the year, and, a little later, the elements and principle which each season brings to the fore. Some work or activity should be organised for each festival. At higher levels of study, the connections can be more tenuous, but a consideration of the intellectual principles corresponding to each season and element should be encouraged to have its effect upon academic work. In doing this, we swim, as it were, with the tides and currents of nature, rather than swimming indifferently against or across them. The power of the mind is thus enhanced both in force and (since we are attuning ourselves to the true interior nature of things, rather than clumsily attempting to manipulate the exterior by the intellectual equivalent of brute strength) in subtlety. This will be reinforced by the seasonal decorations, activities, etc. of the community. It is also suggested that account be taken of the lunar cycle. From the lowest levels to the highest, the mind should be encouraged to dwell upon the great questions of the universe, of time and eternity. No child is too young for this. It is natural that the growing mind should turn upon these things and it comes naturally to most children. We have also found that intelligent discussions upon radical metaphysical questions are at present rather more common in schools than in universities. Such discussion is progressively discouraged by the prevailing ideology, and even labelled 'adolescent'. Many immediate reasons can be given for this: the lack of the necessary world-philosophical framework within which such speculation could take place; a despair of ever collating all the quantitative data and harmonising all the specialisms – the only approach that late-masculist academicism could consider – such speculation would have to be the work of a hundred committees and certainly not the quest of an individual mind. But the underlying logical reason (we will leave aside the psychological and spiritual reasons) is the masculist conception of knowledge. We recall the criterion that a PhD thesis must be "a significant and substantial contribution to knowledge" and cannot but be amused that the highest minds of the profane world have this absurd quantitative conception of knowledge on the model of a stamp collection or a box of money. Quite simply, the intellectual shies from these eternal questions because she does not believe that a definitive answer can ever be found. But no answer, however true, could be definitive, nor could it be understood by a mind not closely attuned to the question and the particular way of approaching it. The purpose of discussions of these questions is to heighten awareness of the questions and to produce not definitive answers, but rays of light which illumine from without the inward meaning which they represent. To one steeped in the intellectual construction of the world, it is sometimes hard to explain that myths show forth reality but do not depict it; but it is nearly always impossible to explain that our intellectual concepts are but analogies and not descriptions of reality, and that two opposing conceptual structures might allegorize the same reality. And yet the only real philosophical justification claimed by profance 'science' is that it works, it produces results; and surely it is obvious enough that if western Europe had had a different cultural history, all the empirical realities enshrined in the 'scientific' construction of reality might have been enshrined in some different and incompatible (but equally 'scientific') construction of reality, and would have worked equally well. Since academic work is a form of creative expression, it should be regarded as being akin to art; and a piece of academic work no less than a poem or a sculpture or a picture can be made as a festival offering or a devotional artefact. We wish also to create a community capable of appreciating this form of art. But in order that it may be appreciated, it is necessary that a clear and elegant style of language be cultivated in place of the wooly and clichéd speech or obscure jargonese prevalent in profane intellectual circles. Academic discourse is not a species of poetry; nevertheless the concept expressed and the words used to express it can never be entirely separated. On the level of simple logic, it is notorious that unclear language can blur and cover up for unclear and faulty thought, while a lucid style of expression literally forces the mind to come to terms with a subject and make clean and definite connections between concepts. But also, a language should be used to convey the weight and nuance of concepts, and all the qualitative aspects which the materialist quantitative approach tries to ignore. The belief that concept is all important and the means to its expression merely incidental has left many students without the verbal equipment either to express or to analyse complex concepts, or even to tidy up their own thought (there is also an opposite and complementary movement, cognate with the 'free expression' error, which in poetry and a form of quasi-existential thought strives to use language in a purely qualitative manner. This, instead of producing slogans, clichés and jargon, produces a purely emotional and exclamatory language without form or structure. Normal intellectual discourse is a fairly even mixture of the two styles). Madrian education must develop the ability to build verbal structures capable of sustaining clear and complex thought. Where possible, the academy of a Madrian school should be based upon a religious community of one of the Madrian Orders. But the Madrian educational community should not be restricted to physical groups living and working together, but should encompass all Madrians pursuing the academic path of self-development. it is here that our recommendations can take most immediate effect. We suggest the formation of a 'scattered' academy, whose most fundamental tasks will be to teach and practise the principles of Madrian criticism in various fields. The criticisms made as part of the work of the academy can be fed back into the academy to provide material, thus building up a corpus of Madrian criticism in various areas of study. The purpose of this academy will be two-fold: 1) the creation and training of a pioneer group of Madrian theorists; 2) The laying of the foundations for a restructuring of philosophy, theology, world-history etc. in the light of the underlying philosophies of the feminine principle and the Madrian faith. The task of those teaching will be to suggest critical projects and to guide the development of a Madrian-feminist critical approach. As soon as a degree of proficiency is attained, students should also be assigned to helping others who are less experienced. Groups should be convened where possible, but if necessary the process can take place entirely by correspondence. As the masculine principle expands into its final cultural phase, becoming larger and more widespread, but rapidly approaching the point of utter spiritual diffusion, the new feminist academies will form the nucleus of the movement which shall replace it; as hard and small and concentrated as it is vast and diffuse, as seemingly insignificant as it is all-pervasive, and more unlike it than anything that has been se upon the earth through five millenia. Notes *An amusing example of this was provided by Marina Warner in an abstract of her book on Mary written for one of the glossy Sunday newspaper supplements. She made no arguments whatever against pseudomariolatria in the Christian-catholic church, but only gave a list of some of the more un-Lutheran practices, as if she could rely on her audience to have the same reactions as the No Popery men of the Gordon riots, or the Orange Order. At first this seemed strange coming from an ex Christian-catholic, but then one realised that her attitudes were at one with most modern intellectual Christian-catholics. Protestantism is the injection of urban rationalism into the organic and sacramental nature of genuine popular religion (an injection so alien to the real nature of religion that the logical and inevitable end of Protestantism is self-destruction). The modern intellectual Christian-catholic must accept a de facto Protestantism as the only way of reconciling religion with late-masculist intellectualism. Interestingly, she ended the article by invoking Marx. Like most Marxist sympathisers, she displays an aristocratic contempt for the genuine traditions of the people wherever they have not succumbed to the conditioning of the bourgeois mass-media. **This conception of the individual as a closed-off unit is a necessary psychological expression belonging to the current spiritual phase of profance culture. That is why evidence of extrasensory phenomena, though not in itself damaging to the logic of even the strictest materialism is ignored. ***Personal moira [werdë] is defined as the whole moral and spiritual state of the individual, which finds expression in her outward circumstances, in her mental and physical atttributes, and in the interplay of these with her subjective state of consciousness. It is similar, though not identical, to the Buddhist concept of Karma. It may be seen as a principle of cause and effect, or as a stratum of the unconscious which is continuous through incarnation and disincarnation, through it is something greater than either. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Intellect Against Intellectualism: Sketches Towards a Manifesto for Madrian Education Subject The topic of the resource intellect, education Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text education epistemology intellect masculism materialism rationalism social criticism theology of religions https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/88577f7a15427e77d4399d4902f31391.pdf 9d9221a870387054d086f4af97012409 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, handwritten (3pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document Obedience One could perhaps make a case for declaring that obedience is the first of all the virtues. At any rate, it is certainly true that if one renders true obedience to a mistress in themis [thamë] – that is to say, one who is God's indirect representative within the earthly order of things – one will, ipso facto be practising the other virtues also. All, it may be protested, with the exception of one, & that one, the virtue governed by Madria Tethys [Sai Sushuri]. For Love, it will be said, may never be commanded; and this, we will allow, is truly said – yet true obedience is the fruit of Love & wheresoever one is to be found, there most surely you find the other. That obedience which giveth what she must for fear or for advancement – this is what the profane call obedience, yet in truth, she is not more than a counterfeit and a false adulteress. For true obedience binds not the body only but the soul, & tho' we may like the task we are set to no better than the willow-rod that is set upon our shoulders, yet we would not have it any wise other than as our mistress wills it. For if we love our Lady, then we willingly obey Her, & in obeying Her, obey also the Ranya that She has set over us on the earth. Obedience is the chain that bindeth earth to Heaven, & tho' there be them that say they will love but not obey, yet in such case the love endures not long, & this is proven both by the words of holy Scripture & by the examples of maids & of nations. So truly we may say, if obedience be not the first among the vritues, yet Love is, & obedience is not the fruit of love merely, but her daughter – & like to God's own beloved Daughter [sign of pentagram], is not her child only, but her very self. Writ by the maid Alethea in loving obedience to her mistress. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource On Obedience Subject The topic of the resource Obedience Description An account of the resource A calligraphic composition by Sr. Alethea on the significance and importance of obedience to one's spiritual mistress. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sr. Alethea Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text love obedience ranya virtue https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/9aa3ad13cd7de40b9b9face13e759b31.pdf 81961df09930265c5b0cd1596cae36a2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, typewritten (2pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document Thoughts on Our Lady She is more beautiful than a starry night, with the bright sparks peeping out of a blue heaven. She is more beautiful than a rainbow, appearing out of a grey, cloudy sky. She is like unto the snow, lying crisp and fresh and pure upon the virgin fields; like the fiery heat of a summer's afternoon; like the first snowdrop of spring and the last rose of autumn. She is the setting of the sun in a blaze of pink glory, and like unto its dawning. She is the rising of the moon, and like unto its setting. She is every colour of the spectrum; from rich, deep red to the palest violet. She is the cool light of silver, and the glorious blaze of gold. She is the depth of copper and the heaviness of lead. She is the supple sleekness of a cat, and the nobility and grace of a stag. She is like to every creature – from the stealthiness of a lion to the swiftness of a cheetah, from the brilliance of a bird-of-paradise to the strength of an eagle. All pleasures in these creatures are pleasures in Her, for She is the source of their beauty, all beauty. She is everything that makes a place into a home; She is everything that makes a dwelling place a refuge. For She is our true home, our only home; and anywhere that we call home in this place is but a faint reminder of Her. Every blazing fire we sit around, telling stories and roasting chestnuts, the comfort and happiness we feel, all is but a faint and dimmed reflection of Her. She is HOME. She is warmth and comfort, a haven after the horrors and terrors of the night, the dark night that we have journeyed through to come home. She is Love, the safety and security we feel when in the arms of one we love. She is belonging, because we belong with Her, we belong to Her. And She has kept our places by the fire safe for us to return to, for She is like unto the mother whose daughter has run away from home. Every night she lights the fire in her daughter's room in case she should return that night, and never locks the door so she may always enter. She never lets another child sit in her place, for she is always praying that her daughter will return. To come to us, She suffered home-sickness that we shall never know, a loneliness of soul too great for us to contemplate. For She is home to us, and we must always feel not quite right in this world because it is not our home. How much more is She Her own home! Yet gladly She tore Herself apart, that we might come back to Her. That the door may always be open, She has vowed not to return until the last child of earth has come back home. The agony of loneliness, the aching heart, these things She knows to the ultimate degree. Yet She bears them willingly – She did not have to suffer. She broke the Law to save us, and the Law is Herself. She has paid the price for us. And we are tired of this place, this world. It has promised us happiness, and given us misery. It has offered a handful of promises in exchange for our heavenly birth-right, and the promises have turned to dust in our hands. It tells us to wait, that next week, next month, next year, it will have found a way to happiness for us all. And yet....we know how to find happiness, how to find home, how to find that all-consuming love in which to rejoice. Shall we listen longer, then, to the cries of the world? No, because we are children who have run from our Mother, we are tired and lonely, and we are going home at last. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Thoughts on Our Lady Description An account of the resource A poetic account of the nature of our Mother God. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Daughter devotional literature Passion https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/32d563701a27e72a2811368d7dc48fd6.pdf e5f28593015f952977ffe86fe6b67fcc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, typewritten (2pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document Three Paths into the Secret Garden Contrary to popular belief, it is not especially easy to make the Rosary. Of course, it is easy enough to say the prayers, but to maintain a right concentration upon the Mysteries – a perfect contemplation – requires rare qualities of pure attention and self-giving. To a great degree, these qualities can be developed by daily practice, and by pursuing Divine love and self-control in our lives. How easy we find it will depend on how far we have advanced in this life and those before it. Practice is important, because each devotion deepens and widens the channel to the Interior. Life is important, for not only are our lives reflected in our devotions, but a frequent recall of our love for the Divine and Her love for us in daily life will fill our minds with ideas and images, books and poems, pictures, snatches of sentences, thoughts and scenes, all of which are connected in our minds and feelings with our personal relationship with our Lady. All this jumble of loving fragments will be gathered together and poured helter-skelter into our contemplation, caught up in the rhythm and shape of the Rosary, and moulded and sculpted by it into the pattern and structure of the Eternal Mystery. But there is no need to worry if you find it hard at first. Your very dissatisfaction is a sign that you are conscious of your weakness, and are striving for higher things. When as a child I could not sleep, my mother would tell me that if I lay still I would at least have some rest. The same is true of the Rosary: even when we are unable to enter into the full experience, the very act of following this cosmic prayer-structure will bring powerful spiritual benefit. And, as in all prayer, it must be remembered that the conscious mind is not the whole of us. The Spirit of the Goddess may be working in us at a level deeper than we can know. Whenever we genuinely pray to the best of our ability, we may be assured that this is the case. But there are a number of ways in which we can begin to penetrate deeper into the Mysteries of the Rosary, and to increase our power to contemplate them. I would like to suggest three of these which I have found helpful. But first of all, we must take note of a very important fact: the five decades of the Rosary fall into two very distinct sections – the two Mother decades (the first decade and the last) and the three Daughter decades (the three central decades). These two groups are very different in character. The Mother decades deal more with ideas and realities (the dependence of all things on the Mother for existence – the complete union of self with Her.) The Daughter decades deal more with Divine Events (the Events of the Nativity, Passion and Resurrection.) It is not always best to use the same methods for each; the Daughter decades, for instance, lend themselves much better to the eidetic method than do the Mother decades. The Eidetic Path This is good for keeping the mind fixed, particularly during the Daughter decades. The method is to select one particular image for each bead, so that the mind moves rapidly over a set path. It is a good elementary method, because each image will touch off numerous reactions in the unconscious spiritual memory, while the conscious mind is prevented from wandering. One cannot use the method fully for the first decade, but one can take guiding images from verses 1 – 7 of the Creation, chapter I. For the beads of the Daughter decades, I would suggest the following images from the Mythos: Nativity Decade: 1, the conception upon the waters. 2, the journey and entry into the cavern. 3, the appearance of the Star. 4, the coming of the children of the earth. 5, the appearance and address of the Genia [Janya]. 6, the silence before dawn. 7, the voice from the cavern and the rejoicing of the daughters of Heaven. 8, 9, 10, the adoration of the Mother and Child. Passion Decade: 1 – 7, the seven gates of Hell. 8, the binding of Her hands and the beating. 9, the death. 10, the hanging upon the pillar. (It is important to try to understand the particular sinking dread associated with the seven gates.) OR: 1, the descent into Hell. 2, the questions of the Dark Queen. 3, the binding of Her hands. 4, the beating and humiliation. 5, the kneeling before the Dark Queen. 6, the death. 7, 8, the body upon the pillar. 9, the desolation of the world. 10, the sorrow of the Mother. Resurrection Decade: 1, the shattering of the gate of Hell. 2, the taking down of the body. 3, the sprinkling of water. 4, the awakening of the Daughter. 5, the leading of the souls out of Hell. [6+7 not mentioned in original ms.] 8, the greeting of the children of earth. 9, the ascent into Heaven. 10, the crowning of the Queen of Heaven. The method cannot be used for the final decade, but one may make the Pentacle on oneself after the Eternity and use the Rose-and-Pentacle meditation described in Appendix 1 of the Catechism. The Contemplative Path This involves an intellectual fixing upon the Mysteries themselves. A deep and thoughtful consideration of what they mean, what they are, and of one's own relationship to them. For example, in the second decade, one might fix upon the image of Mother and Child, and let the mind play upon the Truth that though They are two Persons, yet They are one and the same. This is not always an easy method, but it can be a very rewarding one. (Incidentally, it is a good idea to keep a record of any thoughts which strike you as important.) The Emotional Path In this method we attempt to realise the Mysteries through emotion. Again, the Daughter decades provide the most directly accessible material for this, but the final decade can become the most emotionally significant of all as it becomes more fully understood. Both the Mother decades call forth an emotion of wonder or glory, which is a little harder to achieve than those of the Daughter decades. The emotional pattern of the Rosary is absolutely symmetrical, moving from wonder to joy (Nativity), to sorrow (Passion), to joy again (Resurrection), to wonder again. But the wonder and joy of the first half are different from those of the second half. It is hard to describe the subtle shades of emotion, but these are brought out naturally by the consideration of the different Mysteries. In the first half they are fresh and bright, like the new moon. In the second, they are full and glorious, like the full moon. In this method, one must throw aside the normal social restraints upon emotion, and allow oneself to feel fully the emotions of the Daughter decades, letting it come through in the tone of the voice and the attitude and movements of the body. In practice, of course, every meditation will contain something of all three methods. Nor do these three exhaust the possibilities of the Rosary. The Mother Decades In what has been said, it may have seemed that the Mother decades are somewhat apart from the rest of the Rosary. But in fact they make a perfect and indispensable entry to and consummation of the Mysteries of the Daughter. In the first decade, we shift our perception from the everyday acceptance of our material surroundings, and remind ourselves of their original nature as Divine Ideas and their perpetual dependence on the continuing creative Act of the Mother for their very existence. In this decade, I sometimes look at the ground on which I rest, and recall that this very place was once part of the roaring seas of primordial Chaos; that it is created by a deliberate Act of the Divine Will which sustains it in every moment. With this realisation of the Absolute, it is far easier to realise the Absolute nature of the events of the Mythos. In the final decade, the emotional and mental experience built up by the Daughter decades – the joy of Nativity, the sorrow and apprehension of the Passion, the exultant happiness of the Resurrection – come to a climax in the Fire of the Rose. Suddenly we are asked to give ourselves; to offer ourselves completely to our Mother, keeping nothing back, to become consumed in the fire of Her love. The whole meaning of all the decades is suddenly concentrated into one utterly personal demand. It is the ultimate demand of religion – the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate ecstasy. Of course one will not experience this on every occasion but even in the most earthbound recital of the final decade, the fullness of this experience lies folded like a rose within the bud. * Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Three Paths into the Secret Garden Subject The topic of the resource rosary, meditation Description An account of the resource Instructions and suggestions for performing the Westrenne rosary according to the Madrian technique. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Absolute meditation Mythos Passion Resurrection rosary vyamati vyasucri https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/8d6222e9615920be896cf09dd2988d41.pdf d44969e1649859babf451110ff6c6b21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, handwritten (22pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document The Planetary Principles Tradition teaches that the created universe did not at the beginning consist of material things, but of perfect forms, or Divine ideas; we might also call them pure Essences. When our part of creation was no longer in perfect harmony with the Absolute, it could no longer exist as pure Essence, but had to be "expressed" though matter in order to remain in being. Thus everything we know consists of both essence and matter. Pure essence would be, for example, pure "flowerness", but not a flower. Pure matter, having no essence, would have no qualities of any sort – no size, no shape, no colour, no texture etc. Pure Essence can and does exist on the plane of Spirit, although we can in no way conceive of it in our present state. Matter is quite incapable of independent existence. But we must make it clear that matter in its true sense does not refer only to physical matter, but to everything below the level of pure Spirit. Thus it includes etheric, astral and mental matter, as well as many other forms of matter with which he have no contact on this plane. A thought is a piece of matter just as much as a table, or rather, they are both, like all things, a combination of matter and essence. Thus to those who say that pure Essence is not inconceivable because one can conceive of pure "flowerness" we must reply that the very conception itself is a piece of thought matter. However, because of the limited and largely erroneous concept which is usually designated by the word "matter" in modern usage, we will use henceforth the traditional term "materia". Essence and materia should not be conceived as "substances" or "things", but rather as the extreme two poles of manifest existence.* All manifest things occupy points on a sliding scale between them – thus a stone is closer to pure materia, a poem closer to essence, but only relatively speaking. Essence is the female, "spiritual" and creative or shaping pole; it is symbolised by the sphere, or in plane geometry by the circle. Materia is the male, "heavy" or "solid" pole; it is symbolised by the cube, or in plane geometry by the square. Again, essence is quality, materia quantity. We have said that everything below the level of pure Spirit has a material form, but there is one exception to this rule: psyche or soul. Soul is neither matter nor Spirit, but stands between the two. So also, soul stands between essence and matter as a third principle. In traditional symbolism, the three principles are termed Heaven, Earth and Maid. In the symbolism of the planetary principles, they are represented respectively by the circle, the cross and the crescent: [image of circle, image of cross, image of crescent] Heaven, Earth, Maid (Essence), (Materia), (Psyche) Etymologically, the word "Maid" is connected with "may", meaning the power to do something (hence "might" is both the past participle of "may" and also means power). Essentially, it means the potential of doing or not doing, ie the power of choice. Maid is "she who chooses", she who is what she is because of the choices she has made. As the mediating or reconciling Principle, the Daughter is perfect Maid. She descended to the level where She too had to choose between good and evil (Mythos III and IV). This is what is meant by the phrase "God became Maid", the phrase "God became flesh" is a materialistic parody of this, reflecting the limited perspective of the materia-dominated outlook. As we will see when we come to examine the male and femlae principles as expressed in the planetary symbolism, this error is intimately connected with the error of conceiving God as male. Within the microcosm of an individual Maid, the three principles may be sen as corresponding to Spirit, body and soul; but it must be remembered that "body" is not just the physical body (or "flesh"), but also the astral, etheric and mental bodies, and that Spirit is not as individual faculty but the point at which the individual remains united with the Absolute. From these three principles proceed the seven planetary principles, which consist of all the meaningful relationships between the primary principles, not [?] filtered through materia (although, of course, they must unite with materia in order to manifest at any level). These consist of Heaven and Maid standing alone – Materia, as we have said, is incapable of independent existence. They are represented not by planets proper, but by the two luminaries, the sun and moon: [astronomical symbol of sun, moon] Sun, Moon (Heaven, Essence), (Maid, Psyche) The remaining five planetary principles derive from the relationships of Heaven and Maid with Materia, and are akin to the five material elements; however, they should in no sense be confused with these elements, which are simpler and purer and strictly more "elementary". Indeed, viewed from a different perspective, thatof the Triad and Tetrad division of the planetary principles (which does not concern us here), certain of the principles correspond to different elements from those given below; however, from a Magical point of view, the kinships given are correct. The four corporeal elements consist of the relations of Heaven and Maid separately to Earth or materia; Heaven ruling Earth, Earth ruling Heaven, Maid ruling Earth, Earth ruling Maid: Planetary principle [signs of Venus, Mars, crescent over cross, cross over crescent] Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Elemental kinship [alchemical signs of water, fire, air, earth] Water, Fire, Air, Earth The seventh planetary principle combines Heaven, Maid and Earth: [astronomical sign of mercury, alchemical sign of ether] Mercury akin to Ether From the foregoing, it should be obvious that the heptad of planetary principles is fundamental, and that the recent "discovery" – or rather rediscovery – of three additional planets does not in any way alter this. The assumption that they do is founded firstly on the supposed superiority of the modern world to the ancient, which assumes that the matriarchal astrologers "left out" the additional planets because they were ignorant of them; whereas, in fact, they were perfectly well aware of their existence, as they are clearly depicted, for example, on several ancient Sumerian seals. Secondly, the assumption is founded on the supposition that the physical planets in some way "create" the principles, rather than merely symbolising them. Usually this assumption is merely tacit, although sometimes one hears talk of such mechanical monstrosities as "waves" or "rays" emanating from the planets. In a purely figurative sense, such images can be useful, but there are persons who intend this terminology to be taken quite literally, in which case it is mere fantasy born of a materialistic desire to reduce super-physical influences to a semblance of physical "science". Having asserted that the planets are only the symbols of the principles, however, it must be made clear that symbolism, when it is of a genuinely universal nature and not merely an artifical convention devised by individual minds, is a far more powerful thing than the materialistic mentality can possibly understand, and is, in deed, one of the bases of all traditional thought. The planets as such do not "affect" earthly events (although, again, there is no harm in saying that they do in a figurative sense, just as we speak of the sun rising, when in fact it does no such thing), but they are a part of the universal symbolic system of which human life is also a part, and since events in any part of the system are organically bound up with events in any other part, knowledge of one part can always be gained by observation of another, provided the correct symbolic interpretations are understood. Neiher do we mean to suggest that the extra-Saturnian planets are outside this system, for that is a manifest impossibility. Any event, from the movement of a planet to the flight of a bird or the fall of a card can, correctly interpreted, give information about any other event. That is the basis of all divination. Our concern here, however, is not with divination, but with the heptad of principles symbolised in the deepest sense by the seven planets for us in this phase of existence; although the seven principles are themselves universal and affect all material existence far beyond our solar system and beyond the plane of physical matter. They are, in fact, seven "rays" (using the image in a strictly figurative sense) which run throughout the universe from the highest point to the lowest, affecting every creature and phenomenon on every level of existence. At the head of the rays, far "above" the physical plane, stand the seven "planetary" Geniae [Janyati]. amd at their "lowest" point, far "below" the physical plane stand the seven daughters of Eresh-Kigal [Irkalla] who represent the extreme perversion of each of the principles. At every level between these two extreme points, each ray has both a beneficent and a maleficent aspect. We will now proceed to a brief examination of each of the principles, treating particularly their deeper significance in the spiritual pattern of the universe. Each ray is named after the Genia [Janya] governing it. [astronomical symbol of sun] Sun; ray of Theia [Raya]: The sun is, of course, the primary celestial symbol of the Mother, as well as representing pure Essence. The correspondence is a natural one since She is the Creator of the Essential world, and it is only through our turning from Her that we have descended into material existence. The name of the Genia [Janya] also expresses the connection with the Mother. In one sense this is the highest of the principles, but it can never manifest its full potential in any part of the material universe, since Essence cannot exist without Materia; and since the rays do not exist in the same form outside [?] the material universe. This principle always remains a secondary or potential state. In the same way the Mother can never be realised fully while the soul remains in imperfection, for "They can no longer look upon My brightness" (Mythos III, 5) – another obvious correspondence with the symbol of the sun. Because of its pre-lapsarian nature, this principle also governs the "Golden Age" of the western tradition (the symbolic metal of the ray is gold), or the Hindu Devpara Yuga. This is called "the time before the Fall", but refers not to the Cosmic Fall itself, but rather to a lesser fall within the span of the preent humanity. The Golden Age refers to the first and longest phase of the present cycle, of some 20,000 years, when human life was fully attuned to its inner principles, and therefore perfect of it skind. The Golden Age also refers to various lesser periods corresponding to "cycles within cycles". In any cycle, major or minor, the four ages correspond to each other in the ratio 6:3:2:1 so that the first age is four times as long as the last. The units in each case are cycles, so that each cycle is made of ten smaller cycles. The perfect attunement of the Golden Age is also the highest aim of life, and this is poetically expressed in the traditional dictum that the true work of an alchemist is "to separate the Philosophical Gold fromthe Black Dragon of Matter." The symbol of the sun also represents this achievement. In operation, the Theia [Raya] ray is the harmonious, expansive, perfectionist principle, it reflects the virtue of Light or energy as defined in The Crystal Tablet and is also associated with the virtue of generosity. [astronomical symbol of the moon] Moon; ray of Phoebe [Candrë]: the moon is the primary celestial symbol of the Daughter, Who in every sense is the Reconciler of Heaven and Earth. As perfect Maid, She stands between Essence and Materia at every level – that is to say, not only between the two principles in their strict philosophical sense, but also between the inward nature of everything and its outward manifestation: "I am between the ripple and the water; I am between the dancer and the dance; I am between the breathing and the breath; between the lightest word of greeting and the thought from which it flows." (Teachings of the Daughter) This is the highest principle in manifestation, and its symbolic colour, violet, is the highest colour of the spectrum. Its virtue, purity, or cimplicity, is said to contain all the other virtues. It governs the Silver Age, or Tetra Yuga. Astronomically, the moon is earth's satellite, but she does not orbit the earth in the manner of a satellite to its gravitational centre. The earth's pull on the moon is secondary to that of the sun, which is the common centre of attraction for both. This symbolises the position of psyche, divided between the pull of Spirit (sun) and matter (earth), and the continual chioce which is the defining characteristic of Maid. From the perspective of the present earth plane, the Phoebe [Candrë] Ray is particularly connected with the astral and other immediately super-physical spheres and the sphere of the moon is traditionally called "the first heaven". The ray governs contemplation and spiritual development. On a lower level, it governs divination and psychic faculties of all kinds. [astronomical symbol of Venus] Venus; Ray of Tethys [Sushuri]: This is the first of the principles which incorporates Materia, and is therefore fully manifest at every level. The first two rays, and particularly that of Phoebe [Candrë], while certainly present at every level, are never fully "naturalised" in the material world, and are constantly drawing all within their sphere of influence "upwards" and beyond it. The Tethys Ray exists as the life-principle throughout all nature, but, symbolising Spirit dominant over matterm it maintains right relations wherever its influence predominates. In all things, matter serves the spiritual Reality which is its source and essence. Since Essence is the female pole and Materia the male, this is symbolised in a society by a matriarchal order; and the symbol of Venus is traditionally taken as the feminine symbol. The virtue of this ray is love. At the highest level, this is the cosmic love defined in the Crystal Tablet. Love is the natural result of the Spirit-centred life: ...the greatest love is the love of the Goddess, and from this love all other loves flow." (C.T., 49). [modified astronomical symbol Mars, followed by standard symbol in brackets] Mars; Ray of Niké [Vikhë]: This symbol is the reverse of the Venus symbol, or rather, as close to an inversion of it as is possible, for, just as Materia cannot have independent existence, neither can matter fully dominate Spirit. For this reason, the cross (or arrow in some later forms) is placed at an angle of 45 degrees, rather than directly above the circle. In social terms, the inversion of right relations implied by this symbol is represented by a patriarchal order; and due to its inherent spiritual tendency, as well as to the magical vibrations set up by the invocatory symbols** of a male-dominated society, such as order is bound to lead by degrees to a materialistic state in which all spiritual truth is lost, and only matter (and eventually only the physical portion of that) is accepted as "real". Just as the Spirit-centred life leads naturally to love, so the matter centred life leads naturally to disharmony, conflict and strife, which are governed by this ray. It is the lowest of the principles, and its symbolic colour, red, is the lowest of the spectrum. Nevertheless it has its beneficent aspect, and the virtue of courage, which it governs, is necessary at every level of manifest existence. Mars governs the first Iron Age, of which we are now approaching the end in our present sub-cycle. This is the war-torn and materialistic Kali Yuga. There is a strong correspondence between Kali and certain phases of the Niké [Vikhë] Ray, since both represent the necessary destructive principle in manifestation; although Niké herself is a far more positive figure. The penultimate Bronze Age (Satya Yuga) is governed predominantly by Tethys [Sushuri], but also by Themis [Thamë], bronze being an alloy of copper and tin. [crescent over cross, followed by astronomical symbol of Jupiter in brackets] Jupiter; Ray of Themis [Thamë]: In its highest aspect, this principle symbolises the governance of the Daughter over the material world. The name Themis means "order", and the meaning of this is the divine harmony which pervades the universe in its perfect state. Themis is said to be the sister of Tethys [Sushuri]. Both manifest the third virtue of the Crystal Tablet, but whereas Tethys manifests Love in the most usual usage of the word, Themis manifests Love in the sense of harmony or order: "It is Love that holds the stars within their courses ... truly all the cycles of the times and the seasons; all the rhythms of the soul and of the mind and of the body: truly all these flow from the love of our Lady the Maid, that creation may not decompose, each several member flying away into black eternal chaos" (C.T. 34–5). If the full implication of Maid's choice at the Fall had been realised, then cut off from the creative principle of the Mother, cosmos would degenerate into mere formless chaos. This degenerative impulse is represented by the Snake (Cf. Creation II, 2 and 13). But the impulse was checked by the Goddess (II, 15–16), and a new order was established, enabling Maid to continue in existence in a lower sphere – ie the material universe. This new order is symbolised by the appearance of the rainbow, whose seven colours represent the seven principles. The principle of true order has so far been lost in Kali Yuga, that there is no word which adequately expresses it in any modern language. The Sanskrit term Dharma carries the correct sense, althought it has been mistranslated by western scholars and western-educated eastern ones alike. Themis [Thamë], used as an abstract noun is symbolically correct, though its full meaning must be gained through contemplation as well as explanation. Themis governs the customs, activities and the entire Active Life of a spiritually normal community, although to equate it with "law" in the profane sense, or even with morality, is completely to misunderstand it. On a lower level, the principle represents the dominance of the human soul over her material surroundings, and therefore success in enterprises of every sort. The two levels are connected, since ultimate success can only come from acting in accordance with the principle of themis [thamë]. [cross over crescent, followed by astronomical sign of Saturn in brackets] Saturn; Ray of Rhea [Rhavë]: The symbol implies the domination of the human soul by matter, and in its lower manifestations, this principle is often connected with restriction and frustrations of all kinds, it is a limiting influence manifesting inertia. On the other hand, it has positive effects in the sphere of stability and security. Law in the profane sense is governed by Rhea rather than Themis [Thamë]. However, the principle also has a far higher significance, indicated by its virtue, humility. This virtue is second only to the purity of the lunar principle, and is bound up with the mystery of sacrifice. The invocation to Rhea [Rhavë] in the Rite of Offering contains the following words "Pour into the chalice of this soul the virtue of humility ... for it is written that she who would find herself must first lose herself. Madria Rhea, lead this soul into the mystic heart of humility. In the Triad and Tetrad division of the planets, just as sun and moon are attributed to Mother and Daughter respectively, so Saturn is attributed to Absolute Deity, the Dark Mother. Saturn is the inverse of Jupiter, and in a certain sense represents the chaos or degenerative principle which is the reverse of themis [thamë]. But whatever exists on the lowest level applies by inverse analogy to the highest also. In her profoundest esoteric sense, Rhea [Rhavë] represents the mysterious Divine Principle of which the Snake is the maleficent parody. [astronomical sign of Mercury] Mercury; Ray of Metis [Mati]: This ray is pure Intellect. Intelligence also has its virtue, although it is usually called wisdom in deference to the complete misinterpretation which has been almost universally applied to the concept of intelligence in Kali Yuga. Intellect should not be confused with reason. The latter is a material function possessed ina certain degree by all animals, though more highly developed in maid. Intellect is a Divine function which comes "down" from Spirit rather than "up" from matter. Reason is based ont he distinction between subject and object, but the realisation of pure Intellect dissolves all barriers between the "knower" and the "known". The truths of Intellect can never be expressed in words, the formulas which attempt to express them are merely "supports" designed to assist each maid toward her own intellectual "realisation" which is the only means of knowledge. It goes without saying that Intellect is wholly inaccessible to materialistic logic, "science" or "common sense", and that the modern world is quite literally without intelligence, at least in its pure form. Sacred (or metaphysical) science and profane (or physical) sceince are like inverse images of one another. Rational theory is common to both, but the latter is wholly "downward"-directed, toward matter, basing its theories upon physical phenomena, checking them by physical experiments, and "consummating" them by application to physical technology. Sacred science, on the other hand, is based upon, and constantly referred back to the spiritual realisation of, pure Intellect, and its end or consummation is in spiritual progress. Neither one is in a position to contradict the other, since the refer to different orders of reality; but in terms of value-judgement, it is obvious that the higher may assess the lower, but not vice versa. The complete unity of the soul with Reality – the "knower" with the "known" – is symbolised in the combination of all three elements, Heaven, Earth and Maid in one symbol. Maid takes the topmost position since, from the human perspective, it is she who is the "subject" of the realisation – though, like all rational formulations, this is obviously inadequate, since the subject-object relation has in reality dissolved. This principle gives the key to the true meaning of esoteric doctrine. It is not that certain truths are "kept secret" as a matter of policy, but that until a particular soul has reached a certain level of intellectual development, she will not be able to "realise" the truths within herself, and the mere words will be worthless to her, even if they do not lead to harmful misinterpretations. At lower levels, Metis [Mati] governs the communicative principle in all its forms. The Geniae We must now consider briefly the Geniae [Janyati] which govern the seven principles. THe outward forms given here are charged with a powerful symbolism, although the Geniae may appear in visions under different forms. When we speak of, for example, the daughter of a Genia [Janya], we are not, of course, referring to a physical relationship, but to a Genia or other entity operating "below" her in the same sphere. Nevertheless, the image is not merely figurative, but symbolises the ineffable equivalent of a personal relationship as it exists in those who transcend the limits of personality. We will take them in their spectral order. Niké [Vikhë]: Usually seen as a warrior in a metal breastplate and short robe. Her head is wreathed with laurel and she has wings of an extremely wide span. She holds a sword, sometimes flaming. Traditionally she leads the forces of light in battle against the forces of darkness. Theia [Raya]: A mature maid of majestic appearance, surrounded by a golden radiance; often riding upon a lion or drawn in a golden chariot by lions. Sometimes winged, sometimes not, she breathes a spirit of joy and abundance. Metis [Mati]: Takes on many forms, but is often robed in yellow and seated cross-legged with palms facing outward in an attitude of Intellectual realisation and unbroken repose, like eastern representations of Tara. But at other times she becomes Nimwë, the enchantress and trickster. Her spirit animates the Ranya*** and all her unpredictable acts are made to lead the pupil to her own realisation; but theose who trust mere reason she leads in endless circles through the labyrinth of illusion until they shall see the folly of their ways. For matter is illusion and only the "single eye" of Intellect may penetrate it. Her principle daughter is Pallas Athene, the Genia [Janya] of wisdom and knowledge – in true science, based upn eternal Principles rather than on the contingent "facts" of the material realm. Tethys [Sushuri]: dressed in flowing robes, sometimes, though not always, green, often standing upon the waves or surrounded by sea. She is never winged, but is of overwhelming beauty. Her name means "disposer" or "orderer" [?]**** – a title of the Mother as Creatrix, and essentially, she is said to reflect Her creative activity upon the material plane. She is the sister of Themis [Thamë]. Themis [Thamë]: The allegorical figure of "justice" is a corruption of the image of Themis, and sometimes she does hold a pair of scales, but more usually a lyre or other musical instrument, symbolising harmony. Grace and rhythm are her keynotes, rather than severity. The element of balance enters through the strict measure that is required to maintain the precision of music or dance. All her actions, al her movements are in perfect proportion. She is the embodiment of "The universal music of Eternity". She is usually winged and often robed in blue. Her principal daughter is Moira [Werdë], Genia [Janya] of personal fate. Rhea [Rhavë]: may appear as an old woman carrying a scythe, or else as the Earth Mother, bearing a wooden staff, and surrounded by the half-light of deep forest. In each case she is a profoundly mysterious figure surrounded by an air of tremendous ancientness, stretching back beyond the very dawn of time. In both forms also, she is an awe-inspiring figure, but in the first there is also a deep but nameless feeling of dread associated with the vision. Phoebe [Candrë]: a priestess veiled and robed in violet and/or silvery white. She is of a semi-ethereal appearance, and very youthful, often appearing as a child-priestess like those of certain matriarchal societies. She may also appear as Artemis, Our Lady of the Wild Things, sometimes accompanied by a fawn. In each case she is surrounded by a spirit of wildness in the sense of absolute purity and simpliity "Let your souls be simple as the running deer, My children, and your hearts as little children filled with wonder" (Teachings). Her purity leads beyond the boundaries of the world. Ritual Correspondences The following tables give various forms which correspond symbolically to the seven principles, and which may therefore be used and/or visualised in ritual invocation and meditation in order to attune oneself to the appropriate ray and to set up a sympathetic vibration which will attract its influence: Table 1 Planet, Genia [Janya], colour, metal, keynote, tonic scale, Virtue Mars, Niké [Vikhë], red, iron, E, Me, courage Sun, Theia [Raya], orange, gold, C, Do, generosity Mercury, Metis [Mati], yellow, mercury, F, Fa, wisdom Venus, Tethys [Sushuri], green, copper, A, La, love Jupiter, Themis [Thamë], blue, tin, G, So, faith Saturn, Rhea [Rhavë], indigo, lead, B, Te, humility Moon, Phoebe [Candrë], violet, silver, D, Re, purity Table 2 Planet, gem, tree, creature, incense Mars, ruby, holly, wolf, benzoin, aloes, sulphur, tobacco Sun, diamond, birch, lion, saffron, myrrh, cloves, cinnamon Mercury, opal, hazel, ewe, mastic, mace, storax, nutmeg Venus, emerald, apple, dove, rose, amber, patchouli, sandlewood Jupiter, sapphire, oak, eagle, balm, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon Saturn, onyx, alder, crow, civet, musk, aloes, brimstone Moon, crystal, willow, deer, frankincense, white sandlewood, jasmine, copal, eucalyptus *In the Hindu tradition, which is closely related to matriarchal root-philosophies which preceded it, the two poles are called Purusha and Prakriti. **The actions and customs of a social order are, of course, deeply symbolic, and their cumulative ritual force is effective, even if it is not intentional. ***A Ranya is one who has attained Intellectual realisation and guides her pupils to the same achievement. Other paths than that of pure Intellect also have their Ranyas. ****Cognate with Greek τιθέναι Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Planetary Principles Subject The topic of the resource Janyati Description An account of the resource A detailed accounting of the metaphysical principles of janyatology, as well as of the nature, symbolism, and correspondences of the seven great Janyati. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text decline of the ages intellect janyatology metaphysics Sai Candrë Sai Mati Sai Nimwë Sai Raya Sai Rhavë Sai Sushuri Sai Thamë Sai Vikhë Sai Werdë https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/cf25ae758ec8e73f2685c0d7e2a21b57.pdf c2da07ae0933b3024ac20b57cd58301e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, typewritten (6pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document Meditations on the Love of Our Lady You have spread out your heaven, Lady, like a mantle, and in the heavens have set the stars that light our way this night, while the wild beasts of the forest are at large seeking to devour us. You have caused springs to rise in the mountains, from which You send down secret torrents to water the plain of our hearts, that they may bring forth flowers and fruits in abundance, tasting Your sweetness. My soul, an arid soul, a sterile and fruitless soul, thirsts for the sweet drops of this rain, longs for the nectar of heaven. May Your voice sound in my ears, dear Inanna, and tell me how my heart should love You, how my mind should love, how the deepest cavern of my soul should love You. May my inmost heart of hearts enclose You, my one and only treasure, my sweet and lovely joy. But what is love, Inanna? If I am right, it is a strange delight of the spirit, ever sweeter as it is purer, ever gentler as it is truer, ever more joyous as it is more generous; it is the ambrosia of the heart which You inspire, for You are sweet; it is a place that can contain You who are in all places. For she who loves You knows You, and as she knows You, so she loves You, for You are love, You are the love of the eternal sphere. Your lovers are made drunk, losing knowledge of themselves that they may come to You. How do they come but by loving You? By loving You with all their hearts and souls. O Lady, let some fragment of Your great sweetness fall upon my soul to sweeten the bread of my bitterness. Let it drink a drop of that which it yearns for, sighs for, desires so deeply in this desert place of its wanderings. Let it tast what it hungers for, even while it is still on the path to Avala, where you give us to eat and drink to our refreshment. Till then, Lady, I shall seek You, and seek You in love: for the soul that loves You is always seeking You, and the soul that loves You perfectly is the soul that has already found You. ----------------- No created thing creates itself, nor has beauty or goodness of itself, but from She Who is all, Who is wholly good and wholly beautiful; the goodness of all good things, the beauty of all beautiful things derives from She Who is the cause of all existence. And as She is Absolute Good, it is good for us to cleave to Her. And that we may cleave to Her with our minds She has given us three powers of nature, which make us able to partake of Her eternity, share Her wisdom and enjoy Her sweetness. These are memory, knowledge and love, or will. Memory can comprehend eternity, knowledge can comprehend wisdom, and love can comprehend sweetness. And these were given in the likeness of the Trinity, the Dark Mother, Mother and Maid, Whom our memory ever keeps, our knowledge ever knows without deception and our love embraces without desire of anything else. And thus it is in perfection. ----------------- As the ancient faith is once more reborn out of the darkness, and the truth again known on the face of the eart, we should now begin to reflect our Mother in perfection as we did before the beginning and shall do after the end. And yet – our memory is clouded by long forgetfullness, our knowledge darkened by error, our love tarnished by selfishness. When shall we be perfect? This peace, this calm, this happiness is to be looked for in our Mother's home: there when we live in eternity, there will be no room for forgetting, when we rejoice in truth there will be no deception by error, when we are swallowed up in Her love, there will be no impulse to selfishness. O eternal and true love, O true and lovely eternity, O eternal and true and lovely Goddess! Here will be peace and tranquil joy. ----------------- I think it is clear that the soul turns away from her Mother not in any physical sense, but because the mind diverts her love away from the highest good and, growing hardened in selfish pride, deforms in the soul the image of the Divine; and thus if in selfless humility she directs her love back towards our Lady, she is restored to the image of She who created her. For in this love is the secret of the health of souls, the stripping off of the hard crust of matter that surrounds the fallen maid, the renewing of the mind and the reforming of the soul to the divine image. Divine love flowing into our soul from above will dissolve by its heat our inborn inertia and draw us up on high, we shall put off the old and take on the new, the soul will gain the silver wings of a dove and fly up towards that sublime and pure goodness of which our nature had its being. For the rational soul is a mirror of the perfection of the Absolute and it is divine love which lifts up our soul to the heights from which we have fallen. ----------------- O wonderful created being, lower only than She Who created you, why do you make yourself so small? Do you love the world? Your being is higher than the world. Does the sun dazzle you? You are more dazzling than the sun. Do you speculate about the movement of the stars in the heavens? You are exalted above the heavens. Do you search for the mysteries of life's beginnings? No life began more mysteriously than yous. Reason if you will, but do not forget to love: and do not love reasoning, but She who has confronted you in all these things with Herself. She places them before you, neither to humble you nor to enrich you but that you may rise above them to the true Reality which shines through them. Why should you pursue the transient beauties of the material world, when your soul has a beauty which age cannot wither, poverty cannot mar, sickness cannot dim, death itself cannot destroy? Seek, but do not look for that which you are seeking there. Desire, but do not hope to have your desire fulfilled there, but only in eternity. ----------------- The heavy weights of worldly frivolity divorced from joy fetter her; she who loves the things of the world and turns away from divine love heedlessly does not know what divine love is. She seeks rest for her unhappy soul in all these things, but finds everywhere labour and misery, sorrow and affliction of the spirit. And she is shackled and held back from spiritual development; the chain of habit binds her, the claims and expectations of kin imprison her, and even the bond of love and friendship is a hindrance for it is the sweetest of the sweets of the earth. And yet in all these things sweetness is mixed with bitterness, sorrow with joy, calamity with good fortune. Friendship is pleasant to her, but she always fears a rift, and knows that some day parting must come. She sees her joys begin, watches how they progress, waits for their end; and knows that such joys cannot begin innocently, progress peacefully or end harmlessly. And always she lives in fear of death. And yet, when she opens her heart and You, Inanna, pour into it that precious gift, the gift of divine love, all is transformed. What joy there is in Your love, what peace in Your joy, what refuge in Your peace, no words can tell. Who chooses You cannot go astray, for there is nothing better than You; her hope cannot fail, for there is only blessing in loving You; she need not fear that she loves You too much, for no limit is set to loving you; she need not fear death, that severer of the bonds of earthly love, for You give eternal life which cannot die. She need fear no estrangement, for only the cooling of her own love will accomplish it; she need fear no misunderstanding, for You see into her heart and alone judge her truly. Here is the joy which shuts out fear; here is the peace which stills the fretful heart; here the safety which alone is certainty. ----------------- Those who long for love, listen and hear of love. She is the most loving who never wearies of loving, but always, whether sitting or standing, walking or resting, working or playing, thinks of her love; she puts her love first in all her thoughts and actions; and her one desire is that that love should be returned. Such is the love of maids. And Inanna Whose nature is pure Love seeks the love of all creatures. She asks nothing more of us than our love, for love contains all. The very least of those who love Her burns and is bright with love, seven times brighter than the sun compared with a candle, than the candle's beams compared with a star. But she who does not return Her love has shut the door of her heart and locked herself away from the light, in love's poverty. It is the highest sweetness to burn with the love of our Lady. As soon as your heart is touched by the sweetness of heaven, you will begin to have your joy and delight in the song of the heavens, and every melody, every rich thing, and every pleasure which all the maids on earth are able to devise will seem as the tawdry and cast-off toys of your childhood. The eye of your spirit is taken up into the bliss of heaven and is there illumined with grace and kindled with the fire of divine love, so that you shall truly feel love burning in your heart more and more and shall feel such great joy and sweetness and love that no sickness or anguish or sadness may afflict you, but all your life shall be turned into joy; and then, because your heart is so exalted, your prayers shall turn into joyful song and your meditations into melody. Then Inanna shall be all your desire, all your delight, all your joy, all your comfort; all your song shall be about Her and all your action and your rest shall be within Her. ----------------- Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Meditations on the Love of Our Lady Description An account of the resource A collection of meditations on divine love. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Absolute beauty Dark Mother Daughter desire devotional literature Ekklesia hamartiology knowledge love soteriology thealogy virtue https://filianicstudies.org/cms/files/original/e92b64f2b106da0972e6f7b77c5b282f.pdf f5d83928cbf6707e992255bfac9ebae7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Madrian Literature Circle Description An account of the resource Documents issued by the Madrian Literature Circle between 1973 and 1982. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-1982 Language A language of the resource English Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data loose leaf, typewritten (4pp.) Text Any textual data included in the document The Legend of the Sun Of the celestial bodies, the moon (as well as the Morning and Evening Star, Venus) is usually seen as a symbol of our Lady, rather than the sun. Nevertheless, the most ancient mythologists invariably represent the sun as a female figure, from Wurusemu of the ancient Hittites to Grainne of the pre-Christian Irish. Merlin Stone, in her study of ancient Madrian religions, lists sun-goddesses (Geniae [Janyati]) in Canaan, Anatolia, Arabia, Australia, Japan, India and among the Eskimos.* Germans still refer to "Frau Sonne." The following is a sun-legend current among modern Madrians. Like all genuine mythic material, particularly that based on the seasonal cycle, it contains archetypes of Divine Truth, but it is not a work of pure Divine inspiration like the sacred Mythos. -----The Legend of the Sun----- The Mistress of All Things knew that the light of day could no longer be silver, and so She called the seven colours to Her that they might run a foot-race among themselves. For She knew that she who was chosen must be a strong champion, for the Snake would not cease in his attempt to destroy her. And though the colours were but infants, having been born with the dawning of that very day,** each of them ran with marvellous swiftness. But the swiftest by far was Yellow, who ran the whole length of the straight course and back to the beginning before the others had completed the course. And the Goddess laughed and called her Golden, and she was crowned with ivy, and a precious metal was created bearing her name. And when her festivities were over, she was given a golden chariot and seven golden battle-ponies, and was crowned with holly and with thorns, and was given her warrior-name: Sun, the all-conquering. And when that night was ended, she rode slowly forth from the cave of night, bearing aloft her great mace, which streamed out pale gold light. And when the Snake saw this, he laughed, saying: "this is but a child. Has She sent forth a child against the Snake?" But as Sun rode onward, she held the brilliant disc of her shield before her body, and her light grew brighter, and the hooves of her battle-ponies struck fire from the skies. And lo, in war the babe was terrible, and the Snake’s legions fled on every side from the blows of her mace. And her light filled all the world. But still the world was cold, and the creatures upon it tired. And as Sun passed, the shadows closed behind her, and night came quickly. But the creatures of the earth loved her light and did her honour, and grew stronger in her light. And every day Sun grew more powerful, and the legions of the Snake retreated further, and every night was shorter than the one before it, and the earth grew warmer. And there came a time when the night was no longer than the day, and Sun had grown to maidenhood. Tall she stood among the clouds made brilliant by her light. And delight came upon the earth, and life in all things, and the daughters of the earth danced the death of the Snake. And still each day added to her victories, until the whole world was resplendent with her delight. And she had grown to fullness as a warrior, and none could withstand her. But still the Silver Time had passed, and even her forces could not be inexhaustible. And the crafty Snake waited, for it had been long since any had dared to attack her. But the shadows drew closer; and there was a day when it seemed that her grip upon her mace grew looser, and the legions of the Snake attacked. And many were they that dashed themselves upon her shield, and many that were smitten by her mace before the last of them was put to flight. But the Snake smiled, saying: "You are strong, yet I think you grow weaker." For on this day, the day was no longer than the night, and from this day on they grew shorter. And everywhere upon the earth the legions of the Snake ran to and fro, spreading chill and darkness; yet scurrying hence whenever the mighty champion appeared. And day by day they grew bolder, until one day the Snake found the hardihood to stand at the mouth of the cave of night and call to Sun, saying: "Sun, my legions will tonight lay waste the earth unless you dare to fight me hand to hand." "Go your way," replied Sun, "and do not tempt me to your own destruction." "Nay," cried the Snake, "you are not the mighty warrior that once you were, and I fear not the combat." And thereupon, Sun said no further word, but left her chariot and battle-ponies and went with mace and shield to the mouth of the cave of night. And the Snake withdrew himself within, and Sun pursued him. And thus began the longest night the earth had known. And all that night was heard the clangour of that battle which shook the whole earth. And the daughters of the earth fell down in prayer and supplication that their champion should emerge victorious; for they knew that only the victrix might leave that cave alive. But the great priestess of the Mistress of All Things had seen a sign: she had seen Sun, as she rode behind the sea at evening, all red with blood, and her blood spread out upon the sea. And thus, although she also prayed, she held but little hope. And when the clangour ceased, the Snake emerged, dragging behind him the body of Sun. And the daughters of earth wept bitter tears. For three days the funeral lasted; and many were the songs sung of the deeds of the champion, and the races run in honour of she who had won the first race ever run. And for three days the funeral pyre was built of sacred branches of the oak and ash. And on the third day the body of Sun was placed on the summit of the pyre, together with her chariot. And the torches were set to the pyre. And the flames rose from the bottom of the pyre until the whole was ablaze; and the world was suffused in its golden light. And the daughters of the earth said: It is as though Sun were with us once more. And they looked aloft, and lo, in the chariot stood a babe all crowned with ivy. And great was the rejoicing on that day as the daughters of the earth gathered thorns and holly wherewith to crown their champion. *Merlin Stone, The Paradise Papers, Quarter Books, 1976, p. 18. **See The Creation, chapter III, verse 1 & 2. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Legend of the Sun Description An account of the resource A Rhennish myth describing the origin of the Sun and its metaphysical narrative through the year. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Personal collection of David Kay. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Madrian Literature Circle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1980 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text calendar Rhennish legends Sai Raya Snake tree lore