Fellowship of Isis

Centre of Isis and Sophia of the Stars

Level 1 Paper One Basic Exercises
The aim of this Course is to provide a structured series of practical exercises based upon the
Liturgy of the Fellowship of Isis. The Course has been developed to fulfil a need that has
grown within the fellowship from those individuals who wish to work primarily with the
rituals and material of the Liturgy but who are not associated with a Sister Centre working
with these. Also there have been enquiries from a number of members who wish a degree of
guidance in their esoteric studies and who wish to work actively within the Fellowship. Our
purpose is to provide that degree, answer questions and generally facilitate this process under
the auspice of the Collegium Isidis of which the Centres three senior members are Priests and
Priestess Hierophant.
The initial phase of the Course provides the opportunity to develop or refine basic skills of
meditation and to strengthen and clarify the links between the everyday concrete mind and
the more abstract levels of your consciousness. These basic skills include relaxation, rhythmic
breathing, visualization, concentration and meditation. We recognize that many of you will
already have your psychic faculties attuned and developed to a degree and impressions,
insights and information from Inner sources may come fairly easily. However, all too often,
people with psychic gifts have these type of experiences occur randomly or they are unable to
satisfactorily actualize these insights, leaving a degree of ungroundedness about the
experience. The course requires a high degree of discipline in that meditation work is to be
written up daily and submitted. This discipline of regular recorded practice aids in the
ordering of thought, the integration of these experiences and the development and refining of
natural psychic talents.
For others the problem may be that these type of experiences occur very rarely or there is
the longing for such experiences but a feeling of being blocked. Again the systematic
following of such a course of training, although cannot guarantee results, does provide the
environment where the links between the conscious and unconscious mind are opened and
cleared. All too often it is the negative input from parents and the environment which
suppresses psychic experience. These centres closed down by the attitudes and pressures of
21st Century life and adulthood can be re-opened through gradual and sustained stimulation
exercising these inner faculties again.
As the Course develops we move from these basic exercises to the specific task of building
within the aura of the student a temple of the Goddess in which specific esoteric work will be
undertaken working with the bodys energy centres and linking in with the Inner Plane
Temple of Isis which will form the basis for connecting to that source of wisdom and teaching
in the mysteries. Along with this material and practical work will be offered in esoteric
psychology to aid in the process of self-knowledge and integration. One of the maxims of the
mysteries has always been Know Thyself and we feel that a basic understanding of
psychology, especially that of Jung and the transpersonal therapies, is the best equipment on
this quest and will also aid in understanding others. Although we do not cover healing and
counselling in this Course the Course Supervisors have experience in these areas and would
certainly encourage and assist these interests. In aspirants to the mysteries the quest for selfunderstanding and knowledge goes hand-in-hand with the desire for service towards others,
animals, the environment and Deity.
The final phase of the Course will use the established temple as a base to experience each
of the rituals of the Liturgy. The technique of structured meditation, usually called
pathworkings, will be used following a period of studying, meditating upon the symbols

Level 1 Paper 1 Page 2

contained in each ritual. The culmination of the pathworking shall convey the essence of the
ritual on whatever level the student is receptive to it. Although the inspiration of the Course
comes from the College of Isis we do not claim to be working with strictly Egyptian methods.
As with the rituals of the Liturgy, it is an eclectic course of study. There will be obvious areas
of interface with other esoteric traditions both Eastern and Western. The Courses emphasis is
upon practical work but outside reading will be encouraged based on individual need.
Each meditation session will begin with a period of relaxation and rhythmic breathing. The
benefits of relaxation in modern times have been so widely reported and written about that we
shall not reiterate them here. Simply to say that stress and worry have an effect upon the
physical body in the form of tensed muscles and agitation. This degree of tension blocks the
more subtle input and makes meditation difficult or impossible, because the body and mind
are a continuum the relaxation of physical muscles induces relaxation of the mind and
emotions. The period of time taken at the outset of each practice allows you to switch-off
from everyday concerns and open yourself up to higher and deeper levels of consciousness.
Posture and Environment
It is important that you have privacy and freedom from distractions for your practice.
Although it is possible to relax, meditate and visualize etc. in very noisy, surroundings it is not
advised for this type of work, though obviously ones relaxation technique can be practiced in
other settings to gain proficiency.
The state of relaxation we are aiming for is not a floppy state which is encouraged in
some forms of relaxation technique but a poised state where the muscles are relaxed yet held
in a dynamic balance. Therefore, do not lie down for meditation for it is all too easy to fall
asleep or into such a deep state that you lose consciousness. Reclining position can be useful
when you are being guided into an altered state (as for past-life or depth hypnosis or scrying
work) but is not appropriate for lone work.
Therefore we suggest that you adopt the position usually called the god form posture
which is based upon certain Egyptian statues. That is, to sit upright in a fairly hard chair with
your back straight, though avoid being too rigid as your spine has a natural curve and our
intention is to decrease tension not to strain the back! Your feet should be flat on the floor
if your chair is too high do use a cushion or low foot-stool under them. Your knees should be
fairly close together and your hands resting easily upon your knees. Be careful not to cross
either your hands or feet as this can disrupt certain subtle etheric currents and effectively close
off your aura. Once you are seated simply close your eyes.
Relaxation
There are various ways of reaching this state of poised relaxation. I will suggest three
methods two standard forms of progressive relaxation and one form based upon basic selfhypnosis. You can experiment with each of these to find which one suits you best and indeed
most libraries carry books on relaxation and stress reduction that will suggest alternatives.
At first you can expect that it will take some time to relax but as you gain proficiency it
will take less and less time to enter a relaxed state. Although we begin with one end of the
body it is certainly OK to vary this and begin at either head or feet but to move systematically
either up or down the body.
1. Beginning with the muscles in your feet contract them as strongly as you can for a few
moments and then let go. Do this a couple of times being aware that as you let go of the
contraction your muscles are relaxing. The move on to the muscles in your lower legs
upper legs buttocks abdomen lower back chest upper back shoulders

Level 1 Paper 1 Page 3

arms hands neck face scalp As you complete the sequence sweep your
attention back over your body and relax any part which still feels tense.
2. Begin to imagine your feet are becoming comfortably warm and slightly heavy as a wave
of relaxation begins to rise up from under them. Let this feeling continue to rise up
encompassing your lower legs, knees, thighs and continue the sequence as above through
to your throat and neck, face, forehead and finally scalp. Again conclude by being aware of
your entire body and relaxing any bits that still are unrelaxed.
3. For the self-hypnosis form repeat to yourself or very softly aloud the following series of
phrases, being aware as you say them of each portion of your body mentioned and
deliberately letting go of each muscle group in turn.
I am now going to relax. I am now going to relax my entire body, I am now beginning to
relax. I am now relaxing the muscles and nerves in the top of my head. They are relaxed.
I am now relaxing the muscles in my face my forehead, eyes, cheeks, mouth, chin. They
are relaxed. Again continue this sequence down to the feet and toes and conclude with the
affirmation that your entire body is relaxed.
Rhythmic Breathing
There is a complete branch of yoga based upon breathing called pranayama. Indeed changing
the rate and depth of breath is a very powerful way of inducing altered states of
consciousness. For our purposes we will be avoiding the more complex and advanced
techniques and focusing on a method known as the Fourfold Breath. This sets up a rhythm of
a more complete breathing than normal. Most of us breath using only a portion of the lungs in
a very shallow intake of air. This type of breathing deepens the relaxation of the body and
mind and is a valuable aid to preparing the mind for visualization and meditation.
It is important to remember not to strain, force or overbreathe. As you breathe in let the air
fill your entire lungs. Your chest will expand and as you exhale again make sure you do it
completely. For a time, as with the relaxation, it is going to feel a little strange to be breathing
in this way but with practice it will be quite natural. With the fourfold breath you inhale to a
count of 8, hold the breath for a count of 4, then exhale for 8 and hold your breath out for a
count of 4. If this length is too long you can vary the count to suit you.
In your practice session following your relaxation do this rhythmic breathing until you
establish a good rhythm. There is no need to continue the counting as you go into the
meditation proper as it may prove too distracting. However it is a good idea to take a few
moments as you complete your session to recheck your relaxation and do some final counted
breaths between 5 and 10 just to round off the practice.
Meditation
There are many forms of meditation both structured and unstructured. The first type of
meditation we are concerned with on this Course is the holding in the mind of a key idea and
following trains of thoughts associated with it. At first, it is to be expected that you will find
yourself having ideas about the subject based on quite surface thoughts but as you persevere
you get to deeper levels of thought and intuition. Your ideas become realisations that is an
idea or awareness that has become real for you, not just an intellectual exercise. A realisation
becomes a part of ones consciousness.
It is said that there is a pool of wisdom and knowledge that has been created through the
years which in time with diligent practice the student can tap into and further contribute to,
and insight and wisdom can thus be gained without reference to verbal or written instructions.
For this first months work we would ask you simply to spend about 5 days on each
meditation subject. I will suggest a few key ideas and phrases but along with these you can

Level 1 Paper 1 Page 4

find phrases from inspirational writings or poetry that appeals. You may choose general
phrases to do with spiritual or transpersonal thought or stick with thoughts of the Goddess. It
is your choice.
Suggestions for meditation:
All Goddesses are one Goddess in whose nature all things are found.
1 am everything that was, that is, that shall be...
Nor has any mortal ever been able to discover what lies under my veil
There is something in the soul which is uncreated and uncreatable.
The Goddess as Creatress.
Zero: the mathematical symbol for the primary unborn nature of the feminine.
In these primary exercises your practice time daily should average between 15-20 minutes. As
you progress through the Course there will be times when the nature of the meditation will
demand longer periods of time but even then 30 minutes should suffice. It is only necessary to
do the full meditation practice once a day but if you wish it you can do extra sessions of
relaxation and the rhythmic breathing.
It is advisable to do your meditation practice at roughly the same time each day. This gets
you into the habit of daily practice. Although doing meditative work in the morning before
breakfast is often advised this doesnt work for everyone. You have to find a time which fits
into your life style. It is certainly best to meditate before eating a meal rather than afterwards
as the processes of digestion tend to make us less open to the subtle levels.
The Diary-Record
The primary requisite of the Course is that you keep a written record of your meditation
practices for submission to your supervisor for comment. From personal experience we have
found that the most useful way is to keep a diary for yourself where you can record not only
your meditations but also important dreams, insights and a record of your inner life. Then at
the completion of a months paper you can extract the daily meditations along with any other
material you may wish to pass on (for example a dream which relates to the Goddess). This
should either be typed or neatly written. This way you can extract the salient points of the
meditation. There is a definite skill that is developed in condensing the insights and reporting
meditation practice.
Each days work should be headed with the date and include the time and length of the
practice. It is also a good idea to make a brief commentary on how you felt coming to the
practice and the environment you meditated in. Make sure you make a note of what subject
you have chosen to meditate on and conclude this with a report of the practice and any
insights, realisations, images and the like you experienced.
A specimen follows;
Tuesday. September 23rd. 1986 7.00 -7.17p.m. BST
Self: a little tense following journey home but looking forward to turning Inward.
Envt: bedroom. Room slightly chilly but awareness of this passed.
Med: The Goddess as Creatress.
After brief initial resistance to unwinding found that the relaxation and breathing
exercise went well. Thoughts did stray a bit but on the whole stayed with the subject.
While meditating found myself aware of the depths of space being the womb wherein
stars and planets and creation had and does continue to take place. Goddess as the

Level 1 Paper 1 Page 5

matrix. Aware in the background of early programming of seeing the Creator as male
only that stills pops into my thoughts! Had a brief image of a spiral galaxy.
It is quite appropriate to open and close your meditation practice with a ritual gesture. This
again is left to your own choice. Our suggestion is that this might be the lighting and
extinguishing of a candle with intent. Or the symbolic gesture of the Opening and Closing of
the Veil.
The opening sign is simply putting your hands together in front of you then sweeping them
open as if you were miming the pulling open of a pair of curtains of veil. The closing sign is
just the opposite. The sign is given standing up before you sit for the practice and as you
complete. On completing the practice ground yourself by taking a good look around you at
the physical objects in the room and affirm your return to everyday consciousness, then write
up your practice before the memory fades. If you find you are having problems feeling
grounded do write and get in touch with your supervisor who can give you advice on this
issue.
Wishing you good luck and we look forward to receiving your work.