Cosmic Web of the Universe

image © FOI Homepage

"The Liturgy of the Fellowship of Isis has been inspired by She whose name it bears; She who is crowned with the stars, is robed by the sun and standeth upon the moon. It deals with earthly, psychic and spiritual spheres."

Diagram of the Cosmic Web:
            "The diagram of the Cosmic Web was given through inspiration to Olivia Robertson. It illustrates the emanation of Life from the Divine Matrix, Womb of the Goddess, and the Path of Return thereto with harvest of attainments.

            "The spiral path to and from the Matrix is non-dualistic: it shows that the Divine Plan includes both the In-breathing and Out-breathing of the Cosmic Life Force. The spiral coils of Tiamat relate to Space and Extension. The four coils represent the Etheric, Astral, Spiritual and Divine Spheres around the Matrix. The gradations are as subtle as those of the Rainbow. The focused Rays of Ishtar refer to Time and Measurement. They bring Enlightenment through concentration. Therefore the Candidate using rites on the diagram should choose them in the order most helpful to his or her own chosen Path." (2005 FOI Handbook)

            "Ishtar and Tiamat are Babylonian Goddesses. The four spiral loops of the Dragon Tiamat illustrate four stages of consciousness: Physical-Etheric, Astral and Psychic, Spiritual and Divine, the latter encircling the Matrix, Source of Creation. The famous eight-pointed Star of Ishtar represents seven Cosmic Rays. 0 refers to a previous spiral, and 8 the higher octave begins a further spiral beyond. The diagram may be coloured around a white centre, moving inwards from violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and again violet, the latter indicating a further inner rainbow." (1992 COI Manual)

(note: The original line drawing was done by Chesca Potter for the FOI (view illustration), and the above graphic was created by this site to incorporate the colors indicated in the above paragraph.)

"It is our Kabalistic tree, showing the new spiral galaxy and Isis Star of our New Age."
(Olivia Robertson, 6/29/1999.)

Olivia Robertson writes:
           “It was through spiritual experience that I was presented, step by step, with the diagram that I think of as our F.O.I. magical Mandala, our Wheel of Life. The spiral is open-ended. There is no correct way to travel through it. You can start at the centre of extreme idealism, and work your way through to wider horizons. Or you can start with a wide view, enter from outside, and travel through a series of experiences until you reach centre.

           “I was given the concept of the coils of the dragon as Space – the coils of Tiamat. Later I found a Chinese diagram with the same eight-pointed star centered in the coils of a seven-coiled dragon. The Star of Ishtar represents the lines of Time bisecting space. If you take even one of these rays cutting through the four coils of the spiral of Tiamat, you get a Qabalistic Tree of Life. Thus the Mandala is like a snowflake – a fractal. What we call “Now” is when Time crosses Space. Only then can we live and act. This relates to the Aten sign promoted by the Pharaoh Akhnaton. Only with our Mandala, the absolute of the circle is elongated into a spiral representing the cosmos in manifestation.

           “The diagram has 33 intersecting points. These are used as degrees for the College of Isis Lyceum courses, the 33rd degree being reserved as a doorway for that mystical revelation which can occur at any moment in time – the sudden onset of the Holy Spirit. The Central Star is not a closed circuit for “the Illuminati.” It has eight – or rather infinite rays spreading forth throughout all spheres. Thus Divinity is ever present everywhere. The outer coil of the spiral may represent the physical-etheric sphere: the others as they revolve inwards typify the astral, the spiritual and the divine spheres. Each has a correspondence with human psychic centres, the chakras.

           “The whole Mandala shows forth the coiled Body of the Cosmic Goddess Nuit. Her stars shine within every being great and small: each is a unique part of Her Divine Self.” (2005 COI Manual)

Quick Keys for the Web of the Universe

According to Degree System:

Spiral of Adepti

College of Isis

Spiral of Alchemy

Druid Clan of Dana

Noble Order of Tara

All Fellowship of Isis rituals correspond to a particular area of the Cosmic Web. The placement of the rituals in the Cosmic Web was given to Olivia Robertson through the inspiration of Isis.

FOI centers offer structured courses using specific rites from the FOI liturgy. The Fellowship of Isis offers a total of 123 degrees:

Degree/Level/Initiation Guidelines

33 through the Spiral of the Adepti - Iseum Initiate Levels

33 within the College of Isis - Lyceum Magi Degrees

33 through the Spiral of Alchemy - Priesthood Alchemy Degrees

12 through the Druid Clan of Dana - Grove Initiation Structure

12 through the Order of Tara - Priory Initiation Structure