Article on Olivia Robertson in new issue of Pagan Dawn Magazine

Received from Caroline Wise:

I was sitting in a cafe in Dublin, dazed and depressed and drinking tea, en route to Olivia's funeral, when an email came through on my phone from David Sporffoth requesting an obituary of Olivia for Pagan Dawn, the magazine of the Pagan Federation. The problem was, it was needed in a couple of days! Linda Iles and I managed to do this, although I felt so cold, it was difficult for me to type on the ipad! Now the finished article is out, I am proud of it, especially so when we had to turn it around so quickly at a difficult time. David is Publications Officer of the Pagan Federation and an FOI member who took part in out Mystery of the Spheres memorial rite on Sunday. There will be a much bigger and more in-depth study of Olivia coming out in another magazine in March. Watch this space. http://paganfed.org/pdawn.shtml

 

Photos and text © Fellowship of Isis Central Website. Photos provided by Caroline Wise. 

 

Remembering Olivia Robertson

Received from Professor Ronald Hutton, Bristol University UK:

I treasure Olivia for two qualities in particular. The first is historic: that she was the most outstanding example of somebody to link in person the two great twentieth-century ages of Celtic spiritual revival, that of W. B. Yeats and Robert Graves, and their generations, and that from the 1960s in which Olivia herself played such a prominent part. 

The second is that, better than anybody whom I have ever met, she could sail through any situation and society with perfect composure. One morning in the East End, she and I went for breakfast in a very rough transport cafe. Every table was crowded out by hard-smoking, hard-swearing, beefy men. Within five minutes she had persuaded the nearest six of them to make places for us (two vacating chairs in the process), extinguish their cigarettes and clean up their language; and all done with nothing other than smiles on her part. I imagine that she had much the same effect on deities.

Photo and text © Fellowship of Isis Central Website. Photo of Ronald Hutton provided by Caroline Wise. Thanks to Caroline Wise for forwarding the above entry and photo on behalf of Ronald Hutton.

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Tribute to Olivia Robertson from Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki

Fellowship of Isis Central has received a lovely tribute to Fellowship of Isis co-founder Olivia Robertson from Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki. Dolores is one of the most respected and experienced esoteric practitioners currently at work in the British Isles. She was trained in the Fraternity of the Inner Light and worked with W. E. Butler.

  

Dolores is the current director of the Servants of the Light, a Hermetic order descended from Dion Fortune's Society of the Inner Light and is successor to W. E. Butler and present director of Servants of the Light.

Thanks to Maria-Teresa Harmer and Caroline Wise for sending this.

 A Tribute to Olivia Robertson from Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki

Photo and text © Fellowship of Isis Central Website. Photo provided by Caroline Wise.

Report of Winter Solstice Festival

 

Thanks to Minette for this lovely report of the Solstice ceremony at Foundation Centre yesterday, attended by local members.

The day of the Solstice dawned with the crash of thunder and lightning and downpours of rain…..

Then it cleared for several hours and reports were heard that the annual gathering at Newgrange in Co. Meath of those fortunate enough to have won tickets in the national draw to greet the long-awaited dawn were treated to the rare and magnificent sight of the light pouring down the central passage in which they stood right inside Ireland’s ancient and world-famous passage grave.

By the time our Fellowship members had gathered at the Castle later in the day, several further waves of wild, windy and wet weather had swept the country and there was certainly no possibility of processing round the grounds, so we entered the Temple of Isis by Persephone’s Shrine and Garden Gate and all Invocations were made at Brigid’s Well of Truth. The atmosphere shone most beautifully and Lady Olivia’s presence could be felt in her beloved Temple throughout the Ceremony which had been planned, coordinated and led by the Rev. Cait Branigan. Most beautiful live harp music and song was interspersed by various members throughout our time together, which deepened and enhanced the sense of purity and harmony already present. Olivia would have loved this!

Gathered round the High Altar, we first received a most beautiful and encouraging Oracle from the Goddess of Wisdom, Sophia. Then several members stood forward to take the main parts of an insightful Mystery Play based on the story of Newgrange. Various ideas had been offered by members for inclusion, such as the clarity and brilliance of Arianrhod and the winter constellations, the opposing forces (i.e. the baddies, in Olivia’s traditional and much-beloved format for improvised drama); the Deity bringing the message of the Gods (Arianrhod), the message of Boand (the Modron/Mother) and Oenghus the younger, the Divine Child of Light (the Mabon) at this sacred time, and Oenghus the older, God of Love.

Much could be said of the wisdom offered by each but suffice it to say that the opposing and inner nature of the forces of the ‘baddie’ within us expressed as greed and selfishness, was met by the inspired words of the Goddess, seemingly stern and unbending at times but ultimately working through the cycles of the seasons of life to bring back harmony, the love of the Mother for all and the Birth of the Light and Inner Sun which lies within each one of us ready to burst into new life.

The remainder of this inspiring ceremony was focused on providing and encouraging everyone present to take this opportunity to contribute their personal memories of Olivia. Strands of many coloured wools had been given out to everyone and then collected and braided together as a symbol of the joining of our hearts into a beautiful rainbow rope to grace the High Altar as the stories were told. The fun, the wisdom, the astonishing foresight, the adventures, in short the real, irrepressible phenomenon of nature and the divine that was Olivia came forth in abundance!!! The winter’s cold was more than offset by the warmth of our hearts.

We all retired to Osborne’s famous ‘coaching inn’ in the Village afterwards for hot tea and our traditional informal time together and for many more happy memories of a great lady whom so many met and were inspired by during her long and fruitful life. Her influence will last in the lives of us all for many years yet.

Much happiness to everyone throughout the Fellowship at this special time, and every blessing for the coming New Year in 2014.

Photo and text © Fellowship of Isis Central Website, Circle of Isis Advisory Board. Photo of Clonegal Castle by Barbara Lee Westlake.

Account of Olivia's Memorial in Ireland by Philip Carr-Gomm

 Olivia Robertson in Glastonbury

Philip Carr-Gomm, head of Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, and long time friend of Olivia Robertson and her family has written an account of his experiences during the memorial and funeral held for Olivia Robertson in Ireland. Caroline Wise of London and  Celia Thomas and Lydia Lite from Glastonbury, along with singer Julie Felix were invited to take part in the rites along with members of the Circle of Brighid, other FOI members, family and friends. The ritual was headed by Olivia’s niece and FOI steward, Cressida Pryor.

In Memory of Olivia Robertson

Photo and text © Fellowship of Isis Central Website, Circle of Isis Advisory Board. Photo courtesy of Caroline Wise.

New Video Clip of Olivia

Dennis Murphy and Steven Jones of Logic Reality have sent this new video clip. Olivia Robertson walks about the grounds of Clonegal and to the Temple. DVD Olivia Priestess of Isis. Dennis writes that this is: “the last time we were with Olivia, the final time we filmed Olivia in the Temple.” – Thank you Dennis and Steven!

Olivia Robertson 

Photo and text © Fellowship of Isis Central Website, Circle of Isis Advisory Board. Photo courtesy of Dennis Murphy of Logic Reality.

Video Tribute to Olivia Robertson

A video clip created to honor the memory of FOI co-founder Olivia Robertson has been shared with Fellowship of Isis Central. It was compiled by FOI priestess Carrie Kirkpatrick.

Tribute to Olivia Robertson

Fellowship of Isis Central extends sincere thanks to Carrie Kirkpatrick and to Caroline Wise.

Photo and text © Fellowship of Isis Central Website, Circle of Isis Advisory Board. Photo courtesy of Dennis Murphy of Logic Reality.