ISHARA Catherine Ann de Garis
~ Priestess of the Great Mother
Goddess ~
Perth, Western Australia
Goddess,
I would be your priestess. Open my eyes to see your Light in those around
me. Gift me with the courage to overflow with your
Love. Lend my voice the power of your Creative Word. Grant, Beloved One, that I may touch You in All
you bring to me.
WELCOME to
my home on the web ~
May it be a source of inspiration
to you in your onward journey of discovery..
I am, by nature, something
of a visionary. In these pages I have attempted to document
and share some of the dreamings that have moved me and sought expression
through me in the ten years of my dedicated journey as a priestess of the
Goddess. I hope that they may fire your imagination,
awaken your thirst for life, help name and feed your soul-hungers, and
draw you gently into the Mother's arms...
Since the start of this year, I have begun using the spiritual name Ishara as part of moving into the next phase of my priestess path. I received the name in meditation some years ago, but have only recently truly grown into both this name and the deeper Ishtar women's mysteries work which is my current focus.
I am pleased to announce the launch of my new business, Daughters of Ishtar . Daughters of Ishtar is all about creating a structure through which I can more fully and effectively embody my vocation as a priestess of the Goddess within my community, and be financially supported to do so. Currently on offer are: one-on-one intuitive healing sessions, regular Ishtar Mystery ceremonies, and a women's retreat in July. Please take a look at my site for more details.
In the beginning knew that I needed to be a priestess, with only the haziest
idea of what that might look like.
Once, when urgently seeking a clearer answer, I was guided to a book
by Fecility Wombwell on a market bookstall in Subiaco.
In it she describes the "priestessly functions" like this:-
Seeing the sacred and the divine in all things and especially in all
people
Helping others to find the sacred in themselves
Mediating the divine
Worshipping the divine in all things
Being the divine
Being the friend of the divine
Being the voice of the divine
Expressing the divine in ways that others can understand
Living according to onès own moral code
Allowing others to live as they like
Healing ourselves so that we can heal the earth
Felicity Wombwell, The Goddess Changes [Mandala, 1991]
To be a priestess in the contemporary world involves making a connection
between ancient roots, often in the Middle Eastern wisdom traditions, and
present contexts. Different women who experience the call to priestesshood
find different ways to meet this challenge.
For myself, I dream of one day serving, and being accountable to, a
spiritual community or Goddess church. My sense of my personal vocation
is less about esoteric/psychic functions and more about our shared human
need for a sense of sacredness, of pattern and purpose in our individual
and collective lives. For the present, I endeavour always
to listen to what is called for by the circles of community in which I
find myself, and to open to a vision of the possible, and to respond to
the best of my ability. My priestessing arises from a deeply felt
love and devotion for Goddess in all Her mystery: a love that ebbs and
flows in and out of my daily waking consciousness, but remains, like an
unseen foundation underlying my life.
You can use the form below to send a message to Ishara. If you want a reply, please be sure to include your email address
(preferred), postal address or telephone number (local calls only).
Name:
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