About Isis of the Stars /title> <META NAME="Keywords" CONTENT="Isis, Aset, Aset Shemsu, Fellowship of Isis, Temple of Isis, Archpriesthood Union, FOI, TOI, AU, Temple, Lyceum, Iseum, Grove, Priory, Alchemical School, Mystery Dramas, FOI Membership, FOI Registration, Priesthood Classes, Gods, Goddesses, world cultures"> <META NAME="Description" CONTENT="The Isis of the Stars organization has grown from a small shrine, started by a newly renewed spiritual seeker, Michael Starsheen, and has grown to encompass many different people from different walks of life around the world. This page tells some of our story, so that you can get to know us better."> <META NAME="Author" CONTENT="Michael A. Starsheen">  <link rel="stylesheet" href="IsisMain.css" type="text/css" /> </head> <body> <div id="wrapper">  <div id="navigation"> <ul> <li><a href="index.html" class="tabs"><span>Home</span></a></li> <li><a href="Temple/index.html" class="tabs" ><span>Temple</span></a></li> <li><a href="Community/index.html" class="tabs" ><span>Community</span></a></li> <li><a href="Market/index.html" class="tabs" ><span>Marketplace</span></a></li> <li><a href="Library/index.html" class="tabs" ><span>Library</span></a></li> <li><a href="FOI/index.html" class="tabs" ><span>FOI</span></a></li> </ul> </div>   <div id="header"> <table> <tr> <td width="230px" style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center"> <img src="images/graphics/Logo1a.png" alt="Isis of the Stars Logo" title="Isis of the Stars Logo"> </td> <td width="485px" style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center"> <img src="images/graphics/LyceumLogo1.png" alt="Lyceum Logo" title="Lyceum Logo"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>(This is where the search will go.)</td> <td> <h1 id="title">About Isis of the Stars</h1> </td> </tr>  </table> </div>   <div id="firstSide" class="sidebar"> <h4>Actions</h4> <ul> <li><a href="Members.html" class="lists">Join Us</a></li> <li><a href="Contact.html" class="lists">Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="About.html" class="lists">About Us</a></li> <li><a href="FAQ.html" class="lists">FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="SiteMap.html" class="lists">Site Map</a></li> <li> </li> </ul> </div>  <div id="contents"> <div class="contents_body"> <h3>Our Philosophy</h3> <p>An aspect of the work of the Temple of Isis of the Stars is to expand the discussion of deity beyond merely male or female, and to recognize that both have value to the modern human being. As Carl Jung noted, we each have <em>animus</em> and <em>anima</em> within us, male and female aspects of self that need to be integrated and resolved for a person to be whole; we are dedicated to this task by finding the best match between deities and people. (Not everyone resonates most strongly with Buddhist concepts, or Christian, although we honor those paths as well. We try to provide access to alternative paths, as the major religions cover their own territory well.)</p> <h3>Our History</h3> <p>The Temple of Isis of the Stars is an outgrowth of the long-term development of the Isis of the Stars concept within the Fellowship of Isis (<a href="http://lotuspharia.freeyellow.com/thecircleofisis/index.html" title="Circle of Isis homepage">FOI</a>). It began as a standard <a href="http://lotuspharia.freeyellow.com/thecircleofisis/id23.html" title="Description of FOI Iseums">FOI Iseum</a>, back in 1993, with a main altar dedicated to Isis, Goddess of 10,000 names, that served as Michael Starsheen's personal hearth of the Goddess during his initiatory period into the priesthood. But it quickly grew, as Michael discovered two things: a desire to "see" to whom he was speaking, and a desire to "collect" symbolic items, statuary, and artwork to celebrate the deities with whom he was working. Because of the many different altars that he rapidly assembled, he began referring to Isis of the Stars as a temple, in the ancient Egyptian sense, which was typically dedicated to a "main" deity, but had many subsidiary altars dedicated to related deities the temple patrons wished to honor.</p> <p>In 1994, Michael was ordained into the priesthood of the Fellowship of Isis, and began seriously studying the FOI mystery dramas written by our founder, Lady Olivia Robertson, with research from her beloved brother and co-founder, Lord Lawrence Durdin-Robertson. Michael found the dramas fascinating, resonating with a part of his soul that nothing else had reached before—at least, not in <em>this</em> lifetime!</p> <p>In 1996, Michael became a hierophant, one who shows forth the mysteries of Isis to others, which accords well with his normal shamanic practices. A hierophant, in the FOI, is a Magi, one who has received the mystery from at least 4 of the dramas on the Magi spiral. To date, Michael has worked over 20 out of 32! But, in 1996, as part of his hierophancy training, he converted the original Iseum of Isis of the Stars into an FOI Lyceum, or College. In the FOI, the Lyceums are the principal venues for teaching the mysteries that lead toward the priesthood.</p> <p>Many changes happened in 1995-1996. Michael divorced his former spouse, and decided to move to California as a means of renewing his sense of joy he had as a child in the Bay Area. Although he was severely disabled, he returned to work as a software analyst and architect, and ended up in Silicon Valley. </p> <p>During this time, he also completed the training of two FOI priestesses via the Internet and psychic attunements, one of whom is still active today! In California, he met others with whom he worked, some of whom sought the priesthood, but did not do as well as his earlier students. This greatly disillusioned him towards training people for the priesthood but, fortunately, his later students helped to reverse his earlier distress!</p> <p>In 1998, Lady Olivia founded the Archpriesthood Union, a group of 32 priests and priestesses around the world through whom she hopes to help achieve the long-term growth and care of the organization she created with her brother, Lord Lawrence. When he passed over, she became concerned about where the organization was going, and through consultation with Isis, she decided that Michael should be one of the 32 administrators. This came as a huge surprise to Michael—he has always been something of a hermit, and has had little contact with members other than over the Internet.</p> <p>However, Michael had corresponded with Lady Olivia for many years, starting in 1993 when he joined the FOI, as he had found in her a kindred mystical spirit. For many years, he enjoyed her correspondence, sharing stories and information about mystical journeys he'd experienced through her dramas. He believes this may be the reason Isis chose him as an archpriest: he and Lady Olivia have a mystical resonance that transcends time and generations.</p> <p>Being an archpriest was a rocky road; however, as the FOI was undergoing some serious changes and experiencing some severe transitional stresses. Michael became more closely acquainted with a number of the actual priests and priestesses through Goddess conventions in California and Illinois, and took his mandate as an archpriest with extreme seriousness. He began to consider the larger structure of his Temple, and the path towards which Isis was guiding him for the future of the FOI.</p> <p>His disabilities became considerably more severe, stressed out from working too many hours in the extremely divisive atmosphere of Silicon Valley, and Michael had to quit his career of 17 years. During a lengthy vision quest to determine what Isis wanted him to do, he was told his path was to become a <em>boddhisattva</em>, a term with which he was unfamiliar then (1998). So he began to study Buddhism, and follow the path the Goddess laid before him. He sold his home in Sunnyvale, CA, and in 1999 moved up to Dunsmuir, a small town very close to Mount Shasta, one of the strongest power points in the United States.</p> <p>In Dunsmuir, Michael found a home at which he could construct an actual, physical temple to ground the energy of his studies, worship, magic, and meditations. The temple of Isis of the Stars gives him a source from which to travel in his shamanic journeys, and an anchoring point for astral attunements for the mystery dramas.</p> <p>Michael's personal spiritual quest was going through some difficult and intense transitions, as he sought the Goddess' purpose for his life going forward. Due to his personal issues, and political tensions within the group, he withdrew from contact with all but a very few, significant friends within the FOI. It was a lonely, painful time.</p> <p>But in 2005, friends persuaded Michael to return to activity within the group, telling him that there were many who missed his presence, and his different points of view. He began renewing relationships with some of his former friends, and began studying the new structures that had been created for the FOI.</p> <p>Michael has always treasured the various mystery dramas, which were now organized into a series of study cycles that encompassed all of Lady Olivia's work, not just the Magi dramas. Michael became an Adept of the Spiral of Adepti by completing 4 of the dramas of that cycle, and has participated in over 12 of them to date. He teaches the Adepti dramas through the Iseums of Ma'at and Thoth and of Apollo and Artemis.</p> <p>Through lengthy study and examination of his purposes and path, Michael also became an Archdruid of the FOI's Druid Clan of Dana, and founded the Grove of Shasta Rising in 2006 to help guide his work with the local elementals of the Shasta area. The Grove was dedicated to the Goddess Shasta, with whom Michael has achieved an intense working relationship.</p> <p>Michael also achieved the Grand Knight Commander degree of the Noble Order of Tara, which was awarded to him in 2007. He then founded the Priory of the One Tree to guide the environmental work he intends for the Temple to begin. As a personal note, he has long been concerned with the changes occurring in the environment, and wants to see changes made to help us <bold>survive</bold> as a species.</p> <p>Michael also began to study alchemy through the FOI, under the auspices of Archpriestess Deena Butta of the Lyceum of Eleusis in Chicago, but quickly realized he understood alchemy much more deeply than the group was working. This drove him to write <cite>Universal Alchemy</cite>, a guide and program for attuning oneself with the elements, environments, planets, and universe around you. Through the development of this work, he achieved the FOI Alchemist status, and has founded the Solar Iseum of Universal Alchemy to continue and expand his alchemical teachings toward other interested spiritual seekers.</p> <p>And this time in his life has opened up towards more connections than he'd ever felt would be his fate: in 2005, he met his beloved wife, Kristyanna Virgona, who was a fellow spiritual seeker, Wiccan priestess, tarot reader, and computer expert. Then, when he went to Chicago for the Goddess Festival in 2006, he met his blood brother, Kiel Milner, and they celebrated their union as part of the festival. It is always wonderful to encounter a kindred soul!</p> <p>Michael also gained an enthusiastic new student, Matthew Bearden, who worked tirelessly and ferociously towards achieving his priesthood in 2007. Matthew, like Michael, is fascinated by the mystery dramas, and is racing towards his own hierophancy so that he can begin teaching them as well. Together, these folk constitute the key members of Isis of the Stars, and help guide its philosophy and destiny.</p> <p>With the development of Michael's first major book, <cite>Mythic Voices</cite>, and a great deal of soul searching, Michael has realized that the Goddess wants him to begin writing down the knowledge he has gained over lifetimes as a spiritual seeker. In addition, his artistic abilities have been reactivated and renewed, and he is developing some skill towards being able to manifest his visions in a form that others can share. He is also working towards a goal he'd developed with Lady Olivia in the early days of the Archpriesthood Union—the creation of a series of study guides and references for the Magi and Adepti mystery dramas. So there is a great deal of work ahead for Michael and the members of Isis of the Stars.</p> <p>The current temple, which is located in Dunsmuir, CA, has altars to a wide variety of deities from around the world, with whom Michael and others who participate in temple functions have worked over the years. A tour of the physical temple provides views of the many different altars. The outer temple concentrates on a multicultural approach to the many faces of deity, both male and female of many different cultures, while the inner temple focuses on Isis and the ancient Egyptian deities most closely related to her. The site is used for personal meditations, ceremonies, training, and the sheer delight of communing with deity. </p> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <table> <tr> <td width="400px">© 2007 Michael A. Starsheen, Archpriest, Owner, Site Developer. All site text and graphics are the property of the Owner, unless otherwise specified.</td> <td width="100px"> <img src="images/graphics/NewSignatureCOL.jpg" alt="Michael's Signature" title="Michael's Signature" style="text-align:right"> </td> <td width="150px"> <img src="images/graphics/ShemuGlyph1A.jpg" alt="Aset Shemsu--The Fellowship of Isis" title="Aset Shemsu--The Fellowship of Isis" style="text-align:right"> </td> </tr> </table> </div> </div> </body> </html>