Star of Ishtar - The Eight Rays

A Rainbow Spiral of Rituals on the Eight-Rayed Star of the Goddess

The Eight Coloured Rays

by Olivia Robertson

My brother greatly admired the work of early Theosophists, notably Annie Besant, Charles W. Leadbeater and Alice Bailey. He referred to Annie Besant constantly! C. W. Leadbeater was a gifted clairvoyant. When we organised the College of Isis, he was inspired to base our coloured rays upon their works. Members may not be aware today, my brother and his wife Pamela were vegetarians, like these pioneers of Theosophy. They adhered to a vegetarian diet - we all did.

Colours, Planetary and Directional Correspondences

Ray 0 & VIII, White and Rainbow, corresponding to Earth and Pluto, North

Ray I, Red, corresponding to Mars, Northeast

Ray II, Orange, corresponding to Venus, East

Ray III, Yellow, corresponding to Mercury, Southeast

Ray IV, Green, corresponding to Jupiter, South

Ray V, Blue, corresponding to Saturn, Southwest

Ray VI, Indigo, corresponding to Uranus & Inner Sun, West

Ray VII, Violet, corresponding to Neptune and Moon, Northwest

The Rites of the Liturgy are divided into eight different sections that correspond to the Cosmic Rays. The first ritual in each section is either a personal role taken on by the seeker to gain new knowledge, or a mundane role describing an awakening to one’s true relationship to the physical world. The second ritual corresponds to one of the eight solar festivals of the Wheel of the Year, the third to an inner elemental or transcendental state of being. The fourth rite corresponds to the manifestation of a specific ability or spiritual experience directly related to this newly awakened inner state.

In these Magical Rites the God manifests in the Outer Arcanum as attributes that are visible in the physical world. The Goddess represents the Inner Mysteries or Knowledge, except in the case of the planet Venus. Her emanations manifest in the physical world as reproduction, love of physical beauty, sensuality and the aesthetic appreciation of art. In the inner worlds Venus manifests as the higher more spiritual aspects of love.

Pranic Force: Effect and Purpose of the Rays

When studying the structure of the magi degree system of the College of Isis, it is helpful to bear in mind my brother Lawrence and his wife Pamela were greatly influenced by the work of Alice Bailey, Charles W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant. Each of the eight rays of the Star of Ishtar correspond to the Colored Cosmic Rays of Divine Intelligence as described in the work of Alice Bailey and Charles W. Leadbeater. They are streams of pranic force.

The purpose of these rituals is to strike a note on one level of being and so awaken the same note on other octaves of being through use of symbol and color. The elaborate description of colored robes, headdresses and other outer symbols at the beginning of each ritual puts these psychic keynotes into the creative imagination of the candidate to promote visualization of the energies being invoked.

0 and 8th Cosmic Ray, White and Rainbow: The color white is used to purify the etheric centers and the Rainbow then stimulates all these centers at once, thus, preparing the individual for receptivity to the subsequent work along the Cosmic Rays.

1st Cosmic Ray, Red: Strengthens the Will.

2nd Cosmic Ray, Orange: Stimulates Creative Potency.

3rd Cosmic Ray, Yellow: Awakens the Intellect of the Higher Mind.

4th Cosmic Ray, Green: Creates Inner Balance and Harmony.

5th Cosmic Ray, Blue: Opens Pathways to Inner Knowledge.

6th Cosmic Ray, Indigo: Spiritual Perception through Devotion.

7th Cosmic Ray, Violet: Connection to the Spiritual Self, Awakening of Higher Levels of Psychic Perception.

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