Lawrence Durdin-Robertson

Lawrence Durdin-Robertson

by Linda Iles, Prs. H.

Isis, Lotus of Alexandria Lyceum, San Deigo, California

Born May 6, 1920, Lawrence Alexander Durdin-Robertson, MA (Dublin), Baron of Strathloch, was one of the three original founders of the Fellowship of Isis. It was to Lawrence that the truth and reality of the Goddess first manifested.

Lawrence Durdin-Robertson was a thoughtful, intelligent individual with a quiet social manner. His early studies included music, he played the piano and organ, and possessed a lovely singing voice which was considered fine enough to be described as 'operatic' and always in perfect pitch. After serving in the Irish Army and the Admiralty Research Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex, he studied at Wells Theological College, Somerset from 1946 - 1948. He was ordained in the Anglican Church in 1948. He served as Rector in the Church of England running two churches, both dedicated to St. Mary, one in southeastern Ireland, and one in the eastern area of England in the 1950’s; Aghold, Co. Wicklow (1951 - 1952) and East Bilney, Norfolk (1952 - 1957), respectively. He also held the ancestral family title, Baron of Ruadh or Baron Robertson of Strathloch, which is registered by the Chief Herald of Ireland.

Through his studies while serving as part of the clergy of the Anglican Church, his intuitive nature led Lawrence to see "God as the Mother" as well as the Father, to see the necessity of the Divine Feminine to balance the Divine Masculine. He felt that neglect of the Mother had an all important and horrific effect upon the world.

His sense of the need for the Divine Feminine grew and once Lawrence had learned to read the ancient text of the Old Testament in the original Hebrew, he found that the term for the creator god was not masculine, it was feminine, and it was not singular, it was plural. He experienced an influx of Goddess energy for the first time in 1966. His spiritual convictions led him to start writing about the Goddess as early as 1970, to receive the priesthood of Isis in 1972, and to help found the Fellowship of Isis in 1976. During his awakening to the reality of the Divine Feminine, Lawrence became a vegetarian and remained so during the rest of his life. In 1981 Lawrence made over, by Deed of Gift, a series of shrines dedicated to the Goddess which are situated in the lower level of Clonegal Castle, and collectively formed as a temple. Lawrence was the FOI co-founder who introduced the concept of the importance of ritual, and was instrumental in impressing this upon his sister, Olivia, which provided impetus for creating the FOI Liturgy.

Lawrence Durdin-Robertson left this earth August 4, 1994. His obituaries in mainstream newspapers dealt seriously with his life’s work promoting the Religion of the Goddess, acknowledging him as a major figure in the religious field. Members of the Fellowship of Isis and members of the Goddess Community in general recognize the valuable contributions he made as a scholar in the field of Goddess research, which was published by his private press at Clonegal Castle, Cesara Publications. His work took the form of reference materials carefully compiled into encyclopedic form using original quotations rather than his own interpretations of them. Many writers and researchers have found that his works form the basis of their private libraries. References to some of the more obscure deities are to be found in his works and difficult to locate elsewhere

More information about Lawrence Durdin-Robertson son can be found on the Fellowship of Isis Central Webpage

The above piece and photos is used with permission of Linda Iles and the Fellowship of Isis Central Webpage. All photos and piece is copyrighted by the Fellowship of Isis Central Webpage. No duplication without permission from author.