InMemory

In Memory

Reverend Harold Moss

1937-June 8,2010

It is with deep regret that the Rev. Harold Moss, the last surviving founder of the Neo-Egyptian Church of the Eternal Source died on June 8, 2010 in Boise Idaho after a long bout with cancer. Harold has entered the embrace of Osiris and has taken the Night Barque with the other gods and goddesses.

Harold Moss was born in 1937 to Theosophist parents and grew up in Burbank, California, As a young boy, National Geographic magazine tantalized him with pictures of modern Pagan peoples and ancient Pagan civilizations.

In 1954 the movie "The Egyptian" made a great impression on him, and he determined to serve Aten and began reading everything he could find on Ancient Egypt. In 1957 he began to study astrology and first celebrated Egyptian sun rituals with a group of friends. In 1963 the first of the since annual Egyptian summer festivals was held and, in January of 1965, a mountain top sunrise ceremony. In 1967, having abandoned the "Amarna heresy" and returned to the classic faith, he joined Feraferia, through which he met Donald Harrison. In 1970, they joined with others to found Church of the Eternal Source, which was incorporated and achieved tax-exempt status in February of 1971. Harold was ordained Priest of Horus. He brought Jim Kemble, a gifted psychic and Episcopal deacon, into the Church as Priest of Osiris.

Harold worked to develop his psychic sensitivity during the 1970's with the help of Jim Kemble, Elaine Amiro, and Margot Adler. He also was roving ambassador for the Church, visiting St. Louis, San Francisco, and Minneapolis to establish Personal contact with other Pagan groups. Regular Newsletters and nine issues of Khepera magazine were published under his editorship. In 1976, he and Donald Harrison traveled to England to visit the British Museum Egyptian galleries and Stonehenge and other British religious sites, then on to Egypt for a Nile cruise tour of all the important historic sites. The photographs he took formed the basis for a series of lectures at California State University at San Diego. During the next years the annual Egyptian New Year festivals became a main focus for Southern California Paganism, and featured sacred drama and high ritual, but in the early eighties, CES became largely inactive apart from the summer festivals, due to upheavals in the personal lives of the prominent members.

In 1989, after thirty years working for the City of Burbank, Harold retired to Boise, Idaho, to establish an Idaho mission for the Church and to write, and there became friends with Normandi Ellis. The next year he joined with friends to acquire 16 acres of forestland. In 1995, he resumed the editorship of Khepera magazine with issue #13. In 1996, he published his first book, a drama, Politics, Religion, and Sex: All the Things You're Not Supposed to Talk About. Also in 1996, he and Rev. Harrison represented the Church at the Themis II conference in Nevada City, California. After several years of regular services, the Church was officially recognized in Idaho, and in 1997 the Egyptian New Year was first celebrated in Boise.

Recovering from successful cancer surgery in 1998 he traveled to visit, among other Church friends, Elaine in Massachusetts and Normandi in Kentucky, while conducting private genealogical research in Pennsylvania and visiting a pre-Columbian Pagan site in New Hampshire; and he published his second book, What Really Matters: Six Sermons on the Nature of Ultimate Reality and the Meaning of Life and Death. In 2003 he began a new profession as on-line music critic for Music Web-International, while still working on what the "Seventh Sermon" should be. He also began work on audio and video production projects, and was interviewed twice on local community television.

In 2004 he arranged for a drop of his blood to fall upon the floor of the Isis Temple in Philae (relocated to Agilkea Island) in Egypt, there to mingle with the blood of Egyptian martyrs spilled by the Christian armies of Rome when they closed the temple by force in 549 CE.

In 2006, after teaching several classes on Ancient Egypt one of his students, Kathie Blakeslee was initiated as High Priestess of Sekhmet .He also helped in the initiation of an student of Rev. Lita Luise Chappell; Paul Madariaga as High Priest of Anubis, and finally he assisted in the initiation of Joanna Linsley-Poe as High Priestess of Renenutet and Seshat, an initiate of Rev Michael Poe's. In addition he held monthly gatherings and the New Years Festival.

He has battled cancer off and on for several years with a few victories and took a sudden downturn in May 2010. His enthusiasm for the CES never ceased, he was the Church curmudgeon and yet pillar of the Church. All of the present Priests and Priestesses were either initiated by him or were initiated by the Priests who he has initiated. He made many friends and a few enemies, but his loss will be felt in much of the pagan and neo-Egyptian world.

May Anubis be by his side in all of the empty places that he will walk.

An offering from Normmandi Ellis:

I Am Dust

I am dust --

ubiquitous,

full of the disorder of life,

things falling apart,

fissures in walls and stones crumbling after eons,

crackling old skins.

I am the memory of all your ancestors and I want to bring you home.

I am dust settling on your eyelids when you sleep.

I float through the air,

and in shafts of light

you see the shape of your mother, your lover,

your spirit curled like a brown leaf against a twig.

I am dust

that settles on the table beside your bed at night

waiting for the soul to rise,

lick a finger and write your name. --

© Normandi Ellis 2010

Em Hotep, Harold.

Remembrances of Rev.Harold Moss

Harold was an inspiration and one of the true founders of the Pagan Movement. At least he got to see Paganism become a world religion!

-Margot Adler

Harold,

We met many years ago at a CES meeting. Conversations with you helped clarify my beliefs in the Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. We met shortly after you got your first tattoo, that was years and years ago.Mystical experiences I had became clearer after speaking with you. I appreciate your look on lives, the relationship between Humans and Gods and your careful use of Magic and Ritual. You continue to inspire me. Thank you for your friendship, your love of music, flowers, scents, food, wine and thoughtful insights into the Eternal.

-Roy Maule: CES,Devotee of Bast & Thoth

Ah, I am so sorry.He is in the arms of the Osiris and under the wings of Isis, guided by Anubis and shall, no doubt, be reborn with Horus once more. Harold was a good man.

Though I only met him a few times, I, too, shall miss him.

Blessings, Isidora Forrest

It saddened me to hear of Harold Moss' passing. I knew of him since the early 70s.

He came to St. Louis and spent some time with us and finally, I was at his home in 1976. Harold just got back from Egypt and was showing us slides of the trip. I was so tired that I fell asleep during it and started to snore. What an emparasement. I remember going to Donald Harrison's house for a combination birthday party for Harold and Horus. The house was awe inspiring with the museum quality artifacts that Donald had made. (Harolds birthday was July 13 and mine was 20th. His a year earlier than mine.)

Don Wildgrube

These are just a few comments on the passing of Rev Harold Moss, A guest book is now available soon for any who wish to add their thoughts. Please check back.