"In the first days, in the very first days, when Heaven had separated from Earth, the serpent that could not be charmed made its nest in the roots of the apple tree. And from her egg Ishtar was created, and Ishtar set out by herself and poured the cream of her breast into all wombs and over all fields of the Earth."

Evoking the ancestral times when the Fire Lingam Project was originated more than 6,000 years ago, this Opera re-enacted the original ritual of Death and Resurrection as practiced in the Sumerian cult of Sacred Prostitution. The verses, "Who will plow my vulva", sung by magnificent mezzo-soprano Diane D'Angelo were truly taken from scriptures written on stone dating before 3000 BC, although these Emissaries knew them by heart through oral tradition. Satiated of pleasures and the Summer excesses, Ishtar kills Tamuz, her Mythical Lover, on the winter Solstice. Springtime and harvest will not happen if the Desire of Ishtar is not aroused. From the Great Above to the Great Below, 100 devotees, supported by an emotional audience and opposed by the Nissabas, demon of the Underworld, helped to re-established the Cosmic Order (again!) by accompanying the Goddess of Love in her quest to rescue Tamuz to the world of the living. This cosmic odyssey represented the continuous process of death and rebirth and the triumph of life through the mystery of reproduction.ð

EMISSARIES:

The music was composed and executed by Emissary Leon Rosen and sung by tenor Steffanos X in the roll of Tamuz. The Holy Prostitutes, headed by the High Priestess Adawna De Vine, were Glenda Soler, Shari Greenfield, Kara Blanc, Rina, Hedly Wells, Kim Leary and Brynne Cortez. Deployment of Secret Services were provided by Emissaries sculptors Morgan Raimond, Al Honig, Sean Stewart, Christine Heath and Leo Nash. Messenger Coordinator was Julieta Ozan

Photo Gallery 1997

1999: Le Mystere de Papa Loko

1998: Temple of Rudra

1996: The Arrival of Empress Zoe