The Isis Oasis Sanctuary is many things to many people. For some, it’s a retreat to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
For others, it’s a sacred space of spiritual cleansing and worshiping the divine feminine, or the perfect place for a wedding ceremony under a 400-year-old tree that was once admired by Luther Burbank himself. Above all, it is open to all who respect it.
Isis Oasis was founded in Geyserville in 1978 by Loreon Vigne, who died in July 2014 at the age of 82. Her passions included raising and breeding ocelots and other exotic creatures, supporting the arts and Egyptian mythology and icons, especially the eponymous Isis. Accordingly, there are animal enclosures featuring her favorite big cats, along with alpacas, birds like emus, parrots and peacocks, and reptiles in the vivarium.
Since Vigne’s passing, new director deTraci Regula has maintained the programs and animal enclosures on the grounds. Regula, author of “The Mysteries of Isis: Her Worship & Magick,” has been a Priestess of Isis with the Fellowship of Isis since 1983. She started coming to the Isis Oasis in the mid-1980s, and served on the board of directors for about 15 years.
“Loreon Vigne was a unique combination of artist, mystic and businesswoman,” Regula said of her. “She really was, things were in good order – but that doesn’t mean that any kind of transition like that is easy … I dearly loved Loreon and I really did want to carry on things the way she would have wanted. (There are) natural improvements as time goes on, and there’s a lot of things that we intend to do, but I always am internally checking, ‘is this where she wants to go?’”
The sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit as well as the location of the Temple of Isis church, which was established in 1996. The Grand Temple is inside the theater, which also hosts plays, movies, concerts and ceremonies.
As the website states, “We have no dogma, but prefer what may humorously be called catma, a kind of freedom and independence in thought stemming from the ancient wisdom of Egypt.” There are several ongoing events on the grounds, including a daily ritual at noon and a Sunday Scrolls service every Sunday at 3 p.m.
Regula wants to update and modernize the animal enclosures, as well as add more events to the theater. “Lady Loreon used to do quite a bit of that, there were theater troupes that worked through here and so on, and we would love to have more happening in our theater,” she said.
“One of the things that we’ve been trying to put together is a spiritual open mic night where people could share spiritual songs from all different traditions, even humor. She used to have a couple of spiritual comics come here. We want to continue to present that kind of cultural experience, and that’s definitely something that we’re looking to do here in the time I’ve had. Now that we’re kind of through the transitional phase, we can start looking to what we really want to expand.”
The sanctuary offers overnight camping, as well as reservations for lodgings such as the “Heavenly Yurt” and the “Hobbit Hut,” which are arranged over www.Airbnb.com.
It’s difficult to miss the beauty of the Isis Oasis Sanctuary, and Regula works to maintain that. “We’re part of a lot of people’s lives in a lot of different ways, and we’re just here to celebrate the beauty of creation, and that includes music, that includes art, that includes sharing the animals with everyone,” she said.
“We have done this for a long time, and our founder felt that if people understood the beauty around us in all these different ways that we would get along better and not be so destructive. She felt that, that’s where our energy should go, the world is already beautiful, and our energy should just be to enhance and protect it. That’s what she believed, and that’s one of the things that we’re really determined to carry on.”
Eve Navarro has been the vivarium manager for three years as of May, and worked with Vigne before her death, through the sanctuary’s transition to the newer director. She lives onsite with a trailer, yard and orchard, and works as the caretaker for the more than 20 types of creatures in the vivarium, as well as giving tours.
“I really feel like I was summoned (here),” she said. “Because Loreon could find people to help with the cats, she could find people to help with the birds, but it was really hard to find people that wanted to be in here, let alone wanted to take care of these animals. And this was my hobby when I was raising my daughters.”
“We love her,” she said of Regula.
The Oasis serves as the grounds for Hexenfest, an annual upcoming “festival of myth, music and magic” which runs September 30 through October 2. This celebration aims to explore themes such as legends, folklore and fairytales, as well as the darkly exotic, including gothic, Pagan and tribal bellydance. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/hexenfest. After that is the annual Convocation, which takes place October 7–10. During the ceremonies, the Oasis will ordain new priests and priestesses into the Temple of Isis and Fellowship of Isis.
For more information on the Isis Oasis Sanctuary, visit www.isisoasis.us.
