WISCONSIN — Just over 10 years ago work started on a new Egyptian temple dedicated to the Goddess Hathor. The design for the temple was revealed by the Goddess herself to Tim, a solitary Kemetic Wiccan living in rural Wisconsin. Over the years, Tim worked almost daily to recreate the temple that he saw during his trance.

Now nearing completion, the temple consists of an eleven foot entry gate and two circles of cement pillars 11 feet high and weighing two tons each. The temple is a testament to Tim’s dedication and shows what one devoted polytheist can accomplish when he’s sincere in honoring his Gods.



Tim describes himself as a Kemetic polytheist who was initiated into an eclectic Wiccan Goddess path back in 1979. The Wild Hunt talked to him about why he built this temple and how it has affected his worship.

The Wild Hunt: Many people dream of building a Pagan temple, how did your dream start?

Tim: By 2006 I had been a practicing Wiccan for 27 years following an eclectic Goddess path and was wondering if maybe the circle casting for Wicca could be a subconscious residual type memory carried through from previous lives relating to the stone circle rituals of a forgotten distant past. I wondered what would happen if someone built a modern structure to practice ritual in. I also wanted to move away from the eclectic path of many Goddesses and go into a path of total devotion to one Goddess only. With these two issues at the forefront of my ritual practice every time I did ritual, I decided to act on them both.

For Spring Equinox of 2006 I did my usual circle casting and put myself into a trance and asked Goddess to reveal a specific form for me to put my devotional efforts towards. She whispered the name HauetHer to me and simultaneously I was shown many images of Goddess Hathor and Her temples from old Egypt. OK, I now have a Deity to direct my efforts towards, even though I had pretty much never heard of Her before. So then the next time I did a circle and ritual, which was Beltane of 2006, I asked Goddess Hathor for Her help in designing a temple as I had tried for almost 10 years and just could not get any ideas. Again, in a ritual trance, I put my question to Goddess Hathor and Her reply to me and I quote Her on this, “if you are to build a temple for me, this is how you shall do it”, and in a split second I had a sort of video clip put into my memory of the structure I have built.

Still in trance, I wondered how am I going to build this. She replied that I need not be concerned, She will show me all I need to know. The next question I had was what am I going to use to build this and Her instant reply was “liquid stone” and images of concrete were put into my mind. And that is how it all got started.

TWH: This is a major undertaking. How long have you been working on the temple and how have you funded it?

Tim: I have been working on the temple for 9 years now, with the first 7 working on it almost daily. The temple itself has cost about 5 thousand dollars total in materials. It is built on a 40 acre parcel of land I bought in 1989 which is also where I built my house. I have financed the whole project through my paychecks from my employment as a Tool and Die maker for manufacturing.

TWH: The pictures are amazing. Can you describe the temple layout and the significance of why it laid out in that manner?

Tim: The layout of the temple is 2 concentric rings of columns with a semicircle entry/transition path. When I was building the structure, I had no idea why it was built this way. I put my complete trust in my designer, Mother God Hathor and as construction progressed, She would reveal to me the exact purpose behind each group of components.

The inner circle of columns is 33 feet across and consists of 4 pedestal quarter markers with a pair of obelisks equally spaced between the quarters. The obelisks make this a strictly solar temple. For some reason still unknown to me, the obelisk shape works only with solar energy .This is also the main working circle, creating a ring of energy, a permanent version of a cast circle. Alignment of the temple is to magnetic north.

The main circle entry is also on the north end, as we enter as earthly beings, earth being a north aspect in my practice. The center point of the central table is the point of origin for all measurements used to build the temple. In the west, there will be a Naos shrine with sacred image of Hathor in it. For now, I have a temporary image of Her at that spot.

The outer circle of pillars, the T shaped ones, are the outer boundary of the temple. These are an array designed to collect and amplify the natural energies flowing through the Earth and create a large and permanent bubble or sphere of living interactive energy flow. This circle is 47 feet across and consists of 26 triangular shaped pillars with capstones placed on top of each one. The capstones somehow change the vibrational frequency of the whole temple. Before the capstones were put on the outer pillars, the site had a low hum type of feel to it. After I put on the first 6 capstones I noticed the hum started to change to a ring. After all 26 pillars had capstones installed, the site had a constant ringing feel to it, sort of like the effect you get with a Tibetan bell. Not an audible ring, just a sensory type of feel to the site. The outer pillars are equally spaced based on a 27 position circle, however one was removed to allow the entry ring to be built.

The entry ring, the stargate looking structure, is a molded concrete ring 9 feet across on the inside and 11 feet across on the outside. It is of critical importance for safe passage in and out of the temple circles. The entry ring leads out to the transition pathway, a pathway lined with 9 pairs of equally spaced pillars, another critical component and a safety feature. Pairs of pillars create a mild energy field between them and you get energetically groomed passing through this area. When doing temple ritual, one enters and maintains very heightened states of being and the transition path reintegrates you into the regular world.

At the end of the semicircular transitional pathway are the massive entry pillars. These pillars are 10 feet tall and over 2 tons each. They are spaced closely so you can stand between them with hands on both to completely ground yourself whether entering or leaving the temple. All structures in the temple have integrally molded foundation posts extending into the ground between 4 and almost 6 feet. This withstands frost heave in the winter and gives a solid connection to the flow of earth energies. And that is the basic operating principles of this temple.

TWH: I know the Goddess Hathor asked you to build the temple, but what purpose does it serve? How will it be used?

Tim: The purposes of this temple so far are for worship and personal spiritual development. It also is developing into a metaphysical research device. For now, it is private worship only as I have very few facilities for any larger uses. Future plans call for building a small pavilion shelter and getting a porta toilet put in place to accommodate small groups. The religious holidays I celebrate are the 8 quarter and cross quarter days and also an additional 20 ancient Egyptian days to honor Mother God Hathor.

When I started out on this project, I had some ideas on how I was going to utilize a permanent temple. In very short order, I found out that what I thought I knew and what actually happens with a functioning temple are very different realities. Because of the permanent energy field the temple generates, circle casting is not needed. I was made aware of that very clearly when I went to cast a circle to use after the inner circle of columns was completed. I started to cast my circle and had a rather firm thought come to me that it is not necessary to do circle casting anymore. I continued anyway and as I almost was done with my circle, I got a command, “you don’t need to do that anymore”. So I haven’t cast a circle since. Have not needed to either.

The space between the inner and outer circles of pillars I use as a processional path to do temple purifications and cleansings. There are 33 images of Hathor of 4 different types in the temple so wherever you are in the temple Her image is visible. Symbolizes Her presence everywhere in creation. The entire structure is an interactive device that seems to stimulate the intuitive areas of the brain and heighten this type of sensory awareness. I have used it daily since I started on it in 2006 and have noticed a dramatic increase in creative abilities, intuition and chakra activity.

Another very important side effect is the instant credibility I get from the mundane world when it comes to discussions of the religious practices I follow. So that is the story behind my adventure into the world of contemporary temple building.

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For now, the temple is for private use only, and Tim is still working to finish painting the pillars, images of Hathor, and the capstones. If the temple space becomes available for groups to use or visit, The Wild Hunt will update readers.