The Lotus Blossom and Isis

Isis is a Goddess with a symbol of the lotus blossom. In regions of ancient Egypt, the blue Lotus, otherwise known as the Nymphaea caerulea was most appreciated, and was so revered that the Egyptians sometimes called the flower “the sacred lotus.” This sacred blossom thrives along the river banks of Egypt’s Nile, and it takes roughly two to three day’s time for the blossom to rise up out of the waters and to begin blooming. Once above water the flower gently rests above the water’s surface, when the Egyptian lotus blooms, it does so during a particular time span throughout the day: the flower begins opening up its petals at around 9 am and the petals close up at 3 pm in the afternoon. Interestingly, the times that the flower blooms links the blossom to concepts of the Goddess’s triple aspects: Isis as maiden, mother, and crone.



The growth action of the lotus is similar to Egyptian myths describing the moment of creation. Ancient Egyptian myths convey a story where before the beginning of all that is, there was a mass of primordial waters which were dark, and chaotic. These primordial waters were identified as Nun: and Nun has been associated with the Nile waters as well. Out of the primordial waters, or out of Nun, rose up a hill or mound called the primordial hill or primordial mound. The very moment that creation began is represented by the actions of the lotus as it rises up out of the primordial Nile waters and symbolically brings beauty out of chaotic waters.



As the water blossom rests just above the surface of the Nile waters, the flower can also represent parallel universes as well as energy polarities. The blossom represents the physical world and the entrance of the spirit into it; the waters represent the otherworldly realm for whence the blossom came. The fact that the waters reflect an image of the blossom back into the world and the blossom casts its image into the waters suggests the ghostly like reflections of either realm when viewed from an alternative/opposing or parallel reality. This links the lotus to life, death, and rebirth concepts.



The coloring of this blue blossom links it to the sky and sun for the blossom holds a golden center within its vivid blue and sometimes blue and white petals. This flower has a number of connections to a variety of solar deities in Egypt simply because the images of the flower evoke sky imagery. The lotus blossom can also be a symbol that represents the birth of the human spirit, from the chaotic waters of creation, into the physical plain. The blossom itself can stand as representation of the life cycle of human beings: each day the flower opens and closes, and every day, people are born into this world and pass away. The blossom can also represent the everyday cycle and the renewability of life: it reflects the behaviors of the sun in its growth patterns, and everyday people get the opportunity to start their day anew. It is believed that the lotus has some psychoactive properties and that the ancient Egyptians might have used the bloom for sacraments.



On ancient Roman coins the Goddess Isis is often portrayed with lotus blossoms, and sometimes her son Harpocrates is portrayed wearing a lotus crown on his head on Roman coins as well. Isis has also appeared on Roman coins with a lotus flowered coronet. The lotus flower’s symbolism conveys the characteristics of the Goddess Isis: the lotus is a symbol of purity, it was a source of nourishment (lotus bread and lotus roots), and the Goddess Isis is a pure and nurturing Goddess, offering us the spiritual and physical nourishment we need. The Lotus was equally sacred to the Goddess Isis’s twin sister Nephthys and the bloom is also a symbol of rebirth, tranquility, enlightenment, knowledge, and revelation. Finally, the lotus can represent the act of becoming and of actually going through the process of discovering the hidden mysteries.

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Reverence

O’ Great and Mighty Mother Isis
thank you for this day—
For this hour—
for this moment—
For the air that I breathe.


Today I ask for nothing—
For I have everything—
Simply by knowing Thee.


Instead of praying to you—
For gifts, rewards, and monetary gain,
Rather than cry out to you for all the things
I falsely believe I need,
I shall make no plea.


Rather -
Let me cry out Your name to say:
“I love you my Divine Mother,
and thank you for all things.”


~by Dayna Winters~



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The Soul of Isis: The Cat Goddess Bastet

The Egyptians revered and honored cats, and quickly came to consider the creatures divine and god-like. Bastet, sometimes referred to as Bast, is the ancient Egyptian Cat Goddess. The word Bastet is used to describe the Cat when she is portrayed as a cat, while the name Bast refers to the Cat Goddess in other forms. Bastet is also referred to by other names including Ailuros, Bubastis, Pacht, Pasht, Pasch, Ubast, Ubasti, and Bastis. She is also identified as “the soul of Isis,” or as Ba en Aset. The Goddess Isis is believed to have a true affinity for Bastet, and Bast’s title “the soul of Isis,” unmistakably and closely link together the two Egyptian Goddess forms.


Bast is considered a patron of both the sun and the moon, a patron Goddess of women like the mother Goddess Isis, and She is a guardian of that which is hidden as well as secrets. Depictions of Bastet include a black cat, a white cat, and cat-headed woman. According to certain myths, Bast is considered the daughter of the Sun God Ra and she was, in the earliest myths, a Sun Goddess. This makes her possibly one of the root Goddesses for future Sun Goddesses or at minimum creates a strong link between Her and Goddesses of the Dawn like Aurora and Eos. Bastet can however, also be linked to moon Goddess depictions like that of Luna as well as Artemis.


This Cat Goddess has also been linked to creation, to creativity, to inspiration, to epiphanies and enlightenment, to the concept of truth, as a guardian of the home, to sex, music and the arts in all its forms. Bastet is a Goddess with a dual nature. Like the nature of the cat which can behave in a tame versus wild fashion, Bastet has been associated with the bestowal of great gifts and equally great wrath. Since Bastet is a Cat Goddess it only makes sense that cats are considered sacred to this Goddess and to harm such animals is to come within the measure of Her wild wrath.


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The Goddess Isis: Myriad Names, Myriad Symbols

The symbols associated with the Goddess Isis are as myriad as the names that the Goddess is known by. An archetype of the Divine feminine, Goddess Isis has thousands of symbols used both in magickal practices as magickal correspondences, and in Her worship. One of the most striking symbols and easily recognizable icons associated with Isis is that of Isis sitting rigidly upon Her throne as She suckles Her son Horus. This image is believed to be the source of Madonna and child imagery throughout the ages. The images depicting Isis nursing Horus clearly connect Her to the role of Divine mother as well as that of a fertility Goddess.


In numerology, Goddess Isis is associated with the number eight. The number eight, when turned on its side becomes a symbol of infinity and Isis is indeed a true symbol of that which is infinite. Isis is associated with the Dog Star Sirius and Her star is typically drawn or portrayed with eight different points.


Other major symbols associated with Isis are the peacock, a symbol of great beauty and pride, the throne is Her symbol; She has been revered by rulers of Egypt, and prayed to for Her beneficent gifts. Often depicted with a solar sun disk and cow horns, She frequently looks much like the Goddess Hathor and the shared symbols between the two Goddesses associate Isis with nourishment, both physical and spiritual.


The wings of the Goddess when She is depicted as bird woman are often that of a kite: a powerful bird of prey. In myths, both Isis and Nephthys circle the vast lands of Egypt mourning together and seeking out the dismembered body parts of Osiris after Set slays him. Other animals that Isis is associated with include the seven scorpions that serve as Her protectors in various myths.


The many petal lotus is a symbol of this divine being for She is the Goddess of Ten Thousand names. The lotus is indigenous to regions of Egypt, and stands as a symbol of the awakening spirit and purification. Lotuses grow out of water and mud filled areas and turn into stunning blossoms, thus, lotuses symbolically convey the transitioning of the spirit as it evolves into a purer state of being. She is the divine Patron Saint of Women and the undisputed Goddess of Magic. She remains an ever-present mystery to the uninitiated and Her temple in Sais reads "I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever me unveiled."


Isis is one of five children born to Geb and Nut, at least in some myths. Some myths pertaining to Isis only present the story of Her birth with three other siblings. The order of birth for the children of Geb and Nut begin with the birth of Osiris, followed by Horus the Elder, followed by Set, and then Isis and Her twin sister Nephthys were born. Certain myths do not acknowledge the birth of Horus the Elder and there is seemingly little information about this deity. When considering that there were five siblings and there are five key points on the pentacle representing the cardinal directions, as earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, it becomes easy to see the connection between the Egyptian deities and the very essence of magick.


Isis and Osiris were in love with one another within the womb of their mother Nut; a predestined love. They wed, as did Nephthys and Set. The four deities reveal a balance between light and dark. Isis herself represents day while Her twin is the beautiful Goddess of the night. Nephthys has remained a misunderstood Goddess; She developed no cult following of Her own, and it is believed that some feared the dark powers of the dark twin Nephthys. This is a mistaken belief however, because even in darkness there is some positivity to be identified. Her husband Set however, is another story: a God associated with fierce anger, destruction, jealousy, and chaos, Set comes to be a representation of the darker side of humankind and of universal energies. Still, without darkness there cannot be light, and vice versa. It is necessary to have existing polarities in order to be able to comprehend the existence of either. One cannot fully know joy without having experienced grief and sadness; one cannot comprehend the notion of day if one has never experienced night.


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The Mother Goddess and Guardian of the Light: Isis

The goddess ISIS is revered by many, even today in contemporary times. Many other Goddess aspects are believed to have stemmed from the Goddess Isis, the Mother of All the Living, the sister wife of Osiris, the sister of Nephthys, Horus the Elder, and Set. She is the daughter of Nut and Geb, or the Sky and Earth. The Dog Star Sirius is associated with Isis and the Egyptians based their calendars around the star.


The Goddess Isis is revered for her compassion, her gentle nature, and her motherly love and devotion. She remains devoted to Her husband Osiris, even after death, and takes on the responsibility of raising Anubis as her own, the son of Osiris and Nephthys. A protectress role is affiliated with this Goddess, and she is also revered as the Guardian of the Dead. She is the Goddess of the Words of Power, giving her great abilities over all other Gods and Goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon. In her magickal workings, she speaks the Words of Power with deliberation, and perfection, thereby concisely conveying her Divine intent.


Osiris is a symbol of goodness and light, and the fact that Isis seeks out his remains and “re-members” him, both in mourning, and physically, indicates that Isis is a Goddess that can reunify the “goodness and light” when chaos and darkness reign. Her myth is also a story that reveals that even after moments of grief and mourning, there is still positivity to be found, and that life continues on, both in the physical and the astral.


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Ancient Egyptian Creation Myth

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Goddess Isis

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Isis, Demeter, and The Golden Bough

The Golden Bough is a classic text that studies the relationship between magic and religion. According to the Golden Bough, written by Sir James George Frazer (1922), Isis was so loved in Egypt that, “Her attributes and epithets were so numerous that in the hieroglyphics she is called “the many-named,” “the thousand-named,” and in Greek inscriptions “the myriad-named.” Also, “Amongst the epithets by which Isis is designated in the inscriptions are “Creatress of green things,” “Green goddess, whose green colour is like unto the greenness of the earth,” “Lady of Bread,” “Lady of Beer,” “Lady of Abundance.” This is certainly an interesting fact, when Isis was a sky goddess. In fact, this description implies that Isis was not only a sky goddess, but the goddess of all things and of all that existed between the heavens and the earth.

Many religions adapted Isis and merged her with their own system of beliefs. When the Greeks later embraced Isis as one of their own goddesses, they associated her with the goddess Demeter:

The Greeks conceived of Isis as a corn-goddess, for they identified her with Demeter. In a Greek epigram she is described as “she who has given birth to the fruits of the earth,” and “the mother of the ears of corn”; and in a hymn composed in her honour she speaks of herself as “queen of the wheat-field,” and is described as “charged with the care of the fruitful furrow’s wheat-rich path.” Accordingly, Greek or Roman artists often represented her with ears of corn on her head or in her hand (The Golden Bough, Chapter 41).

Isis was easily associated with Demeter, because the tales of the two goddesses were so similar. For instance, Demeter grieved the loss of Persephone when she was taken by Hades into the underworld and searched the world for her, whereas, Isis mourned the loss of her beloved Osiris and searched the world for his body parts after he was dismembered by Seth.


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The Birth of the Egyptian Dieties

© 2005 Dayna Winters, All Rights Reserved. Image
created using Photo Impressions Editing Software.

According to the text, ISIS Magic by M. Isidora Forrest, the Egyptian cosmology is one that begins with Nun. Nun was a the primal waters of Nothingness, where eternity was found. Out of Nun, or out of the nothingness appeared Atum of Re, arising as the first hill that appeared out of nothingness. Atum was perfect in every way and totally complete--consisting of both female and male polarities.

Atum began the act of creation. According to the lengend, both the Divine Hand as wife and the Divine Phallus as husband procreated and that act created the universe. When the universe burst forth, Shu and Tefnut, god and goddess respectively, who are the elemental dieties of air and moisture, were also brought forth.

Tefnut and Shu, although they were brother and sister, became husband and wife. They in turn gave birth to the heavens and the earth. They also bore a celestial daughter, Nut, the goddess of the sky, and a terrestial son, Geb, who is the god of the earth. Like their parents, Geb and Nut fell in love with one another and brought forth children.

The first child of Geb and Nut to be born was Osiris, the god of life and death. The second child Geb and Nut was Horus the Elder, also known as Horus the Great, the Falcon god. Next, Seth was born and begin both angry and impatient, he burst forth from his mother's side instead of being naturally brought forth like the other gods. Next, Isis was born and her twin sister, Nephthys, the goddess of darkness and mystery was born. Later, Isis would wed her brother Osiris and they begot Horus, while Nephthys wedded Seth and begot Anubis.

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Legends of Isis

According to the Encyclopedia Mythica, during the Hellenistic period, the Goddess Isis was revered as a protectoress of sailors. One of the most popular legends surrounding Isis pertains to her husband Osiris and his brother Seth.

Osiris was the god of the underworld who was wedded to the goddess Isis--a sky goddess. Thus, with a joining of the sky goddess and the god of the underworld, a balance of forces was established.

Osiris' brother was Seth, the god of chaos. Interestingly, one can immediately see a parallel with the mythology of the Greeks when viewing the hierarchy of the Egyptian gods. According to the works of Hesiod and Appolydorus, the hierarchy of the divine was initially established out of chaos. Ge or Gaia, and Ouranos were the first deities to be formed form chaos in Greek Myth. An interesting difference can be identified between Egyptian mythology and Greek mythology: the roles of the divine are reversed. Isis, an Egyptian feminine deity is ruler of the sky and Osiris rules the underworld in Egyptian myth. Whereas, in Greek myth, Ge or Gaia (meaning earth) ruled the earth and Ouranos ruled the heavens. Later Pontos would emerge as ruler of the sea in Greek Myth, but that's another story entirely.

It is also interesting to note the role reversal of the deities from one culture to another. In fact, the role reversal between the two cultures may reflect the vast differences between the Egyptian and Greek cultures and the role of the woman in society. In Greek cultures, women had few rights and when wedded and were the property of their husbands, whereas in Egyptian culture the woman's' role was a bit more liberated.

But, I digress....

Seth was associated with evil. Embracing all concepts of evil, Seth was the god of war, of desert storms and foreign lands (this association probably had much to do with the Egyptian's fear of invasion and suppression by foreign lands). Seth battled his brother Osiris and killed him. Later, he dismembered his brother and scattered his body parts throughout Egypt.

When Isis' beloved husband was killed she grieved terribly. She search the land of Egypt for all of the parts of Osiris and put him back together again. Due to the fact that Isis reconnected Osiris after death, Isis became a goddess that was the protectress of the deceased. After Isis reconnected Osiris, she impregnated herself and gave birth to their son, Horus. In fact, one can find many depictions of Isis nursing Horus while she sits on her throne.

Additionally, Isis is also frequently depicted with a solar disc resting between a set of cow horns on her head. Occasionally, a vulture would also be depicted on her crown. However, an image less well known is that Isis is sometimes depicted as a kite over the mumified body of Osiris. Finally, some scholars contend that the name Isis means "throne", while others, like Plutarch for instance, contend that her name means "knowledge."

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