Goddess Series: Isis

Connect with the Goddess Isis with Kate’s Magik Isis & Rebirth Anointing Oil in the February 2021 Isis Wisdom Box. Kate's Magik creates intention-based essential oil blends and aromatic products from complex combinations of aromatherapy-grade essential oils and all-natural, quality ingredients.

A Woman Of Many Faces 

Isis is the Egyptian Goddess of the moon, magic and divination. Isis is the Greek word for the ancient Egyptian word for throne, or “She of the Throne.” Her hieroglyph is that of a throne and was often regarded as the personification of the throne, her lap becoming the throne of Egypt. Isis is most often depicted as a woman with a throne, with a headpiece consisting of a solar disc and cow horns and often appearing with large, outstretched sheltering wings.

Isis is the daughter of Geb and Nut, the sister and wife of Osiris, the God of the Dead, sister of Seth, God of War, and the twin sister of Nephthys. The manifestations of Isis include birds, cows and most notably the Great White Sow of Heliopolis and the Isis-cow which gave birth to the sacred Apis Bull of Memphis. 

The Mother of All

Isis represents the epitome of motherhood, marital devotion and healing. She is the archetypal divine earth mother, the female aspect of creation and the Great Mother. Some understand her as the Triple Goddess of birth, life and death. She protected mothers and children and healed the sick.

She is most known to her devotees as a healer with exceptional medical skills and a patroness of magic, spells and charms. Often associated as a tree deity because of the protection and fruit provided by trees, Isis too is considered mothering, nurturing and offers safety. Because of this, she is sometimes depicted beside trees or anthropomorphised as a tree with breasts or half woman, half tree.  

The Queen of Temples

 The cult of Isis grew to prominence around 200 BCE and the center of her devotion truly began on the island of Philae on the southern border of Egypt. There the temple of Isis was built by the Ptolemies and Roman emperors between 200 BC and 300 AD. Her temple became a place of pilgrimage for many and her following spread throughout the world.

Archaeological evidence suggests her following spread beyond Egypt to Syria, Palestine, Greece and the Roman Empire. Temples dedicated to Isis have been found in modern day Iraq, Greece, Rome and even England. Isis worship continued well into the 6th century, even after the spread of Christianity.

The Love Of A Sister Wife

Revered for her magic and skills of transformation and rebirth, the Osiris myth is one of the most well known stories of Isis which highlights her love, devotion and power.

Isis was married to her brother Osiris, the king of egypt. Their jealous brother Seth, hatched a plan to take the throne from Osiris. Seth trapped Osiris and put him into a wooden box and threw him into the Nile River. Seth becomes king and Isis, overcome with grief and determination to find her beloved, searches until she finds him.

Upon bringing him back to Egypt, Seth finds Osiris. Furious, he cuts Osiris up into pieces and scatters his body parts far and wide. With the help of her sister Nepthys, Isis scours the land to find every single piece of Osiris. They find every last piece except for his penis, in which Isis fashions a new one out of clay.

Using their unique power and magic, Isis and Nepthys put Osiris back together. Isis and Osiris conceive and nine months later, their son Horus is born. Not quite human, after Osiris meets his son, he must return to the land of the dead, where he reigns as king.

A Woman of Magic

For this magic and alchemy, Isis becomes known for her magic and power of enchantment and sorcery. It is said that Isis managed to trick the Sun god Ra into revealing his secret name to her. In doing so, Isis obtained magical powers and even influence over Ra. Because of this, she is made into a goddess of magic, renowned for her powers of transformation and rebirth.

 Big thank you to Kate from Kate's Magik Essential Oil Blends for this blog contribution! Her Intention-Based Aromatherapy products are handcrafted with vision and purpose and further enhanced by the Power of Intention and Reiki.

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If you liked this post, check out Why You Need This Ancient Egyptian Flower.