Isis
rules life, magic, fate, civilization, spells, motherhood, maternal
love, Nature, Egypt (especially the Nile Delta and the city of
Alexandria), growth, decline, decay, regeneration, spirituality, laws,
wind, rivers, sleep, dreams, serpents, daytime, moisture, storms,
thunder, lightning, secrets, initiation, agriculture, orchards, cycles,
war, peace, necessity, navigation, seaports, anchors, sea breezes, the
sea, the heavens, outer space, stars (especially the northern
constellations), material reality, solid form, the year, conjugal love,
household arts, writing implements, medical schools, the Mysteries, and
human affairs.
She also rules mooring poles, travel by sea,
Words of Power, breeze from the North, the breath of life, the crashing
of waves, the sprouting of seeds, the unfurling of leaves, the opening
of flowers, the waning and waxing of the Moon, the ebb and flow of
tides, the cresting and flooding of rivers, and the entire Universe.
Isis is the matron of widows, single mothers, and travellers.
Aset,
the Egyptian name of Isis, is also spelled Ast, Au Set, Auzit, and
Eset. Isis (also spelled Ysis), the Greek version of her name, is
pronounced ëee-seesí in modern Egypt.
In various places, at
different times in history, and in various languages, Isis has also
been known as Aat, Isis Ament or Amenti (The Hidden One), Anqet or
Ankhet, Ant, Esa, Esi, Hermouthis, Hert or Hurt, Hetet, Isermuthis,
Isis Sochit, Isisothis, Khut (star goddess aspect), Menhet or Menkhet,
Mersekhen, Neb-tept, Renenet (harvest goddess aspect), Renpet, Sati or
Sept (Innundation goddess aspect), Sekhet (agriculture goddess aspect),
Shetat, That, Tchetut, Thenenet or Tcheft (Underworld goddess aspect),
Thermuthis, Unt, and Usert (Earth goddess aspect).
Isis
has many titles because she has so many aspects. Some of her titles
refer to this plethora, such as Goddess of Many Names, Lady Rich of
Names, She of a Thousand Names, and Isis of Ten Thousand Names. She is
also called Isis Myrionymos (Isis of the Myriad Names), Pluonumos (Isis
of the Many Names), and Polyonymos (The Many-Named). Other titles of
Isis include Great Goddess, The Great Lady, The Divine One, The Only
One, Mother of the Universe, Oldest of the Old, First Offspring of
Time, Queen of Heaven, Queen of the Universe, The Mighty Lady, Mistress
of All Things Forever, Lady of Eternity, Ruler of the World,
God-Mother, Parent of Things, All-hearing, All-seeing, Mistress of the
World, Mother of God, Mother of the Gods, The One Who is All, Panthea
(All Goddess), Isis Panthea, Most Great, Most Mighty One, Queen of the
Gods, Greatest of the Gods, Highest of Deities, Goddess of All
Goddesses, Greatest of the Gods and Goddesses, Foremost of Heavenly
Beings, and Most Exalted of the Deities.
Some
of her titles refer to her relationships with other gods and goddesses.
Often contradictory, these include Daughter of Seb, Daughter of Geb,
Child of Nut, Daughter of Thoth, Mother of the Apis Bull, The Female
Ra, Wife of Ra, Eye of Ra, The Crown of Ra Heru, The Female Horus,
Mother of Horus (or Heru), God-Mother of Heru-ka-nekht, and Mother of
the Horus of Gold. Titles which refer to her consort Osiris include
Bride of God, Wife of the Lord of the Inundation, Beloved of Osiris,
and Wife of the Lord of the Abyss.
Isis
has titles which refer to her appearance, such as The Beautiful
Goddess, Lady of Beauty, Of Beautiful Form, Nepherses (the beautiful),
Many-formed, Lady of Hair, and Lotus-Bearing. Titles which refer to her
apparel include Linen-garbed, Linopeplos (wearing linen garments), Lady
in Red, Lady of the Red Apparel, and Black-robed Isis. She also has
many other titles which refer to her various aspects.
As
an agricultural goddess, Isis can be invoked as Mother of Wheat,
Mistress of Bread, Lady of Beer, Lady of Wine, Lady of Bees, Lady of
the House of Bees, Lady of Green Crops, Mother of the Ears of Corn,
Fructifier, Creatrix of the Green Crop, or She Who Has Given Birth to
the Fruits of the Earth. In her aspect as a Dark Goddess, Isis may be
invoked as Terrible One, Breaker in Pieces, Queen of War, or Lady of
War and Rule.
Titles
of Isis as the goddess of Egypt include Queen of Egypt, Lady of the Two
Lands, Lady of the Pyramid, Maker of Kings, Maker of Monarchs, Lady of
the Great House, The Throne, The Stone Seat, and Hent (queen). As
goddess of the wonderful lighthouse which once stood in Alexandria, she
is called Pharia and Lofty Pharos of Light.
Isis,
Sovereign of the Elements, Mistress of All the Elements, is such a
universal goddess that she has aspects which correspond to each
element. For Earth, invoke Isis as Usert, Queen of the Earth, Mistress
of the Earth, Isis of the Earth, Lady of Solid Earth, Queen of the
Solid Earth, Lady of the Land, Lady of the Land Matter, Goddess of
Green Things, or Lady of the Green Plants. For Air, invoke Isis as
Queen of Winds, Lady of the North Wind, Mistress of the Sky, or Mother
in the Horizon of Heaven. She can also be invoked as Winged Isis or
Isis Petrophoros, Isis Euploia (Giver of Good Sailing), and Isis-Tyche,
Jewel of the Wind. For Fire, invoke Isis as Lady of Flame, Lady of the
House of Fire, Fire-Lover, Lady of Warmth, or Fire, and Lady of the
Chariot of Fire. For Water, invoke her as Goddess of Moisture, Lady of
Moisture, Queen of Rivers, Lady of the Mouths of Seas and Rivers,
Master of Rainstorms, Creatrix of the Nile Flood, or Anquet, Anqet, or
Ankhet, Embracer of the Land.
As
a goddess of the Moon, Isis may be invoked as Isis Selene, She of the
Moon, or She of Green Wings and Crescent Moon. Invoke her as Goddess
Fifteen for the Full Moon. To invoke her mother goddess aspect, call
upon Isis as God-Mother, Holy Mother, Divine Mother, World Mother,
All-receiving, Giver of Life, Hearer of Prayers, Great Cow, The Gentle,
The Merciful, and Isis Lactans or Galactotrouphousa (breast-feeding
aspect).
In
her nature goddess aspect, Isis may be invoked as Nature, Female
Principle of Nature, Green Goddess, Lady of Herbs, Lady of Green Herbs,
or The Green One, whose greenness is like the greenness of the Earth.
In her sea goddess aspect, she may be invokes as Queen of the Sea, Isis
of the Sea, Queen of Seamanship, Stella Maris (star of the sea), Isis
Pelagia, Isis Navigum, Isis Euploia, Salvatrix of Sailors, and Meri,
Lady of the Sea.
In
her solar goddess aspect, Isis may be invoked as Light Giver,
Light-giver of Heaven, Lady of Light, Shining One, Maker of the
Sunrise, Mistress of the Dawn, Goddess of the Rosy Dawn, Ray of the
Sun, or Name of the Sun. Her metal is gold in this aspect. For her
aspect as underworld goddess, invoke Isis as Queen of the Dead, Queen
of the Underworld, Great Goddess of the Underworld, Mistress of
Eternity, Mistress of the Tomb, Benefactress of the Tuat, or Destroyer
of the Souls of Men. As goddess of the year, Isis may be invoked as
Lady of the New Year and Sept, Opener of the Year.
Other
titles of Isis include Holy One, Holy Blessed Lady, Lady Isis, Queen
Isis, The All-Goddess, Lady of Every Country, Intervening Power,
Creation, Creatrix, Dynamis, Dynastis, One Above Fate, Dea ex Machina,
Glorious Goddess, The Eternal Woman, Lady of Joy, Lady of Thunder,
Queen of the Thunderbolt, and Mistress of the Evening Star. In Egypt
Isis was combined with other goddesses as Isis-Hathor, Isis-Selket, and
Isis-Nekhbet. In other lands she became syncretied with local goddesses
as Isis Astarte, Isis-Inanna, Isis-Aphrodite, Isis-Aphrodite-Astarte,
Isis-Diana, Isis-Fortuna, Isis-Nike, and so on.
Isis
has been depicted in a variety of ways throughout history. As a human
she is shown in ordinary dress, but with the uraeus over her
forehead. As goddess, she is often portrayed as a winged woman.
Sometimes she is depicted with black or golden skin. Isis is often
shown wearing a simple linen sheath, or a diaphanous gown. She may
carry an ankh, a lotus staff, papyrus staff, or a staff with a head of
the god Set on it to show her power over evil.
There
are several crowns and headdresses which Isis wears. These include a
vulture headdress, the crown with disk and horns, the crown of the
empty throne, which symbolizes her rule as regent until her son takes
his fatherís place as pharaoh, and the double crown of Upper and Lower
Egypt, with ram horns or feather of Maíat. Isis has also been depicted
with her wings around Osiris, or standing near the throne, and as
Madonna with Child, breast feeding Horus or the pharaoh. She also takes
the form of a bird, or of a serpent.
Red,
blue, sky blue, and white are the colors of Isis. Black is her color
when she mourns or searches for Osiris. Carnelian and lapis lazuli are
her stones. Silver is her metal. The symbols of Isis include
ankh, scorpion, kite (bird), empty throne, ships, sail, anchor,
sistrum, uraeus, blood, cow horns or crescent Moon, and the tyet, the
Isis knot. In the Greco-Roman world Isis was depicted with symbols such
as sistrum, vase, cornucopia, and shipís rudder. Her sacred plants
include barley, every type of grain, heather, laurel, flax/linen,
lotus, madonna lily, myrrh, onion, rose, iris/orris root, vervain, and
wheat. Her sacred trees include the date palm, fir, palm, and sycamore.
Every kind of fruit that grows on trees, including dates and coconuts,
are also sacred to her.
Sacred
animals of Isis include the cow, ape, cat, dog, scorpion, cobra, all
serpents, and every kind of cattle. The goose, hawk, kite, eagle,
falcon, vulture, and swallow are her sacred birds. Sirius, the Dog
Star, was called called Sept, Sepdet, and Sothis by Egyptians. This is
the prime star of Isis, and the place where her soul was sometimes
considered to reside.
Isis
is a benevolent goddess who answers prayers. Invoke her for assistance,
blessings, abundance, happiness, serenity, joy, peace, love, truth,
passion, rain, romance, courage, friendship, freedom, kindness,
regeneration, healing, protection, fertility, solace, strength, mercy,
inspiration, prosperity, justice, rescue, wealth, deliverance,
uncrossing, good fortune, bright beginnings, strength in adversity, a
pleasant life, a healthy relationship, and help making it through your
darkest hours and most troubled times.
She
is a complex goddess who may also be invoked for things as diverse as
magic, spells, witchcraft, knowledge, desire, incantations,
illumination, destiny, motherhood, creation, advocacy, ambition,
creation, survival, resourcefulness, leadership, dedication,
determination, persistence, independence, cleverness, rulership,
regency, forgiveness, alchemy, transmutation, adoption, battle,
maternal love, conjugal love, tough love, erotic love, lunar magic,
self-reliance, shape shifting, love spells, astral projection, weather
magic, fire spells, complementary medicine, elemental magic, eternal
life, image magic, spiritual transformation, sleep spells, dream magic,
healing dreams, positive energy, political adroitness, single
motherhood, Trickster-energy, protection during sleep, arbitration
between lovers, female sexual aggressiveness, the power of love over
death, safe passage through crocodile-infested waters, and strength of
tongue, to correctly pronounce words of power.
Isis
can also be invoked for binding, remembering, grieving, mourning,
farming, weaving, spinning, protecting children, destroying evil,
keeping house, averting demons, calling winds, finding allies, making
alliances, altering fate, uncovering secrets, forging weapons, meeting
challenges, grinding grain, overcoming infertility, protecting the
dead, remembering dreams, protecting Egypt, honoring parents,
overthrowing tyrants, vanquishing darkness or chaos, ending
cannibalism, curing disease, altering fate, escaping confinement,
transcending boundaries, walking between worlds, preventing or
prosecuting child abuse, protecting against snakebite, blessing a new
baby, overcoming grief or sorrow, creating sacred space, making
marriage contracts, raising a foster child, making and using charms,
conceiving a child by means of magic, ensuring that criminals and
wrongdoers pay for their actions, training a child for public life,
saving a childís life, changing the direction in which your life seems
headed, seeing that right triumphs over wrong, ensuring that oaths are
honored, calming or stirring the sea, revealing or concealing religious
mysteries, embracing or activating the potential of a new day,
connecting with universal energy or the universal consciousness, making
positive changes in yourself or your life, and successfully
navigating troubled waters, be they physical or metaphysical.
Invoke
her as Isis Ament or Amenti, The Hidden One, for life after death, or
for keeping oneís true religion a secret. Invoke her as Isis Anquet,
Anqet or Ankhet to activate the fertilizing power of water. She can
also be invoked by specific names and titles for different kinds of
spells and rituals. For blessings, invoke Isis as All-bounteous, Hearer
of Prayers, or Bestower of Good Things. Invoke her as the Divine
Midwife for the safe delivery of a baby.
For
creativity, Isis can be invoked as The One Who Creates, Inventrix,
Inventor of All Things, or Leader of the Muses. For healing she can be
invoked as Great Physician, Nurse, Great Sorceress Who Heals, Isis
Medica, Menouthis (Wound Mender), or Medicina Mundi (the power that
heals the world). Invoke her as Leader of the Muses for inspiration.
Isis can be invoked as Dikaiosyne, Justicia, or Mistress of
Righteousness, for justice.
For
love, Isis can be invoked as Lady of Love, Conquerer of Hearts, Goddess
of Love and Magic, and Goddess of Romance. For magic, invoke her as
Mistress of Magic, Lady of Spells, Great Magician, Lady of Words of
Power, Great Enchantress, Mighty One of Enchantments, Isis Heqet,
Urt-hekau (rich in spells), and Witch in the Stone Boat. Invoke her as
Lady of the Shuttle for knot magic, and as Ament or Amenti, The Hidden
One, for cloaking. Invoke her as Isis-Hathor, or as Isis Shentet, Isis
in the Bedchamber, for sex magic.
For
peace, invoke Isis as Isis as Lady of Peace, or Placidae Reginae (queen
of peace). For prosperity, she can be invoked as Lady of Abundance,
Cornucopia of All Our Goods, or Isis Ploutodotai, Giver of Riches. For
protection, invoke Isis as Guardian, or as Dispeller of Attack. Invoke
her as Pelagia to protects ships and shipping. Invoke her as Isis
Victrix, Ever Victorious, or Isis-Nike, for victory. Invoke Isis as
Phronesis for wisdom.
*The
prime magical charm of Isis is the tyet amulet, which is shaped like a
knotted loop with tassels. It has also been called the thet, Isis knot,
buckle of Isis, and blood of Isis. The amulet is said by some to
represent the tie on her girdle, but others say that it symbolizes her
menstrual pad, and represents the magical power of menstrual blood.
This is the spell that was used to empower the amulet: ìThe blood of
Isis, and the strength of Isis, and the Words of Power of Isis
shall be mighty to act as powers and protect me. They shall
prevent wrong from being done to me." Ancient Egyptians sometimes
fashioned the it of gold but the tyet amulet was usually red, made of
red glass or of red stone, such as carnelian or jasper. It was
consecrated by steeping it overnight in flower-water, and then
empowered by reciting the spell over it. The tyet can be worn or
carried for protection, to avert the evil eye, to guard yourself
eternally against every kind of evil, or to enable you to move freely
in the afterlife.
Dance
and music have always been used for the invocation of Isis. In Egypt
she was invoked with the music of cymbals, finger-cymbals, tambourines,
bells, and the sistrum. The music of the lyre, flute, pipe and cithara
were used to invoke her during the Ptolemaic era, and in places her
worship spread beyond Egypt. Appropriate ritual clothing for her
invocation includse white garments, especially those made from linen,
and the the Veil of the Universe, a veil that is studded with beads,
sequins, crystals, or anything else that can be used to represent
stars. Replicas of her various crowns could also be worn for her
rituals or invocation. In ancient Egypt the priests of Isis wore linen
kilts and robes. Her priestesses dressed in black for her somber rites.
They otherwise wore white, or brightly colored robes which sometimes
had lavishly embroidered hems. Outside of Egypt, priestesses of Isis
wore translucent multi-colored veils and gowns. Tcherau-ur was the
Egyptian title for a priestess who represented Isis in rituals. The
physician priests and priestesses of Isis were called pastophors during
the Greco-Roman era. Iseums, the temples of Isis, traditionally housed
many cats.
Isis
manifests in sea mist, sunlight, and moonlight. She can be invoked
anywhere and at any time, but beaches and the mouths of streams and
rivers, places where they join the sea, are considered power sites for
her invocation. Dawn, noon, sunset and midnight are all powerful times
for her invocation, but some say that she is best invoked at dawn, in
the presence of a breeze from the North. Invoke her lunar aspect at
night, especially in moonlight. Invoke her solar aspect during the day,
especially in sunshine. Her sea goddess aspect is most powerfully
invoked near the sea. Evoke her presence into yourself with the Drawing
Down the Moon ritual, or by physically celebrating the ritual of the
sacred marriage of Isis and Osiris with another witch.
Traditional
offerings to Isis include music, dancing, incense, especially myrrh,
flowers, honey, crescent-shaped cakes or rolls, fruit grown on trees,
dark sweet wine, and libations of milk, wine, or rosewater. Other ways
to honor Isis include asperging with salt and water, anointing her
image or presenting it with offerings, and singing or chanting her
names, titles, or praises.
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