Isis
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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Isis is the Ancient Egyptian goddess of magic, nature, and motherhood. She is the mother of Horus and the wife of Osiris and the daughter of Geb, god of the earth and Nut, goddess of the sky. Isis is one of the more popular goddesses whose worship and cult spread outside of Egypt and became part of the larger Greco-Roman world. She is a powerful goddess who is involved in many great events among the gods like the battle between Set and Horus. Because of how powerful she is as well as her role as the ideal, compassionate mother and wife, she was appealed to by all whether rich, or poor, king or slave. Her name means "throne" and often she is depicted wearing a throne-like headdress. This association with the throne is connected with the idea of Isis as mother of the king, who is Horus.
When Set killed and dismembered her husband, Osiris, Isis was able to use her magical ability alongside Anubis to travel to the underworld and put his body back together. She then turned herself into a bird and fanned life back into him and conceived Horus with him. She raised and nurtured, Horus who then grew up to go on and avenge his father against Set. Her role as mother of Horus is something that is appealed to frequently by her devotees. There are many depictions of her as a mother suckling the baby Horus. She is associated with the tyet, a knot glyph, which is also made in the form of a talismanic charm, and she may be called upon to restore the souls of the dead to wholeness as she did for Osiris. Because of her dark skin colour and underworld connections, it has been speculated by some scholars that remnant veneration of Isis in Europe during the late Roman Empire era led to the development of the veneration of Black Madonna statues in the Roman Catholic tradition.
Isis is the goddess of magic and sorcery and was often petitioned in magical works, especially regarding domestic issues. She was considered a master of charms so powerful even Ra feared her. In one legend, she uses her magic to trick Ra into revealing his true name to her, in other accounts she poisoned him with a magical serpent and only gave him the antidote once she got his true name from him which gave her power over him. While many gods and goddesses were associated with magic, Isis was a powerful sorceress and even her priests and priestesses had a reputation for having magical powers like the control of weather and knot magic. Given her strong connection with magic, Isis was often in the company of Tehuti. Hoodoo psychic readers, spirit workers, and root doctors who practice in the North African religion of ancient Egypt or contemporary Kemetic Neo-Paganism, and who call upon the netjeru on behalf of clients, may petition Isis for matters regarding love, family, beauty, and in the working of spells.
Credits
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- Author: ConjureMan
- Contributor: catherine yronwode
- Image: Unknown Photographer; photo-edited by catherine yronwode
