Nut
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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Nut, also known Neuth, is the goddess of the sky, especially the night sky. She is the sister and the wife of Geb. She is part of the Ennead, the nine deities worshipped at Heliopolis alongside Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, Geb, Ra, Shu, and Tefnut. Her domain is everything to do with the sky, as distinct from the atmosphere, which is the domain of her father, Shu. She is, although not the origin of all creation, the goddess of the universe itself, including the stars and astrology, the associated ancient science. An important collection of ancient astronomical texts, "The Fundamentals of the Course of the Stars," is now sometimes known as "The Book of Nut."
She is most famously depicted as a female figure arched over the earth and supporting herself on hands and feet. Her body is filled (or covered) with stars. She is also represented as a celestial cow, with a row of stars along her belly. Nut (which is pronounced "newt" in ancient Egyptian) is sometimes depicted as a woman carrying a water-pot (pronounced “new”) on her head. The sound-similarity makes it a name-glyph, but it can be seen as a womb-symbol, too.
In addition to visual symbols, she also has many titles. As the mother of the third generation of Egyptian deities, she is also the goddess of mothers and titled “She Who Bore the Gods.” As the daily birth-giver to Ra, the Sun, as he emerges from his nightly journey through the underworld, Nut is “She Who Holds a Thousand Souls.” Since she envelops and protects him during this process, Nut is “She who Protects.” This protection is extended to all the dead; in the dark, starry sky, she draws in the the dead, refreshing them with food and wine and sustaining them on their journey through the underworld.
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 Nut for matters of spiritual cleansing, the blessings of clean air, and protection from evil.
Credits
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- Author: Miss Michaele
- Contributors: Michele Jackson, Mama Vergi, cat yronwode, nagasiva yronwode
- Image: Image sourced by Michele Jackson
