SpellCrafting : Spells & Rituals

Reclaiming Isis

Merry meet!

Isis has not been a goddess with whom I have worked. I hadn’t felt particularly drawn to deities from the Egyptian pantheon, but hearing ISIS in the news has led me to think her name is being taken in vain. She is not the most frightening terrorist organization: the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Isis is the Great Divine Mother of the Universe. She is the personification of femininity; she is the wife of a king and the mother of the god Horus. As such, she is the goddess of motherhood and children. She was the original madonna with child, later to become Mary and Jesus. Isis is also a patroness of fertility, nature and magic. She is portrayed as a friend of the oppressed and a protector of the dead. Isis brought back her husband-brother from the dead. It is said she listens to the prayers of everyone.

Worship of Egypt’s great mother goddess extended to all parts of the Roman Empire, spilling over into Greek civilization as well, so it is quite possible my ancestors in Sicily and Germany paid her homage.

It did not bother me that ISIS became the acronym for such things as the Institute for Science and International Security or the Intercampus Student Information System, but it does bother me that this religious extremist group was given the name.

The Associated Press uses ISIL and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in its news stories, and some have followed that usage, despite the fact it seems to legitimize the group with statehood. Some in governments are using Daesh as an acronym for the Arabic phrase al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham for the Islamic state. Depending on how it is conjugated, it can be seen as an insult to the death cult.

While efforts continue to persuade the media to stop calling terrorists by the name of the Goddess of Ten Thousand Names, the Mistress of All Magic, we might consider helping break the connection between a mother goddess whose history stretches back 4,500 years and a present-day violent hate group.

My idea is to make space for an altar to Isis and the divine feminine. I’m starting mine with a tarot card of her image from the deck Daughters of the Moon. I intend to light the candle in front of it every time I am home and encounter her name being used to refer to the terrorist organization, and offer prayers to the great mother – to she who brings together the power of both the sun and the moon – for healing.

She is associated with all of the elements. Incense and oils including frankincense, cedar, sandalwood, cinnamon and sweet orange have been named as connected to her, as have roses, jasmine and lotus flowers. When choosing a candle, I have read that her preferred colors are cobalt blue and black, and to anoint them with myrrh or vervain or both. Other sources list additional colors of silver, gold, red and green.

Her sacred animals are the cow, snake, scorpion, hawk, swallow, dove and vulture. Gems include gold, silver, ivory, ebony, obsidian and lapis lazuli. Such offerings can be placed before her to honor her, and to recognize the high priestess that dwells within us as well. We can let Isis’ intuition and knowing become our own, merging inner wisdom with conscious awareness as we reclaim our voice and speak her praises.

Perhaps, if more people begin to honor her, we can restore sacredness to her name as well as to our lives.

Merry part.

And merry meet again.