December 2020 brings a place of stillness, optimism, and contemplation of the road ahead. This month, it is the light of the Egyptian Goddess Isis who guides our way home.
Isis (also Iset or Auset) is the ancient Egyptian/Kemetic Goddess of magick and healing, and the most well-known deity of the Egyptian pantheon. She is the patroness of women and children, and the honored protector of marriage and vows of love. Osiris, God of the Afterlife is Her consort and their son Horus is the Divine Messenger. Isis uses her wisdom and sorcery to strengthen ancestral bonds, manifest change, and transform the world. She is the longest enduring of Egypt's Goddesses and as Her cult developed, it is thought She absorbed attributes of other deities.
Her worship began in Egypt but spread to many distant lands. Her cults, like her names, were varied and prosperous - extending into the Hellenistic world and Roman Empire and lasting for thousands of years. The most popular of Isis’ myths tells of Her search for Her brother and consort Osiris, after He is betrayed and dismembered by their brother Set. Her devotion to Osiris and Her quest to recover, resurrect, and ensure His passage into the afterlife is considered to be one of the “Great Stories” of the ancient world; it is an esoteric tale of spirituality, devotion, and love that reveals the greatness of Isis’s magick and depicts the foundations of sacred marriage.
As the Goddess of 10,000 Names, Isis has as many attributes and energies. She can be called upon for anything under the sun and moon; however, one of the Goddess’ most prevalent strengths lies in magick and prophecy. Mythology tells of her relationship with Thoth, God of Magick, who councils and teaches the Goddess the mysteries of the universe, and teaches Her the mystic arts and the power of words (mantras, affirmations, naming, speaking things into existence).
The Goddess speaks through visions, words, dreams, and artistic endeavors; She shows how our affect in the external world is created from our inner practice. Through Isis, we learn to embrace magick, and discover how the tools we are supplied with in everyday life – herbs, crystals, oils, words of power – can be applied to change our destinies and fulfill our life purpose.
She is the Queen, the Healer, and many of her messages have to do with such things as how to claim authority over particular situations, and spellcrafting for specific purposes. In Her role as Mother, Isis is the Nurturer and the Nourishing; much of Her mythology tells of Her caretaking, healing, and protecting children. As Christianity took over the ancient world and turned the temples of Isis into churches, images of the Goddess with Her son Horus in her lap became the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
December 14th New Moon Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius
What are you searching for?
The New Moon Solar Eclipse is creating the space for you to contemplate, discover, and plan your next adventure. Some of us may feel blocked or stagnant during this time; this feeling is illusionary and can only stop your progress if you allow it. The New Moon and Sun are working together now to give you some breathing room, to ensure the decisions you make for your future are exactly what you wish to be working on. So appreciate this space of power and peace, and take this time to ask yourself the right questions, to set up those planners and organizers, and to triple check the route you’ve mapped before you step onto your 2021 path.
Just as Isis searched for Osiris, this lunar cycle opens the way for you to seek out your heart’s desire, your magick, your sacredness. Perhaps you have to piece it together and sing it back to life, or maybe your former passions need to be laid to rest in order for something new to be born. Whether you are searching for inspiration, wisdom, or your great love, Isis can guide your search and point you in the right direction.
December 29th Full Moon in Cancer
The Full Moon in Cancer – especially coming at year’s end – reminds you to be optimistic. Embrace the activities and people who make you feel safe and hopeful this week. This year has been a doozy for everyone, and this lunar cycle helps us to release the weight of the past few months and breathe easier. It’s an emotional Full Moon, so be careful not to succumb to bitterness and depression, as that’s no way to begin a New Year. Forgive what needs to be forgiven, release what needs to be forgotten.
Remember light. Remember life, and laughter. Actively cultivate these things in order to meet this moon with all the kindness in your heart, so that your vibration will attract more love, more abundance, more joy into your life.
Isis has many forms, expressions, and dimensions; She is multi-faceted and is known by a variety of names, each representing a separate part of Her energy. By whatever moniker you call Her, for whatever reason, She will arrive in charmed splendor. Her presence is often felt strongly in winter months, as this time of cold and darkness is when we need Her warmth and light. Use this week to surround yourself in the light of Isis via candlework, and trying communing with Her via scrying and dreaming rituals. Find what you need in the shine of Her smile.
Correspondences
Energy: magick, fertility, abundance, mothering, mystery, cosmic knowledge, authority, intuition, divination, healing, protection, nurturing, nourishment, transcendental wisdom, high magicks, oracles, prophecy,
Colors: black, blue, red, gold
Totems: scarab, scorpions, snake, crane, crocodiles
Crystals: obsidian, lapis lazuli, clear quartz, carnelian
Fragrances: lotus, vetiver, frankincense, myrrh, musk, rose, jasmine, milk and honey
Resources:
ISIS AUSET Guiding Goddess Oil (limit quantities, available only during December 2020)
Isis, Osiris, and Horus Statue
The Egyptian Book of the Dead, translated by Normandi Ellis
Isis Magick by M. Isidora Forrest (highly recommended)
The Isis Oracle Deck by Alana Fairchild
Isis: Eternal Goddess of Egypt and Rome by Lesley Jackson
Isiopolis – a devotional Isis blog by M. Isidora Forrest