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Writer's pictureDina Bhadra Legari

Goddess of the Month: Isis

Updated: Mar 31, 2023




The Great Lady; Queen of Earth; Light Giver of Heaven; Mistress of Magic; Queen of the Throne; Redemptress; Star of the Sea; The One Who Is All; Mother of Gods


Isis is probably one of the most venerated goddesses. She is so multifaceted that the Greeks identified her with Aphrodite, Artemis, Demeter, and Persephone. She is considered the most compassionate of deities because she has lived the life of an oppressed woman, and she is the most powerful because as the Mistress of Magic, she knows all and can do all.


Isis can resurrect the dead and bestow the gift of fertility. She can heal the ailing and protect travelers at sea. There is no miracle Isis cannot perform.


As Isis is known as a cow goddess, her devotees typically refrain from consuming beef. Although Isis is mainly identified with ancient Egypt, the Romans carried her veneration throughout Europe. Many believe that Isis assumed the mask of Mary, Mother of Christ, as the earliest Christian statues of Mary were refurbished and renamed statues of Isis. And Many of Isis’ titles were bestowed on Mary, such as Stella Maris and Mother of God.


Isis favors basically everyone, but especially women, single mothers, orphans, occultists, and mariners.


She is an incredible magician and can take any form she chooses. She may manifest as a cow, swallow, or appear as a beautiful queen or a pregnant woman. Isis is frequently accompanied by an entourage of spirits. She is a friendly and gregarious spirit and is happy to share her altar.


Her colors are black and blue, her element is water, and her crystal and metal are bloodstone and gold.


Isis’ sacred creatures are snakes, cows, crocodiles, scorpions, kites, and swallows. Her planet is the moon, and her constellation is Virgo.


There is a theory that the name Paris derives from Par-Isis, meaning the barque or grove of Isis. In Roman times, Isis has a temple at the western part of the city, near the marshes of the Left Bank of the Seine. The churches of Saint Suplice and Saint Germain-des-Pres are built over sites once dedicated to Isis.


The festival of Isidis Navigium – Vessel of Isis – is celebrated on March 5. This festival commemorates her journey to Phoenicia in search of her beloved spouse Osiris, it also celebrates Isis in her guise as the goddess guardian of mariners, sailors, and all who travel by sea. Back in the day, the festival featured elaborate public processions, much like modern-day, Carnival or Mardi Gras celebrations. A model ship was carried from the Temple of Isis to the river or sea and then returned to her shrine.


If you wish to create an altar or venerate Isis here are her favorite offerings:

  • Milk

  • Honey

  • Flowers

  • Incense

  • Candles


 

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