Bastet

[Zephonith Serpent Woman]

Bast, the Cat Goddess

Bastet is also called The Soul of Isis,

and in the ancient of days, a city was named in the Goddess' honour. Worshippers from far and wide would come to worship the Goddess Bast in her city, Bubastis.

Cats were at one time, the guardians of the Temple, and were venerated as aspects of the divine. It is believed that a cat has magickal energy stored in it's tail, and have always been associated with the supernatural and naturally, with Witches in later times. The worship of the Goddess as the Cat extends into the deepest mists of antiquity. 

and this worship was nowhere more pronounced than in ancient Egypt.

"For thirty centuries, from her sacred seat

The cat looked down, and crouching at her feet

Beheld the race of conquering Pharaohs kneel."

Cats are believed to capture the rays of the sun in their eyes, and retain it within until sunrise. The sacred cats of the Goddess were tended to by the priests of the Temple, and they were consulted at the twitch of a whisker or movement of the tail to obtain a prophecy of events still to come.

Cats have been known to be familiars of Witches and enjoy a special relationship with those who love them as the divine creatures they are.

Many divinities are associated with felids of all kinds. In ancient Egypt, cats were selectively bred and thus, all of the wonderful breed varieties on show and cuddled up in the laps of their pet humans today probably have a great-great ancestor who would gracefully able along through the vast corridors of the Temples at Philae and Bubastis.

Bast , according to The Egyptian Book of the Dead,

“Was the personification of the gentle and fructifying heat of the sun,as opposed to that personified by Sekhet..The cat was sacred to Bast, and the goddess is usually depicted cat-headed.The most famous seat of her worship was the city of Bubastis, the modern Tell Basta, in the Delta.”

Bast is the mother of the god Nfer-Tmu, who manifests as a lion-headed Deity crowned with the Lotus. Nefer-Tmu is identified with the Sun on the horizon, and had a brother, Khon-Su, who could magickally impregnate women via moon-beams.

In the pyramid of Unas, the king who became a god by consuming all of the knowledge of the gods; it is written :”Xaa em Nefer-Tmu em sessen er sert Ra” ; meaning, “Rise like Nefer-Tmu from the Lotus lily to the nostrils of Ra”

Bastet  was worshipped in great processions, in a similar fashion as the festival processions of Isis and Hathor, whom some identify as being possibly Bast’s alter-ego. Sekhmet is the sister of Bastet, and represents the destructive power of the Sun.

Often, Sekhmet was portrayed as a golden Ureaus Cobra, spitting rays of concentrated fire onto the heads of the enemies of the Neteru from a far distance.

Sekhmet is the sister of the ancient Goddess Wadjet, the wife of Hapi, the androgynous fertility God of the river Nile.

Wadjet is a Cobra Goddess and the sacred beasts of Wadjet are the mongoose and the sacred Cobra, as well as the lion.

When Sekhmet went on the rampage in the defence of the order of the universe and devoured the enemies of the Goddesses and Gods, She was as unstoppable as Kali in this state until according to myth, the other Neteri decided to mix beer in with the blood of their fiendish enemies and the goddess became too distracted to continue after a while.

Actually these tales of bloodthirsty goddesses as it were, are all to be interpreted in a higher meaning, as order was returned to the natural universe after the destructive/defensive aspects of the Great Universal Mother of many Names had regained equilibrium and balance. When negative patterns of behaviour threaten to burst out of control in a highly stressful situation, then Sekhmet and Bastet can certainly help to destroy those 'inner foes' of the Goddess and god within. Cat's eyes are very sharp, and discerning. Discernment is a great ability to cultivate.. 

The eyes of a cat seem to rise and widen with the waxing of the Moon, and due to their nocturnal habits, cats have always seemed affiliated to the Moon. The associations between Witches and cats are so strong that in the middle ages, Pope Innocent(sic)the eighth issued his infamous decree identifying evil witchcraft with cats and their owners. This started the medieval witch-craze, during which shameful times there were official days set aside where cats and suspected witches would be burnt alive publicly. Needless to say, every Witch Goddess was thought to be a cat, especially a black cat. In ancient Egypt, male cats represented the Sun and female cats, the moon. Cats are very fertile and amorous in nature, and so, again due to a basic and fundamental misunderstanding of the various meanings and applications of the term Fertility on all levels of being and being very afraid of anything remotely sexual in orientation, the Inquisitors and judges of the witch courts made Witches and our cats out to be something to do with their Devil.The spiritual devotees or children of Bast were called "Little Kittens", or Children of Bastet; which name was chosen by the patriarchs in a derogatory sense to mean the "bastard" child who has no father, or was born out of Christian wedlock (all Pagans). 

Naturally, following this ill-advised episode of religious madness, the rodent population exploded out of control and as a result, most of Europe was laid to waste with the bubonic plague. Just goes to show!

If anyone tells me that their cat comes when called, as a dog will, I have serious doubts as to whether that’s actually true or not.

Cats are the most independent, autonomous creatures, obeying no master; and so they appeal greatly to similar minded women.

 “Praise names of Bastet include Mistress of the Oracle, and Great Conjuress of the Casket.”

“Bastet has dominion over sex, fertility, marriage, magic, music, childbirth, prosperity, joy, dance and healing – in short, the pleasures of life.”

“Bastet’s annual festival in Bubastis was Egypt’s most popular festival.An ancestor of today’s Mardi Gras, the festival was remnowned for it’s parties, revelry and drunkenness.

Herodotus, the Greek traveler and historian, writing in the 5^th century BCE, claimed that more wine was consumed in Egypt during this time than during the entire remainder of the year.

Although many details have been lost, Bastet’s festival celebrated female sexuality and generative power.

As the barge approached towns and settlements on it’s way to the festival, it would halt and the mainly female celebrants on board would loudly hail the local women congregating on the riverbanks.

They would shout sexual obscenities to each other, dance wildly, and perform ana - suromai,

The ritual act of lifting up the skirts and exposing the vulva, associated with laughter, healing, and defiance of grief.”

 

~Judika Illes ; “The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft- The  complete A-Z  for the entire magical world” Hammersmith, London. Harper Element Publishers. ISBN-13 978-0-00-719293-9

It's been mentioned before, that cats were always worshipped by human beings; and they still haven't forgotten this ~ at all! : ))

[003rmwojjqvb5]

The beautiful Caracal - also revered as sacred by the ancient Egyptians. I love this photo, Zeph. Thanks for posting it.

Sending purrs & love,

=^..^= Meribast

[Barrie Briggs]

Very nice article.  I also have a cat who usually comes when called but of course I give him a treat to encourage him.  

[Zephonith Serpent Woman]

Hello, cat people:)

Felids of all kinds are closely associated with the Goddess, and even appear as such...in ancient times, it was known that Deity can manifest as a literal cat or other sacred beast at will.

Bast is really the archetypal mother and is shown on occassion with kittens at her feet. 

The synergy between Bast and Sekhmet really describes the relationship between the caring, nurturing and motherly qualities of Bast and these are balanced with the fierce and protective energies of Sekhmet.

The Lions and Tigers which accompany Inanna, Lilith, Kali and Durga ~ to name a few Goddesses linked with the cat; are of both Lunar and Solar qualities respectively and generally speaking, represent the God. Shiva, also called Maha-Kala, often manifests as the Tiger ~ and just maybe, the Monks know this? That is the key to understanding animals and establishing a meaningful rapport with them - simply accept their divinity and venerate and love them as we do our own radiant inner egos.

It kind of explains why some people do their best to care for and defend animals from some people.

Thank you so much for your words, all ~

 

[0g47xjgxnx7ji]

This post really made me just want to share this instagram picture of my own kitties that I put cheesy/crazy space effects onto! :3 My Spirit Animals... <3 Great posts, Zephonith!

[Zephonith Serpent Woman]

Kitty LOVE!!!

Wonderful and excellent effects : )) Your'e welcome, sister<3

[0g47xjgxnx7ji]

O how puuurrrty! <3 Haha, and I must say, my kitties usually come when they're called, but then again we don't have the very typical "owner/pet" relationship. I like to think they feel (literally) worshiped enough to amuse us with what others would mistake as "obedience". :3 

[Carmen Elsa Irarragorri Wyland]

Great post!

[Zephonith Serpent Woman]

Mau!:))

BBC News - Temple to cat god found in Egypt

[Carmen Elsa Irarragorri Wyland]

 

Never under estimate the cat's ability to own us and keep us at their service, plus their real great intelligence, they get what they want!

[Carmen Elsa Irarragorri Wyland]

Even if they need to research a lot , but I think they came with all the knowledge required to make us their servants!

[Zephonith Serpent Woman]

It seems to just come naturally, doesn't it just ;)