Isis Birthday Salon and Tea

Greetings Friends Old and New,

The Sixth Annual Isis Birthday Salon and Tea will be held this year at
the Goddess Temple of Orange County, on Saturday afternoon, July 22,
and men are warmly invited to attend. This light-hearted and fun salon and
tea is a fundraiser for the Temple and all proceeds will directly
benefit the Temple.

Many of you may or may not know, this Temple is the only one of it's kind in the United States, and we are extremely fortunate to have such a beautiful brick and mortar Temple of the Goddess so close to home. The only other temple of its kind is in Glastonbury, England. If you haven't already seen the temple, this
would be a wonderful opportunity.

I would like artists, musicians, poets, singers and volunteers of all kinds to step forward if they feel called in their heart to be of service to Goddess and her special Temple. We are keenly in need of persons who might lend some entertainment in the way of poetry, song, music, dance. We also need help with food service. This will be a self catered event, so if you are feeling like "Martha Stewart" please step up! We are currently collecting tea cups which will be donated to the temple to use for future events.

The planning meeting for this salon and tea will be in Lawndale on
Sunday, June 11 at 2PM. The Tea is Saturday afternoon, July 22.

Those who participate as volunteers can attend the Salon and Tea on a
complimentary basis. Otherwise the event is $20 and must be pre-paid
by July 15, checks payable to: IACRS, 2554 Lincoln Blvd, Box 678, Venice,
CA, 90291. Please don't hesitate to call me, Karen, at 310/450-6661,
or email me at karentate108@comcast.net if you have any questions or
concerns.

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Mesoamerican Resonance

Mesoamerican Resonance

By Michael A. Starsheen

Speaking of resonances between the Goddesses and their followers, I encountered a story among my recent readings that I just had to share with you. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the Egyptian Gods. I read a lot.
The particular book I was reading was Stolen Continents by Ronald Wright, which is a first-person account of the taking of the Americas from the perspectives of the natives. It covers the Aztecs, Mayas, Incas, Cherokees, and Iroquois, in three segments: Invasion, Resistance, and Rebirth. Needless to say, the experience for each of these tribal groups was substantially different and, hearing it in their own voices is transformative.
The Goddess story that jumped out at me happened to one of the Aztec indios during the period of Resistance, and involves an ancient statue of the Aztec earth Goddess Coatlicue, also known as Tonantzin. This statue depicts the Goddess as having two rattlesnakes facing one another forming Her head, (see below, figure 1) a necklace of hands and hearts around Her neck ending in a dependent skull, Her body is entwined with rattler’s rattles, and Her feet lizard’s faces. Needless to say, the Catholic clergy and invaders were horrified beyond hope, even though She was the wife of the benign God, Quetzalcoatl.
Her main shrine stood on the hill of Tepeyacac, at the end of the northern causeway leading out of Mexico City. The Catholic hierarchy destroyed Her shrine, but was unable to destroy Her statue. Despite their preaching against Her, hundreds came “from hundreds of leagues around to celebrate the feast days of this goddess.” (p. 151, Stolen Continents) In 1531, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, a baptized Aztec was haunting the ruin on this very spot, and received a visit from the Virgin Mary. (The date coincides with the second great plague to sweep through Mexico.) “The Virgin told Juan that She had cured his uncle of smallpox; She then caused a painting of Herself to appear miraculously on his cloak. Years later, the miracle was accepted by Church authorities all too eager to believe in it.” (P.152, Stolen Continents)
This vision before the statue of Tonantzin became known widely as the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patroness of Mexico. She is still called Tonantzin in Nahuatl by the descendants of the Aztecs who recognize her as Coatlicue behind her Catholic trappings. The early Spanish friars tried desperately to teach their flocks that the Virgin could not be the same as Tonantzin, but were unable to convince them of the truth they knew in their hearts.
So when you see all those candles on the grocery store shelf that display the Virgin of Guadalupe, picture Coatlicue in all her glory standing behind the sanitized Christian image, and remember that the Earth is stronger than the priests who try to take away Her power because they are afraid to let Her be free!
There is more information on the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Wikipedia, although it tends to downplay the more flavorful of Her Aztec predecessor’s trappings. Here is the URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe

Nephthys

Nephthys (Nebet-hes)
By Michael A. Starsheen

Nephthys is the dark twin sister of Isis, in much the same way that Set is the dark twin brother of Osiris; however, unlike Set, Nephthys never turns on Isis or acts out in ways that can be described as evil.

Both Isis and Nephthys are bird goddesses, and are often shown winged, especially when they stand behind Osiris in the Hall of Judgment, where they act as the "Double Ma'ati." They are also shown winged on the outer lid of the sarcophagus, protecting the pharaoh, and on the Ark of the Covenant, which was copied from those sarcophagi.

Nephthys is the Greek version of Her name, which is actually Nebet-hes. "Nebet" means "Lady", and "Hes" means "House" in a specific context, i.e., Nebet-hes is the Lady of the House where the Moon travels through the Night Sky, in the same sense that Het-Heru (Hathor) is the house where the Sun travels through the Day Sky.

You usually see Nebet-hes with her hieroglyphic name on her head, which is a rectangular house with a door enclosing a half-round "t" symbol, topped by an openside-up basket, or "neb" symbol.

Nebet-hes is always shown as a friend of the dead in the Pyramid texts, indeed, she performs for the dead soul the function she performed for the primeval Gods as "Neb-Khat," the Lady of the Body, in which she assembles the pieces and fashions the physical body. A side note: the physical body, or "khat", denotes "dead meat." It does not live until the "ka," or "enlivening force" infuses it. So even though Nephthys assembles the "khat," she cannot make it live. That requires other magics than hers. She must work with Isis, Thoth, and Anubis to resurrect "Osiris".

She was also known as the "Lady of Heaven," Mistress of the Gods," Sister of the God, eye of Ra," and "sister of the creative goddess who lives within Annu." She was not one of the ancient most Nome gods, but her centers were smaller towns: Senu, Hebet, Behbit, Per-mert, Re-nefert, Het-sekhem, Het-Khas, Ta-keheset, and Diospolites. She may also have had shrines associated with Set or with Isis.In the beginning of the Twins' time on the Earth, after Ra turned the rulership over to Osiris, Nephthys remained with Set as his wife, except when he was charging around into the desert hunting or on the Nile fishing, or otherwise "hanging out with the guys." Then she would spend her time with Isis, learning from her about healing and magic.

When Set trapped Osiris in the coffin and threw him into the Nile, Nephthys was horrified, and confronted her husband over his actions. He told her, shamelessly, that it was *their* turn to rule the Two Lands, and to make herself ready. She went from Set straight to Isis, who had been away when this attack had occurred, and told her of Set's trickery. Isis asked Nephthys to remain with Set to keep her informed of his movements, and began her long search for Osiris' body. Thus Nephthys made her choice apparent between good and evil, light and dark, and she remained Isis' companion forever afterward.

I had a vision a few years ago, when I was meditating on the relationship between Isis and Nephthys. I saw them balanced in the classic I Ching circle: Isis on the light half and Nephthys on the dark half, identical twins facing each other. But Isis, the light twin, held a piece of her dark twin at her heart, and Nephthys held a piece of Isis, her light twin, at her heart. There was no way to separate them because they flow into and out of each other.

Nephthys is "Neb-khat," while Isis has the Ren of Ra, and the ability to speak the "ka" into any "khat" Nephthys might form. Between the two of them, they can fashion a new body and enliven it, just as they do when they make a new penis for Osiris and make it live long enough for Isis to conceive Horus (more later). The two Ma'ati work together, and it is a mistake to talk about one of them in isolation. Even though Isis is far more famous, we should not forget her dark Twin!

The Conception of Anubis
There are two threads of thought concerning the fatherhood of Anubis. Some (later) texts maintain that his father was Set, but most texts agree that his father was Osiris. I agree with the latter for several reasons. First off, Osiris represents the fertile, black land along the Nile, and the grain that generates from it, which is why he is depicted with green skin. Set, on the other hand, is associated with the desert Red Land, of blowing sand, rock, and sterility, which is why he is depicted with red hair and black skin. So there's a good chance that Set was sterile from "birth," just by association.

Secondly, Set doesn't spend much time with Nephthys. She spends all her time with Isis and Osiris, in their court. Set spends his time hunting, fighting, drinking, and carousing. They simply don't overlap that often.Third, there are the several stories during the growth and revenge stories of Horus that allude to Set's infertility, if not impotence. So it is unlikely that he could have fathered Anubis, if he had been around to try.

So here is the story that seems most likely.
Nephthys comes to Isis weeping because she wants a son, desperately. She is ignored by Set, and lonely for company at court. Isis, after all, rules in her husband's stead, so she has something to do. Nephthys has nothing. Isis is moved by her sister's tears, and agrees to help. Osiris was due home from a long trip that night, so Isis dressed Nephthys in her finest gown, and put an ornament on her head that holds some of Isis' light. She dressed her sister's hair and face in the way that Isis usually appeared, and coached her on how to walk and talk with Osiris.

And when the two were alone together, Isis had given her sister an enchanted ointment to massage on Osiris' shoulders that would help him to yearn for her. Osiris and Nephthys spent the night is a glorious confusion and, at dawn, Isis replaced Nephthys in her husband's arms.

Nine months later, Isis and all the birthing goddesses gathered around to help Nephthys bear her Son. Everyone was sure it would be a boy—She was carrying high! Set had been unbearable among his friends concerning his obvious potency, and was carrying on buying rounds of barley beer for everyone while waiting for the boy to appear.

At last the cry came, and the baby made his appearance! But, lo! He wasn't at all what anyone expected. The little boy's body was well formed, and obviously male, but that *head!* Anyone could see that he had fallen under the curse of the jackal of the desert at some point, or *that his father had!* Nephthys named her boy, Anubis, and was completely delighted with him, as was Isis, even while everyone else was speculating about what Set had been up to.

Set, when he first saw the boy, disowned him at once, even though he was the only other animal-headed God that Nephthys would likely have lain with. His son would have been more like Ra, if you had asked his opinion, which no one did. Too many were busy saying, "Like father, like son." (Which, of course, is where the rumor got started that Set was Anubis' father.)

No one *ever* expected that Anubis was the son of Osiris! *Ever!*We will tell the tale of Anubis growing up and becoming the second most important God in the Duat, after Osiris, in a later post. He deserves his own story!

And no one *ever* accused Nephthys of adultery with her sister's husband, because the child looked utterly unlike either of them. Such was the Great Magic of Isis!

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