Working With Egyptian Dieties

Egyptian magick and culture has something of a special place in western occultism, and one of the most powerful and dominant features of the Egyptian deities is that most are anthropomorphic.

Obviously there are exceptions, the most obvious being deities such as Isis and Osiris, but even these have little known elements of lycanthropy in their backgrounds, waiting to be revealed. So how does one work with the different deities, and what energies do the differing animal-headed deities represent-

Beetle
Synonymous with the Sun and the Sun-God (Atum then Ra), the scarab (a translation of Khephri) beetle was thought to have been born from a ball of dung, without recourse to the sexual process. The scarab pushed the sun through the night in a ball of dung. Also depicted as a beetle headed man, Khephri was strongly associated with good luck and magickal power, being the creator - "He who becomes" (the other translation of Khephri). A good force to work with during difficult times ("the dark night of the soul") to change the direction of events, or when you seem to be having a run of bad luck.

Cat/Lioness
The cat and lioness were particularly sacred in ancient Egypt, and there is a strong degree of sharing of aspect between the most common Goddesses - Bast and Sekhmet. Bast was originally portrayed as a lioness-headed Goddess, and it was only around 1,000 BC that she became commonly depicted as cat-headed. Bast is the protective mother, sensual and strong, fertile and even orgiastic. To the Egyptians Felines represented sexuality and sensuality, and it is perhaps in these roles that these Goddesses can give us the most, embodying as they do the power of the unrestricted feminine. Sekhmet is more a purifying fire Goddess - feared by all demons, and on one occasion She had to be made drunk by the Gods to stop Her slaying humanity on a rampage after killing demons; Sekhmet also ruled plague and pestilence, and so could be appealed to for healing diseases. Bast also displays a warrior side of course, in some versions of the myth She slays the serpent Apep when it threatens Ra on his journey through the twelve hours of the night. Tefnut and Mut were also lioness- headed Goddesses - Tefnut being the Goddess of moisture, who was thought to protect sleepers through the night (hence the carvings of lions on beds), and Mut often being interchanged with Bast and Sekhmet (it is worth noting Mut also had a vulture form).

Crocodile
The crocodile-headed God Sebek, was a God of Water, associated with the Nile. He was also in some versions of the Osiris myth the final resting place of Osiris' phallus after it was thrown in the Nile. In this sense he could be seen as the necessary agent of change, an agent of the primal forces requiring change, as manifested by Osiris changing from being a fertility deity of the land to the ruler of the Underworld. Sebek represented the might of the Pharaoh, and in this we can perhaps see the continuation of the divine king as representative of the deities, in their more primal form. Sebek could be seen as the acceptance and integration of the shadow.

Jackal/Wolf
The jackal and wolf headed deities are a very common feature throughout Egyptian history, and are usually associated with the underworld and war. Early deities like the wolf-headed Sed and Khenti-Amenti became assimilated into deities with stronger cults (i.e. Anup, and in the case of Khenti-Amenti subsequently into Osiris as one of his titles). The jackal and wolf would be called to as guardians and openers of the ways (the translation of Wepwawet, another jackal-headed deity, twinned with Anup - the pair representing north and south Egypt), and the association with war can be seen in light of this, as the protector of the Pharaoh and peoples. Anup was also viewed very much as a deity of magick, and there is a very strong polarity and sharing of roles with Jahuti found throughout Egyptian texts (a good example being the sharing of the titles Hery Seshta - Master of Secrets, and Ur-Hekau - Mighty One of Magick, also shared with Isis, and misrepresented by Kenneth Grant as originating with Hekate).
Anubis is the best known of the jackal-headed deities, and is certainly one of the oldest archetypes in the Egyptian culture - there are cave carvings from c. 30,000 BC of fertility scenes showing a copulating couple, with the man wearing a jackal head and tail, as well as much later images of priests wearing large and cumbersome looking masks, with their eyes being barely visible just below the snout. This is possibly the most frequently represented, and certainly the oldest recorded use of masks in Egyptian magick and culture. Sirius, the dog-star, was sacred to Anubis and Isis (being a binary star this is not surprising), and Anubis (symbolised by the invisible Sirius B circling Sirius A) was often portrayed as protector of Isis, being one of the deities who accompanied Her on the quest for the parts of Osiris (along with Jahuti and Horus the Elder). In the Jumilhac Papyrus, a very interesting version of this myth is given, for when Set comes to steal the body Isis has so painfully gathered together and reconstituted with Anubis and Jahuti's help, Isis assumes Anup's form, and bites Set, driving him away (Isis also turns into a kite on occasion to perform magick, and copulate with the corpse of Osiris - another shapechange showing anthropomorphic roots). Combining this with the suggestion being made by some Egyptologists now that Osiris was originally a wolf- headed deity, who changed to being seen as human in form, and we have a clear pointer to animal aspects behind the human form of these deities.

Cow
The cow is a major influence in Egyptian theology. The most well known cow goddess is Hathor, but Nuit like Hathor was depicted as the cosmic cow, and Hesat (whose name means milk) the mother of Anup in early papyri, was also a cow goddess. Hathor is a goddess of many aspects. She is often considered to be conjoined with Sekhmet as two aspects of the same. She is a protectress in the underworld, a goddess of love, music and dance, and cosmic mother. She is also depicted as the seven Hathors in the underworld, the mistresses of fate. She is also a goddess of healing, it was Hathor who restored Horus' sight to him after he lost his eyes. As can be seen, Hathor can be worked with for many things, for she is both bountiful and benevolent (unless treated with disrespect).

Frog
The goddess Hekat was like Tauret a protector of women in childbirth (which is not surprising considering the higher level of deaths in childbirth then and hence the importance of enlisting the help of the goddess) and also a protector of the home. It has been suggested that Hekate was derived from Hekat, though I feel this is unlikely, given the considerable difference in the significance and natures of the deities.

Falcon/Hawk
The falcon/hawk is a symbol of power, light and royalty. Both Horus and Ra, the ruler gods, were hawk-headed. Khonsu, the moon god, was also hawk headed. Khonsu was a deity of healing and also exorcism. The eyes of Horus were the sun and moon. As a bird of prey, it is not surprising that Horus was Lord of the Sky. Hawk deities aid clarity of vision of purpose, giving the insight and power to overcome obstacles.

Hippopotamus
The goddess Tauret was a hippopotamus deity, and this animal is also sacred to Set. Interestingly, like Set, Tauret is often depicted as a composite deity - with the head of a hippopotamus, arms and legs of a lion, tail of a crocodile and breasts of a woman (Plutarch suggests Tauret was a consort of Set). She protects women in childbirth, detering any malevolent influences by her ferocious appearance and power. She also has a cosmic aspect as a deity of the sky, sharing this role with the cow goddesses. A good deity to work with for empowerment (for women) and removal of preconceptions.

Ibis
Sacred to Jahuti (Thoth), the ibis was revered in Egypt. Jahuti is a deity of power and mystery. He has a strong lunar nature, and is concerned with knowledge, speech, magick, healing and much more. In some versions of the Egyptian myths it was Jahuti who created the egg which gave birth to the universe. A staunch advocate of truth, Jahuti checked the balance in the underworld to announce the virtue (or otherwise) of the souls. Jahuti is often considered the patron of magick, hence the (dubious) suggestion of the tarot as originating in Egypt (the Book of Thoth), and also of healing, the caduceus having become the symbol of the medical profession. Jahuti aids all who seek truth, wisdom and knowledge.

Ram
Strongly associated with creator gods, both Khnum (the potter god) and Amun/Ra have ram-headed forms. The ram was seen as a strong force, creative (as shown by the large phallus of Khnum) and powerful, a bringer of fertility. The distinguishing feature between depictions of the deities is that Khnum was always depicted with wavy horns, whereas Amun was shown with curving horns. These gods are energisers, good for empowerment and creativity, and also male potency.

The Set Creature
Resembling an anteater with a truncated snout, the exact nature of this creature is still hotly debated amongst Egyptologists. What we can say is that Set has repeatedly been mistakenly identified with "evil". Set is the dark principle balancing the light of Horus. Although they fight for sovereignty, it is Set who kills Apophis when all the other gods have been hypnotised, and also Set who holds the celestial ladder for Horus to ascend to the heavens. There has been suggestion that Set was originally a female deity, as all the names of Egyptian deities which end with "t" are for goddesses (the other exception being Wepwawet, who may also have been female anyway). Set represented the hot desert winds, and the amoral and harsh aspects of nature. As such it is not surprising that many attempts were made to placate Set, and one of the Pharaoh's names was always a name dedicated to Set. Set burns away dross, and could be seen as the fire of transmutation, showing us the pain of loss but also the beauty of growth and change. If his methods seem drastic, they are effective and rapid. Set has much to teach anyone with ears to listen.

This article printed with the permission of David Rankine - www.avalonia.co.uk.