Egyptian Pantheon: Isis

Isis, known in ancient Egyptian as Aset or Eset, is the Great Mother Goddess of Magic, Healing, and Divine Feminine Power. She embodies sovereignty, love, devotion, and transformation — the weaver of life and death, and the one who taught humankind the mysteries of the spirit.

Revered across Egypt, Nubia, and later the Greco-Roman world, Isis transcended pantheons and centuries to become a universal archetype of compassion, resilience, and sacred magic. She is the priestess, the mother, and the magician — her power both tender and unyielding.

Mythology & Lore

Isis is the daughter of Geb (Earth) and Nut (Sky), and sister-wife to Osiris, with whom she ruled the world during a golden age of peace and fertility. Her story is one of profound love and eternal devotion.

When Osiris was murdered by their brother Set, who dismembered his body and scattered the pieces across Egypt, Isis undertook a long and perilous journey to gather the fragments of her beloved, reassembling him through her grief, wisdom, and divine magic.

With the help of Anubis and her sister Nephthys, she resurrected Osiris long enough to conceive their son Horus, who would one day avenge his father and restore balance to the world. Through this act, Isis became the Mistress of Resurrection and Guardian of the Dead, her love conquering death itself.

In later eras, Isis’s cult spread throughout the Mediterranean, where she absorbed the titles and powers of many other goddesses — “She of Ten Thousand Names,” Queen of Heaven, and Mother of the World. Temples to her stood from Alexandria to London, her worship so enduring that it influenced depictions of the Virgin Mary centuries later.

Her Aspects & Roles

✦ Isis the Magician (Aset-Hekau)

Mistress of spells and divine knowledge, Isis is the most powerful sorceress of Egypt. She commands the true names of gods, working healing, resurrection, and protection through word and will.
Keywords: Magic, wisdom, hidden knowledge, divine speech, manifestation.

✦ Isis the Mother (Mut-Netjeret)

As mother of Horus, she symbolizes unconditional love, nurturing, and the eternal bond between parent and child. Her wings encircle the world in protection and comfort.
Keywords: Fertility, motherhood, compassion, guidance, protection.

✦ Isis the Mourner (Aset-Khentet-Amentet)

In her aspect of mourning, Isis grieves Osiris and all lost souls, guiding them into rebirth. Her tears flood the Nile, bringing fertility back to the land.
Keywords: Transformation, grief, resurrection, cycles of death and rebirth.

✦ Isis the Queen (Aset Nebet-Hetepet)

As the divine ruler beside Osiris, she embodies sacred sovereignty — the power of balance, wisdom, and righteous rule.
Keywords: Leadership, justice, balance, divine feminine authority.

Symbols & Colors

• Colors: Deep blue (sky, divine wisdom), gold (illumination, sacred royalty), white (purity, spirit), green (fertility, rebirth), black (mystery, the fertile Nile)

• Symbols: Throne (her hieroglyph), solar disk with cow horns, ankh (life), sistrum (ritual rattle), knot of Isis (tyet), wings outstretched

• Animals: Kite (a type of hawk), cow, cobra, cat, scarab

• Plants/Herbs: Lotus, papyrus, frankincense, myrrh, rose, cinnamon

• Sacred Associations: Healing, resurrection, motherhood, moon magic, love, sacred union, divine wisdom, initiation

Crystals & Stones

Crystals resonant with Isis’ magic, healing, and lunar energy:

• Lapis Lazuli – truth, intuition, priestess wisdom
  

• Turquoise – protection, communication, sacred healing
  

• Moonstone – feminine power, cycles, intuition
  

• Carnelian – vitality, resurrection, creative life force
  

• Rose Quartz – unconditional love, nurturing, compassion
  

• Selenite – purity, connection to the divine, angelic realms
  

• Azurite and Malachite - Azurite's deep blue represents the sky and heavenly wisdom, while malachite's green symbolizes the earth.
  

Rituals & Offerings

• Healing & Resurrection Ritual: Light a blue or gold candle, call upon Isis to restore energy, hope, or balance after loss or exhaustion.

• Water Blessing: Fill a bowl with fresh water and petals; ask Isis to bless it for purification or anointing.

• Offerings: Milk, honey, wine, bread, rose petals, myrrh, music, incense, or candles.

• Acts of Devotion: Care for the sick, nurture life, study ancient wisdom, or protect the vulnerable — each honors her.

• Sacred Union Work: Invoke Isis to harmonize relationships, or to balance the divine masculine and feminine within.

Metaphysical Work with Isis

• Healing & Restoration: She mends physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds through love and will.

• Magic & Manifestation: Teaches sacred ritual, word magic, and the balance of intention and integrity.

• Feminine Power: Awakens the divine feminine within — sovereignty through compassion and wisdom.

• Rebirth & Transformation: Guides souls through personal death and renewal cycles.

• Protection & Guidance: Her wings shelter those in grief, fear, or uncertainty.

• Sacred Knowledge: Opens intuition, channeling, and awareness of divine mysteries.

Invocation Example

"Isis Aset, Great Mother Divine,
Lady of Magic, hear this rhyme.
Wrap me in your wings of gold,
Restore my heart and make me whole."

Modern Worship & Practice

Isis continues to be revered by pagans, priestesses, and mystics around the world as a living archetype of empowerment, compassion, and sacred wisdom.

• Altars: Blue or gold cloth, candles, winged goddess imagery, sistrum, fresh water, flowers, or ankh symbols.

• Chants: “Aset neferet, sa ankh!” (Beautiful Isis, bring life!) or “Isis, Aset, Mother Divine — awaken the magic within.”

• Ritual Timing: Full moons, times of emotional renewal, or the Egyptian New Year (linked to the flooding of the Nile).

• Devotional Acts: Healing others, sharing wisdom, honoring ancestors, nurturing life in all forms.

To walk with Isis is to walk the path of sacred remembrance — of wholeness after loss, of wisdom born of love, and of divine strength hidden in gentleness. She is both Mother and Magician, Healer and Queen, and in her wings, all opposites find balance.