KEYWORDS: Deep understanding, gateway to soul.
Lady of the Moon, Healing of the Soul
Isis — Isis, veil lifter — shape shifter
Goddess of 1,000 names,
wisdom that survived the flames,
lift the veil for us once more
that we may enter your sacred door
to heal our souls from deep inside,
no secrets left for us to hide…
From the womb to the tomb
we adore you, Mother Moon
For the High Priestess, I chose the Egyptian Goddess Isis (or Au Set as she was called before the Greeks altered her name), in her dark or veiled aspect. She represents the gateway to the soul. Isis is the initiator to the hidden or “dark” mysteries of the moon. Her secrets involve those mysteries pertaining to nothing less than the continual cycles of life, death and rebirth, as exemplified by her three changing phases. Rush in Moon, Moon says, “The Veil of Isis is the flesh or human form, which must be lifted to find spirit; it is the door of every mystery.”
Those capable of enduring the initiation of the Moon Goddess become her children and are awarded the Rose of Isis. In this ritual, she is portrayed as the holy bird, with dark, vivid blue feathery wings.
In The Wise Woman Tarot card, Isis is shown serpent-entwined sceptre in hand. The bird-head appears above her lunar headdress. Her feathery arms extended, she draws down the moon. This is one of her sacred duties, re-enacted in ceremonies which include the drawing and pouring of water. She is standing in her shrine, straddling the grotto where her waters trickle freely into a pool reflecting her ruler, the moon. Also floating in the pool is a small stone boat carved like a crescent moon, with a likeness of the Goddess riding in it. These stone boats are typical of those found in all the temples to Isis.
In Egypt she was known as Au Set, meaning “exceeding queen,” or simply “spirit”. The Greeks called her Isis and she assumed the roles of many lesser deities to become the Goddess of Ten Thousand Names.
Being a priestess of Isis not only in the present, but also past and future, I have many memories regarding various initiations that were guided by Isis/Au Set and her followers. My memories are so intense that I was driven to write a whole book about one past life I had as a priestess in the Temple of the Bells in Egypt. Many rituals we did there had to do with the cycles of life, death and rebirth. Birth and death experiences were often simulated through these rites.
I include here some excerpts from my unpublished book Temple of Isis: A Past Life Memory, to give you a flavor of the world of Isis and show you how she lifts the veil to the mysteries.
“I wasn’t sure if I was awake or asleep as a dim golden light led me onward and inward. A gentle rocking movement made me aware that I was on a small moon-shaped boat. Two women shrouded entirely in dark robes pulled this lunar ship silently over black waters lit only by the moon playing hide and seek with dark billowing clouds. It was eerily peaceful and almost too quiet. (See the Initiation card for this visual image.) My mind began to race!
“‘Nefra,’ a soft voice came from one of the cloaked women. ‘Now you must swim to find your treasure.’ I was terrified. Swim in this blackness? ‘No, no,’ I screamed, waking myself from a deep sleep.
“The Ancient One came in to my room early that morning with a sly grin across her wrinkled face. ‘Sweet dreams, Nefra?’ she cackled. ‘No, not at all,’ I answered defiantly. ‘Well today, Nefra, you must be silent. I will stay with you but words must not escape your lips. If you can do this and enter your dream again …’ her voice trailed off. I was always amazed at how she knew what happened to me without my uttering a single word.”
“She helped me slip off my robe and covered my eyes with thick gauzy material. Next she led me down the steps into the cool water and proceeded to lead me around the pool in concentric circles till we had created a whirlpool. Then suddenly, she was gone. My blind hands searched for her but I was alone in the whirlpool. Inside my head I could hear the Ancient One’s voice. ‘Nefra, you must learn to see in the dark.’
“I was wondering how this would happen, when my mind became flooded with rapidly changing images. I willed my vision to slow down, to focus on each picture. The mast of a small ship came into view complete with my two shrouded dream friends. Not this again, I thought. I could feel the water all around me lapping hungrily at my sides. Somewhere inside me I knew that I was in a friendly pool, but fear and doubt were crashing in against my knowing. Panic tried to wrench my wisdom from me, pulling me into an abyss of paranoia. Monsters loomed everywhere. I lost all sense of time and space in this pool.
“After what seemed like many hours, I remembered a breathing technique I had learned from Sepi that helped me relax. I breathed deeply into my belly and felt the surge cycle up through my heart. After several breaths I felt my fear finally recede and be replaced by a warmth spreading through my body. As my terror left me, my visions returned and a perfect white rose appeared in my mind’s eye. I swear on Hathor’s Eye that I could even smell that rose.”
During the process of writing, I was constantly fascinated by how effortlessly the words came flying out of my pen. I learned much and did some profound inner healing as this lifetime revealed itself. I strongly encourage any of you who feel in touch with a particular past life to take pen in hand and open your mind and spirit for revelation.
The healing that I believe to be most profoundly reflected by Isis is the healing of the soul. She beckons you inward to truly become known to yourself. She lifts the veil and you must be brave enough to gaze at the mysteries of the universe as well as your own. We are entering a time when transpersonal awareness is crucial. We are inter-penetrating light beings with knowledge and soul-food for each other. When any of us raises our level of awareness the planet is uplifted. As we engage our personal work, we are indeed in service to the collective. We need not all stay in personal work at all times but periodically we must all come home and clean house.
The Moon is the planet in our astrological charts most closely associated with the soul. It also reflects our need for comfort and nurturance. The Moon in each of our charts can be a crucible for change, understanding and soul growth. Because the moon essentially wants to stay comfortable through her awakening process, we must approach her tenderly and with much love for ourselves and the hidden fears we may uncover.
To sum up my feelings about Isis, I quote from the final lines of the “Charge of the Goddess”–a most potent incantation among goddess worshippers:
“And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery; for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.”
Many find Isis to be an enigmatic figure, staring back blankly, like the Mona Lisa. When her card appears, she demands that we seek within ourselves for the answers and dig deeper. Then, and only then, does she lift the veil. Hers is a tradition that teaches us to find the Goddess within. That is how we truly make contact with her divine lunar energy and feel the illumination which comes from listening to our intuition.
