THERESA DINTINO RAISES interesting possibilities in "The Goddess and Alchemy." What would the West look like today if Isis had won out over Jehovah in the religious battle that raged as the Roman Empire crumbled?
What do you think?
Personally I find it hard to trust Goddesses dominated by gods, and unfortunately I think that's what the Egyptian Goddesses had come to by the time the Egyptians kept written records.
Addendum, 7/13/05: Thanks, Morgaine, for pointing out that Isis was not dominated by Osiris -- I am removing the picture that formerly accompanied this post -- of the gigantic male foot in the sandal. Here's my problem, though: I think it's critical that we worship a Goddess who mirrors the world we want. I think religion has the power to make or break us, and that we’re breaking because of god religions. First and foremost I think we need a Goddess who can't be pushed around by gods. Period. The Goddess must be in charge -- utterly.
So my question to you is this: Do you know of a place and time that gave Isis absolute power over the pantheon?
I think this was the case in predynastic Egypt. But what about the Roman Era? Did Her followers see Isis as the deity in charge? Or was She still powerless against certain male deities the way she was in Egyptian-pharaoh times? Or do we know? I'm still trying to find answers, here, but if you know, fill me in. Apuleius’s Isis in The Golden Ass seems impervious to the powers of the gods. On the other hand, I feel shut out -- Apuleius’s Isis has male not female priests. (As you can see, I want it all....)
Honey, don't fall for that patristic crap! Isis was the be all and end all, and She still IS! Osiris was merely her consort.She was the most popular Goddess in the ancient world, right up into the Roman Empire. That's why we call Her "Isis", the Greek translation of Her name, instead of the Egyptian name Au Set.
ReplyDeleteI have T-shirts that say "One Nation under Goddess" and "Goddess Bless America" that I wear proudly. Look who stands in the harbor in NYC - it's a Goddess, Lady Liberty. She's closer than anyone thinks.
"In the beginning, there was ISIS. Oldest of the Old, She was the Goddess from whom all becoming arose. She was the Great Lady - Mistress of the House of Life, Mistress of the two lands of Egypt, Mistress of the before and the after, Mistress of the Word and the Way. She was the Unique, and in all Her great and wonderful works, She was a wiser magician, and more excellent than any other god."
That's from memory, so it's not exact, but it predates Yahweh by 5000 years.
So let's make it "One Nation, under ISIS!" Wheee!
Oh man, I want a shirt with a picture of the Statue of Liberty on it that says "Goddess Bless America!"
ReplyDeleteOur Christian forefathers my ass!
I got mine from a Cafe Press shop for the Pagan Unity Campaign. I don't know if they're still available or not - it was ages ago.
ReplyDeleteI may have to eat my words, here! I have a stack of books a foot high (actually 9-7/8" for the purists among you), and I'm going through them one by one. I'll return later with my revised thinking on Isis and Osiris.
ReplyDeleteI found a Statue of Liberty Goddess Bless shirt at cafepress, yay!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cafepress.com/gbtheusa.779219