Isis is the major goddess in ancient Egyptian mythology, known for her role in the Osiris myth and her being the goddess of magic, life, compassion, fertility, motherhood, childbirth, rebirth, devotion, royalty, knowledge, abundance, healing, and the elements. She is also known for her eloquence and ability to help the dead enter the afterlife.
Appearance: depictions of Isis show her as a goddess and a human woman. As a goddess, she wears the vulture headdress. This resembled a bird lying on its stomach on top of Isis' head, with its head over her forehead and wings hanging down on each side of her head. Isis wears a jewelled collar and a floor-length gown. She holds a papyrus scepter and an ankh in her hands and is often portrayed with long wings. Sometimes Isis wears a crown instead of the headdress. One crown has horns surrounding a sun disc. Another crown has the horns of a ram, under the double crown, to associate Isis with Osiris. Some other depictions showing Isis as a human woman show her wearing plainer clothes but her headdress has an uraeus symbol.
Personality: Isis is often portrayed as a nurturing and loving mother, protector and healer. She is a symbol of comfort, wisdom and power, and is often seen as a role model for women as a divine mother that protects and cares for her children. As a goddess of magic and healing, Isis is seen as a guide to spiritual enlightenment and knowledge. As a protector and defender of the weak, Isis is also a figure of strength and courage. As a compassionate and caring goddess, Isis values the bonds of love and family and is depicted as a figure of comfort and hope.
Symbols: moon and solar disk, tyet,cow horns, wings, solar disk, ankh, and gold
Goddess of: magic, life, compassion, fertility, motherhood, childbirth, rebirth, devotion, royalty, knowledge, protection, abundance, healing, and the elements
Plants: sycamore, cedar, corn, flax, wheat, barley, grapes, lotus, vervain, myrrh tree, and papyrus
Crystals: rose quartz, Zambian emerald, tourmalinated quartz, cultured pearl, gypsum, white opal, freshwater pearl, cat’s eye emerald, melanite garnet, Tahitian pearl, Colombian emerald, Isis calcite, trapiche emerald, blue kunzite, amatrix, Biron emerald, banded opal, adularia, linarite, satin spar, anyolite, cuprite, African emerald, anhydrite, nacre, kasolite, jet, coral, descloizite, emerald, petalite, white agate, pearl, banded agate, chalcedony, feldspar, anatase, selenite, rhodochrosite, red jasper, lapis lazuli, carnelian, and labradorite
Animals: hawk, crocodile, scorpion, crab, cobra, goose, pig, swallow, dove, vulture, and snakes in general
Incense: rose, myrrh, cedar, and lotus
Practices: knowledge, beauty, protection, abundance, divination, childhood, love, healing, ancestor worship, necromancy, fertility, shadow work, transformation, and rebirth
Colours: yellow, silver, gold, black, red, cobalt blue, and green
Tarot: The High Priestess, The Empress, The Lovers, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Temperance, The Star, The Moon, The World, and Suit of Cups
Planet: Venus and the star Sirius
Days: Friday, Vernal Equinox, and Lychnapsia
Siblings: Osiris, Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder
Partner: Osiris, Min, Serapis, and Horus the Elder
Children: Horus, Min, Four Sons of Horus, and Bastet
Magic: Isis is associated with magic because her mythology details her innate magical powers, exemplified by her resurrection of Osiris and her ability to trick Ra to gain his secret name and, thus, ultimate power. She was considered the most powerful magician in ancient Egypt, capable of healing and protection, with her worship evolving to include magic as a spiritual path to the divine.
Cow horns: she is associated with cow horns as part of her headdress because she assimilated attributes of the earlier goddess Hathor, a cow goddess of fertility, motherhood, and the sky. The horns symbolize her connection to the divine feminine, cosmic power, and her role as a nurturing mother, similar to the cow's role in providing milk and care for its young.
Ankh: her role in resurrecting her husband, Osiris, mirrored the ankh's symbolism of eternal life. Gods and goddesses like Isis are often depicted holding or granting the ankh, signifying their power to sustain life and ensure passage to the afterlife.
Resurrection: in the Osiris myth, she resurrected her slain husband Osiris, piecing his body back together, and conceiving their son, Horus, through her magic. This act made her the first and most powerful deity of resurrection in ancient Egyptian religion, a role that led to the spread of her worship, especially among the Greek and Roman world.
Motherhood: she is depicted as a protective and nurturing mother who went to extreme lengths to ensure Horus' safety, becoming the divine symbol of maternal love, sacrifice, and devotion. Her association with motherhood was also tied to fertility and protection, making her a revered figure throughout the ancient world.
Isis is initially an obscure goddess who lacked her own dedicated temples, but she grew in importance as the dynastic age progressed, until she became one of the most important deities of ancient Egypt. Her cult subsequently spread throughout the Roman Empire, and Isis was worshipped from England to Afghanistan
As mourner, she was a principal deity in rites connected with the dead; as magical healer, she cured the sick and brought the deceased to life; and as mother, she was a role model for all women.
Her name has been debated to mean “throne” or “the seat.”
She is a psychopomp, leading the dead to the afterlife, which relates to her husband Osiris.
Isis had strong links with Egyptian kingship, and she was most often represented as a beautiful woman wearing a sheath dress and either the hieroglyphic sign of the throne or a solar disk and cow’s horns on her head. Occasionally she was represented as a scorpion, a bird, a sow, or a cow.
She frequently appears to mothers, widows, or people going through the process of welcoming a new loved one or letting another one go.
Seen as the ideal mother, the ideal wife, and all around ideal woman of the time, Isis gained popularity amongst high society and the common folk alike.
Invoking Isis can be as simple as working through grief or healing emotional wounds, or as complex as creating a devotional practice to her. You may wish to start by learning more about her evolution from a goddess of kings to a cosmic creatrix, and by reading the story of Isis and Osiris in particular.
If you like, you may also set up a home altar for her. Include an image or statue of her, an offering bowl, and holders for candles and incense.
You can decorate it however you like, with lapis lazuli stones, green, white, and blue candles, or even images of animals like cows, pigs, or kites. Choose imagery that resonates with you and reminds you of her energy. Keep the altar clean and dust-free and make regular offerings there.
Learning more about magic is another way to draw her to you. Explore magical traditions and philosophies of the past, devote some of your magical practices to her and ask for her guidance. You can also work with Isis through practical actions. Donate your time, money, or supplies to shelters or organizations that help children and mothers.
Dedicate some time to help clean up neglected gravesites. Do what you can to tend to the young and the dead, two groups that Isis is particularly connected to.
As a cosmic creator figure, Isis is particularly powerful. She’s also very benevolent. She restores the body and mind, healing both the physical self and the soul at once.
She provides food, water, guidance, and a clear demonstration of the immense power of love and grief. Isis’ magic is not to be ignore—if she calls to you, answer her.
Praise to you, Isis, the Great One,
The mother of Horus, Lady of Heaven,
Mistress and Queen of the gods.
You are the First Royal Spouse of Osiris,
The supreme overseer of the Golden Ones in the temples,
The Eldest son, first born of Geb.
Praise to you, Isis, the Great One,
The mother of Horus, Lady of Heaven,
Mistress and Queen of the gods.
You are the First Royal Spouse of Osiris,
The Bull, the Lion who overthrows all his enemies,
The Lord and ruler of eternity.
Praise to you, Isis, the Great One,
The mother of Horus, Lady of Heaven,
Mistress and Queen of the gods.
You are the First Elect One of Osiris,
The perfect youth who performs slaughter among the disaffected
of the Two Lands.
Praise to you, Isis, the Great One,
The mother of Horus, Lady of Heaven,
Mistress and Queen of the gods.
You are the First Royal Spouse of Osiris,
One who protects her brother and watches over the weary-of-heart.
Praise to you, Isis, the Great One,
God’s mother, Lady of Heaven,
Mistress and Queen of the gods.
You are the First Royal Spouse of Osiris,
The Eternal One rejuvenating himself, who raised up Eternity:
You are with him in the Temple (of Philae).
Praise to you, Isis, the Great One,
God’s mother, Lady of Heaven,
Mistress and Queen of the gods.
SIGNS THAT ISIS IS CALLING YOU:
She appears to you in dreams or visions, she most often shows up as a beautiful adult woman. She’s likely to appear with a vulture—or cobra-shaped crown, tyet amulet, or other symbol connected to her.
Seeing her name everywhere (TV, books, stores, etc).
Isis also appears to people who are curious about or just embarking on a path of magical study. If you feel drawn to learn magic, it may be a subtle sign from her.
Sudden obsession over knitting and crocheting.
Finding hawk, geese, swallow, dove, or vulture feathers.
Flowers (especially roses).
Incense: rose, myrrh, cedar, and lotus.
Yellow, silver, gold, black, red, cobalt blue, or green candles.
Food and drinks: milk, honey, wine, lemonade, tropical fruits (juice or whole), herbal tea, bread, seafood, beer, herbs (anise, flax, wheat, nutmeg), sweet food, barely, and corn.
Hawk, goose, swallow, dove, or vulture feathers.
Images or drawings of hawks, crocodiles, scorpions, crabs, cobras, geese, pigs, swallows, doves, or vultures.
Crystals: emerald, pearl, jet, coral, selenite, rhodochrosite, red jasper, lapis lazuli, carnelian, rose quartz, labradorite, etc.
Baking or brewing beer in her honour.
Practicing or learning about divination or magic.
Donating to charities involving healing or protecting those in need.
Creating or reciting poems, hymns, songs, or prayers to Isis.
Donating to charities involving healing or protecting those in need.
Honouring her husband and children.
Practicing or learning about healing.
Honouring your ancestors.
Protect those you hold dearest.
