I Work With: Isis

Isis is the Greek name for Auset, an Ancient Egyptian spirit of sovereignty and magic. Like Hera, her worship is believed to predate the worship of her contemporaries. Her roots may stretch back to a predynastic avian spirit archaeologists dub the Bird of Prey Goddess. Isis, in the historical meantime, has been called many things--Great of Magic, Power of the Throne, Queen of Heaven, Savior of the human race. This last one is most interesting to me, because it makes Isis accessible to common people.




Isis is worshipped as a goddess, as a divine being, but she was also depicted ruling Egypt as the first queen. As Osiris is away on his travels, Isis is depicted introducing weaving and spinning into our world. When her husband dies--physically dies --she grieves for him. Clearly the word "god, " had some less abstract conotations than it does today. As Osiris is the first person to die, he becomes the king of the dead, of the Underworld. While Isis and Osiris are envisioned as living, breathing people, they are also something more, as the two were born from the personifications of the earth and sky. In my mind, Isis is a precursor to human kind, a kind of ancestor.

Another of her appealing aspects to me is her capacity as a magician. Isis is a talented sorceress. She uses her magic again and again during Egyptian myth. In order to revive Osiris, on a temporary basis, she collects pieces of his body from all over the world. He is painted green in Egyptian art, representing his association with vegetation. During this time she conceives Horus. Her magic is also used to wrest the secret name of Re, the sun spirit, giving the sorceress and her son the highest power in the Egyptian pantheon. Isis then, is the most powerful being in the Egyptian universe, having authority over Re, Osiris and Horus. She is often referred to as the "Mistress of Magic."


Isis was historically worshiped by slaves and the lower class by the time her influence spread to Rome. Not only was her status a threat to conservative Roman religion, it also presented a problem to budding Christianity. The worship of Isis in all its sincere devotion could not be erased completely, so her iconography was transferred to the Virgin Mary, another exceedingly human divine figure.

It is interesting to note that the Romans and the Hellenes displayed her in black, considering her worship in Italy. My teacher, Marie Antonia, has told me that black is predominantly worn by streghe because as Italians, we're always mourning. Isis, after all, is mourning her slain husband.


Isis, in my mind, is the perfect witch's deity.
She was a living, breathing person who helped herself become more divine, who in the end reached Gnosis. My Isis altar depicts her in her Roman form, simply because this representation speaks loudest to me. Truth be told, I am still crafting a relationship with her, as she only recently announced her presence to me, during a period of emotional upheaval. If anyone works with Isis in a traditional framework, void of Neo Pagan paradigms, I'd be happy to hear from you! I'm particularly interested in speaking to folk magicians who work with Isis. Thank you for your time.