Goddess Bastet – Her history, curiosities and relationship with cats

THE Goddess Bast she is the protector of the home, domestic life, fertility, childbirth, feminine secrets and cats.

She drives away all diseases and evil spirits from women and children. She learn more about the Egyptian goddess Bastet.

History of Bast

The Goddess Bastet is the daughter of the Sun God Ra and is closely linked to the concept of the Eye of Ra (the all-seeing eye) and the Distant Goddess (an entity that left Ra and returned to transform the world).

For these reasons, Bastet was considered a solar deity, exerting power over solar eclipses. Later, when the Greeks arrived in Egypt, they began to associate her with Artemis. Thus, Bastet went from being a solar deity to becoming the Goddess of the Moon.

Revered by men and women of Egypt’s 2nd dynasty (between 2890 BC to 2670 BC), Bastet was represented by the figure of a woman with a lioness’s head.

However, as they began to associate his image with a more aggressive deity, the Egyptians began to soften his representation by using a cat’s head.

Thus, she presented herself more as a companion and helper of daily life, and no longer a savage avenger.

In the representations of the Egyptian goddess Bastet we also find a sacred musical instrument in one of her hands, the sistrum, which would be a way of representing her love for music and dance.

She can also be seen in images carrying an Ankh, which is the cross of life of the ancient Egyptians.

In some places, she still appears with a large earring in her ear, a necklace and a basket where she puts her young.

cat worship

In Egypt, cats were believed to be the reincarnation of the goddess Bastet. Therefore, they were treated in the best possible way, being dressed in gold jewelry and allowed to eat from their owners’ plates.

Harming any cat was considered an unpardonable sin against the goddess herself and a bad omen.

When the cats died, they were mummified and buried in places reserved for them.

In the city of Bubastis, in the eastern region of the Nile Delta, there were many temples that worship this goddess, which ended up enriching the city, as it became a place of pilgrimage.

Many people went to Bubastis to pay their consecrations to the goddess Bastet and bury the bodies of their dead cats in the city.

In fact, the name of the city itself, Bubastis, was given in honor of the goddess. Ancient Egyptians had this custom of naming cities after gods.

5 interesting facts about the Goddess Bastet

1. The Egyptian goddess Bastet is believed to have two children: Maahes, the lion-headed god of war, and Khonsu, the god of the moon and youth;
2. Every year a festival in honor of Bastet was held in the city of Bubastis. This festival received more than 700,000 men and women, excluding children. Pilgrims came to the city by ship from all parts of Egypt;
3. The period when the goddess was worshiped coincides with the time when the wine had its highest consumption. It was said that the euphoria of drunkenness pleased Bast. She was also considered the goddess of joy, music, dance and love;
4. When the Greeks arrived in Egypt and began to associate Bastet with Artemis, they also began to consider Horus, the god of war and the sky, as Bastet’s brother, since Artemis had a brother, Apollo;
5. Researchers have not reached agreement on the origin and meaning of the name Bastet. Some believe that Bastet means “the desolate”others already claim to be “the one with the ointment bottle”since the word “ointment” and “bastet” have the same hieroglyph.
6. In some representations, Bastet appears fighting a serpent named Apep, who would be an enemy of Ra, his father.

Altar to the goddess Bastet

If you feel a strong attraction to Bastet’s power and history, you can set up an altar in your home in honor of this goddess, asking for protection for your home.

On a piece of furniture, place the image of the goddess Bast surrounded by pictures of her family and her cats. If you have other pets, you can also post pictures of them.

To honor her, you can light a green or white candle. You can also buy the goddess’s censer and light an incense for protection, such as myrrh, 7 herbs or citronella.

Ask the goddess to cover you with her motherly love. Like every feline mother, her ferocity comes to the fore when one of her children is threatened.