There are many Eyes of Ra celebrated at this time of year: Aset, Nebet Het, Nit, Sekhmet, Mut, Sekhmet-Mut, Bast, Bast-Mut, Hethert and Tefnut just to name a few. An Eye of Ra is a title of many ancient Egyptian goddesses who protect the sun god, Ra with magic, weapons and flame. They are the solar goddesses whose journey reflects the shortening and lengthening of days of the seasons of the year. This is the time of Their return.
So light candles and lamps. Offer water, milk, beer or wine. Offer food and drink to the Goddess as She returns from Nubia.
Let there be light, laughter, reverence, love, strength and peace throughout this time of year. To all the F words: Faith, Family, Friendship, Forgiveness and Forever.
Have a blessed holiday. Blessings of the Goddesses to you all!
Festival Names: Procession of Aset, the Bright One, Mother of God a.k.a. Aset Luminous
Day: 4th Shomu, Day 2.
On my calendar this festival falls on July 2.
This festival commemorates Aset’s nightly search by torchlight for Her husband Wesir. Candles, lamps and torches were lit for the Goddess. Papyrus boats were launched in temple lakes. The boats had prayers written on them with a light source to guide the way.
Ritual for Today
This ritual is what we do for this festival in the House of Netjer.
On Aset’s shrine you could have: an image or statue of the Goddess, a source of light from candles, lamps, LED candles or electric candles and offerings.
You will need paper and a pen or pencil or marker (not red). You will also need a tealight and a lighter.
Write a letter, asking Aset for things you are thankful for. Then on the other side, write a letter to Aset asking for things you need. This paper later gets folded into the boat (start folding: thank you side up).
After the paper boats are made, fill a bowl, bathtub or sink with water. A tealight is placed in each boat and they are put in the water. The tealights are lit and the boats float on the water until the candles burn out. (Please keep fire safety in mind).
Thank You/Gratitude Letter Ideas
Family
Friends
Pets
House/Apartment/Condo
Food
Health
Job
Other Things She has helped you with
Ideas of Things You Need
Vaccine for Covid 19
Good Health
Prosperity
Love
Self-Love
Healing
Healing from Grief
Fortitude and Strength
Job
Remember to eat the offerings when you are done. And extinguish the candles.
About Aset
Aset is a goddess of sovereignty, kingship, magic of all kinds, life-power, personal power and authority, writing, words, gaining knowledge, honoring one’s ancestors, ancestral lineage and traditions, dreams, family relationships, self-love, alignment of the souls and healing. She is also a goddess of Heaven, starlight, the night sky and the star Sopdet (Sirius).
What will you do today for the Fiercely Bright One?
Light candles or lamps? Sing a hymn? Perform ritual before Her shrine? What will you offer to the Lady?
What will you do today for the Mother of God? The one who gave birth to Heru in the Marshes? The sole Mother who took care of Her son?
What will you do for Aset, the Fiercely Bright One? The One who leads the way in the darkness, dispelling shadows with Her light? The stellar and solar goddess of the dawn.
What will you do today? What will you accomplish? What will you profess?
What will you ask Me in your letter? What prayers and hopes will the boats carry on the water, with My light guiding the way?
What will you ask Me to dispel in your lives? What will you ask Me to cultivate?
What will you do for the Fiercely Bright One? What will you ask of the Brightest of Stars? What will you ask of the Solar Goddess?
I am the Mistress of Magic. I am the Goddess Who Knows Her Spells. What I speak comes to pass.
Do not worry, child. I will take care of you.
Who am I? Am I not the Goddess who knows Ra’s Name? Am I not the wisest and cleverest of Gods? Am I not the Goddess of all magic, all heka, all life-power, all kau?
So what will you ask Me on My festival day?
The words you speak and write have power. What I speak comes to pass. What you write is your heart’s desire.
For what you do, what you say and what you write will become.
Festival Names: Procession of Aset, the Bright One, Mother of God a.k.a. Aset Luminous
This festival commemorates Aset’s nightly search by torchlight for Her husband Wesir. In modern times, paper boats are made (with written petitions on them) and they are placed in water with a tealight on top.
Aset is a goddess of sovereignty, kingship, magic of all kinds, life-power, personal power and authority, writing, words, gaining knowledge, honoring one’s ancestors, ancestral lineage and traditions, dreams, family relationships, self-love, alignment of the souls and healing. She is also a goddess of Heaven, starlight, the night sky and the star Sopdet (Sirius).
What will you do today for the Fiercely Bright One?
Light candles or lamps? Sing a hymn? Perform ritual before Her shrine? What will you offer to the Lady?
What will you do today for the Mother of God? The one who gave birth to Heru in the Marshes? The sole Mother who took care of Her son?
What will you do for Aset, the Fiercely Bright One? The One who leads the way in the darkness, dispelling shadows with Her light? The stellar and solar goddess of the dawn.
What will you do today? What will you accomplish? What will you profess?
What will you ask Me in your letter? What prayers and hopes will the boats carry on the water, with My light guiding the way?
What will you ask Me to dispel in your lives? What will you ask Me to cultivate?
What will you do for the Fiercely Bright One? What will you ask of the Brightest of Stars? What will you ask of the Solar Goddess?
I am the Mistress of Magic. I am the Goddess Who Knows Her Spells. What I speak comes to pass.
Do not worry, child. I will take care of you.
Who am I? Am I not the Goddess who knows Ra’s Name? Am I not the wisest and cleverest of Gods? Am I not the Goddess of all magic, all heka, all life-power, all kau?
So what will you ask Me on My festival day?
The words you speak and write have power. What I speak comes to pass. What you write is your heart’s desire.
For what you do, what you say and what you write will become.
So, I had a small get together at my house to honor Aset (Isis), Wepwawet, and Yinepu (Anubis). My friend M. took these pictures and she gave me permission to post them here.
So, I’ve been thinking about festival cycles and how to come up with a good cutic practice for Aset.
Obviously there are Feasts, Festivals and Processions of Aset. But there are also cycles. Yearly cycles. I’ve been looking at the worship of the Virgin Mary recently and she has feasts year-round and a monthly feast on the 21st of each month in the Coptic Orthodox Church. And these feasts are all about her life (birth, temple, immaculate conception, Theotokos, her mourning of Jesus etc).
This got me thinking about the yearly cycle of Aset life I did here: Aset’s Yearly Cycle and how I could build something from it.
She has tons of holidays and some of them are more low-key celebrations like for Feasts of Aset you could offer Her a feast or for Processions they could be oracle or divination times (unless they are specifically for Wesir, maybe). But Her Mythic Cycle is the point. Her stories are the point. These are Her Mysteries.
I think the holidays that need to have a separate festival ritual done for them are only a few times a year. Looking at Her divine relationships and Her stories and Her cycles, I’d have to say Her High Holy Days could be:
Natural Cycles
1-New Year (Sopdet appears and inundation)
12 to 24-Festival of Roses/Rhodophoria
20-Procession of the Goddess of Heaven Goes South to the Road (Sopdet; half-way point)
Her Mythic Life Cycle
4 to 21-Aset, Mother of God Gives Birth to Heru-sa-Aset
8 to 16-Festival of the Marriage of Aset, with the Beautiful Throne (Isis Nepherses), the Great Goddess
9 to 26-Entering the Temple of Aset-Shentayet (not sure if this is redundant as the Mysteries are in the same month)
18-30-Mysteries of Wesir
26 of 3 Shomu to 15 of 4 Shomu-Festival of the Birth of Aset, with the Beautiful Throne (Isis Nepherses), the Great Goddess (and a ritual can be adapted to be used for the other Birth of Aset festivals throughout the year)
2-Aset Luminous: Procession of Aset, the Brilliant, Mother of God (searching for Wesir; bright goddess festival)
Extra Day 4-Birth of Aset
I’m not sure what to do with these either. They aren’t Her Myth cycle or natural phenomena, but Her stellar and solar aspects and light aspects are very important.
Bright Festivals
Her Various Birth Festivals Throughout the Year
5 to 6 of March-Navigation of Aset/Isidis Navigium
21-Sacred Festival of Aset of Pharos (Isis Pharia)
25 of April-Sacrifice to Aset of Pharos (Isis Pharia)/Sacrum Phariae
26 of 3 Shomu to 15 of 4 Shomu-Festival of the Birth of Aset, with the Beautiful Throne (Isis Nepherses), the Great Goddess
28-Appearance of Sopdet
30-Burning the Widow’s Flame
2-Aset Luminous: Procession of Aset, the Brilliant, Mother of God
Here is a link to the festival calendar if anyone wants to see it: Aset Holidays.
2 Peret/Mechir/January
1 to 30-Sacred Month to Aset
This month is sacred to Aset. Offer to Aset all month long! Light a candle for Her daily. Bring offerings to Her. Do ritual for Her. Research Her. Honor Her.
1 to 8-Feast of Aset
This feast was celebrated for Aset at the Temple of Philae. It says they spent 8 days feasting on the “dromos of Isis, wine, beer and flesh” from Khoiak 1 to Parmuthi 1. (1) Offer wine, beer and meat (not pork or fish; maybe not beef).
1-Navigation of Aset/Ploiphesia/Navigium Isidis
When the Romans moved the New Year from March 1st to January 1st, they moved this festival as well. (2) Here is my post about this festival: Navigation of Aset
2 of January-Festival of the Rejoicing of Aset’s Return
This festival had to do with Aset returning to Her temple from a procession. There is another festival on January 2 called Advent of Isis from Phoenicia from Plutarch’s work On Isis and Osiris. If memory serves, this festival involved Aset searching for Wesir.
3 of January-Vota Publica: Imperial Vows and Ships of Aset
This was a Roman festival to the Imperial family and the blessing of fleets. Isis was celebrated here as the King Maker, an Empress and as the goddess of the imperial fleet.
6-Feast of Aset, the Mourning Cow/Black Cow
I can only find this festival in Normandi Elli’s book Feasts of Light and it sounds like she got the festival from Herodotus, but I don’t know where she got the date from (4). Aset in the form of a Sacred Cow searches for Wesir. Honor Aset as the mourning Goddess today.
12 to 24-Festival of Roses/Rhodophoria
Here is my previous post about the Festival of Roses/Rhodophoria: Rhodophoria/Rosalia Festival. Offering roses (especially red ones) is a great way to honor the Goddess at this time. You can honor Her here as the goddess of flowers, with her husband Wesir or as the goddess of the dead (you could also honor your ancestors here too). On this 13 Day festival, She was traditionally offered red roses.
16-Awakening of Aset by the Majesty of Ra
Aset is brought outside at sunrise to greet Her Father Ra. Honor Aset today as the Mistress of Flame, Daughter of Ra and the Fiercely Bright One. Honor the Solar Goddess with candles and magic. Honor Her Father Ra as well with offerings of flame and water.
20-Procession of the Goddess of Heaven Goes South to the Road
This festival celebrates Aset’s half-way point as She travels throughout the Duat as Sopdet. Honor Aset today as the stellar Goddess Sopdet. Offer Her flame of candlelight or water of the heavens for this festival. Honor Her as the Star Goddess who is the Lady of Stars at Night and the Fiercely Bright One.
26-Aset Sees the Beautiful Face
This may be Aset Sees the Beautiful Face (of Wesir or Min). I don’t know much more about this festival besides that.
Sources:
(1) Griffith, F. Ll. Catalogue of the Demotic Graffiti of the Dodecaschoenus. Volume 1 Text. (Oxford University Press, 1937), 116.
(2) Donalson, Malcolm Drew. The Cult of Isis in the Roman Empire: Isis Invicta. (New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 2003), 73.
(4) Ellis, Normandi. Feasts of Light: Celebrations for the Seasons of Life based on the Egyptian Goddess Mysteries. (Quest Books, 1999), 64-65.
Check out my Aset Festivals page for a complete list of the books used for the festival calendar in general: Aset Festivals
3-Feast of Weret Hekau
11-Words Spoken by the Mistress of the Uraeus
13-Offering Sacrifice to Nebet Het and Wesir
Feast of Weret Hekau
Nebet Het has the epithet Weret Hekau (Great of Magic or Magician). Celebrate Her as a goddess of magic today.
Words Spoken by the Mistress of the Uraeus
The Uraeus is the coiled cobra goddess who is a symbol of a fiery goddess of protection and an Eye of Ra. Honor Nebet Het as an Eye of Ra. Offer candles to the Lady of Flame.
Offering Sacrifice to Nebet Het and Wesir
This festival is on the 13th of Boedromion (mid-September) which is why on the Egyptian calendar I put it on 2nd Akhet Day 13 (2nd Akhet is September in my calendar). During this festival, They were offered milk, water, honey (mixed with the water or could be mixed with the milk too), fruit and cockerel (today, we could offer other meats such as chicken or beef). You could also offer barely or wheat to purify the space within Greek religious practice or you could offer bread or pasta as an offering instead or in addition to that.
Here is the source: Alvar, Jaime. Romanising Oriental Gods: Myth, Salvation and Ethics in the Cults of Cybele, Isis and Mithras. (Brill Academic Pub, 2008), 313-314.
3-Feast of Weret Hekau
6-Feast of Aset and Festival of Aset, the Great, Lady of the Two Lands
6-Aset places the Amulet upon Herself for She is Pregnant with Heru-sa-Aset
15-Feast of Aset
20-23-Festival of Aset (Greek/Roman)
Here are some suggestions on how to honor Aset on these festivals. Please feel free to use them or discard them as you see fit. If you have any suggestions of your own, please add them in the comments.
3-Feast of Weret Hekau
This is a festival celebrating Aset as the Weret Hekau (Great of Magic or Magician). Honor Her today with magic, being mindful of your speech (for words are heka) and making offerings.
6-Feast of Aset and Festival of Aset, the Great, Lady of the Two Lands
Since this is a double whammy, you can cook a feast or a meal for the goddess. Offer Her your meals today for the Feast of Aset. Celebrate Aset as Lady of the Two Lands today. The “Two Lands” is another name for Egypt.
6-Aset places the Amulet upon Herself for She is Pregnant with Heru-sa-Aset
Aset is both a midwife and a mother. Offer to Her today as the goddess who will give birth to her son and who who protects Her unborn child. She also protects pregnant women. Donate time or money to doulas, hospitals or maternity wards. Give stuffed hippos (for Aset as Aset, the Hippopotamus) to pregnant women for protection and blessings of the Goddess.
15-Feast of Aset
Cook a meal or offer Her meals today.
20-23-Festival of Aset (Greek/Roman)
Herodotus mentions this festival as a cleansing festival where the temples and statues were washed and cleaned. Clean your shrines and/or homes today.
Today is the Festival of the Birth of Aset. Offer to Her today with food and drink and light candles for Her. Offer pastries or cakes. Bake Her a birthday cake.
Fiercely Bright One 