Aset (Isis) FAQ

Aset FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Aset

1) Who is Aset?

Aset (Greek: Isis) can also be spelled Auwsat or Auset.

Aset is the ancient Egyptian Goddess of sovereignty, magic and the transformation of the dead.

2) How did you get started honoring Aset?

I was introduced to Aset from George Hart’s book Egyptian Myths and a necklace I received from Egypt. I studied Aset (whom I knew as Isis then) as much as I could and considered myself an Isian Pagan for awhile. In my second year of college, I found an online Kemetic temple and I took their introductory course. I started worshiping Aset then and never looked back.

3) How is Aset depicted?

She is depicted as a standing or seated woman with a throne headdress or a vulture headdress with a modius with a sundisk between two horns with a rearing cobra. She can be portrayed as winged or with a rishi-feathered dress (winged design on dress) and also holding a papyrus scepter. Sometimes she is shown wearing the shuty crown (sundisk between cow horns on two plumes and sometimes with a Uraeus). In the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, sometimes she is shown with the vulture crown with a two horns encircling the sun disk with a ureaus and the throne hieroglyph on top. She also shown suckling Heru while seated on a throne with her sundisk encircled by cow’s horns ontop of a modius crown with a uraeus.

4) What are some myths of Aset?

Her search, mourning and finding of Her husband Wesir. Her departure and return as an Eye of Ra manifesting as the sun or the star Sopdet.

5) Who are Her family members?

Due to different cult centers, time periods and myths, her family members changed over time.

Husband: Wesir (Osiris),
Sons: Heru-sa-Aset (Horus son of Isis), Wepwawet, Sobek, Ra, Min, Yinepu (Anubis), Shu,
Daughters: Tefnut, Nut
Father: Ra, Geb, Shu
Mother: Nut, Tefnut

6) Can Aset take other forms? What are syncretizations?

Syncretic deities are two deities that fuse or combine to form a third separate entity. So Aset, Nut, and Aset-Nut are three separate deities.

Aset can syncretize with many Goddesses to form a third deity so there are many of them.

Aset-Amentet/Amenti
Aset-Amunet
Aset-Anput (Female Anpu/Yinepu)
Aset-Bast
Aset-Hededet
Aset-Hesat
Aset-Hesat-Sopdet
Aset-Hethert
Aset-Ipet
Aset-Mehet Weret
Aset-Meskhenet
Aset-Mut
Aset-Nebet Het (Ma’ati)
Aset-Nut
Aset-Renenutet
Aset-Satet
Aset-Sekhmet
Aset-Serqet
Aset-Sopdet
Aset-Tayet
Aset-Weret Hekau

Sources

Leitz, Christian, ed. Lexicon der Aegyptischen Goetter und Goetterbezeichnungen (LAGG, OLA 110, Band 1). (Peeters, 2002), 68-77.

Pinch, Geraldine. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 163.

7)What are some of Her titles?

The Great One
Mother of God
Mother of Heru
Magician, Sorceress
Mistress of Magic
She Who Knows Her Spells
She Who is Upon Her Throne
With the Beautiful Throne, Thrice Great Goddess
Wife of Wesir
Protectress
Lady of Heaven
Queen of Heaven
Queen of the Ancestors
Lady of the West
Lady of Stars
Clever of Tongue
Fiercely Bright One

8) What are some great books to read about the Goddess?

I have written books on the ancient Egyptian goddess Aset.

I highly recommend The Great Goddesses of Egypt by Barbara Lesko.

9) What are the symbols of Aset?

Her Crowns

The three-stepped throne
Solar disk encircled by cow horns ontop of a modius crown, with Uraeus
crown encircled with rearing cobras with her solardisk encircled by cow’s horns with the uraeus crown
Shuty crown (sundisk between cow horns on two plumes and sometimes with a Uraeus)

Regalia

Sistrum/Sistra
Menat-Necklace
Mirror
Papyrus sceptre
Tyet Knot amulet

Natural Forces

New Moon
Full Moon
Nile River
Rain
Sky/Heaven
Sopdet/Sothis/Sirius
Stars
Sun

Plants

Acacia
Golden Lotus
Jasmine
Lapis Lazuli Flower
Persea
Rose
Sycamore

10) What offerings do you give to Aset?

For a short list: fruits, especially strawberries and blueberries, vegetables, pastries, sweet white wine, water, milk, chocolate, cakes, brownies, beef or chicken stir fry; beef, chicken or vegetable dumplings; beef buns; chocolate milk;

Never offered: Pork, Fish

11) What are Aset’s festivals?

Her Birthday is near the end of July/early August.
Mysteries of Wesir is in October or November.
Aset Luminous is in July.
Birthday of Aset, with the Beautiful Throne, Thrice Great Goddess is in June and July (19 days).
Rhodophoria (Festival of Roses) is celebrated a various times in January, February, March and April, depending on the calendar.

12) What are some of Her major ancient Temples?

The Temple of Philae
The Temple of Dendera
The Temple of Syene
The Temple of Behbeit el-Hagar
The Temple of al-Qal’a
The Temple of Abydos
Chapel at the Temple of Edfu
The Chapel of the Giza Pyramid
The Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria

13) What are Her sacred animals?

Akhet-Cow or Celestial Cow
Cat
Cobra
Dolphin (Lepidotus or Nile Tilapia of Hatmehyt)
Dove
Feline
Female Baboon
Female Black Kite
Female Dog
Female Falcon
Female Hippopotamus
Female Leopard/Panther
Female Scorpion
Female Snake
Female Vulture
Female Winged Scarab
Gray Goose
Greyhound
Hawk
Hmt-Fish
Lioness
Oryx
rA DA-Fish
Sow
Tern (a type of bird)
Two Female Black Kites (with Nebet Het)
Two Hwrt-Birds (with Nebet Het)
Two Red Cows (with Nebet Het)
Young Lioness

14) What do you admire about the Goddess?

I admire Her strength, Her cunning, Her guile and Her wit. I admire Her wisdom, Her thirst for knowledge and Her ambition. I admire Her for Her tenacity and Her sovereignty; Her power. She is very much a Queen and Lady. I admire Her for Her compassion as well.

15) What does a shrine to Aset have on it?

Her shrine should be on flat surface like a table or dresser. Here are a few items to place on your shrine to Her:

blue shrine cloth
an image or statue of the Goddess
two blue candles or plain beeswax candles
an incense holder or oil diffuser with incense or essential oil
a blue or white bowl for water libations

Other items you may need: a pitcher to pour the water libations into the bowl and matches or a lighter to light the candles or incense. You can use electric candles and oil diffusers if you can’t use an open flame.

Also if you cannot use incense, then some alternatives might be a small cup of Florida Water or fresh flowers.

Colors

Bright, vibrant colors in general
Blue
Royal Blue
Teal
Turquoise
Purple
Royal Purple
Gold
White

Stones

Gold
Jasper
Lapis Lazuli
Onyx
Turquoise
Rainbow Obsidian
Red Jasper
Rose Quartz
Sapphire

15) What do rituals to Aset entail?

Rites for Aset normally consist of a few simple actions: offering incense, lighting candles and pouring out a water libation. Also other offerings are given to the Goddess consisting of food and drink that is later consumed by the devotees.

15) How often are these rites performed?

The Daily Shrine Rite is ideally done every day unless one is ill or traveling or impure to perform ritual for other reasons. For some people doing a rite everyday is not feasible so they do it every week or only at certain festivals or other times such as during the different moon phases.

Other Questions

1) If I have a dream or experience with a deity or spirit, how do I know if it is Aset?

A: Aset is normally very forthright in revealing her identity to those she contacts. If you are unsure, offer something to her such as water or another offering and consume it. Ask her for a message to confirm her identity.

2) How does Aset communicate with humans?

A: She normally communicates through words which you hear in your head that you know are not your thoughts. She also communicates through feelings that you know are not your feelings. Intuition, images in your head that you know are not yours, dreams, divination, natural phenomena (rain, sunlight, wind etc), trance posession, her theophanies (sacred animals) and the energy of her shrine are all ways in which this goddess can communicate with her devotees.

3) I’ve heard Aset is a “high-maintenance” goddess. Will she get mad at me if all I can offer is X?

A: No. Aset understands our money and budget concerns. Offer what you are able to offer. She prefers a sincere offering rather than an empty bank account. Offer what you can afford. It’s always enough. Aser prefers the quality of an offering. Just because something is expensive doesn’t mean it has quality and just because something is inexpensive doesn’t mean it is junk. Plenty of thrift, second-hand or online stores can offer you good deals on many items. You can also offer a piece of art or poetry in her honor.

For food offerings, an offering of water is just as appreciated as an offering of wine. The offerings you give will depend upon your own dietary needs, budget and your own tastes in food. She will accept all sincere offerings.

4) What is Aset’s personality?

A: Aset is a multi-faceted goddess. She is the Mistress of Heka, the magic that is within all living things and the owner of Ra’s true Name. Her focused intensity can make her have an overwhelming presence. She is a cunning trickster, a fierce mother, a shapeshifter who can be demanding or kind, merciful or ruthless and a powerful sorceress who wields her power to her own ends. She’s blunt, yet politely direct. She’s realistic, yet has high standards. Stealthy as a ninja, subtle as the wind, Aset can be a sly, or an elusive goddess; she can also be as straight-forward as the visibility of the sun or as obvious as a light blazing in the darkness. She is not so easy to define as she is so versatile. As the epitome of authority, she is also a queen in everything she does; she is a formal goddess who is the maker of royalty who should be approached with reverence, awe and respect.

5) Is Aset a goddess only for Black People or Egyptian people to worship?

A: No. The ancient Egyptians did not have the modern concept of race being determined by skin color. The ancient Egyptians were from various ethnic groups from North Africa, Nubia, the Levant and others later in history.

Within funerary art, the ancient Egyptians depicted the “four races of humanity” as the Egyptians, Nubians, Libyans and Asiatics. All of these people were shown in art entering the afterlife. The number four represents totality so these four races represent all of humanity. Since all of humanity could enter the Duat, all of humanity can honor the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses (1).

6) Since Aset is from ancient Egypt doesn’t that mean that non-native Egyptians worshiping Her are commiting cultural appropriation?

A: Cultural appropriation is defined as one living culture taking from another living culture without their permission. And the culture being taken from is usually a minority group who has a social, political, economic and religious disadvantages in larger, dominant culture within the society.

Ancient Egypt itself no longer exists. The modern Egyptian people of the country we know as Egypt are Muslims and Coptic Christians. Some people in Egypt and neighboring countries do honor Aset/Isis and others as saints within indigenous folk religion or within Islam or Christianity (2). But they are not viewing or honoring these gods as the ancient Egyptians did. They’re not even honoring them as gods, but as intercessive spirits.

And the ancient Egyptian culture is not a living culture. It cannot be appropriated.

7) Why is Aset associated with the colors blue and white?

A: Much of this is from personal interactions with the goddess. That said, there is some historical precedence for this. The throne symbol of her name was painted blue in many depictions. White was a symbol of purity and ma’at which was universally associated with all the deities. But for Aset these two colors help to explain many of her functions through their symbolism. For the ancients, the color blue symbolized the heavens, the sky, the Nile and water, especially as tears. The color white symbolized purity, and can be a solar color as opposed to yellow. It is very appropriate in my mind that Aset is associated with these colors because the hottest fire is blue and the brightest light is white.

Notes
1) Kiya Nicoll. The Travellers’ Guide to the Duat. (Megalithica, 2012), 94 and footnote 90.

2) Kaldera, Raven and Kenaz Filan. Drawing Down the Spirits: Tradition and Technique of Spirit Possession. (Destiny Books, 2009), 40-41.

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