Serket & Scorpions

The scorpion goddess came to me during Scorpio season.

The Egyptian goddess Serket, also known as Selket or Selqet, is not as well-known as many of her counterparts these days — though this certainly wasn’t always the case. 

Serket is a very ancient goddess and was much more popular in earlier Egyptian dynasties — a patron of pharaohs, priests, and physicians; a central character in key myths; and depicted on royal tombs and protective amulets throughout the land. Overtime, many of this goddess’s attributes were absorbed by Auset (Isis), which is partially why we don’t hear about her quite so often today.

But we’re at a time when reclaiming Serket’s feminine, transformative, and powerful scorpion medicine is greatly needed. 

It’s time to shed a bit of light on this dark goddess.

Meet Serket: Protection, Afterlife, Magic, and Medicine

The Egyptian goddess Serket is a scorpion deity of protection, the afterlife, medicine, and magic. Like the scorpion, she can heal…and she can destroy. 

Call on Serket for:

• Protection — from outside influences, for upcoming medical procedures, from lower vibration energies, for children

• Shadow Work — face and transmute inner toxins and poisons

• Sexual Energy & Fertility — awaken the creative forces of nature within your own being

• Transmutation — a powerful ally for working with spiritual healing techniques

• Magic — she’s one of the oldest and most powerful deities of early Egypt, a patron of many priests and magical practices

• Healing — access the right dose of the right medicine at the right time

• Breathwork — for transmutation, healing, ascension, and increasing life force energy

As is true for many Egyptian deities, Serket appears in both human and animal form. As a human goddess, she is most often depicted with a scorpion raising its tail upon her head. In her animal appearance, she is the scorpion herself.

The scorpion was both feared and revered in ancient Egypt (much like many people’s love-hate relationship with the Scorpio of our zodiac). This is because scorpions (and Scorpios for that matter!) are intensely powerful — and this power can be used to harm or heal. 

A small but mighty beast that can take down a creature many times its size with its sting, the scorpion can deliver great pain. Yet its presence in your favor offers great protection. The same is true of Serket. 

Protection & Healing with the Goddess of Scorpions

As a primary protective and funerary goddess in ancient Egypt, Serket stood alongside Isis, Nepthys, and Neith to guard the deceased on their journey through the afterlife. In the Pyramid Texts, she joins these goddesses to protect the deceased king, who speaks:

“My mother is Isis, my nurse is Nepthys…Neith is behind me, and Serket is before me.” (PT 1375).1

Serket’s presence in front of the king as he traverses the afterlife realms signifies the power of her guardianship.

Just as Serket protects us from the external demons of the afterlife, she offers her protection as we face the internal demons of our psyche.

Think about the energy of Scorpio. This Zodia can sting us at the deepest levels, crawling into the crevasses of our soul to ignite our emotional wounds with its fiery venom. 

If you’ve been around here awhile, you know my thoughts on this: The dose makes the poison. 

The venom that can kill can also heal. Scorpio helps us illuminate and transform our hidden shadows so they no longer rule us from their subconscious thrones. 

And here, we see Serket as the keeper of magic and healing.

It is only through the act of facing a poison that we can transmute it. And it is through this transmutation that we can heal.

She Who Causes the Throat to Breathe

Serket’s full Egyptian name is Serket hetyt, meaning “she who causes the throat to breathe” — and if she can cause the throat to breathe, she can stop it from breathing, too. 

This makes Serket a powerful ally for working with the breath to transmute our poisons, the negative energies or thoughts that keep us from actualizing our true potential.

This is energetic healing — not the deep dive into shadow work that Scorpio can offer, but a clearing and refreshing of our energy on the most foundational level. Serket reminds us of what can shift simply from working on energetic levels, without all the stories our Western minds love to process.

Some believe that this constricting of the breath is where much of Serket’s association with scorpions comes from: Egypt is home to some of the world’s deadliest scorpions, who can cause anaphylactic reactions with their venom…in other words, they can stop the breath. 

Yet there’s another powerful association this goddess has with scorpions…the water scorpion. 

Nepa cinerea, image of water scorpion

Is the water scorprion the true origin of Serket & Scorpio?

The water scorpion isn’t in the same species as the scorpion we all know and love, but it looks similar, and its bite can pack a punch. Plus, the water scorpion expands and contracts as it breathes underwater, once again pointing to the breath as a key significator of Serket’s gifts. 

Unlike the potentially fatal outcome of encountering a scorpion on the land, water scorpions are not deadly — which may be a better fit with Serket as a benevolent goddess.

The water scorpion also bring much of what we know about Scorpio full circle — and yes, the ancient Egyptians absolutely recognized this astrological constellation and season. 

The Zodia Scorpio, confuses many people because it’s a water sign symbolized by what we tend to think of as fiery, desert-dwelling animal. 

Yet what if Scorpio was always associated with the water scorpion? Water represents our emotional nature, the feminine darkness, and the mystery of the void. This is where Scorpio’s gifts lie — we travel into the darkest regions of our shadows to face our inner poisons, transmuting and transforming them again and again. 

Scorpio is the season for finding and facing our subconscious drives, and Serket is the goddess who can help us do so.  

Isis surrounded by the Seven Scorpions

Serket and the Seven Scorpions

One of the most well-known stories of Egyptian mythology is that of Osiris’s resurrection: In short, his brother Seth chops him up and Isis puts him back together, and then they conceive the great god Horus.

What’s not so well-known, however, is the role Serket plays in this tale. Though there are many different versions, the general theme is that Serket sends Seven Scorpions to protect Isis and her divine child while they search for the peices of Osiris’s corpse. 

In one version, Serket herself guards baby Horus while Isis travels to a village in search of food. Serket’s seven scorpions surround Isis, offering her protection: Petet, Tjetet, and Matet go before her; Mesetet and Mesetetef flank her sides, and Tefen and Befen, the fiercest scorpions, guard her from behind. 

Isis first approaches the door of a noble family, yet when the woman who answers sees the scorpions, she turns Isis away in fear. (But no worries — a kind peasant woman sees this happen and takes Isis in instead.)

Serket’s scorpions are not the forgive-and-forget type (and neither is Scorpio!). Seeking vengeance for this slight, they send all of their collective poison into Tefen for a most powerful sting, and he kills the baby boy of the noble family. 

Of course, Serket and Isis are like…um, no. We don’t kill innocent babies. So, Serket — because she has power over the poisons she wields — heals the boy and brings him back to life.

Our greatest challenges and most potent pains are often where we hold the greatest potential for mastery.

Serket neither fears the scorpion’s venom nor lets it consume her. She embraces that this poison is part of her unique medicine, and uses her magic and power for healing and protection. 

What are the greatest internal challenges you’ve been struggling with? What are the thoughts that poison your well-being?

Serket teaches us that within each poison is the medicine you need most. 

If you’d like to explore the hidden gifts and healing available within your shadow, parts work can be especially effective — take a look at the process here.

Serket’s iconography

Ecstatic Healing with Scorpion Medicine

The following meditation was given to me by Serket. It’s energetic. It’s ecstatic. And surprisingly sexual…though I suppose this shouldn’t have surprised me since sexuality is part of Scorpio and scorpion’s medicine. 

Serket doesn’t want us to overlay this meditation with mental stories. We’re not pulling up toxic beliefs, analyzing our thoughts, or focusing on our pain here. 

Instead, we’re somatically experiencing the ecstasy of receiving the perfectly right dose of “poison”. 

This is an energetic healing. Allow yourself to feel the shift in your being. And don’t worry about what anything “means”. 

Before you begin, set sacred space. Affirm that you are only open to working the most benevolent form of Serket and scorpion medicine.

Take a deep breath and come into your body. Allow your mind to travel to an ancient Egyptian desert. 

The goddess Serket meets you here. She is tall and radiant. She carries an ankh, symbolizing life, in one hand and a was sceptre, symbolizing power, in the other. 

Seven scorpions emerge from behind the goddess and surround you. 

Notice your response to these scorpions. Some fear, or excitement even, is natural. You might begin to feel a tingling sensation. 

When you are ready, invite these beings to share their medicine with you. You may like to check in with the goddess first, asking her if now is the appropriate time for this healing. 

One by one, they come with their stings.

Feel the effects of each sting within your body. Pleasure and pain. Exhilaration and release. Sexual energy fills your being — not with the need to procreate, but with the innate life force healing it connects you with.

Notice any resistance that arises. This type of intense pleasurable energy can feel frightening, like it might overwhelm your system or cause pain. This is natural, but if it begins to feel like too much, ask the goddess to titrate the effects on your system.

Sit with the scorpions’ medicine as long as it feels good. Remember not to analyze your experience. Just feel it. 

When you sense the healing is complete, offer your thanks to Serket and her seven scorpions. Bring your awareness back into the present and return completely to your body in the here and now. 

I would love to hear about your experience if you do this meditation — drop me a comment!

Want more reflections on Egyptian mysticism? Be sure to subscribe below…much more to come ;)

If you found this interesting, please consider sharing it with your communities. Every share means the world to me!

1 Wilkinson, R.H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2003.

---

Download your FREE guide to Egyptian Deity Rituals

Send it my way!

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

You might also like:

• Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

• Ancient Egyptian Scarabs: 6 Reasons This Beetle is Pure Magic

• The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

• On angels, psychic saviors, fallen gurus, and sovereignty (And the magic of being human)

• How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

---

Share this article on your favorite platform — and give it a heart to let me know you like it!

The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

Happy New Year to my fellow practitioners of ancient Egyptian magick.

Sold Out

Quick View

Sacred Scarab Anointing Oil

$30.00

Add to cart

Though the date varies year over year, mid July generally marks both the Egyptian new year and the preceding Epagomenal Days. To celebrate, I’m offering a very special Scarab Anointing Oil — which you can read more about, and purchase if you’d like, here:

The Heliacal Rise of Sirius

The ancient Egyptian New Year, known as Wepet Renpet or "Opening of the Year," was celebrated with the annual flooding of the Nile. The inundation of waters after long, dry seasons brought rebirth and fertility to the land, symbolically and literally. Only when the Nile waters returned, could the agriculture that would assure survival take place.

This time of year also marks the heliacal rising of the star Sirius: The first visible appearance of the star in the eastern horizon just before sunrise coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile. 

A Nurturing Note on Cancer Season, the Earth’s Birth Chart, and the Egyptian New Year

During my Hermetic Astrology training, which is rooted in ancient Egyptian astrology, I remember seeing the Earth’s birth chart for the first time. And guess which sign was found in the first house, marking the ascendant of the Earth? Cancer. 

How beautiful that the watery sign of Cancer welcomed the flooding of the Nile. And how beautiful that Cancer, known to be the sign of nurturing and caregiving, is the rising sign of our Earth, a rare planet filled with the waters that make life possible. 

Sirius held great importance in ancient Egyptian cosmology and was considered one of the most significant celestial bodies that traversed the skies. 

The Mythoanimist Path is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This was in part because of the star’s association with the great mother goddess Isis — the stellar goddess Sothis, also known as Sopdet, that personified Sirius was considered a manifestation of Isis (or Auset). The threads of meaning continue to weave a divine tapestry here, as Isis contains the Cancerian and life-giving qualities of motherhood and fertility (in addition to many more aspects, of course). 

And it was in part because of the spiritual significance of Sirius for the afterlife — the journey of the deceased through Duat, the realm of the dead, was often depicted as a boat sailing towards Sirius, a destination of spiritual transformation and eternal life.

The Epagomenal Days

The Egyptian epagomenal days, also known as the "Intercalary Days" or Heru-renpet, refer to five days added to the end of the Egyptian solar calendar. The solar calendar consisted of 12 months of 30 days each, resulting in a 360-day year. To align the calendar with the solar year, five extra days were inserted between the end of the old year and beginning of the new.

On each of these days, a great god or goddess was born — product of the union between the sky goddess Nut and earth god Geb (yes, the sky was the cosmic feminine and the earth the fertile masculine in ancient Egypt — a topic for another time!). Celebrations occurred throughout Egypt on every epagomenal day except for the third, which belongs to the unfortunate god Seth. The following is the traditional order:

Day 1: Osiris (also known as Ausar or Wesir)

Day 2: Horus the Elder (also known as Heru-ur)

Day 3: Seth (also known as Set)

Day 4: Isis (also known as Auset)

Day 5: Nephthys (also known as Nebthet)

In Feasts of Light, Normandi Ellis further explores the significance of each day, offering that Osiris’s day was considered a good day to be born, while those born on the day of Horus the Elder would long to return to the skies and their lives on Earth might be short-lived. (While Horus is usually the son of Isis and Osiris, in his ancient form of Horus the Elder, he is son of Nut and Geb.)

Download your FREE guide to Egyptian Deity Rituals

Send it my way!

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

Built with ConvertKit

The day of Seth was considered to be extremely unlucky — shops were closed and people were warned not to leave their houses. (While I tend take a non-dual approach to deities, Egyptians found the god Seth to be so terrible — i.e., “He Who Makes Terror” — that he is the one primary Egyptian deity I’ve resisted creating a perfume for. What do you think? Would a Seth perfume be healing or harmful? Let me know in the comments, please!)

The birthday of Isis was the most fortunate day of the entire year, a time of beauty, celebration, and the greatest festivities. 

The final epagomenal day belongs to the enigmatic goddess Nepthys. Sister to Isis, wife of Seth, Nepthys is associated with mourning and the afterlife, playing a major role in funerary rites. How fitting then, that she marks the final day, the last release of what came before as a year begins anew. 

Celebrating the Epagomenal Days with Ritual & Reflection

Here in the West, we celebrate the turning of the year near the winter solstice, welcoming the official start on January 1st. Yet the Egyptian epagomenal days are part of the West’s cultural inheritance, as well, and the gods and goddesses of this pantheon are always available to us.

As we are roughly halfway through our Western year, these five days offer us a beautiful invitation to reflect on our experiences so far as we prepare for what’s to come. The following rituals are designed to help you work with the energy of these sacred days.

*A note on the timing of these days:

Many people like to celebrate the five epagomenal days in July, as that is likely when they took place in ancient Egypt. I like to focus on the days leading up to and around the feast of Mary Magdalene on July 22nd, as she is closely related to Isis and potentially shares a feast day — here, the day of Osiris would fall on July 19th and Nepthys would close the festivities on the 23rd. For those who wish to be more astrologically accurate, the actual Heliacal rising of Sirius will take place between July 24th and September 3rd, depending on your location (source).

Day 1: Osiris

Osiris is a unique god in that he is known for both fertility (his green color associating him with the fertile green earth) and death (he was torn to pieces by his brother Seth). And isn’t death necessary for life, providing compost and nutrients that nourish new forms into being? 

Today, meditate on the gifts you’ve received so far this year. Notice what you have needed to let die, and what has been born in its place. Feel the ever-present life force of spirit in and around you — in form, unformed, and changing form all the time. 

You may like to ritually release any thoughts, beliefs, projects, patterns, and attachments at this time, so the energy that once kept them alive may become fertile compost for the new delights awaiting you.

Day 2: Horus the Elder

It is said that Horus is twice-born — once of the heavens and once through his mother Isis’s womb. Either way, this falcon god helps us soar to higher perspectives, illuminating divine wisdom through his connection with the sun. Associated with the pharaohs and rulership, Horus invites us to gain new perspectives so we may be better leaders of our own lives. 

This day, meditate with the sun. Breathe in sunlight and feel every cell lighting up with solar blessings. 

You may like to journal after your meditation, when your mind and heart are clear: What do you most wish to create in the coming part of the year? Where do you need to embody your leadership even more? How can you remind yourself of your divine worthiness to be this leader and receive these blessings? 

Day 3: Seth

Seth is the harbinger of death, and while considered an unlucky god, he is given one of the five epagomenal days for a reason — life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns, and the more we accept that there are things in life we don’t like, the more unshakable inner peace we can cultivate.

Nondual meditation is a significant part of my personal spiritual practice. I also practice unity meditations, where I become one with Source and feel the oneness of all existence. These practices are immensely fortifying for my spirit, helping me cultivate embodied resilience, compassion, and presence. 

And, as a human, I have preferences. There are some things I like, and some things I don’t like. Can you relate?

Rather than resisting what we don’t like — or trying to push away or transmute our feelings of dislike — we can build psychological health by simply accepting and acknowledging what is. 

This is where Seth comes in. We don’t like suffering. We don’t like unfortunate events. Loss, harm, destruction, and cruelty are not things we generally want to experience or witness. Yet when we fully face them, they begin to lose some of their power over us. This is the transformative alchemy of shadow work. 

Today, allow yourself to feel all the feelings you’ve pushed away this year. The grief, frustration, shame…Bring the following questions into your meditation: How can you experience these challenging emotions without judging them as bad? What internal shifts do you experience if you allow yourself to dislike these emotions, yet also accept that they’re a normal part of life? See if you can feel a lessening of pressure or tension as you sink deeper into the truth of your experiences.

Any sort of shadow work such as this can be difficult and tender. Fortify yourself with loving kindness before and after this practice. Breathe in the unconditional love of the universe. Remind yourself that your true nature is always whole, loving, and loved. 

Day 4: Isis

Isis is a goddess of many dimensions. Fertility and motherhood, magic and wisdom, beauty and shapeshifting, royalty and self worth, earthly and celestial realms… Isis is the goddess of many names. 

What names do you bear? Parent. Child. Lover. Teacher. Healer. Creative. Scholar. Warrior. Guide. Advocate. Wisdomkeeper. Human. 

You are all of these words and, like Isis, you are more. 

Today, take time to celebrate the roles you’ve played or still play in this life. Allow the gifts and blessings, those given and received, to arise within your consciousness. 

Then ask yourself, what else? What areas of your being remain untapped? What names have you been afraid to own, and where does that resistance originate? 

In today’s meditation, imagine yourself in a giant sphere of energy or light. See all the names you’ve taken on to fill this space. Then expand your sphere even more — notice the new space this creates. What might arise when given room? What new names long to be born through your time, energy, and intention? And what ever-present name lies at the heart of the sphere, representing your most authentic, whole self?

Day 5: Nepthys

Nepthys rules the dreamworld, guiding us into what is unseen, just beyond the veils of perception. As a goddess of sorrow, she has no fear of looking into the dark, for she has already faced the sadness of life and still walks forth with a heart filled with love.

If you’ve tended to your daily meditations and rituals so far, you have acknowledged and released what no longer serves. You have embraced your true self worth. You have faced the dark sides of life and emerged with love. You have expanded your understanding of who you truly are. 

Now, the groundwork is in place for you, like Nepthys, to see beyond your past veils of perception.

In today’s meditation, ask what may I now see that has previously been hidden? Depending on your heart’s subtle intentions, this might reveal insights into your purpose, the answers to problems you’ve been struggling with, inspiration for your next move, or even a peek into your future. Trust that whatever arises is perfect for right now.

---

Want these ceremonies in a beautiful, full-color PDF you can download and keep? Well here you go!

Download your FREE guide to Egyptian Deity Rituals

Send it my way!

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

Built with ConvertKit

You may also like:

• Healing with the Goddess Ma’at

• Ancient Egyptian Scarabs: 6 Reasons This Beetle is Pure Magic

• Who Are the Ancestors? (Discover the three types of ancestral spirits that influence you)

• Mythoanimism: An Emerging Spirituality

Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

The Egyptian Book of the Dead — Entering the Afterlife

It is said that when you die, the Egyptian Goddess Ma’at awaits at the halls of the afterlife. Here, she weighs your heart against a feather to see if you have passage to paradise…or if you’ll be devoured by a monstrous god.

A feather-light heart is the secret to passing through the halls and judgements of the underworld.

In Egyptian mysticism, the neteru, the gods and goddesses, are both deities and higher truths.

Ma'at represents justice, truth, law, and balance. She is the cosmic principle that maintains order on earth, that prevents chaos from disrupting natural order. 

As with many religions’ take on the afterlife, it appears that our lives are judged by some outside source. Grand, powerful beings decide if our sins are too great to enter heaven, or ascend to paradise, or get off the wheel of samsara. 

This is a superficial understanding of a much more nuanced and loving truth…

Want to deepen your connection with Ancient Egyptian spiritual practice? Grab your copy of this free guide filled with daily rituals!

Download your FREE guide to Egyptian Deity Rituals

Send it my way!

You'll also receive the free alchemessence newsletter. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Judgement Day or Divine Neutrality? A Channeled Message from Ma’at

In my personal spiritual practice, I often channel divine beings. The art of channeling is a full-sensory experience for me, as my body becomes attuned to their wisdom and I can feel the cosmic truths shared by the divine. 

This weekend, I had the opportunity to channel Ma’at during a shamanic teacher’s reunion with Sandra Ingerman. The love I felt in the presence of this goddess is not something I can describe in human words, and she shared a beautiful perspective on our afterlife judgements — one that we can begin to implement during our lifetimes.

Ma’at shared that in the afterlife, it is not so much that our hearts are weighed on a scale to determine our fates…we are the scales.

We have the power to to shift, release, and transmute any heaviness that does not serve our spiritual ascension.

And even if we choose to do so through being devoured, our feather-light souls emerge renewed.

Simply being in the presence of this goddess is healing, as she witnesses our souls from the perspective of divine neutrality. 

Contrary to all the religious tales around judgment day, divine neutrality is the complete absence of any judgment. It’s the ultimate non-dual, unity consciousness state of being. And it’s the most purely and powerfully loving energy I’ve ever experienced. 

You may have heard me use this term before — it’s the exact same feeling I get in the presence of Archangel Azrael, another deity who helps souls along their journeys in the afterlife. 

It’s no coincidence that the beings who assist our souls in death embody the spirit of divine neutrality: Judgment as we know it is a uniquely human quality. When we die, we realize the perfection and eternal love of all that is.

Perhaps most importantly, Ma’at shared that we do not need to wait for the time of our passing to transmute the heaviness carried in our hearts.

Her divine love is always available to us, always ready to help us remember our own transformative power. 

A Meditation for Healing with the Goddess Ma’at

Ma’at shared a visualization that we can do anytime to transmute heaviness and embody a feather-light heart:

Imagine yourself merging with a set of giant, golden scales. On one side is your heart, the other a feather. 

Notice the initial balance you experience. How heavy is your heart? What burdens does it carry? 

See the darkness and heaviness carried in your heart begin to flow into the feather. As this magical feather absorbs your pain, the energy is immediately transmuted into lightness so the feather never gets heavy.

Continue witnessing and feeling this process until your heart appears as light as the feather. 

When complete, feel yourself separate and unmerge with the scales, offering Ma’at gratitude for the healing. 

Feel the lightness in your being and see yourself filled with a golden-white light. Allow yourself to rest in this glow before returning to everyday life. 

Beginning September 2025

Cultivating a
Feather-light Heart

A 42-Day Journey with the Ideals of Ma’at

Learn More

---

You might also like:

• The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

• Ancient Egyptian Scarabs: 6 Reasons This Beetle is Pure Magic

• On angels, psychic saviors, fallen gurus, and sovereignty (And the magic of being human)

• Angel Magick for Protection: An Alchemical Meditation

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

Save this on Pinterest:

How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

When it comes to the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology, everyone is sleeping with everyone. Almost. 

Three goddesses remain untouched by the wanted—or often unwanted—passions of men. As Jean Shinoda Bolen shares in her iconic book, Goddesses in Everywoman, these are the virgin goddesses…

Meet Artemis, Athena, and Hestia. 

Of all the Greek goddesses, these were the only ones who never married, were never overpowered, and were never humiliated by male deities or men. 

Interestingly, as Bolen notes, only these three—among gods, goddesses, and humans alike—were the only beings never susceptible to Aphrodite’s seductive power. 

Why? How could these virgin goddesses maintain their independence? Because they are each whole in and of themselves. These aren’t just the virgin goddesses—these are sovereign goddesses. 

Virginity carries many connotations in our modern vernacular—though we will still apply it to some goods such as virgin oil, it’s most often associated with sex. 

When it comes to archetypal perspectives on virginity, the definition expands. The virgin archetype is one of purity—such as the spiritual clarity and pure heart of Mother Mary. And the virgin archetype is one of originality—meaning, “in original form”.

Your original form. Before you were touched, influenced, and hurt by all that we experience in our lives. 

The virgin archetype within us is our true self—that part of us that is whole, divine, and always spiritually free and fulfilled. 

As we move through life, most of us lose touch with our true selves to varying degrees. 

We experience trauma and soul loss. We’re enculturated into the rules and norms of societal and family systems that don’t always meet the needs of our wild spirits. And we’re subtly—and not so subtly—manipulated by forces and groups that thrive when we give our power away. 

This is normal. And it’s within the awesome gifts of the virgin goddesses to help. 

The virgin goddesses can model sovereignty, freedom, and wholeness for us.

And to be clear—this doesn’t mean we aren’t in relationship! Rather, it means that we are complete within ourselves, which allows us to enter into relationship with greater clarity, healthier boundaries, and more secure attachment styles. 

Each of the Greek virgin goddesses offers us a slightly different perspective on spiritual and personal sovereignty…

And, as a note—I especially love that these goddesses show us that the following qualities are all inherently feminine. These aren’t goddesses embodying masculine qualities within feminine form. These are feminine goddesses reflecting the divine feminine back to us—leadership, wisdom, contemplation, independence, focus, and achieving goals are innately feminine traits.

Gustav Klimt's Pallas Athena

Athena

Athena (Minerva), the goddess of wisdom and crafts, helps us connect our heads and our hearts in a way that illuminates Truth with a capital T. Just a few of her gifts we can explore:

• Athena helps us see beyond the surface and uncover the deeper mysteries and knowledge available to us. 

• Able to hold both strategic, practical insights alongside creative energy that is self-generated and refined, Athena is an invaluable ally for bringing impeccable creations to life.

• As a regal goddess who thrives in culture, Athena models true leadership, leadership we can apply to our own lives as well as draw from in service of others. 

The Goddess of the Hearth - Hestia by Roy the Art

Hestia

Hestia (Vesta), the goddess of the hearth, is said to be felt within the heart of every home, turning our everyday world into a sacred space. A few of the gifts we can explore:

• Hestia’s attention to the sacredness of our homes tunes us into the sensual nature of daily living, making simple household “chores” acts of pleasure and devotion.

• The sacredness of our homes is extended to our bodies as well. Hestia reminds us that we are whole and sacred, and helps us treat our body temples with reverence and gratitude.

• Hestia’s inward focus aligns with great mysticism. In meditating with this goddess, we touch into our oneness with the divine, receive deep spiritual insights, and cultivate the stillness from all movement arises.

Athena by Thomas Dodd

Artemis

Artemis (Diana), the goddess of the moon and the hunt, brings us the gifts of rewilding. A few of her gifts to explore:

• More at home in nature’s wilds than any society, Artemis is especially skilled at helping us deprogram from cultural conditioning and remember our own wild natures. 

• A fierce defender of women, Artemis is one of the few goddesses who show no jealousy toward other women, helping us both embrace the power of sisterhood and embody independence.

• As a skilled archer and goddess of the hunt, Artemis helps us pursue what really matters without fear of competition, judgment, or failure. She knows she can accomplish whatever she sets out to achieve, and helps us do the same. 

This is truly the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these goddesses, and I’ll be sharing more in-depth explorations of their magic and medicine in future articles. 

For now though, here’s a practice to give you a taste of what working with these powerful women can offer…

Decide on which goddess you would like to connect with from the above list, and then follow the instructions below.

Like what you're reading? Join our community!

Subscribe

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

Goddess Meditation for Sovereignty

1. Get into a comfortable position. Bring your awareness to the present moment. Feel your body, sense the space you’re held in, and drop anything that’s not needed at this time. Use your breath to call in awareness and let go of distraction.

2. Visualize yourself in a beautiful, protective orb of light. Affirm that only love and compassionate beings are invited and able to be with you in this practice. 

3. Use your intention to call forth the goddess you wish to connect with, making sure to specify that you wish to meet with her most compassionate form. You might like to speak her name aloud. Repeat her name as a mantra until you feel her presence. 

4. As for an attunement to this goddess. She will take the lead so simply receive. You may get images, have a knowing of what’s happening, or simply feel vibrational shifts. Some people will even get a hint of an aroma as confirmation of the goddess’s presence. 

5. When the attunement feels complete, ask the goddess, “How can I embody greater sovereignty in my daily life?”

6. Allow the answers to arise in your consciousness. Remember, spirit speaks in symbols and feelings. If you don’t feel clear on the answer right away, it’s likely that more meaning will unfold in the coming days. Stay open to synchronicities and insights related to your question. 

7. Give thanks. Offer gratitude for the goddess and blessings and wisdom she’s shared with you. 

8. Close the meditation. Affirm that the process is complete, all beings may return to where they came from, and you are free to rest. 

If you’d like to explore the gifts of the goddesses further, it’s not too late to join the Goddess Activation Series.

Each month, we meet with a different goddess to explore her gifts and receive an attunement to her energy. These are accessible 90 minute workshops and each is recorded in case you can’t make it live. 

You might also like:

• The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

• Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

• The Protection of the Goddess: Evaluation of Past Life Vows

• The Venusian Mysteries: Awakening the Sacred Feminine

The Protection of the Goddess: Evaluation of Past Life Vows

(image: Diana Hunting, Guillaume Seignac)

Have you ever felt inexplicably drawn to a particular deity?

Many women today have past life connections with goddesses that greatly influence our current lives.

If, in a past life, you were part of the cult of a goddess, worshipped in her temple, or prayed and made offerings to her frequently, it's likely that your bond extends beyond one lifetime. She is most likely still here, with you, supporting and loving you in this lifetime.

There are a few goddesses that I've had lifelong connections with, and over time, it's been fascinating to uncover more dimensions of our history together.  Freya and Isis are two of my most steadfast allies, as is Diana....

Artemis to the Greeks and Diana to the Romans, this goddess reigns supreme over the hunt, wild animals, the wilderness, fertility, and the moon. An eternal virgin (which really means complete and sovereign in this context), Artemis-Diana has remained a powerful ally for many modern women today, acting as one of the primary goddess of witches and Wicca practitioners.

While I've felt connected with many goddesses over the years, I came to explore the fullness of my relationship with Diana relatively recently. (Interestingly, though I'm usually drawn to the Greek pantheon, it was always clear that my vows had been made to Diana rather than Artemis - perhaps a clue to when and where our lives together took place.)

Through a series of profound spiritual experiences, I discovered that I had been a priestess of Diana in many lives. Realizing my deep relationship with this goddess has been incredible empowering - and it has explained a lot. My natural ability to communicate with wild animals, comfort spending days alone in the wilderness, fierce protective instinct for women's sovereignty...

Under the Protection of Goddess Diana

Diana came to me full force during a shamanic initiation with a teacher who unfortunately was under the influence of her own shadow. (I didn't realize it immediately, but she was targeting me psychically and caused me real damage for many years.)

During one of our sessions together, she told me that it was time to break my past life vows with Diana. That whatever vows I made in the past were holding me back from my path in this lifetimes.

At the time, I really trusted this teacher. But my whole body screamed NO to the idea. I checked in with Diana and my other guides for perspective. They showed me that my vows to this goddesses were of love and freedom, they provided me with her protection and power but in no way held me back from anything my soul was called to do.

If I had allowed this teacher to break my vows, I would have been released from the protection of Diana. And it turned out, I really needed her protection around this teacher.

The Need to Reevaluate Past Life Vows

I do believe it's important to examine the vows we make in past lives, as not all of them are supportive. For example, had my vow included certain caveats, like remaining a virgin or rejecting wealth, I would likely suffer the consequences in this life - perhaps through relationship or financial challenges. It's always good to examine the agreements and vows we've made.

But whether to break your vows is always your decision — never let a teacher tell you what's best for you. By developing your own relationships with spirit guides in your life, and by learning to activate and trust your intuition, you will know what's best for you. This is one important element of cultivating your personal sovereignty.

Activate Your Own Connections with the Goddesses

Which goddesses do you feel a pull to? What clues to past life connections can you see? Do you sense any vows that it is now time to break? To rekindkle?

Leave a comment if so. I'd love to hear from you.

Want to deepen your connection with Diana? The Diana-Artemis Goddess Activation workshop is filled with practices and rituals and recipes and meditations and more.

Like what you're reading? Join our community!

Subscribe

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

You might also like:

• Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

• Humans are losing their ****, and how body and Earth can help

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• It’s Not Depression. It’s Exhaustion. ☥ Why Creative Women Are Burning Out and the Soul-Level Need for Deep Rest

• How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

The Venusian Mysteries: Awakening the Sacred Feminine

I awoke before dawn, set the kettle for tea, and gazed out my windows into the still dark sky, just a soft glow on the horizon suggested the light was returning. 

As I peered between the giant evergreen bows that reach across my yard, I was greeted by the most beautiful sight—Venus. Rising in her morning star phase, Venus lit up like a beacon in the lapiz sky, calling my soul to recognize her presence.

my morning view of Venus

Venus is a planet but also a celestial deity, and her gifts for humanity lie in helping us come into cosmic balance with the sacred feminine qualities of beauty, love, relationships, sensuality, and pleasure. 

Venus is a planet of beauty—symbolically and literally. Her presence shines brightest from our vantage upon the earth, and her trajectory creates a magnificent, symmetrical pattern.

The only planet named for a female deity, Venus is a loving and bright ally in restoring the sacred feminine to cosmic balance.

---

Ready to claim your mantel a scent priestess & myrrhophore?

Join the Nectar & Alchemy mystery school devoted to the feminine, aromatic arts.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE<<<

---

Restoring the Feminine to Cosmic Balance with Beauty and Astrology

Anyone who’s gazed at Venus in her bright morning star phase can understand why the ancients associated this planet with beauty. I wonder if they also knew her trajectory through our skies is the most symmetrical of all the planets: Over an 8-year period, Venus makes 13 orbits around the sun and has 5 conjunctions with the earth. Visually, this creates a beautiful mandala based on the golden ratio—a pentagram of petals—which you can see in the image below. 

The 13 orbits that bring Venus back to her place of origin in our skies tie this planet to the feminine—13 has long been associated with women because of how we cycle and bleed with the 13 moons of the year. 

Even the symbol for the planet Venus is the same as that which commonly represents the feminine—a circle sitting upon a cross: ♀ If we see the circle as the infinite cycle and wholeness, and the cross as representing the four elements and four directions—that which makes our material reality—we can see this symbol as also calling forth the intersection of spirit and earth. 

In this symbol, we can see how Venus helps us bring spirit into manifest form—just as women bring spirit into form through the birthing process.

In astrology, Venus rules both Taurus and its home, the 2nd house, along with Libra and its home, the 7th house. Together, these elements celebrate the many qualities of Venus — the earthy, sensuality of Taurus, the values and emotions and sexiness of the 2nd house, the high culture and beauty of Libra, and the love and partnership of the 7th house.

Here, not only are the sacred qualities of the feminine celebrated, but they once again symbolize the harmonization of earth and spirit. Anytime we’re able to ground into the beauty of nature and the present moment, we experience Venusian blessings.

​
Download Your FREE Guide to Flower Essences

Send it my way!

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

The Venusian Deities

Though Venus is represented through a few male deities in different cultures (see below!), the vast majority of Venusian deities are female, especially within the cultures that have most influenced my own Western heritage.  

The Greek goddess Aphrodite is perhaps the most well-known Venusian deity for many of us, as she even carried the name Venus to the Romans. Yet if we trace the evolution of Aphrodite through time, we find that she may well have been born from earlier goddesses—Isis, or Auset, in Egypt, and Inanna, also known as Ishtar and Astarte, in Sumeria. All three goddesses carry the mantle of being Venusian goddesses of the ancient world.

Psst: You can get a free booklet filled with rituals to connect with Isis and other Egyptian deities here.

Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, unknown artist, Burney Relief

“Freyja and the Necklace” by James Doyle Penrose (1890)

In the Norse worlds, we see both Freya and Frigg associated with Venus. Both goddesses embody qualities of love, romance, fertility, and sacred sexuality, though Freya is more independent in her expression and Frigg, as the wife of Odin, is more matrimonial (many sources also conflate the goddesses into one). Interestingly, Friday is named for Frigg, and guess which planet rules Friday? Venus. 

art by José-Patricio Aguirre

Now, let’s get a bit heretical…Do you know what the Roman word for Venus was? Lucifera. Yup. The very same word co-opted by Christans to describe the devil. Lucifera was used almost as suffix to many goddesses and sacred women’s names—Diana Lucifera most famously, but also Mary Magdalene, who was sometimes referred to as Mary Lucifera. 

Sex & Resurrection

Saint Mary Magdalene by Bernardino Luini

From what we know of Mary Magdalene, it’s likely she was not only a consort of Jesus but also a priestess in her own right. At the time, the art of sacred sexuality was practiced in the temples for communion and healing. And sex, in this sacred sense, is as Venusian as it gets—the sensuality, the romance, and harmony between masculine and feminine, and the fertile outcomes once again bringing spirit into material form. 

And while we’re looking at sacred sexuality in this Venusian context, it’s interesting to note the parallels between Isis bringing Osiris back to life and immediately consummating with him (which led to not only the birth of Horus but brought fertility to the land), and Mary Magdalene being the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus. I wonder if the way in which she anointed him before death, loved him beyond life, and cried tears of power into the earth, contributed to the magic that brought him back to life like Osiris. 

As a note on the theme of resurrection, we also see another Venusian goddess Aphrodite bring Adonis back to life through her pleas after he was killed by a wild boar.

It seems the Venusian power so naturally held by women—the power to commune with spirit, enjoy sensual pursuits, and bring life into being through the force of love—was a bit too threatening for the Church…

These tales of resurrection are also reflected in Venus’s orbit, as the planet cycles towards and away from the sun, symbolizing a natural cycle of birth and death.

The tale of the Venusian goddesses Inanna offers us a good reflection of how women can embody this cycle within themselves. Unlike the goddesses who resurrect their lovers to bring fertility to themselves and the land, Inanna is the one resurrected in her tale, modeling the feminine drive to face our shadows and integrate into wholeness. (Interestingly, she is hung on a cross before becomming resurrected…sound familiar?)

modern interpretation of Quetzalcoatl by BenArtsStudio on DeviantArt

The Venusian Masculine

Back to the male Venusian dieties…by far the most well-known masculine Venusian deity in modern days is Quetzalcoatl, a meso-American god. Quetzalcoatl was known as a feathered-serpent deity who brought fertile growth to the land. Again, we see the liminal meeting of spirit and earth in bird and snake, as well as sacred sexuality and fertility. In many ways, Quetzalcoatl offers us a model for how those in men’s bodies can embody the much-needed gifts of Venusian blessings, reminding us that we all have sacred masculine and feminine qualities within.

It’s time to allow Venus to upgrade our hearts.

As a planet that reminds us of the power of love, Venus could not be more important for us to connect with right now. 

I am, like I’m sure many of you are, an empath. 

Being an empath is not only a gift but is also the natural state of all humans, the state we are born into before culture and trauma cuts our hearts away from our innate ways of knowing. 

But being a really strong empath during times of mass hysteria, conflict, and trauma can be rough, even with the knowledge and skills to navigate these times. 

I find the vitriol, judgment, and especially righteousness I see online and in social media pressure cookers to be acutely painful. Just about all news—from left to right and mainstream to alt—has become a web of incendiary propaganda. When I turn into certain locations, I can energetically sense oppressive webs of fear hijacking people’s sovereignty. 

In all of these examples, I think what I find most heartbreaking is that people are being pulled off their path of spiritual evolution and heart-centered living. They are losing touch with what will actually help humanity survive the changes upon us: love and connection, with each other and the earth. 

Venus is a powerful ally in coming back into our hearts and allowing the wisdom of love to lead the way. 

Right now, Venus is in her heliacal rise toward the sun, allowing her divine beauty to be strengthened with solar blessings. Now it’s time to let the light of Venus and the Sun illuminate and strengthen the love within all of us. 

A PRACTICE

If possible, locate Venus in the sky — depending on her movements, dawn or dusk will be the best time.

Anoint your heart center with a sacred oil, preferably one containing rose — one of Venus’s favorite flowers. (The perfumes below are perfect for this practice.)

See the fragrant oil or perfume open a portal into your heart, a protected one that can only be entered by Venus herself.

Inhale, and feel Venusian blessings flow into your heart center.

When this practice feels complete, see the portal in your heart seal safely and give thanks to Venus.

As you go about your day, notice feelings of love and being loved fill your being. Practice seeing the world through a gaze of appreciation and gratitude for the beauty of life. Delight in the sensual experience of being embodied. Remember your true value and worth.

The Sensual Delight of Venusian Perfume

What could be more Venusian than a perfume dedicated to the goddess?

As a triple Libra, Venus is my ruling planet — meaning she’s especially influential in my life. It’s no wonder beauty is my core life code (you can read my artist statement here, just scroll down a bit). While I’ve always been an artist and experiment with many mediums, when I create perfumes I know they come straight from my soul. 

Many of the perfumes I’ve designed are dedicated to Venusian goddesses — so many, in fact, that I’ve decided to offer them all in a single discovery set. 

The Venusians Discovery Set includes six 1ml samples in glass vials, each perfume is all-natural (I’ve studied with the preeminent natural perfumers of today) and infused with the Venusian energy of goddesses from around the world

If you’re inspired to try these alchemical perfumes, please enjoy 10% off as my thanks for reading here :) Good now through the end of Venus’s retrograde on September 3rd, 2023. Use VENUSRX at checkout.

You might also like:

• The Magic and Medicine of the Rose

• Ritual Beauty: A Sacred Skincare Routine

• Aphrodisiacs - essential oils, flower essences, and crystals

• How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

• Love & Libido—Rituals and Recipes for Valentine’s Day

---

An Imbolc Ritual

Welcome to February—what an auspicious start to the month! 

We have our Aquarian new moon, Imbolc, and the Lunar New Year all coalescing at the beginning of a new month. 

While Aquarius expands our vision of what’s possible, the new moon and the beginning of a new year invite us to set intentions for bringing these visions to life. 

At Imbolc, a cross-quarter celebration on the Celtic Wheel of the Year, we say our goodbyes to winter and welcome the spring. Traditionally, this is a time for planting seeds, trusting that they will spring to life when they’re ready. 

Now, as we envision and set our intentions this day, we plant the seeds for the year to come. 

Can you keep faith that your seeds will germinate even though there are not yet signs of life?

The wheel of the year will bring births and celebrations, gifts and harvests, endings and completions. At this turning, we’re asked to hold faith that all will come if we plant our seeds, taking the first step and trusting the cycle to carry us to the next. 

And yet, there are no guarantees, as we well know by now. Which asks us to find even more faith and resilience—can we effort enough to plant our seeds knowing full well they might not bloom? Can the simple act of planting and letting go be enough to fill our spirits, in this moment, at this time?

Setting intentions, letting go of attachments, and staying in the present moment—this is your invitation today.

An Imbolc Ritual

Begin by lighting a candle in honor of the Goddess Brigid, who presides over Imbolc.

Gaze into the flame, giving thanks for the presence of fire—its life-giving heat and light and its destructive and cleansing powers as well.

Allow the flame to clear your eyes and mind of preconceived notions. In tantric yoga, we practice trataka—the act of gazing into a flame, unblinking as much as possible, until your eyes water and cleansing occurs. You might like to experiment with this as you cleanse.

When you feel the cleansing is complete, close your eyes and come into your heart. Ask your truest self and heart what seeds wish to be planted at this especially potent new moon. 

Allow whatever arises to pour into the flame, where the spirit of fire carries it to spirit. Feel your desires with all of your heart, and then let them go.

When you feel complete, thank the fire, Brigid, and blow out the flame with gratitude. 

---

You might also like:

• 6 Ways to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox

• How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

• Mythoanimism: An Emerging Spirituality

• Celebrating Samhain: Modern Rituals and Festivities for Connection and Protection