One day, while she was away, a poisonous snake bit the baby. His body was motionless, and his heart was powerless, the vessels of his small body did not beat. Isis screamed, calling on people and gods for help. Thoth, the god of wisdom, responded, calmed the unfortunate mother and healed Horus. When Horus grew up, Isis together with him she went to the court of the Ennead (nine gods) and began to demand the royal throne for him (this is legal - after all, he is the son of Osiris). Seth insisted, and Isis was removed from the trial. The gods gathered on the Inner Island and forbade the carrier to deliver Horus's mother to the island. However, the wise goddess deceived Seth. Taking the form of an old woman, she gave the ferryman a beautiful gold ring, and he agreed to transport her to the sacred island. There she turned into a beautiful girl and told Seth about the shepherd's son, who was robbed by a stranger, depriving him of his dead father. Seth was outraged by such illegality and exclaimed that the stranger should be beaten with a stick. By this he condemned, without knowing it, himself, recognizing that the inheritance should go to his son.

In all further disputes and clashes between Horus and Set Isis always helped her son. When Set penetrated the hand of Horus and filled it with poison, Isis I tore off my bad arm and replaced it with a healthy one. She ensured that Seth was condemned, and her son Horus became king of Egypt. Name Isis mentioned in almost all texts dedicated to Osiris. It is also mentioned in the legend about the dispute between Set and Horus.

In some myths Isis is a completely independent goddess and Osiris is not even mentioned. In magical texts (Metternich's stele), Osiris is mentioned only in passing, with the goddess and queen in the foreground Isis. In the mysteries that are dedicated to the death and resurrection of Osiris, Osiris was silent, but Isis and her sister Nephthys made long speeches mourning the death of Osiris. Relationship Isis, Osiris and Horus were considered an extremely instructive example of family. However, such an interpretation of the image was far from original. There was also a mention that said that Isis stands on the side of Seth, the worst enemy of his son and husband. At the same time, the following explanation is given for this behavior: when she, standing up for her son, hits Seth with a harpoon, he says, “What am I to blame for you? Isis? Call back your harpoon, for I am your brother by mother.” After this he says that Horus is not native to Isis, since he belongs to his father's family. Confused by such speeches, Isis takes the harpoon, and Horus, enraged by such a betrayal, cuts off her head. This version of the myth is very archaic. Isis acts in this myth according to the norms of maternal law, which say that the maternal brother is the closest person. And Horus, as a representative of the next generation of gods, acts according to the norms of paternal law. He is much more closely connected with his father, and for his mother he is much less dear than his own brother. This ancient myth was subsequently included in the presentation of the myth about the dispute between Horus and Seth, although it does not at all fit into the thread of the narrative.

At the beginning Isis was revered only in the northern part of the Nile River Delta, and the center of its cult was the city of Buto. Most likely, she personified the sky, since her very name (“iset” - “throne, place”) hinted that the solar god Horus came from her. Worshipers of the cult Isis- fishermen. According to myth, when trouble happened to Horus, they were the first to come to the rescue.

As a sky goddess, she was depicted as a cow or a beautiful woman with cow horns on her head. Subsequently, the mother becomes the mistress of the sky Isis Nut, and Isis herself takes on the usual image of the assistant and wife of Osiris.

Honored Isis also as the goddess of the wind, who creates it with her wings, accordingly she was depicted as a falcon or a woman with wings. Together with Nephthys and the goddess Heket Isis acts as the patroness of women in labor - a goddess who facilitates childbirth and determines the entire fate of newborns.

Like the wife of Osiris, Isis periodically assumes its functions. According to Diodorus Siculus, she taught people to grow grains and reap them. The Greeks identified Isis with their mother goddess Demeter. However, most often, Osiris himself performed the functions of a farmer. Along with the myths that the water of the Nile flows from its belly, there was the idea that the river overflows from tears Isis who is grieving for her husband. According to the traditions of antiquity, Isis ruled not only over rivers, but also over the seas and patronized sailors.

None of the gods of Egyptian mythology (with the exception of Serapis) received such widespread popularity in antiquity as Isis. In the 4th century BC. temple Isis was built in Piraeus on the island of Delos. There are also known sanctuaries dedicated to her in Tiphorea, Cenchrea and other Greek cities.

In Italy, her cult has been spreading since the 2nd century BC; temples were erected to her in Pompeii, Rome, Benevente and other cities. There are monuments that testify to the cult of the goddess Isis in Britain, Gaul and Spain. Initially, her cult was associated with the cult of Osiris, but in the Greco-Roman era she became independent and came to the fore, taking on more and more functions as the spouse of Osiris. The authors of antiquity wrote a lot about Isis. Cult Isis also greatly influenced Christianity. The image of the Mother of God with a child in her arms goes back to the image Isis with the child Horus. Figurines of the goddess remained as relics in some medieval churches.

Let's begin.

Osiris, in Egyptian mythology, the god of the productive forces of nature, the ruler of the underworld, the judge in the kingdom of the dead. Osiris was the eldest son of the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut, brother and husband of Isis. He taught the Egyptians agriculture, viticulture and winemaking, mining and processing of copper and gold ore, the art of medicine, the construction of cities, and established the cult of the gods.
Osiris was usually depicted as a man with green skin, sitting among trees, or with a vine entwining his figure. It was believed that, like the entire plant world, Osiris dies annually and is reborn to new life, but the fertilizing life force in him remains even in the dead. Myth:
Set, his brother, the evil god of the desert, decided to destroy Osiris and made a sarcophagus according to the measurements of his older brother. Having arranged a feast, he invited Osiris and announced that the sarcophagus would be presented to the one who fit the bill. When Osiris lay down in the sarcophagus, the conspirators slammed the lid, filled it with lead and threw it into the waters of the Nile. (Picking up a sarcophagus during life was normal at that time.)
The faithful wife of Osiris, Isis, found her husband’s body, miraculously extracted the life force hidden in him and conceived a son named Horus from the dead Osiris. When Horus grew up, he took revenge on Set. Horus gave his magic Eye, torn out by Seth at the beginning of the battle, to his dead father to swallow. Osiris came to life, but did not want to return to earth, and, leaving the throne to Horus, began to reign and administer justice in the afterlife. Seth, in Egyptian mythology, the god of the desert, that is, “foreign countries,” the personification of the evil principle, the brother and killer of Osiris. During the era of the Old Kingdom, Set was revered as a warrior god, assistant to Ra and patron of the pharaohs.
As the personification of war, drought, death, Seth also embodied the evil principle - as the deity of the merciless desert, the god of foreigners: he cut down sacred trees, ate the sacred cat of the goddess Bast, etc.
The sacred animals of Seth were considered to be the pig (“disgust for the gods”), antelope, giraffe, and the main one was the donkey. The Egyptians imagined him as a man with a thin, long body and a donkey's head. Some myths attributed to Seth the salvation of Ra from the serpent Apophis - Seth pierced the giant Apophis, personifying darkness and evil, with a harpoon. Myth:
Set, jealous of his brother Osiris, killed him, threw his body into the Nile and legally took his throne. But the son of Osiris, Horus, who had been hiding for many years, wanted to take revenge on Set and take his throne. Horus and Set fought for eighty years. During one of the battles, Seth tore out Horus's eye, which then became the great amulet of the Udjat; Horus castrated Seth, depriving him of most of his essence. Horus or Horus, Horus (“height”, “sky”), in Egyptian mythology the god of the sky and the sun in the guise of a falcon, a man with the head of a falcon or a winged sun, the son of the fertility goddess Isis and Osiris, the god of productive forces. Its symbol is a solar disk with outstretched wings. Initially, the falcon god was revered as a predatory god of the hunt, with his claws digging into his prey. Myth:
Isis conceived Horus from the dead Osiris, who was treacherously killed by the formidable desert god Set, his brother. Retiring deep into the swampy Nile Delta, Isis gave birth to and raised a son, who, having matured, in a dispute with Set, sought recognition of himself as the sole heir of Osiris.
In the battle with Set, the killer of his father, Horus is first defeated - Set tore out his eye, the wonderful Eye, but then Horus defeated Set and deprived him of his masculinity. As a sign of submission, he placed the sandal of Osiris on Seth's head. Horus allowed his wonderful Eye to be swallowed by his father, and he came to life. The resurrected Osiris handed over his throne in Egypt to Horus, and he himself became the king of the underworld. Isis or Isis, in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of fertility, water and wind, a symbol of femininity and marital fidelity, the goddess of navigation. Isis helped Osiris to civilize Egypt and taught women to reap, spin and weave, cure diseases and established the institution of marriage. When Osiris went to wander the world, Isis replaced him and wisely ruled the country. Myth:
Hearing about the death of Osiris at the hands of the god of evil Set, Isis was dismayed. She cut her hair, put on mourning clothes and began searching for his body. The children told Isis that they had seen a box containing the body of Osiris floating down the Nile. The water carried him under a tree that grew on the shore near Byblos, which began to grow rapidly and soon the coffin was completely hidden in its trunk.
Upon learning of this, the king of Byblos ordered the tree to be cut down and brought to the palace, where it was used as a support for the roof in the form of a column. Isis, having guessed everything, rushed to Byblos. She dressed poorly and sat down by a well in the center of the city. When the queen's maids came to the well, Isis braided their hair and wrapped it in such a fragrance that the queen soon sent for her and took her son as a teacher. Every night Isis placed the royal child in the fire of immortality, and she herself, turning into a swallow, flew around the column with her husband’s body. Seeing her son in the flames, the queen uttered such a piercing cry that the child lost his immortality, and Isis revealed herself and asked to give her the column. Having received the body of her husband, Isis hid him in a swamp. However, Seth found the body and cut it into fourteen pieces, which he scattered throughout the country. With the help of the gods, Isis found all the pieces except the penis, which had been swallowed by the fish.
According to one version, Isis collected the body and revived Osiris to life using her healing powers, and conceived from him the god of the sky and sun, Horus. Isis was so popular in Egypt that over time she acquired the characteristics of other goddesses. She was revered as the patroness of women in labor, determining the fate of newborn kings.

Cult of Isis
Over the centuries, Egyptian magic has outlived its usefulness and become a thing of the past, but one of the elements of ancient Egyptian cosmogony turned out to be more tenacious. This is the cult of Isis. The great goddess Isis personified meekness and tenderness, maternal love, marital fidelity, fertility and feminine beauty. She nurtured and took care of all living things. She dropped a life-giving tear into the Nile waters, and the Nile overflowed, covering the fields with fertile silt. The soul of Isis lived on the star Sirius. And the first morning rising of Sirius, which approximately coincided with the summer solstice, for a long time served as a signal to the Egyptians about the beginning of the flood of the river, on which the life of the entire country depended. Resurrected by the grieving Isis, her husband, Osiris, again rose from the dead. From year to year the eternal act of re-creating the world was repeated: Osiris, the sacred Nile, fertilized the land of Egypt.

Isis bore many names and combined the qualities of many local deities. The pious Egyptian turned to her for protection, and the stranger recognized in her the features of the mother goddesses of his native country - Minerva, Aphrodite, Ceres, Hecate... Isis surpassed them all. Her maternal love and marital fidelity opposed the debauchery and cruelty of Astarte, Anahita, Cybele and all the other monstrous goddesses of the East, who crippled the fates of countless girls and women. Those goddesses were pleased with human sacrifices, war and sterility; Isis loved and protected life.

Great goddess Isis and Anubis.

The cult of Isis spread throughout Europe and Western Asia and, eventually, some elements of it merged with the newborn Christian faith. Many epithets of Isis were directly borrowed as attributes of the Virgin Mary - for example, “immaculate” or “mater domina” ((in the contracted form “Madonna” this phrase has survived in many languages ​​to this day). “The majestic ritual of Isis,” notes J. Frazer, “these priests with tonsures, morning and evening services, bell ringing, baptism, sprinkling with holy water, solemn processions and jewelry images of the Mother of God - and indeed in many respects resemble the magnificent ritualism of Catholicism.”

The appearance and attire of the goddess were filled with deep symbolic significance. On the pedestal of her statue in the city of Sais, the mysterious words were carved: “I am everything that was, that is, and that will be... Not a single mortal can know what is hidden under my veil.” Apuleius (2nd century AD) gives a lively and vivid description of this goddess, on the basis of which the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1601 - 1608) created an engraving depicting Isis. The goddess's hairstyle in this engraving is topped with a curl of hair, symbolizing the influence of the moon on plant growth. Isis's hair is decorated with ears of wheat as a reminder that it was this goddess who gave humanity the first grains and taught how to cultivate the fields. In addition, the goddess’s head is crowned with a ball - a symbol of the universe - resting on a wreath of flowers, which once again emphasizes the power of Isis over the plant world. This rich headdress is completed with images of two snakes, personifying the fruitful power of the moon and its winding path in the sky.

Isis, goddess of fertility, water, wind, navigation, daughter of Hebe and Nut, sister and wife of Osiris, ancient Egyptian bas-relief.

Isis's curls, freely falling on her shoulders, imply that before us is the nourisher of the entire universe. In her left hand the goddess holds a bucket - a symbol of the Nile flood; on the right is the sistrum, a percussion musical instrument dedicated to her by the Egyptians. These attributes, according to Kircher, characterize Isis as the mistress of the Nile and protector from evil. The goddess's dress shimmers with lunar shades. Also the queen of the firmament, Isis is dressed in a mantle embroidered with stars, the hem of which is bordered by flowers - a symbol of the soil, reminiscent of the fact that Isis was the discoverer of medicinal herbs. The goddess's womb is decorated with a crescent moon, the magical rays of which bestow fertility on the earth. Isis’s right foot rests on the ground, her left is immersed in water: the goddess rules over both of these elements. She is stella Maris, Star of the Sea, protector of all who sail and travel. In the background of the engraving there is a ship - a symbol of the feminine principle, dedicated to Isis.

All these attributes of the cult of Isis were supposed to surprise the believer and excite his imagination. The appearance of Isis equally enchanted both the simple-minded ignoramus and the wise philosopher. The seeker of the highest truth was not content with the explanations of the Stoic philosophers: he did not see much sense in the fact that the myth of Isis symbolized the flood of the Nile, the eclipse of the Moon, or other astronomical phenomena. From the material world, the seeker rushed into the sphere of ideas in the hope of discovering there a transcendental solution to the legend of the Mother of the World.

Plutarch, who was close to the philosophical views of the Platonists and Eastern sages, speaks in vague terms about the mystical trinity, the hypostases of which are Osiris, Isis and their son, Horus. In them, according to Plutarch, mind, matter and space are personified. They represent an ideal triangle, the proportions of which embody the divine mystery: the leg, equal to four parts, corresponds to Isis, the female principle of conception; height equal to three parts - Osiris, the male generative principle; and the hypotenuse, equal to five parts, is Horus, the fruit of the union.

Any triangle built according to these proportions is a sacred symbol endowed with magical powers; and these three numbers themselves - three, four and five - are carriers of supernatural energies. The Egyptians and the Pythagorean philosophers attached great importance to the wisdom of numbers, as we will see in the next chapter. The history of any numbers and geometric figures appearing on drawings of magic circles and on talismans in later times goes back to this ancient numerology. “And I myself am of the opinion,” says Plutarch, “that when the Pythagoreans assigned the names of certain gods to individual numbers, then by this they meant something seen by the founder of their school in the Egyptian temples, or some ceremonies held in them, or what "these are the symbols seen there." What exactly is the secret of these numbers, Plutarch does not tell us - either out of reluctance to make secret knowledge public, or out of his own ignorance. However, he insists that all elements of Egyptian religion must be understood allegorically.

Isis continued to live in the Christian West - not only in the cult of the Madonna, but also in the occult teachings of magicians. Developing the ideas of Plutarch, the magicians saw in the image of this ancient mother goddess an occult allegory of the World Soul, which, by the will of God, nourishes and preserves the entire created world. Expelled from Christian heaven, she dwells in the world of the stars and above the earth, forever pouring life-giving power into the world. "She represents the feminine part of nature, or [embodies] the quality that allows her to be the cause of the generation of all other living beings." The image of the World Soul in a 17th-century engraving still retains some of the symbols of ancient Isis: her hair flows freely over her shoulders, her bosom is decorated with a crescent, one leg rests on land, the other is immersed in water. The World Soul is chained to God, in accordance with the statement of Plutarch: “Isis is always involved in the highest.” In turn, man (the image and likeness of God!) is chained to the World Soul, for his very existence depends on the life-giving seeds that pour out from the breast of the great Mother of the World.

Centuries passed, but the ancient image of Isis did not lose its power over the minds of people. At the end of the 18th century, it was remembered by people who seemed completely alien to any thoughts about magic - the leaders of the French Revolution. At a solemn ceremony held in honor of the great goddess, Robespierre, mindful of the mysterious Sais inscription, brought a lighted torch to the veil that enveloped the gigantic statue of Isis, whose life-giving power was now interpreted as the power of reason that nourishes progress.

Virgin and Mother, healer of body and soul

The glyph for Virgo is the letter "mem" from the Hebrew alphabet, symbolizing the Virgin with the tail of Pisces (the mystical polarity of the sign Pisces) raised up. This magical glyph suits Hermes with the healing caduceus. Isis also corresponds to the herald - Hermes, the messenger, the mediator between man and God. Like her Christian equivalent, the Virgin Mary, the Reconciler, Isis receives her power from a male deity (Thoth) and plays the role of messenger—the primary role of the Virgin. The story of Isis is one of humility, efficiency, hard work and technical improvement. She conveyed to humanity the secrets of the gods so that it can be healed and be assured of immortality.
Isis was reputed to be very educated. She was taught by the Egyptian Hermes, a mentor god named Thoth, the scribe of the Sun god, Ra. He taught her the science and art of healing through medicinal herbs, incantations, the use of beetles, toads, and stones, and even the ability to raise the dead with the power of Ra. She was a very capable healer on both the mental and physical levels. Inscriptions in her shrines and temples say that those who slept there received comfort from Isis in their dreams and were cured of emotional problems. Virgins dedicated themselves to Isis, taking vows of celibacy as they served and studied in her temples. She was given symbolic names: Wise, Enchantress, Goddess Isis, She whose words have power. In a ceremony that could well have been astrological, the initiate was led through the 12 halls of the Temple (House of Isis) and in each hall a new cape with a hood depicting an animal was thrown over him. The initiate prayed, fasted and left the last hall towards the Nile to see the Boat of Isis sail by and to feel the peace of Osiris. The initiate was then called the Conqueror of the Seven Planets, which probably meant the conqueror of the natal chart, the master of his own individuality.
Before we explore the story of Isis, let's stop for a moment and look at what the potential of the Virgo sign is. The cult's statues were considered most powerful when Isis did not stand alone, but held her child, Horus, in her arms. In art, the image of a mother and child is one of the most significant symbols in the whole world. Such a statue represents the realization (child) of potential (womb). A self-sufficient Virgo standing alone, no matter how wise she is, is not complete. Fullness is a new form. Whether it is a child, or a book, or the founding of a Center for Holistic Medicine - whatever the creative creation - any real new form must appear. This form usually requires a long and painful pregnancy and childbirth, similar to the sad birth of Isis that resulted in Horus. For a Virgo, an apprenticeship may mean having a mentor who keeps her on minimum wage for too long in his office, laboratory, or school. This may include struggles with finances and self-confidence, doubts about a mentor, even hesitation about the value of service in general. But at the end, usually after a long period of gestation, Virgo's esoteric ruler, the Mother of Form, the Moon, gives birth to her new creation.
Another pattern that can be seen in the story of Isis and in the life of the Maidens is the twilight deception of Hermes, a cunning that surrounds them whether they actively and consciously participate in it or not. Things are often not what they seem. Isis's suffering began when her half-brother, Set, deceived and killed her husband. Isis did not know for sure that her husband was dead, but from the early stages of her pregnancy she began a long, painful, lonely journey, hiding in the guise of a lowly nanny. Think of Isis when you see your Virgo friends hiding behind the images of teachers and administrators. Who might this person have been in the past? A hidden alchemist on a lonely journey through a foreign land? The Transformative Power of Speech , which also belonged to the goddess Isis, potentially exists among these Virgos, leading their modest lifestyle. Perhaps respect for the power of speech warns them against writing and speaking in public until they receive communication about it. This long pregnancy or apprenticeship often seems to be self-imposed by the Virgo perfectionist herself.

Myth of Isis
Isis and her husband, Osiris, ruled the Nile Delta in Egypt as queen and king. They were happy, their subjects loved them, but the life of the spouses was darkened by the fact that they did not have a son who would inherit the kingdom.
Osiris is famous for bringing arts and crafts to Egypt. He often traveled abroad to teach less fortunate nations. While he was away, Isis ruled “wisely and well.” She also kept an eye on her half-brother, the envious red-bearded Seth, who was biding his time to seize the throne.
One day, during the journey of Osiris, Set and his friends made a coffin exactly suitable for Osiris. It was made of fine cedar and decorated with gold. When the king returned to the Nile Delta, they held a feast in his honor. (Isis was far away at that time, in the city of Koptos). After everything was drunk, Seth's friends invited everyone to try on a beautiful coffin suitable for a king. All the guests were either short or too tall, except, of course, Osiris. As soon as he lay down in the coffin, Seth slammed the lid tightly and his friends sealed the coffin with molten lead. They carried him to the Nile and pushed him into the river. Set was happy to declare himself the new ruler of Egypt. Osiris died at the age of 28, on the day of waning.
While in Koptos, Isis heard about the death of Osiris, but she could not believe it. She put on black clothes and cut her hair. Isis walked along the banks of the Nile, looking for a coffin among the reeds where it could be thrown. She cried because only now she realized how deeply she loved her husband. Some strangers told her that the coffin washed ashore in Syria and was washed up on the trunk of a tamarisk tree. King Melqart of Syria, walking along the river one afternoon, was amazed to see a tree and ordered it to be cut down and made into a pillar for the palace. Isis came to the palace, sat down on the veranda and pressed her cheek to the pillar. The court women approached her. She taught them how to wear their hair in an Egyptian style. Queen Ishtar, of course, asked the maids who did their hair and perfumed them with incense. They replied that they had been combed by a simple Egyptian woman in white linen. Ishtar sent for Isis and made her her son's nanny.
Isis, having spent a long time in the palace, fell in love with the baby. At night, she held him over the fire to burn out the mortal toxins from him, so that he could become immortal. Each time, having completed this procedure, she turned into a black swallow and flew around her husband’s coffin in a column of light, passionately wanting to hug Osiris and dreaming of having her own child.
One night, Queen Ishtar entered the room while Isis was holding the baby over the fire. Ishtar screamed in panic and broke Isis's spell, thus robbing her prince of immortality. Isis was forced to tell Ishtar who she really was - goddess of abundance, Queen of the South (the underworld). Ishtar knelt before Isis and then helped her remove the body of Osiris from the tamarisk tree. The two women wrapped the trunk in white linen and placed it with respect in the temple for worship. Isis then placed the body of Osiris in a boat and sailed down the Nile, hiding as she performed secret rites. With the help of Thoth - Hermes, she was able to revive Osiris for some time in order to conceive the Divine Child, Horus, so long awaited by her. It was worshiped as the House of Horus or the Temple of Horus in memory of the amazing magical conception.
The birth of Isis, however, did not take place in a manner worthy of a goddess and queen. She was hiding from Seth, who was raging and looking for her up and down the Nile. Seth heard a rumor that Isis claimed that she was pregnant with a child from the deceased Osiris, but he refused to believe in this miraculous conception. He believed that Isis's child would be illegitimate, but did not want to take the risk. Isis knew that he would kill her and the child if he found them. She squatted down in the reeds and gave birth like a simple peasant woman. For several hours she was in agony, between life and death, until finally help came with amulets of frogs and stones to help her: A child was born - the One Who Was Long Awaited, Horus, the Avenger of His Father, Horus , Hawk of the Sun God. His birth occurred on the day of the spring equinox, when the Earth is most fruitful.
His father, hidden in his coffin, sometimes came to Horus and taught him. They discussed weapons and the art of war man to man, because they knew that someday Horus would be forced to fight for the throne with the powerful Set.
One day Osiris asked a child: “What is the most righteous deed that a person can do?”
"Avenge your father."
“Which animal is the most useful?” - Osiris continued.
“Horse,” the boy quickly answered.
Osiris was puzzled, because usually the most significant animal was considered to be the lion, which in the form of a constellation is overhead at the time when the Nile begins to fill with water.
“Why do you prefer a horse?” - the father asked his son.
“Because a horse is faster and more useful in intercepting and cutting off enemy forces. The lion is stronger, but the horse is faster."
One day, when Isis went to the city to replenish supplies, leaving her child sleeping alone on a mat, a scorpion crawled in and stung Horus. When Isis returned, she saw that her son was motionless and cold, his limbs were swollen, and white foam appeared on his lips. She experienced indescribable horror when she took her child in her arms. She and her sister called upon the sun god Ra with such force that the Disc stopped above in its orbit. The journey of Ra, which lasted millions of years, was interrupted for the first time. Thoth, the god of science and scribe Ra, the mentor of Isis, flew to her aid down from the boat of the Disc of the Sun.
He had an encyclopedic memory and wrote many voluminous treatises on magic, mathematics, astronomy and astrology. Even more important than knowing which spells were appropriate to heal Horus, they needed to be cast correctly. While Isis wept over the body of Horus, Thoth - Hermes taught her how to pronounce words properly. The wound opened and poison flowed out. Horus began to speak again!
“Horus is alive! Horus is alive! - the crowd shouted.
He returned to the boat of the solar disk, and the goddess Isis received a new title - Mistress of Magic .
Isis passed on the magic spells that Thoth taught her to the priestesses of her temple so that not a single child in Egypt would die from a scorpion sting.
Meanwhile, word reached Seth that the boy, the son of Isis, continued to grow. He had heard that the child was skilled with weapons, and that Horus's magnetism even attracted Set's own warriors from his palace.
Every night Seth left the palace, ostensibly to hunt, but in reality to find Horus and kill him. He searched all the caves by the light of the moon. One day on a full moon, he discovered the coffin of Osiris, opened it and cut the body into 14 pieces, and then threw them into the Nile. The next morning, Isis saw that the sarcophagus was destroyed. She made a light boat from papyrus and went down the river to look for parts of the body of Osiris. Horus, meanwhile, studied black and white magic. He told his mother that he would meet her at the temple in Abydos, where a wooden coffin made of tamarisk was kept. Isis had to bring parts of the body there so that they could restore it again with the help of rituals.
Isis, during her journey down the Nile, met many cruel crocodiles, but they had such respect for her that they did not eat a single part of Osiris's body. Since that time, crocodiles began to be considered sacred animals in Egypt. Isis found 13 parts, but the fish ate the phallus, and therefore she brought Horus a body that was not whole - one very important part was missing.
In the temple of Abydos, they collected body parts and added to them a model of the phallus, which Isis herself made. They had to perform many rites over the body during the 14 days of the waning moon cycle. Only after the ritual was completed was Horus able to go in search of his uncle to reclaim his throne.
God Thoth descended from the Disc to act as messenger and arbiter to judge the battle between Set and Horus, between uncle and nephew. Some sources say that he may have come anticipating that Isis would need him.
Did Thoth really know everything in advance, but Isis certainly needed him. At first, Set and Horus fought for three days like “great bears.” Then Horus was able to win and put his uncle in chains. He brought Seth to his mother, pushed him to the floor, and then put his foot on his big red head. Afterwards, leaving the queen to guard his captive, Horus went to dispose of the army of Set.
As soon as Horus left, Seth began to beg Isis to let him go. “The prison is cold and dark; this is an unworthy place for a great king.” "Of course, the earth will restore its abundance more quickly if you free me." "I am your brother after all." When all these arguments failed, Seth showed her the wounds that Horus had inflicted on him. His condition finally moved Isis to pity, and she freed him.
Horus, the impetuous Aries, born on the day of the spring equinox, returned to find that his mother had forgiven and freed the man who had twice killed his father and deprived him of his rightful throne. Exhausted from the battle and maddened by this news,
Horus drew his sword and, in a fit of rage, cut off his mother's head. He, however, stood nearby and was able to immediately utter the right words to save Isis. He replaced her severed head with that of Hathor, the ancient Egyptian cow goddess. Then Isis began to be called Hathor, the eldest earthly goddess, the Patroness of childbirth.
Mother and son then pursued Seth together. They drove him to the shores of the Red Sea. He never returned to Egypt, and the Nile Valley once again became prosperous under the reign of Horus and his four sons, who ruled consistently with justice and harmony.
Isis and Osiris became judges of the dead in the afterlife. There they meet the newly arrived souls and judge them according to the 42 commandments.
At first glance, this story might seem more like a solar than a lunar myth. Sunny Horus fought to regain his kingdom, captured by his evil uncle. But if we look again, we will see that in fact this story is about Isis and the subtle, magical power of the Feminine, that is, this is the Lunar myth. And yet, Isis is not the Great Mother who, with her own power and authority, exercises control over life, death and rebirth, but the Helping Virgin - the humble Virgin, child and disciple of Hermes - Thoth.

Virgo is a more gentle autumn goddess, she does not possess the Shakti of the Great Mother. Isis informs Ishtar that she is the queen of the South, the setting Sun - the Sixth House, or the twilight region of the natural Zodiac. We understand Isis' role as mediator when Plutarch tells us that she is the daughter of Hermes. She is the Virgin and Mother, the supplicant and mediator of the gift of divine grace and wisdom. But she remains completely dependent on Thoth, her Divine Guide, when she brings consciousness to humanity. In this myth, Isis does nothing herself, with her own power. She is a humble means, a Temple of Horus, through which healing methods are transmitted.
The Virgo Goddess learns, waits, asks, believes (Pisces polarity) and acts effectively and correctly in a crisis situation. Isis shows mercy to Seth, which comes, we are told, from “pity for all his human weaknesses.” Yet, as a reward for all her quiet humility, Isis wins in the end; the solar figures are not as strong as she is. Even Set was driven out of Egypt thanks to her patient, constant efforts.
The son of Isis Horus, the Divine Child of Ra, the god of the Sun, owes everything to his mother - his miraculous birth from the seed of his deceased father, the fact that he survived during childbirth, the fact that he was hidden from the warriors of Set in caves along the banks of the Nile, his miraculous healing from the sting of a scorpion, the opportunity to learn magic from Isis and the art of war from Osiris, and thus, indirectly, even his victory over Set in the struggle for the throne. He owes all this to the Feminine, his humble mother. In fact, he owed too much to his own ego, and in the end he cut off his mother's head in order to achieve his own freedom and space for personal growth. Thus, Horus became able to take the throne and rule under his own authority.
In the myth of Isis there are many characteristic Virgo traits: humility, perfectionism (magic words must be pronounced absolutely correctly), acting effectively in times of crisis, applying acquired skills and methods to solve a problem, interceding for others before the gods (many Virgos work as intermediaries in personnel selection, child psychotherapy, middle management in government agencies, etc.), healing (without damaging the body). Healing is another trait common to Virgo and also to the quest of Isis. First she kept the body of Osiris intact, then she saved and revived the cold body of Horus, and finally, in the case of the enemy, Set, Isis decided to release him. She did this not to restore the kingdom, and not because he was her relative, but because he was wounded in battle and should not have ended up in a cold, dark, damp prison. He needed sunlight and healing. Isis could not allow even her enemy to experience physical suffering.
In "esoteric astrology" Alice Bailey draws attention to the fact that the duality of Hermes expresses itself in the sign of Virgo as a dichotomy of soul and body. Pisces polarity emphasizes this dilemma because it emphasizes the giving up of possessions, sometimes even including things necessary for health such as vitamins, whenever transits come against Virgo energy in the horoscope.
Thus, esoteric Virgo can fluctuate from an emphasis on the body to an emphasis on the soul depending on the time of year - transits through the midpoints of the Sixth - Twelfth Houses or the opposition of the Sun in Virgo, Virgo ascendant. Healing the body, mind or soul (mental healing) - a natural type of search for people of this archetype, but Virgo has periods of doubt. Should she forget about her own body and her health, or should she renounce all of this and work on developing Pisces' intuition, imagination, and capacity for renunciation? Meditate more? Or maybe look for monastic solitude?
Waiting, hidden life, service - these are also characteristics of Virgo. Isis and Osiris were expecting a child for a long time. They seemed to think that they had a lot of time ahead of them, and thus Horus became the posthumous Divine Child of Osiris. Many Virgos take a wait-and-see approach, like Isis or Persephone, until mid-life before making a major decision. Isis did not understand until Osiris' death how much she loved him. Many Virgos do not respond to their inner needs and feelings until mid-life or even later, until the moment when the esoteric ruler turns to individuality.
The quiet, hidden life of a Virgo may be spent in teaching, a hospital, or in government service as a low-paid employee who actually knows that he is intelligent and talented enough to get ahead. Virgo spends a long period of apprenticeship, like Isis and Thoth, before she herself became a Goddess.
Often Virgo, Virgo rising asks, “Why does it seem like I’m a late bloomer?” If we think about the nature of Hermes, who has two opinions about the possibility of taking a risk and leaving his safe, secure apprenticeship, and Isis's remark that until Osiris died, she did not understand how much she loved him and how much she wanted from him child. Before the tragedy with Osiris, life for her was simply an opportunity to learn. She eventually gave birth to a Divine Child of her own, but only after first helping Ishtar raise her infant.
Thus, Virgo often gives birth to their own creative projects after playing a supportive (lunar) role in the creation of another's creative venture.

Isis, an ambitious goddess whose main duty is considered to be caring for her family, never forgot about her own importance. That’s why the beauty put so much effort into returning the throne to her own son, because being the mother of a pharaoh is much more honorable than being a simple fugitive. However, even without the brilliant Horus and the faithful Isis occupied an important place in the Egyptian pantheon of gods. The patroness of women and fertility knew exactly what mere mortals needed.

Origin story

The origins of the cult of the goddess lie in the small city of Sebennit, located in the Nile Delta. Before taking the place of the patroness of the pharaohs, Isis was revered mainly by Egyptian fishermen. The city of Buto was considered the place of worship of the goddess.

The initial image of the woman is noticeably different from later images of the beauty. Isis was depicted with the head of a cow, but the spread of the cult was reflected in the woman’s appearance. As the influence of Osiris' wife expanded throughout ancient Egypt, the cow's unattractive face was replaced with a beautiful face. Only the horns remaining in the same place reminded of the previous image.

The goddess gradually acquired relatives, as well as her own myths and legends. With the advent of the Ancient Kingdom, Isis acquired the status of wife and assistant to the divine pharaoh. And if previously a beautiful woman was perceived as the patroness of the sky, now Isis was assigned the responsibility of controlling the wind. From that moment on, the goddess was depicted as a winged maiden.

Merging with the cult of Osiris provided the woman with greater influence and more responsibilities. Now Isis was perceived as the protector of the dead, the patroness of pregnant women and a symbol of fidelity, femininity and maternal love.

The goddess began to be depicted with flowing hair. The woman was dressed in a silver dress, and the goddess often held a bucket (the flood of the Nile) and a musical instrument, the sistrum, in her hands. Often the statue of a beauty was wrapped in a cloak, the hem of which was embroidered with flowers. This served as a reminder that Isis is an expert in medicinal herbs and decoctions.

By the time of the formation of the New Kingdom, Isis had become more famous in Egypt than her own husband. The cult of the goddess spread to Greece, where it was initially renamed cult. But later the woman gained fame under her own name. True, the goddess lost its main meaning, while acquiring erotic symbolism.

In the 2nd century BC, the name of Isis sounded in the territory of Ancient Rome. Temples were erected in honor of the goddess in Pompeii and Benevento. From there the cult spread to Europe and Asia. Researchers claim that some elements of the worship of the Egyptian deity are reflected in Christianity.

Myths and legends about Isis

Isis is the eldest child of the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. Soon after the girl’s birth, the couple had more heirs: Osiris and Nephthys. After Osiris was proclaimed pharaoh of Egypt, the goddess married her younger brother.

The marriage, which others considered political, was built on love and mutual respect. Therefore, when the evil Set killed Osiris, the woman directed all her strength to return her beloved.

The suffering widow searched for the body of her lover for a long time and accidentally discovered the coffin with Osiris in a tree that had sprouted on the banks of the Nile. Isis turned into a kite, hugged the body of her dead husband and, casting a spell, resurrected Osiris. Alas, the magic was only enough to indulge with the god of love. After this, Osiris returned to the world of the dead, and Isis was left alone with the newborn baby Horus in her arms.

The exiled wife of the pharaoh vigilantly looked after her son and tried in every possible way to return the throne of Egypt to the rightful heir. When Horus became old enough, Isis convened a council of the gods and demanded justice. Knowing that the truth was not on his side, Seth insisted that Isis not be allowed into the council.

With the help of magic, the woman turned into an old woman and, deceiving the guards, went to the chambers of the invader pharaoh. Before entering her younger brother, the goddess took the form of an unfamiliar beauty. Seth, who always paid attention to attractive women, could not resist this time either.

The man tried to take possession of the stranger, but the disguised goddess asked to first listen to a sad story. Isis said that she married a shepherd who was killed. And a stranger came and seized the husband's cattle, depriving the shepherd's son of his inheritance. The blinded Seth cried out that the stranger must be punished and the herd returned to the heir. At that very moment, Isis became herself again.

However, even such a recognition did not bring Isis and Horus closer to the throne. There were still a number of tests to be completed. The mother, who wanted to help her beloved son, threw a harpoon at Seth during the duel of the gods. The younger brother begged his sister to release him. Despite her hatred of the tyrant, Isis took pity on her husband’s murderer. Seeing that the goddess had freed Seth, the angry Horus rashly cut off his mother's head.

Of course, the great patroness of the dead did not die. The head immediately grew back to the neck. The loving mother was not even angry with her son and forgave the proud young man for his ardent outburst.

Having achieved justice for her son, the goddess wanted to raise her own name among the gods. To gain more influence, Isis decided to find out the secret name of God. Such knowledge would provide a woman with influence and power.

Noticing that Ra was already old and sick, the goddess began to collect the dripping saliva of the patron of the sun. Mixing the liquid with dust, Isis created a snake that bit the god. Ra, suffering from severe pain, called on the gods. Isis also responded to pleas for help. The woman promised to cure the god if he told the goddess his own secret name. The old man obeyed, and Isis received the status of mistress of the gods.

• The literal meaning of the goddess's name is "throne", but the Egyptians translated "Isis" as "she who stands at the throne."

• The symbol of Osiris’s beloved is the pharaoh’s throne, with which the goddess adorned her head. The second most important amulet of Isis is the tiet, or “Isis knot.” Sarcophagi and clothing of the pharaohs were decorated with similar designs.
• The ancient Egyptians believed that the flood of the Nile was associated with a deity: the river overflows its banks due to the tears that Isis shed for her lost husband.