Bastet
Feline Power
Bastet is an Ancient Egyptian Cat Goddess who rules love, beauty, music, self-indulgence and sensuality, as well as protection, cats, perfume and ointments, fertility, pregnancy, children, the arts and warfare. Her name means She of the Ointment Jar which highlights her connection with self-indulgence and luxury. She was originally worshipped in Lower Egypt as a Lion Goddess in Bubastis almost 5,000 years ago and later changed into her cat form.
Bastet & SEkhmet
Throughout the development of Egyptian mythology, Bastet and Sekhmet were closely linked, one being the gentler, the other the more fearsome one, until they merged and were seen as two aspects of the same Goddess. Sekhmet was the powerful protector and warrior, while Bastet represented the gentler feline qualities of a domesticated Cat, like playfulness, grace, affection, cunning, indulgence and sensuality.
The Eye of the Moon
As a fierce protector of Lower Egypt, Bastet was the defender of the king and, therefore, the Sungod Ra, and was associated with his eye along with quite a few other deities, mainly feminine ones, such as Sekhmet, Hathor and Wadjet. Thus, Bastet is a solar deity but as a nocturnal animal, she is also associated with the moon, sometimes being called The Eye of the Moon. Cats are very sensitive to energies and changing atmospheres. Bastet was associated with detecting evil spirits long before any human could and being a living early warning system.
The Pragmatism of Spirituality
Bastet has a very pragmatic approach to teaching you – learning by doing is her motto. Her wisdom teachings have practical applications are easy to implement in daily life. Bastet is a very wise Goddess, straight forward and can be a bit of a drill sergeant when you don’t do the things the way and at the speed she expects you to. However, this doesn’t mean that the wisdom she imparts is wholly mundane. She knows about magic just as much. However, it is a lot more meaningful to her when applied in a practical context.