This month my Full Moon Altar honours the Egyptian Great Goddess Isis. Known as the "Lady of Ten Thousand Names," Isis subsumes all other goddesses in her being. In ancient times, she was revered in Egypt and throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East, including Greece and Rome.
Seated on a desert sand altar cloth, Isis embodies and is surrounded by powerful symbols of the Life Force. Her sacred bird-of-prey wings protect both the living and the dead, sheltering her people in this life and in the next. Isis' wings are also the means by which the goddess fanned the Breath of Life back into her deceased husband Osiris, thereby resurrecting him.
On the altar's left is the stylized symbol called the Eye of Ra, the life-giving and life-sustaining Sun God. The Eye of Ra is considered to be the feminine aspect of Ra and a goddess in her own right. On the altar's right is the Ankh symbol, known as the Key of Life.
I bought my statue of Isis here in Edmonton about 25 years ago. It appears to be modelled on this wall painting of Isis in the tomb of Seti I --
[Photos #1 and #2 © Debra She Who Seeks, 2026;
37 comments:
Isis looks good. Her wings are a vast improvement over those of Victoria's Secret models.
Love,
Janie
...and a beautiful moon it was!
Ohhhhhhhh! I love the Egyptian feel t this alter. I gave a full moon this weekend, but it wasn't on a altar!
One a side note Egypt is one of the places being considered for the next big trip.
Isis is a wonderful symbol for these times! She gives me hope!
Finally a god I know something about! Thanks for all the extra info. It was a beautiful full moon. I was up at 4am for the day, so bright that you couldn't sleep through its energy.
What a gorgeous figurine!!
bobbie
A lovely altar. The blue crystal candleholders are a very nice part of the whole.
Are those handmade bags? Stunning fabric!
Well done!!
It was a big and very bright moon. Gorgeous.
@ Ms. Moon -- A garage sale find many years ago!
@ Duni -- No, I was lucky enough to find them in a store. They called to me!
Impressive statue. The figure is familiar to me, but otherwise the info you tell was new; thanks for it 🙏
Hello Debra, Here is some mood music to go with your altar, Mozart's O Isis and Osiris from The Magic Flute. I couldn't find the early recordings I was seeking, but here is the wonderful bass Alexander Kipnis (father of Igor) (Note the first few seconds of the video--that phonograph is haunted!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_z7HInv3Jw
and the same piece in English by the great Paul Robeson, showing another side of his talent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKEcuX6u-z4
--Jim
p.s. If Kirk is reading, Take that, Thurl Ravenscroft!
Oh, yes.
Very fitting she's ruling over my month.
XOXO
Dein Altar wirkt kraftvoll und zugleich sehr stimmig gestaltet. Die Symbolik von Isis, dem Auge des Ra und dem Ankh verbindet Schutz, Leben und Erneuerung auf beeindruckende Weise. Besonders berührend finde ich den Gedanken an die lebensspendende Kraft, die in diesen alten Bildern weiterlebt.
Danke, dass du diesen Einblick in deine spirituelle Praxis teilst. Es ist spannend zu sehen, wie alte Mythologie auch heute noch Inspiration und Bedeutung finden kann.
Okay Deb do not laugh. But those blue candle holders I used to make in the 70s. God I'm old
@ Neuer Gartentraum -- Thank you for your comment! I agree there is much wisdom to be found in ancient mythology -- perhaps the most!
@ Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) -- I found these at a garage sale many years ago. They could very well date from the 70s -- or earlier!
@ Parnassus (Jim) -- Thank you! The Magic Flute is one of my favourite operas (the Queen of the Night got a bad rap) and I hope to see it performed here in Edmonton Opera's upcoming season. And yes, one of the best bass roles in opera too. I read Kirk's post on Thurl Ravenscroft as well, so all I can say is -- touché!
Not that we don't extravagantly admire the extensive talents of Thurl Ravenscroft, but after all, he did give up classical singing to become Tony the Tiger. --Jim
A beautiful altar dedicated to Isis. Thank you for the extra information about her. I love that her wings shelter her people, living and dead.
Beautiful altar...so colorful..
I need that 'key of life'.
Edifying as always, Deb-Ra! Do those beautiful blue candle holders represent the blue Nile? I've always liked the name "Isis", too bad it's been sullied by terrorists.
That's really nice.
I love your altar this month. The candle holders really make it pop.
Another beautiful and meaningful alter.
Isis is definitely one of the most known goddess. I think we all
Need her to protect us with her wings right now
Simply stunning. Your Isis statue is a treasure and the fabricis beautiful.
Your altar weaves Isis, the Eye of Ra, and the Ankh into a powerful circle of protection, life, and renewal
I saw the moon as I cycled home tonight but not when I walked the dog (when I enjoy basking in the moonlight).
I had a great affinity with Egyptian deities at one time so seeing your altar to Isis really gave me reason to smile with the memory of a time long ago.
@ Tundra Bunny -- Yes, I suppose the blue could represent the Nile, another crucial source of life for Egypt! And those terrorists pissed me off too when the goddess's name got misappropriated for them.
Beautiful :)
I've seen some wonderful ancient statutes of the goddess Isis.
They always stand out for me.
Have you visited Egypt? I haven't it, but my friend Kate went last Fall and LOVED it. I think you would too?
@ DB Stewart -- I have not visited Egypt although yes, I hear it's fantastic. I had the opportunity once but passed it up because I was too wary of going to the volatile Middle East. My days of international travel are now over, alas, due to mobility issues so it's a moot issue at this point.
A very nice altar.
Lest we forget, Isis was also a 1970s Saturday morning TV superhero played by Joanne Cameron.
@ Kirk -- Now that you mention it, I do have some very vague memory of superhero Isis. Very vague indeed.
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