14 July: Bastet

In Traditional Egyptian astrology (one of two known systems), the current sign is Bastet, the Cat goddess. 10 things you might not know about her:

1. She was the daughter of the sun god, Ra. By day, she would ride through the sky with him in his chariot and at night she would turn into a cat to protect him against his enemy, the serpent Apep.
2. This meant she became a goddess of protection, with evil spirits and contagious diseases among the things she protected people from.
3. She was a goddess of health and pleasure, and also pregnancy and childbirth, possibly because of the fertility of the domestic cat.
4. She was the sister of Sekhmet. Her consort was Ptah, with whom she had a son, Mihos.
5. The origin of her name isn't known for sure. A common theory is that it means "She of the ointment jar" because her name included a hieroglyph for an ointment jar, which made sense if she was a goddess of health. Others have suggested a connection with the material alabaster, which was often used to make statues of Bastet.
6. Her nicknames and titles included the Lady of the East, Goddess of the Rising Sun, and the Sacred and All Seeing Eye.
7. She is depicted as a woman with the head of a cat, although in even more ancient times she was depicted as having the head of a lioness.
8. In one hand she carries an ankh which represents her power over life and death. In her other hand she carries a musical instrument called a sistrum, a sacred rattle used in ancient Egyptian rituals and ceremonies.
9. She was primarily worshipped in Bubastis and Leontopolis (the latter means "City of Lions" and was the cult centre of the lion gods of Ra). Her temple at Bubastis was said to rival those of Ra and Horus in their magnificence. There were live cats living in her temples which were said to be incarnations of Bastet herself. In Leontopolis, there were Lions living in the temples alongside the cats.
10. Some people believe that even today, domestic cats are under her protection.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

Check out my books page.