This is a simple meditation on the Goddess Isis, queen of heaven and patron of the magickal arts. Allow an hour for this excercise. You will need a quiet, softly lit room, where you can be alone. Remember to switch off your telephone so you are not disturbed while you are in the middle of your meditation.
Find a clean cloth to cover your altar. A white one is most appropriate, but another color that you find pleasing will work just as well. Cleanliness was extremely important to the Ancient Egyptians and cleanliness as a preparation for spiritual work even more so. There should be an image of the goddess Isis on your altar.
You will need a blue candle to symbolize the divinty of the queen of heaven and an oil burner or some incense. If there are difficult to obtain, then you could use a blue perfumed clandle. You could use rose in your oil burner or burn church incense, a mixture of myrrh and benzoin, or Isis incense from a new age store. Beautiful smells have always been used in meditation and ritual to stimulate the psyche and to open up spiritual vison. You will also need a small ornate bowl or dish in which to place some milk as an offering to the goddess Isis. The milk symbolizes the life-giving and sustaining properties of the divine mother.
PREPARATIONS
Create a simple altar by covering a small table, shelf, or windowsill with the white cloth. Place your image of Isis on the altar, together with the blue candle, perfume oil, or incense, and a small bowl of fresh milk. You might like to play soft music in the background as you meditate; the sounds of the seashore can be particularly relaxing. The goddess Isis is the goddess of mariners and her divine presence can be felt within the depths of the sea. To prepare for your meditation, start the music and light the candle. Take a sip of the milk and invoke her name three times. Isis is the Greek form of her name, but in Ancient Egyptian, she was Aset (pronounced "Ah Set"). Intone, "Isis, Isis, Isis" or, if you would prefer the Egyptian, "Aset, Aset, Aset."
RELAXATION
Before you begin, make sure the room is warm enough for you to sit in comfort, but not too hot or you might become drowsy. Sit in front of your altar on a straight-backed chair, or you could sit or kneel on the floor. Try to keep your spine straight if you can. However, choose a posture that you can maintain without fidgeting. Relax and begin to focus on your breathing. Become aware of your inward and outward breaths as you inhale and exhale the breath of life, the divine gift to use from the gods. If your own time, allow your breathing to slow down, until you reach a gentle and relaxed rhythm. Now you are relaxed, you can prepare to begin the visualization exercise. The exercise is designed to take you into a meditative state. If you have been to relaxation classes or to yoga, this state of relaxed awareness where the psyche is open will be familiar to you. Once you achieve a meditative state, your mind will become relaxed enough to enter into a trancelike mode where the image and archetype of the all-mother, all-healing, all-protecting, all-powerful goddess Isis can become manifested through you.
MEDITATIVE EXERCISE
Close your eyes to begin with. You are going to visualize, one by one, tbe colors of the spectrum, from red, which symbolizes our raw animalistic energy, to violet, the color of spiritual traquility and peace. Take time to visualize each color fully-do not rush. Picture in your mind's eye the number 7 and the color red, the color of the rising sun. Allow red light to fill your psyche while you visualize the number 7. Stay with the red light for a few moments. Next, visualize the number 6 and the color orange, the color of warm desert and touched by the rays of the morning sun. Fill your mind with orange light, until it becomes bright and vivid. Follow on with the number 5 and the color yellow, the color of the noonday sun. Remember to breathe slowly and evenly. With each number an d color, feel yourself sinking down into a deeper state of blissful relaxation. Continue with the number 4 and the color green, the green of the vegetation growing by the Nile. Visualize the number 3 and Isis' own color of the summer sky. Next, focus upon the number 2 and the color indigo, the color of a deep night sky that symbolizes the goddess, veiled and hidden. Lastly, focus upon the number 1 and the color violet. Now we are beginning to pass out of the realm of earthly things. Allow violet light to fill your mind with gentle harmony and peace.
AFFIRMATION
Breathe slowly and gently. You are in control and aware, while feeling relaxed and empowered. Affirm to yourself: "I am now in meditative awareness, where all I see is correct and balanced in accordance with the doctrine of the goddess Maat, goddess of the scales of harmony and justice, and of the goddess Isis-she upon whose breast I can rest my weary head and find peace and all-embracing love." Remain in the meditative state and allow your mind to open itself to the free flow of images and feelings that reveal themselves to you. It may take several attempts before you begin to feel totally relaxed, but the resulting energy and the elimination of the harmful effects of stress will be your reward. When you are ready to return to the everyday world, do not forget you are always in control. You can return in your own time, and whenever you wish. Simply count to yourself from 1 to 7, visualizing each color from violet back to red. When you are back with red, the color of physical energy, put yourself back in touch with your body. Flex the muscles around your neck and shoulders, strectch out your arms, and take a deep breath. Exhale and open your eyes to gaze upon the image of the goddess Isis upon the altar. Thank the goddess for her love and protection and then extinguish your candle and any incense. Drink some of the milk you have offered if you wish, keeping the rest to libate to the goddess. Repeat this excerise whenever you want to relax and feel at one with the goddess Isis and her powers.
A LIBATION TO ISIS
To libate is to return something to the earth. Wo do this to thank the goddess for what she has given us. You can libate milk in your own back yard, a city park, or anywhere where you can touch the earth. If this is difficult, keep a pot of earth to use for libations. From time to time, take this outside and empty it out, refilling the pot again with fresh earth. This may seem a lot of effort simply to dispose of some excess milk, but it is important; when we have set something aside for a spiritual purpose we must treat it with respect.
