I am back and I am so excited to be talking about our next Goddess because she is definitely one of my favorites to work with. And I was awarded the privilege of visiting and honouring her statue in Karnak, which was housed way off in a corner of the temple grounds in a small lightless building, when we toured Egypt. I was able to give her offerings and be with her for a short time. While at the Egyptian museum as I was admiring the 2 different statues of Sekhmet I was continuously asked to move on as they do not allow you to linger to long at any one statue but I took certain liberties as I was embracing the young Warrior Sekhmet within me.

Goddess Sekhmet

Lady of the Place at the Beginning of Time

One Who Was Before the Gods Were

Mother of All the Gods

Sekhmet (Sakhmet) is one of the oldest known Egyptian deities. Her name is derived from the Egyptian word “Sekhem” (which means “power” or “might”) and is often translated as the “Powerful One” or “She who is Powerful”. Sekhmet is the lion-headed solar goddess of the Egyptian pantheon, and the Crone aspect of the trinity of Hathor-Bast-Sekhmet. She is also part of the Triad of Memphis, along with the god, and her consort, and their son Nefertem. Ptah is often called the Creator God, and their son Nefertem is known as the God of Medicine. Ra, the Sun God, was her father.

Her statues are not all the same either. As a young woman she represented war and as she aged, she represented healing. Statues of her throughout Egypt are carved differently to portray which she represents at the time. You can actually see wrinkles on her face for those statues that represent the crone, healing aspect of her.

Sekhmet was associated with the goddesses given the title “Eye of Ra”. According to myth, Ra became angry because mankind was not following his laws and preserving Ma’at (justice or balance). He decided to punish mankind by sending an aspect of his daughter, the “Eye of Ra”. He plucked Hathor from Ureas on his brow and sent her to earth in the form of a lion. She became Sekhmet, the “Eye of Ra” and began her rampage.

The fields ran with human blood. However, Ra was not a cruel deity, and the sight of the carnage caused him to repent. He ordered her to stop, but she was in a blood lust and would not listen. So Ra poured 7,000 jugs of beer and pomegranate juice (which stained the beer blood red) in her path. She gorged on the “blood” and became so drunk she slept for three days. When she awoke, her blood lust had dissipated, and humanity was saved. In one version of the myth, Ptah is the first thing she sees upon awakening, and she instantly falls in love with him. Their union (creation and destruction) created Nefertum (healing) and so re-established Ma’at.

The saving of mankind is commemorated every year on the feast day of Hathor/Sekhmet. Everyone drank beer dyed red and worshipped “the Mistress and lady of the tomb, gracious one, destroyer of rebellion, mighty one of enchantments”. During the celebrations, a statue of Sekhmet was dressed in red facing west, while one of Bastet was dressed in green and facing east. Bastet was considered to be Sekhmet’s counterpart or twin, and during the festival, they embodied duality, which was an important concept in Egyptian mythology. Sekhmet represented Upper Egypt, while Bastet stood for Lower Egypt. Bastet was the tame, good goddess, while Sekhmet was the Bloodthirsty, the chaotic and dangerous deity of war and love.

She was also known as the patron of Physicians and Healers, and the priests of Sekhmet became known as skilled doctors. As a result, this fearsome deity sometimes called the “lady of terror” was also known as the “lady of life”. It is said that she can cure anything. But if she wasn’t happy she spread disease.

Sekhmet, as the Crone goddess, rules menopause, “a powerful time of self-creation and self-government that could produce visions and create magic”. In terms of the Blood Mysteries, gentle Bast represented ovulation, while fiery Sekhmet represented menstruation!

Sekhmet is strongly associated with Kundalini, which is described as unleashed feminine sexuality manifesting as psychic energy, in both women and men. It is called “Shakti” – the power aspect of the individual. Shakti itself is a Hindu derivation from the name Sekhmet.

Colour: red, gold

Symbols: sun disc, ankh

Animal Association: lioness, serpent

Offerings: cinnamon, ginger, red beer, red wine, dragon blood incense, copal, mushrooms

Crystals: Bloodstone, carnelian, garnet, tiger’s eye, hematite, jasper

Element: Fire

I use Sekhmet myself for many different things in my practice. She is so very versatile and so amazing to work with. I greatly encourage you to research her yourself and see if she resonates with you. There are many reasons you might choose to work with the energies and powers of Sekhmet. Here are a few: *Protection *Banishing *Dealing with anger, fury, rage *Dealing with depression *Working through menopause *Developing willpower, strength, courage *Increasing assertive behavior, standing up to people *Sexual energy

Many Blessings as always,

Mystic Mana