Bastet

[Scarlet]

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[MorningDove030202]

Well, what's the site?
dove

[Ahautenites]

Per Bast is the most comprehensive site. Good job. :) This is the site you want to be at if you want to learn all there is to know about Her, including the part about Her name being Bast, not Bastet.... Bastet is a Budge mistranslation of "bastt," which is written that way because the Nubians tended to drop the letter "t" if it occurred as the last letter in a word. In order to emphasize that the "t" in "bast" is pronounced, the Egyptians added an extra, silent "t" to the end of the word to remind the Nubians that Her name was Bast, not Bas.

[KissMeImIrish!]

Nothing like people with terrible hygiene ruining the fun for everyone else! I have a really stinky guy that sits beside me in my creative writing class in college and I'm surprised I haven't dropped dead yet. It's a 3 hour class, and ironically, not one of my favourites. :ugh:

[morrigen]

Per Bast is an excellent site. There's some really interesting articles on there :)

[greenwitch]

Hey that is an amazing site. :) Thanks for sharing it!


Blessings,
Adra

[KissMeImIrish!]

Are there any books or more sites that you could suggest? I loved per-bast, but I still have the thirst to learn more. I've done searches, but i'm finding it hard to find any info on her. I've always had an affinity for cats and just 2 days ago I did a ritual to try and find a patron goddess (ive never had one). I had a dream of Bast that night, and I can't stop thinking about her. Maybe shes trying to tell me something? Plus...I've noticed my cat Patches is acting extremely affectionate which isn't his personality at all. I hope someone can point me in the right direction!
many thanks
KMII

[KissMeImIrish!]

Ok, I just cracked open my copy os "The Witches Goddess" by Janet and Stewart Farrar. In it, they make mention to orgies being a part of her ancient festival. "Her rituals included light-hearted barage processions and orgiastic ceremonies" p 203. However I have read a few modern views of this goddess and they all deny her association with sex. "She is not the goddess of sex."- the writer of the said per-bast website. The writer also brings up the theory that it is a modern idea, Bast being the sexual deity she is said to be.
"Quite often scholars have interpreted this as meaning that all this risqué behavior indicated a divinity Who, as a cat, promoted sexual activity and playfulness -- but how much of this is an ancient text being filtered through a modern bias?"-per-bast website. But if this is true, how come many texts, even those written by pagan authors like the Farrars and even the ancient writer Herodotus claim she is a sexual deity? And if they had orgies at her rituals, wouldnt that further this claim?
So, what do you, as modern pagans think? Is Bast a sexual deity or not? I understand this could just be the authors personal view on the per-bast website, but It's definately confusing to someone who is trying to further research the deity (like myself), and keeps hearing two different opinions, both with evidence that supports them.
And i ask you forgive my choppy attempt at an essay here ;) lol.
Hope to hear from you all!

[morrigen]

Don't forget, too that "orgiastic" can also mean indulgent in other ways, like food and wine and dancing.

That said, however, there *is* a persistant myth that Bast is the Goddess of sex among other things. Some other myths persist about Bast having temple prostitutes and the like, but the thing is, the people of Ancient Kemet would have found sex in the temple profane, and since the society seems to have completely different views on morality to modern western society, the idea of the "temple prostitute" just doen't fit with Kemetic society.

Budge has alot to answer for :) And my two cents on the Farrars is that they promote their views on witchcraft as being *everyone's* views, when they often aren't. That doesn't mean their way isn't valid, but it doesn't hold true for everyone, and they aren't always right.

If you want some more really good info on Kemetic dieties, don't just look at "magic" books and sites, have a look through anthropological books and archaeological texts.

I recommend "Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt" by Rosalie David.

[KissMeImIrish!]

Thanks morrigen, I'm going to go order the book from my local bookstore. I'm really interested in Bast, and I want to find out so much more about her...but I'm finding it hard to dig up really GOOD information on her. Does anyone here work with her? I would really like to come in contact with someone who does...I would love to hear about her from a followers' point of view. I found per-bast didn't really have much in the 'spiritual' section. Too bad, because the rest of the site was wonderfully informative.

[morrigen]

Bast is not my patron (Anpu is), but She is very, vey dear to me and I work with Her often. She has a very light-hearted side...She loves gaiety and joy, dancing, music and luxury...but She is also "The Eye of Heru" and as such, She is a ferocious, and determined Goddess when She needs to be.

For me, I think She drops by from time to time to remind me to stop being so analytical, and represents the "emotional" side of me, so I tend to talk to Her when the matter is an emotional one.

But then again, even when the matter is emotional, my ultimate guidance and comfort come from Anpu...but ,my life would definately be lesser without Bast.

[instinct]

Em hotep all :)

Bast has recently come into my life. She's known to appear in peoples lives often as something of a guide or starting point for further study into the Kemetic side of things..

I was always exclusively a Yinepu (anubis) girl, but there's a kitty around now too :D

per-bast is a great resource that I have yet to read from top to bottom.

KissMeImIrish!: My cat has also become outrageously affectionate since Bast turned up! To me and my Bast statue (which he seeks out and either licks or rubs up against purring ecstatically. He knocked it over once and I was getting worried he'd break it, but I expressed my concern to Bast and my cat (his name is Bandit) has since learnt to be more gentle with the statue... hmmm... :T)

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~dnaj/images/BandBast.jpg

I love Bast's presence. It's warm and comforting, like kitty kisses and basking in the sun. But she definitely has some lioness in Her when the time is right ;)

Shan

[Khuinaset]

Em hotep all :)

Bast has recently come into my life. She's known to appear in peoples lives often as something of a guide or starting point for further study into the Kemetic side of things..

I was always exclusively a Yinepu (anubis) girl, but there's a kitty around now too :D

per-bast is a great resource that I have yet to read from top to bottom.

KissMeImIrish!: My cat has also become outrageously affectionate since Bast turned up! To me and my Bast statue (which he seeks out and either licks or rubs up against purring ecstatically. He knocked it over once and I was getting worried he'd break it, but I expressed my concern to Bast and my cat (his name is Bandit) has since learnt to be more gentle with the statue... hmmm... :T)

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~dnaj/images/BandBast.jpg

I love Bast's presence. It's warm and comforting, like kitty kisses and basking in the sun. But she definitely has some lioness in Her when the time is right ;)

Shan

That picture is SO FREAKING CUTE :D your cat is adorable! (and that's a nice statue too ;))

[instinct]

:bouncysmi

Thanks guys! Bandit was always affectionate too.. but now he's actually become downright annoying. It's like he's attached himself to me by a very very short rope and feels the need to be constantly on top of me..
Despite the annoying, I'm still loving the attention. hehe

I love my Bast statue too! I got it quite a while ago. Can't even remember where I got it. heh.
I just bought a lovely little reclining jackal statue of Yinepu (anubis) from ebay. Looking forward to getting that! I was starting to get all guilty about not having a statue of Him yet.

Senebty!

Shan