Sisters of the Burning Branch Presents...
Sekhmet, Goddess of Healing
by Aurora Moon
Level
I Final Project
Sekhmet
is the Egyptian Leonine Goddess. Sekhmets name means *Power* or *Mighty
One*, and the power she wields is known as sekhem. Sekhem translates
to the general life force or life-force energy. She appears most often
in a
woman*s body, wearing a red dress, a lioness as a head, and a crowned
with a
sun disk circled by a cobra on her head. She often holds the ankh (the
symbol
of life), when seated. When she is standing or striding, she is seen
holding
the papyrus specter symbolizing Lower Egypt. She is known as the
Goddess of the
sun, war, destruction, plagues, and healing. She is what is known as a
dark
goddess, and I am on a journey to understand why. Is it because she is
strong
and unforgiving, fierce, or just misunderstood?
Sekhmet is known by many names to include: The Daughter of Ra, the Eye of Ra,
the Lady of the Flame, the Feared One, the Great One of Magic, Great One of
Healing, and Protectress of the Divine Order. She is one of the oldest deities
and one of the most powerful. She is often associated with Hathor and
Bast-Sekhmet, forming the Triad of Memphis, which is representative of upper,
lower, and central Egypt. Sekhmet, as the Crone Goddess rules menopause.
The Goddess Hathor is known to be the gentle side of Sekhmet. *When Hathor was
sent to the earth, she turned to Sekhmet to avenge her father because the
humans were not true to the principles of Ma*at and made plans to overthrow the
gods. She then became so violent that she slaughtered humankind without limit
and drank their blood. Ra, afraid of what her daughter had turned out, poured
7000 jugs of beer dyed with pomegranate, that the goddess swiftly drank, she
became so drunk that she slept for three days. When she awoke, she returned to
her docile self, Hathor.* She brings things back into balance when the cosmic
order swings too far in one direction.
Through my research it seems that Sekhmet has many good traits as well. She is
the master of art and medicine, she provides cures to various ailments. She is
the patron goddess of all healers and physicians. She is the protector of
balance and justice (Ma*at) with the epithet: *The One Who Loves Ma*at and Who
Detests Evil.* She is also the Goddess of Love and protector of the underworld.
There are some items that are sacred to her, or in order to honor her you
should use red crystals such as ruby, red agates, and garnets. You can use
bright yellow and orange crystals to honor her as the lady of flame, and for
the lion*s strength you can use brown and tan colored crystals such as amber,
topaz, tiger eye. Place the crystals outdoors at noon, or when the sun is at
its highest/hottest to ask for strength and power in your life. She also has a
love of intoxicating drink.
Energies and Powers of Sekhmet:
- Protection
- Banishing
- Dealing with anger and depression
- Working through menopause
- Harnessing willpower, strength, courage
- Standing up for oneself
- Sexual energy
Correspondences to Sekhmet
Color: Red
Element: Fire
Directions: North and South
Aspect: Crone
Drink: Red Wine
I found the following ritual to hold rage and anger/Sekhmet Box:
You use this to hold your rage and anger and then give it to Sekhmet to burn
away in her fires.
1. Find a container with a lid or opening, and
color it red. As you paint or color it red imagine all your rage pouring into
the red. You may also want to decorate it with lions, ankhs, snakes, sun dials,
gold.
2. Light a red candle, and on a piece of paper write in
red ink the things that make you angry.
3. Put the slips of paper into the Sekhmet box, as you
imagine the flame burning them.
4. Every Hunters Full Moon take the slips of paper out
of the Sekhmet box, light a red candle, and burn the slips of paper in the
flame, releasing them.
5. As the slips of paper is burning, imagine the rage
turning into the gentle purring of Bast.
6. After done, you may want to complete a
self-love/healing ritual.
She is most known for being the goddess of terror for this one instance, however
through research, to me, it appears that she may have more good traits then
feared. It is said that “the rage of Sekhmet is a manifestation of “thwarted
energy: because women are taught to repress anger and turn it inwards, it
builds up, and eventually that energy must be released. Sekhmet is a
transformative power, and we can use her energy in a positive way by learning
how to release and express it appropriately.” Is she maybe misunderstood
because she and Hathor are different sides of the same coin? One cannot exist
without the other. She is feared because she is powerful, and most are fearful
of the powerful and dangerous. She is the necessary evil that must exist to
protect balance and justice, without her you are left with chaos.
Original Art
This is a picture of the Sekhmet box that I drew.
Pictures
Bibliography
Sekhmet:
Transformation in the Belly of the Goddess, Nicki Scully, 2017. ISBN:
9781591432074
http://egyptian-gods.org/egyptian-gods-sekhmet/
https://www.crystalvaults.com/goddess-sekhmet?p=2
http://www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/sekhmet-flames/Sekhmet.html
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of Aurora Moon