The above lists of posts contain information I have previously written about Aset/Isis.
In my experience, she can be loving, she can be nasty, she can be sweet, she can be cruel. She's a lover, a widow, and a mother. Because of this she has the ability to be any woman and all women, in personality at least.
Brysing, Aset/Isis has not remained the same goddess over time. If you spent a few minutes skimming Plutarch's version of the story of Isis and Osiris, you would find it vastly different from the story of Aset and Wesir (or however you like to spell their names). Isis is a Greek version of an Egyptian goddess, unless you take her specifically as her Egyptian self, you are speaking about a Greek goddess. As in the first post, I explain the differences between Isis, Aset, and the Black Isis whom is considered to be linked to the virgin Mary. Aset and Isis both are not virgins, not in the virginal birth sense of the word, they are virgins in the earlier sense of a woman who needs no man. Both of them frolic as their main myths show. Calling Aset/Isis "the Goddess" is insulting to the real cultural and historic beliefs of ancient Egypt, and even of ancient Greece, Rome, and even other parts of Europe that adopted her. There was never a concept of their being only one emination of the divine feminine in ancient Egypt, rather the concept of male and female didn't exist at it's core. The creator is a divine He-She, the mother of mothers and father of fathers. Ancient Egyptian literature and art shows male versions of female goddesses, and female versions of male gods, and versions which are neither and both.
Also, the images of the Madonna and Jesus may or may not have been based off representations of Madonna and Jesus made by Gnostic Christians living in Egypt. My personal theory is that the image of mother holding a child is universal, and thus even if there is no connection at all, people will see a connection simply because a universal archetype is filled by this view. However I would like to say that Aset's son, Heru-sa-Aset, did grow up and she did involve herself in various things outside of motherhood, and as such should be treated as her own individual goddess, not as some New Age mush of what Divine Femininity should be seen as.
You are correct in that the images of mother and child are universal. What I was trying to say is that they "look" the same.
And the word "virgin" is not in the sexual sense. It is the belief that Mary was born "pure", without the stain of the original sin. She was "The Immaculate Conception".
Everything else you say about Isis being not always Egyptian is quite true.There are many versions of her story, and that of the murder of Osirus.
I have yet to start working with isis, but I have reason to believe that she could be my patron. Or at least that she intends to appear to me and work with me. I personally am going to study her more and am about to do some prayers to her right now ^.^
Sometimes, deities don't have to be our patrons to have involvement in our lives. I've actually found that, quite often, they will wander in and out of our lives as we need them (much like spirit guides).
That's a good point, Arisa. I was working with a pendulum and I asked if Isis was to be my patron, but one of the things I asked was if she were to offer knowledge and I got a clear yes. I am just feeling drawn to her right now. I'll ask the same questions to the pendulum again, but I am looking forward to working with her and learning whatever she has to teach me.
I would set up an altar for Isis, research to understand things about her like likes and dislikes, and offer her things she likes. Ask her to teach you, explain why, and thank her for listening, then meditate and wait. Randomly going 'I work with Isis.' without trying to know her, or ask her, is rather demanding and selfish on your part, so try to get to know her. It's like sitting with a group of strangers at lunch one day and saying 'we're best friends now' [actually, that's happened to me three times where someone randomly followed my friends and I around, and all three times its ended badly] my point is ask before you do.
As a side note, if you feel connected to Isis, then fine, study, and ask her if you could study under her. It drives me a little crazy how many people convert and claim to worship Isis for no spiritual reason but a perceived view that the Goddess and Isis are the same.
Thank you, Nekoshema, for the advice. I'll make a note of it. How should I set up an altar for her though? Should I just research her symbols and likes/dislikes and do my best with what i have?
