Creating Circles and Ceremonies: Rituals for All ... - reading...

Appendices 273
Shu— God of hot dry winds and the atmosphere,
and the breath of life, who holds apart the heavens
(Nut) and the Earth (Geb). At other times, he
is a god of the Fire Element.
Tefnut— Goddess of cool moist afternoon breezes,
gentle rains, and the Water Element.
Other important Egyptian Deities include:
Ammon/Amen— God of generative powers, “The
Invisible One.” Chief god of upper (southern)
Egypt, he represents the secret power that creates
and sustains the universe (“The Force”). His
wife is Maut. Festival Sept.13.
Anubis— Jackal-headed god of embalming and the
Underworld, son of Nepthys and Set. Adopted by
Osiris after Set’s defeat by Horus, he become
Osiris’ messenger into the world of the living,
spirit guide for the dead, and our guardian during
sleep and astral travel.
Bast— Cat-goddess of the kindly warming rays of
the sun. Festival Jan. 24.
Bes— Dwarf-like ithyphallic fertility god, he was a
popular spirit of joy often depicted in amulets.
Hapi (Greek Apis and Serapis)— God of rivers.
Represented as a sacred black bull, he is regarded
as an avatar (incarnation) of Osiris. As the Greek
Serapis, he is the god of healing. Festival July 9.
Hathor— Cow-goddess of love, beauty, and music,
she is the Egyptian Aphrodite. Her symbol is
the sistrum. Festival July 24.
Heket— Frog goddess and midwife. Some say she
is the precursor of Greek Hekaté.
Horus/Harakte— Hawk-headed lord of light, son of
Isis and Osiris. The reigning Pharoah was worshipped
as the living incarnation of Horus and personal
savior of all Egyptians. Festival Aug. 25.
Khem— Lord of the harvest and patron of agriculture,
he is the Egyptian Green Man. Represented as a
mummy, his name is also that of Egypt itself. He
eventually became subsumed into Osiris.
Khnum— Lord of the sources of the Nile, he has a
ram’s head. He was the potter who fashioned all
living things out of Nile mud.
Ma’at— Goddess of truth and justice, law, morality,
and the pre-existing order of the universe. Her
symbol is an ostrich feather.
Maut/Mut— Vulture goddess, mother of the gods
and mistress of the sky. Wife of Ammon. Festival
Jan. 25.
Mesergert— Lady of the mountains.
Neith— Goddess of outer space, and mother of Ra;
chthonic sun goddess, goddess of the loom, the
warrior mother. Also the Earth-mother of the Nile
Valley. Her husband is Khem.
Nekhbet— Goddess of protection.
Nun— Goddess who is the primeval ocean.
Ptah— Master of artisans, who made the moon, sun,
and Earth. God of engineers, doctors, and politics,
he was invoked in Memphis as the father of
all beginnings. Festival Feb. 25.
Sekhmet— Ferocious lioness-goddess of the burning
sun; goddess of power and protectress of women.
Selket— Scorpion goddess and guardian of tombs
and mummies.
Taurt/Tauret— Hippopotamus goddess, protectress
of pregnant women, and patroness of midwives.
Tehuti (Greek Thoth)— Represented as an ibis or a
hamadryad baboon, Thoth is the god of writing,
wisdom, magick, arts, and sciences; the patron
god of all Wizards—the Egyptian Hermes. Festival
Sept. 17-18.
Wadjet— Cobra Goddess who protects the Sun and
the royal family. She is represented by the uraeus
symbol.
Etruscan Pantheon
The original Etruscan pantheon of pre-Roman
Italy mirrors the duality of nature, with deities for
practically everything! Here are some of the numerous
gods and goddesses of ancient Etruria. Many of
these became minor gods in Rome, and are still
worshipped in Stregheria, or Italian Witchcraft.
Anteros— God of passion.
Aplu— Water god.
Astrea— Goddess of justice.
Belchians— God of fire.
Cautha— Sun god; he is depicted rising from the sea.
Charun— God of the Underworld; he leads the dead
to enjoy a happy afterlife.
Comus— God of revelry, feasting, and drinking.
Corvus— (“crow”) Messenger of the gods.
Copia— Goddess of wealth and plenty.
Diana— The triad goddess: Maiden, Mother, &
Crone; the goddess of all Witches.
Dianus—Nature god of fertility, horned god of the
woods, consort of Diana.
Egeria— Goddess of fountains, she possesses the
gift of prophecy.
Fana— Goddess of the Earth, forests, wildlife, and
fertility.
Faunus— Nature god of the forest, wildlife, and
fertility.
Februus— God of purification, initiation, and
fevers. February is named for him.
Felicitas— Goddess of good luck.
Fortuna— Goddess of fortune, fate, blessing, luck,
and fertility.
Fufluns— God of wine, vegetation, vitality, and gaiety.
Horta— Goddess of agriculture.
Jana— Goddess of the moon.