Who is the Egyptian goddess Isis? What is her magic? What are her symbols? What’s her personality like? How do you connect with her? Here are some resources to help you learn more about the goddess Isis.
My devotional relationship with Isis is very young, only two years old. I have a small shrine for her, and, in August, I place her on my main working altar and dedicate the month to study and devotion. I focus on opening myself to her energy, learning more about her, and establishing rituals.
Isis is an ancient goddess who has remained with us; there are many resources about her. This working collection contains resources that I feel comfortable recommending.
Blogs and websites
Check out my blog entries about Isis.
Books
- The Golden Ass by Apuleius
- Isis in the Ancient World by R.E. Witt
- Isis Magic: Cultivating a Relationship with the Goddess of the 10,000 Names by M. Isidora Forrest
You may notice that there are no affiliate links to Amazon here. The e-commerce giant is convenient, and it would be nice to earn a few cents from those sales, but I encourage you to shop at your local, independent bookstore or visit your local library. If you’d like to support my blog, you can buy me a coffee.
Academic journals
Academic journals are a treasure trove. Unfortunately, some academic databases are locked behind paywalls, or you must be associated with a university to access them. However, academic search engines can help you find articles freely available online.Â
For academic journal articles, I also recommend JSTOR. Register for free at this academic digital library, and you’ll be able to read up to 100 free articles a month on JSTOR’s website. If you want to access more articles, you can subscribe for a monthly or annual fee, which includes downloads. If you’re not a subscriber, you can download articles for a fee each.
Videos
Here is a YouTube playlist I have created with videos about Isis and related topics. I will continue to add to it.
Beginning and advancing your practice
Learning about the goddess Isis through books, articles, lectures, and other educational resources is important and worthwhile, but if you want to connect with Isis, put your knowledge into practice.
You don’t need anything to get started. You don’t need any supplies to call on Isis, meditate on her mysteries, speak to her, and listen. You can find prayers online, such as the Awakening Prayer.
Your next step might be to set up a shrine. On my shrine, I keep a statue of Isis, a tumbled carnelian, and a small pyramid made of lapis lazuli. I use a sistrum when I call her. I recommend establishing a devotional practice that includes cleansing, purification, invocations, offerings, and simple rituals.
You can advance your practice in a variety of ways.
You can observe her festivals, acquire special ritual tools, expand your ritual skills, and dive deeper into the many epithets and facets of Isis: the noble daughter, lover, wife, mourner, mother, the bestower of life, the throne, the maker of kings, her associations with the sky, the Nile, green plants, funerary rites, and, of course, magic.
Isis is a great magician. An advancing practice could include an exploration of her ancient magic in Egypt, Greece, Rome, and elsewhere, including her mystery rites, and how Isis has influenced Western esotericism from Hermeticism through the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Fellowship of Isis, and Kemeticism.
More specific areas of study may include amulet magic, knot magic, and divination. You can also look at her symbols and animals. Isis has strong associations with healing, providing another avenue for deep study and specialisation.
Come back from time to time. I’ll add more resources to this page.
