Dark Moon Goddess
As we make our journey deep into the darkness of the waning lunar cycle, this is a time of seeking wisdom, insight, and understanding. The magic of the dark moon is the magic of the crone, the hag, the hedgewitch, the enchantress, the dark mother, the warrioress, the shamaness, the priestess, the wild woman, the moon, the night sky, stillness, darkness, shadow, decay, death, rebirth, suffering, deep healing, and powerful protection... and the dark goddess.
One of my favorite dark goddesses is the ancient Egyptian goddess Nephtys, dark twin of Isis. Nephtys is the Latin pronunciation of her name, but her true Egyptian names are Nebthwt, Nebet-het and Nebt-het.
Nephtys, is a protection and funerary goddess, and also a psychopomp, which means that she acts as a guide, escorting souls from this realm to the next. She is in essence, the protectress of the funerary rites of passage as each human soul transitions from life to death. As sister to the Great Goddess Isis, they often worked magically together during the funerary rites, and they are thought to symbolize both the Divine and the human life cycle, which is that of birth, death, and re-birth and are also thought to represent the opposites of light and dark—dark being simply the compliment of light, and not a reference to evil or negativity. As the compliment or opposite of her sister, Isis, who is the full moon, day and life, Nephtys is the dark moon, night and death.
Magical workings with this goddess include night sky magic, and the temple rituals of death and the transition from this life into the underworld. She is called upon during funerals, and has been granted the realms of the desert to rule over, where she walks under the night sky with her hawk close by. Her sacred plants are lotus and lily, her precious gemstones pearl, ruby, and star sapphire, and her sacred bird, the kite or hawk.
Face the direction of the dying/setting sun during your rituals with her, for this is where she resides, along with her son, Anubis. Look up to the stars, cast your gaze deep into the night sky and call upon Nephtys to assist you as you explore what is 'dying' away in your life to make way for what is to be born.
© 2023 Renée Starr
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