|**photo from http://paganroots.com/**|
Bast - The Cat Goddess
Merry Meet :))) Many of you are probably familiar with Bast, the Egyptian Feline Goddess. You may also know her by Bastet, Pasch, Ubasti, Ba en, Aset, Ishtar among many other names of this beautiful Goddess. She is known as the Goddess of protection, passion, fire, fertility, dance and music and has been worshipped since at least the Second Dynasty.. Ancient Egyptians often worshipped cats as deities and Bast was one of the most popular ones. She is known to protect cats, women and children. In addition to being known for protection she was also known as a fertility Goddess in ancient times. Women experiencing fertility issues would make offerings to her in ancient times.
Bast is most commonly depicted as having the body of a young woman and the head of a cat. She will sometimes be holding a sistrum, which is a musical instrument from ancient Egypt. In ancient Egypt she was known as Bastet, and had the head of a lioness. Over time she has evolved to the name Bast, with the head of what we would consider a household feline today. In the beginning she was known as a wild and warlike Goddess. If you were in her grace her blessings were amazing, but most were very afraid to feel her wrath. Over time she grew to be loved more than feared and her presence is much friendlier today.
Stones: Agate, Fire Agate, Jasper, Lapis Lazuli, Pyrite, Sunstone
Animals: Felines of all species
Correspondences are often used in formulating spells intended to invoke a desired God/dess
Love and Blessings,