On November, 24, 2020, our shop made a brand new incense and oil blend dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet. Sekhmet’s awesome power is so magnificent that it has taken us many years to be ready to bring her energy forth into our incense and oil ceremonies. Now, more than ever, we are experiencing her energy coming forth. This has been especially apparent in the many who have asked about her over the decades that the shop has been open. We waited for the right time to bring Sekhmet’s power to our incense and oil collections.
After reblending Ma’at for the first time in over twenty years, it seemed only fitting that Sekhmet would be blended soon thereafter. Sekhmet is the protector of Ma’at, the goddess of balance and justice. As the defender of divine truth and fairness, Sekhmet’s devotees assigned her many titles. Sometimes she was the Goddess of War, Pestilence, and Terror, but was also deemed the Goddess of Health, Protection, and the Sun. What we mortals consider positively and negatively connoted epithets show that both construction and destruction are needed to keep the scales of Ma’at in balance.
Sekhmet is the true Goddess of Power in all its forms. Her inability to control the power she wielded inspired fear and dread in the early days of her divine expressions. Sekhmet had been tasked to cleanse the human race of evil, but in that cleansing process, her bloodlust spiraled out of control. Upon seeing the great potential for evil that lives within humanity, Sekhmet sought to purge the earth of all who inhabited it. In order to prevent her from obliterating mankind, the other gods fed her wine until she fell into a drunken stupor. Sekhmet fell into a deep sleep. Upon waking, she was overcome with a great love for humanity. Instead of viewing humans as evil creatures, she recognized them as children who knew not what they did to one another. The goddess was eternally transfigured into the protector of the innocent, and came to embody the true nature of divine justice.
Sekhmet’s counterpart, or twin in some ancient mythic traditions, is Bastet, the cat headed goddess of joy, music, passion, and pleasure. Bastet is a great goddess to seek should you want to rekindle the fun in your life. So often we find ourselves distracted by burdens and pains that we forget to enjoy life. Remembering to feel joy despite whatever is going on around us is a true act of rebellion. Bastet reminds us to allow ourselves to experience bliss. Sometimes we may even feel guilty for feeling such joy and happiness. Bastet helps us to get out of that idea so that we may celebrate the copious beauties and joys of life. Bastet helped her sister, Sekhmet, to understand this concept, and so too can she do the same for you.
Protection and fire are attributes of both Sekhmet and Bastet. While Sekhmet’s fire is a raging conflagration that provides needed destruction, Bastet’s fire inspires our passions and warms our hearts. Both Sekhmet and Bastet are also supremely protective. Sekhmet is more of a physical protector, while Bastet is connected more to the need for an emotional protector.
Whatever this extraordinary moment of life has brought to you, Sekhmet and Bastet wield the power to help you. Whether you need to weed out the things holding you back from the peace of Ma’at, or desire to reconnect to joy and passion, you may call upon these goddesses for miracles large and small. We wish you the peace that comes from balancing the forces that Sekhmet and Bastet call forward.