ISIS RISING

ISIS AND OSIRIS, THE LOVE STORY

Once, at the beginning of all that exists and ever has existed, measures of time were created, and there were then hours, days, weeks, months and years; but things were very different then, because every year had five less days in it then it does now. If these five days had never been created, then I would not be telling you this story, nor about the Gods and Goddesses portrayed therein, for they would not have been born unto the Heavens, or unto this Earth. There would have been no Isis, or Osiris, no Nephthys, Set or Horus, and the world would have been a most different, and a much lesser place without them.
I am here to tell you about Isis, but before I do I must first begin at the beginning, and explain to you how the five days that once did not exist came into being. When Ra was finally beginning to grow old, he came to the realization that if the Goddess Nut was ever to have children, one of them would, in all likelihood, depose him and take his rightful place as the ruler of all mankind.
As a way of preventing that from ever happening, Ra placed a curse upon Nut, which he worded in such a way that she could never bear a child on any given day of the year. When she learned about the curse, Nut became deeply saddened because she desperately wanted to have children so, in an attempt to find a solution to her problem she went to visit Thoth, the God of Wisdom and Magick, who was her dear friend, as well as being the son of Ra, and asked him for his help.
Thoth was very wise, and in his wisdom he realized that Ra's curse could not be thwarted unless he was able to find a way around its wording. He considered the problem ever so carefully, and then he devised a plan.
First, he went to visit Khonsu, the God of the Moon, and then he challenged him to a game of draughts. Khonsu and Thoth proceeded to play the game, and they kept on playing. Each and every time that they played, Thoth won.
They continued to play the game, over and over, and the gambling stakes continued to grow, larger and larger, until finally the time arrived when Khonsu was able to play no more. He had wagered the greatest amount, and the commodity that he had wagered was an amount of the element of light, which was now the property of Thoth.
Since Khonsu no longer owned that particular amount of light, he sometimes found that he was unable to shine quite as brightly throughout the entire month, and sometimes he even found himself having to fade away into darkness. No other option remained. Thoth's plan had worked well, and the light that he had won equaled the exact amount of light necessary to create five whole days.
Thoth took the light that he had won from Khonsu and used it to create five extra days, which he placed between the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Those days became times of great celebration. The world was slowly beginning to change, and the year that had always consisted of 360 days, now consisted of 365. Through his great wisdom, Thoth had been able to nullify the curse that Ra had placed upon Nut; and
On the first day of the five days that once did not exist, Osiris, Nut's eldest son was born; and
The second day of the five days that once did not exist was put aside, to be the birthday of Horus, who would be the son of Isis and Osiris; and
On the third day of the five days that once did not exist, Nut gave birth to her second son, Set, who was darkness and evil personified; and
On the fourth day of the five days that once did not exist, Nut's daughter, Isis, was born; and
Quickly following Isis' birth Nut gave birth to her second daughter, Nephthys, who was Isis' identical twin sister, on the fifth day of the five days that once did not exist.
Through Thoth's great wisdom, the curse that Ra had placed upon Nut had been defeated yet upheld, since none of Nut’s children were born on any given day within any given year.
Osiris’ birth was a time of great joy for the people of Egypt. The prophets had foretold that he would be a wise, just and mighty King who would bring great happiness to the people of Earth. As was customary among the Gods, when Osiris had grown and reached a certain age, he was married to his sister, Isis. Since only a God was able to marry a God, Set and his sister Nephthys were married as well. Time began to pass quickly by.
Even though she was still quite young, Isis knew exactly what she wanted. She also knew, with extreme clarity, exactly what she would have to do to get it. At this particular point in time Isis wanted all the power that had always been Ra’s. To that end, she conceived a plan in which she would use all of her wisdom and her skill with words, so that she could learn the secret name of Ra and, by doing that, gain all the knowledge and power that had always been his.
Then, through magick, Isis created a Sacred Serpent, which she sent forth to follow the elderly Ra about, wherever he might go, until the perfect moment to strike finally arrived. The poisonous venom that came from the Sacred Serpent’s bite caused Ra great pain. In fact, he actually became so ill that he cried out in delirium, unaware of what had happened to him. Ra could not perceive how something like this could happen to him. He was, after all, the most powerful and divine of all the Gods.
In order to find a cure for what was ailing him, Ra requested that the children of the Gods appear before him, so they might use their magickal skills to make him well. One of those children just happened to be Isis, and she appeared before him very well prepared. Indeed, she had brought with her Words of Magickal Power, and within her mouth she had also brought the Breath of Life, which gave her the ability to dispel illness, and to even bring those who had died back to life.
First, Isis suggested to Ra that a Serpent might have bitten him, and then she graciously offered to do something to help ease his pain. Ra had little choice in the matter, so he finally agreed with Isis that a snake may, indeed, have bitten him, although he had never had been aware that it had done so. Then, as time passed, Ra began to grow gravely ill. Eventually, he became so terrified that he actually began to beg Isis to save him from the Serpent’s poisonous bite. Calmly, Isis advised Ra that she would, indeed, save him, but in order for her to do so, he must first share with her his most secret name. Ra, however, refused to do so.
Time continued to pass by, and Ra continued to grow weaker and weaker until the realization finally hit him that he actually might die. It was only then, with the presence of death upon his doorstep, that Ra finally agreed to tell Isis his secret name. Then, Isis did as she had promised. She fulfilled her commitment to Ra and banished the Sacred Serpent’s venom from him, thereby making him just as he had been before; and it was from that day forward that Isis, and only Isis, knew the secret name of Ra.
Shortly after Isis had learned the secret name of Ra, Osiris replaced the elderly Ra and ascended to the throne, thereby becoming the one ruler of Egypt; governing all, just as Ra had done before him. Isis was always there by his side, as if she was a part of him, and they shared a love so great, that it encompassed every part of their entire world.
Osiris looked down upon the people of Earth and saw them in their ignorance, so he set out to educate them, instituting changes for the better, and the people were happy. They learned how to grow crops and raise cattle, and they even discovered the beauty of poetry and the arts. The people of Earth felt blessed, having a ruler such as Osiris. Whenever it became necessary for Osiris to travel, Isis took his place upon the throne, and she, too, was a fair and just ruler.
Only one thing appeared to be wrong in their world, and that was their brother Set. Set had always been extremely jealous of Osiris, and he had always hated Isis with a passion. As the love of the people of Earth grew greater and greater, for Isis and Osiris, the stronger Set's hatred of them became. Isis was well aware of their brother's hatred of them, so she was always extremely watchful of Set, whenever Osiris happened to be away, making certain that he did not attempt to usurp the throne of Egypt. Yet, it always appeared to be Set who was one of the very first people to greet Osisis, whenever he arrived back home.
Set had always been extremely envious of Osiris. That may have been partly due to their father’s preferential treatment of him, because he knew, deep in his heart, that Osiris was just and good, and because he feared, all too well, that Set was not. He also knew that when the time arrived for Osiris to reach his destiny and become the One Ruler of All Mankind, he would treat the world honorably, and unite the two Kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt into one.
Unfortunately, a great hatred raged within Set's dark and evil heart. Not only did he wish to do great harm to Osiris, he also desired everything that his brother had, and ever would have. To that end, Set devised a plan that would destroy Osiris, allow him to take his brother’s place ruling Egypt, and use the world to further his own particular designs.
There exists another, different version of this story, in which it is said that Isis’ twin sister, Nephthys, found herself unable to conceive a child with Set, so she resorted to trickery and lured Osiris into her bed. It was from that union that the God Anubis was born.
Whether it was due to his great hatred of Osiris, or because he learned about Nephthys' deception, Set proceeded to create an elaborate scheme which would destroy Osiris forever. First, Set gathered seventy-two of his friends together to help him devise a plan by which he would destroy Osiris. Then, he secretly obtained Osiris' exact measurements, and had the most beautiful chest created from cedar and ebony, and inlaid with gold and the finest of jewels, exclusively crafted so that it would fit the precise measurements of Osiris.
Then Set threw an elaborate feast in his brother’s honor, to which he invited the same seventy-two friends as his honored guests. During the festivities everyone, including Osiris, admired the beautiful chest. As a way of setting his murderous plot into motion, Set proposed to his guests that anyone who could fit perfectly inside the chest would become its rightful owner.
As had been pre-planned, many of the guests tried to fit inside the chest, but it was to no avail until it came to Osiris' turn. When Osiris placed his body within the chest, he could see right away that he was a perfect fit. Realizing that, Osiris cried out that he, indeed, fit inside the chest better then anyone else, so the beautiful chest must now belong to him. It was at that exact point in time that Set, together with some of his friends, slammed the chest's lid shut, trapping Osiris inside. Then they sealed it with molten lead. Set and his friends took the chest, and then they caste it into the Nile River, where it happened to flow into the Mediterranean Sea, carrying Osiris' then dead body within it.
Isis loved Osiris so greatly, and became so overcome with grief, that she did not only mourn for her beloved. Rather, with all her strength and magickal skills she used everything in the world, from all the forces of nature, to all the might of men and Gods, alike, to search for and recover the body of her beloved husband.
As the Nile and the sea flowed, following their natural course, the chest was carried by the sea to Byblos, in Phoenicia, which is now known as Lebanon, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Once there, the chest became embodied within the trunk of a tamarisk tree. As the tree began to grow around the chest, the most wonderful scent began to fill the air. When the King and Queen of Phoenicia heard about the tree with the most wonderful scent, they had it cut down and made into a pillar for their palace.
Isis followed every possible lead in her search for her beloved Osiris, until her search eventually led her to the City of Byblos where she proceeded to keep her true identity a secret, and where she also took a position in the Queen’s nursery, caring for the young Prince who happened to be ill. Isis' feeling of loss was so great that she began to feel an immense need to make that child her own, so she began the process that was necessary to turn him into a God. Once the child became a God, she prayed that maybe, just maybe, he would fill the emptiness that existed within her heart. Isis then began to work her magick, but before she could finish the process, the Queen discovered what was about to happen, and quickly put an end to it once and for all.
Finally, Isis reached the point where she could not hold the pain inside her any longer, and she broke down and apologized to the Queen and King for what she had attempted to do. She also explained to them exactly who she was, and how she had been searching for the chest that contained her beloved Osiris’ remains. Once the King and Queen realized exactly who Isis was, they welcomed her warmly, as the great Queen and Goddess that she was, and offered to her anything she might desire that happened to be within their possession.
Suddenly, Isis somehow realized with great certainty that the trunk containing Osiris’ body was located right there in the royal palace. Indeed, she did find it exactly where it lay hidden, surrounded by the growth of the same tamarisk tree that had smelled so sweet, amd which had been made into a pillar in the King and Queen’s palace. Finally. Isis’ search for her beloved Osiris was over, and she took Osiris’ body back with her to Egypt, in order to give him a proper ceremonial burial.
When Osiris' body finally arrived in Egypt, Isis and Nephthys began the preparations that were necessary to give him a proper ceremonial burial. However, while they were doing that, Set used all of his cunning and evil to steal the dead body of Osiris. Then, he chopped his brothers’ body into fourteen separate pieces, and scattered them far and wide throughout the two Lands.
Once again, as it appeared to be her destiny, Isis began her search throughout Egypt in order to recover the fourteen pieces that made up her beloved Osiris’ remains. Slowly and painstakingly, Isis gathered the pieces of Osiris’ body as she found them, one by one, with the help of Nephthys, who had left Set, and the God Anubis, the son of Nephthys and Osiris, who appeared in the form of a Jackal. Once they finally collected all the pieces of Osiris' body, they bound it together, thereby making him whole for one final time. Unfortunately, the fourteenth piece, that of Osiris’ phallus, was never found. In all likelihood, it may have been eaten by a crocodile, making it lost to Isis forever. Isis, however, through her magnificent devotion to Osiris, was determined to not give up. Through her immense love and through magick, Isis created a penis out of solid gold which she then attached to her dead husband's reconstructed form.
Isis did not just stop there. Rather, she continued to use all of her magickal skills to turn herself into a kite, a desert bird with great wings, and then she circled the skies, crying and wailing, as she lamented the death of Osiris. Then Isis took her great wings and used them to create a wind within which she enveloped Osisis' body, and breathed life, one last time, into his lifeless form. Then Isis mounted Osiris, as his lover and his wife, and conceived from that magickal union a son, who she named Horus.
With their son growing deep within her womb, Isis knew that she had to protect Horus from Set's uncontrollable hatred; so she bid farewell to Osiris, who descended into the Netherworld where he became its ruler and the Ruler of the Dead.
Isis fled quickly, deep into the countryside, and when she reached Khemmis in the Nile Delta she hid, until she finally gave birth to Osiris’ and her son, the Falcon God, Horus. There they remained, as Isis kept both her son and herself safe from Set, and from natural dangers that also existed such as crocodiles and snakes. They continued to remain there, well hidden within the papyrus marshes, until Horus reached an age when he was ready to reclaim his birthright and ascend the throne of Egypt.
Indeed, Horus did ascend the throne of Egypt after destroying Set in a great battle, and he finally put an end to all the intrigue and hatred forever. Horus became known as one of the greatest Pharaohs that ever was, and it was he who finally combined the two Kingdoms of Lower and Upper Egypt into one.