The Goddess Sekhmet

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Mar 22, 2024

Happy Friday, curious hearts and mystical souls. After sending out an extra Substack yesterday with a guided healing meditation with the Goddess Sekhmet, I thought it would be rude to not introduce her properly. In the image above, you can see my little altar to Sekhmet. I got the statue of her for my altar while studying Sekhmet Reiki last summer.

Here is the video again, in case any of you missed it:

Sekhmet, the lioness goddess of ancient Egyptian religion, is a complex deity embodying the ferocious aspect of the sun's power. Her name means 'the powerful one,' and she is often depicted as a lioness or as a woman with a lioness's head, symbolising her role as a warrior goddess and protector. Sekhmet is associated with war and healing—a duality that reflects her capacity to both cause and cure disease. When the hot desert wind blew in ancient Kemet, it used to be referred to as the 'breath of Sekhmet.'

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Conflation with Other Goddesses

Sekhmet has historically been conflated with other deities in the Egyptian pantheon.

Bastet: While Sekhmet represented the more aggressive qualities of a lioness, Bastet, depicted as a domestic cat or a woman with the head of a cat, symbolised the gentler aspects. Over time, the two goddesses began to mirror each other’s attributes, with Bastet taking on a protector role similar to that of Sekhmet.
Tefnut: Tefnut, the goddess of moisture, was also closely linked with Sekhmet. They shared symbolic associations with lions and were sometimes considered dual aspects of the same divine force, representing the eye of Ra.
Hathor: Sekhmet is more directly connected with Hathor, who, like Sekhmet, was an Eye of Ra. Hathor was a goddess of music, dance, and fertility, but she could also manifest as a lioness, revealing her destructive potential. According to one of the myths, Hathor once transformed into Sekhmet to punish humanity for its transgressions.

Sekhmet as the Eye of Ra and Upholder of Ma'at

Sekhmet is famously known as the Eye of Ra, a title shared with several other goddesses who act as extensions of the sun god's will. In one myth, Ra sends Sekhmet to earth as his eye to punish humankind for plotting against him. As the Eye of Ra, she is a fierce protector of divine order, her very presence a deterrent against chaos and evil.

Her role as an upholder of Ma'at— the concept of cosmic order, truth, and justice—is seen in her association with the pharaoh, who was her mortal representation on earth. Kings would invoke her power to lead them in battle, and her priests performed rituals to appease her, ensuring both protection for the kingdom and the maintenance of Ma'at.

Modern Worship and Astrological Associations

In contemporary times, Sekhmet is revered by many followers of neopagan and Kemetic practices. Modern worshippers might look to Sekhmet for her association with strength, empowerment, and transformation, performing rituals and offering prayers in her name. Some may seek her guidance in areas related to healing or invoke her protective aspect for personal strength and defence against adversities. Though some see her as a good ally for revenge against enemies, this is not something I would recommend. The term 'backfire' immediately springs to mind and with good reason.

A Force of Nature

Sekhmet, as a 'Neter' in ancient Egyptian religion, can be understood as a personification of a powerful natural force. The concept of 'Neter' (often transliterated as 'Netjer' or 'Ntr') in ancient Egyptian cosmology is multifaceted. These divine entities were seen not just as gods and goddesses in a traditional sense but embodied the natural forces and phenomena that they governed. In the case of Sekhmet, she represents the destructive and healing powers of the sun, as well as the dual potential for life and death that is inherent to these forces.

As the 'powerful one,' her fierce and fiery nature as a lioness depicts the scorching, desiccating heat of the sun, which can both cause life to wither and cleanse it of disease. In this form, she is the parching heat that brings death, but this same intensity is what drives away illness and purifies.

Across various pantheons, deities similar to Sekhmet can be found who encapsulate this dichotomy of life-giving and death-dealing:

Kali in Hinduism portrays this dualism vividly. She is the goddess of time, doomsday, and death but is also the benevolent mother figure who brings life and is a symbol of fertility.
Freyja (aka Freya) in Norse mythology, while primarily associated with love, fertility, and beauty, is also a warrior goddess who presides over the afterlife's field of Fólkvangr.
Pele, in Hawaiian mythology, is a goddess who embodies the dual nature of volcanic activity—she creates new land and is thus a creator of life, yet she can also bring forth destruction and death with her fiery temper.

Sekhmet's own mythos within the Egyptian framework points to her role as both a healer and destroyer. She could bring plagues upon the earth when angry or under the command of Ra, but she was also the one who could ward off such diseases. Her priesthood was known to be involved in healing rituals, emphasising her life-giving aspects despite her fearsome reputation.

Furthermore, Sekhmet's association with the colour red, symbolic of both blood and the fertile soil of the Nile Delta after the inundation, underscores this dual principle. Blood represents the potential for both life, through birth and kinship, and death, through violence or sacrifice.

The perplexing and seemingly contradictory nature of Sekhmet as a bringer of life and death illustrates her as an essential Neter, reflecting the ancient Egyptians' understanding of the complexity and interconnectedness of natural forces. Her legacy and worship, enduring through the ages, serve as a testament to the human fascination with this duality that shapes our existence and the world around us.

Blessed be!