THE WHITE MOON GALLEY PRESENTS
NUT / NUITTHE EGYPTIAN SKY GODDESS A Level II Final Project By As't NebthetFor The Sacred Three Goddess School (All original material in this project is under copyright protection and is the intellectual property of the author © 2009)
(Image: Wikipedia, public domain)
Before you were born, when you were a spirit,
- Egyptian song to the Sky Goddess
Every night She reveals Her glory to us, stretching from the East, the place where Her toes touch the Earth, to where Her hands touch the Earth in the West, the place where She gives birth to the Sun each morning, allowing it to rise. Ascending the Heavens, stars glittering from Her cloak (or stomach depending on legend), She is Nut, the Egyptian Goddess of the Sky, of the Heavens, the celestial cycle, and also of the Afterlife.
Depicted as an azure coloured Goddess, tall and slender arching over the Earth, Nut (alternatively spelt Nuit, Newet, Neuth and even Nwt – pronounced “Noot” or “New-eet”) is conceptualised as the infinity of an ultimately expanded Universe (the circumference of the circle). All things therefore are contained within Her body.
Plate 143 of the Pyramid Texts describes the Egyptian creation myth as:
"In the beginning there was Nun, the boundless primordial water shrouded in darkness. From this came Khepera (Atum), who formed an egg from which sprang Ra, the Sun (now embodiment of His own Divine spirit). Ra then brought forth the first Divine couple of Shu (God of Air or the atmosphere) and Tefnut (Goddess of Dew and Rain). From the first Divine couple came the Earth God, Geb, and Nut, the Goddess of the Sky; and from Geb and Nut, came forth the Ennead, Osiris, Horus (the Elder), Set, Isis and Nepthtys."
It is believed that during the day Nut and Geb are separated however, each evening Nut comes down to Earth to be with Her beloved Geb and this is what causes the darkness. Likewise, if there are storms during the day, it is said that this is because Nut is somehow closer to Geb than what Ra decreed.
Nut was also described as a Cow Goddess, taking on some of the attributes of Hathor, whereas in the Pyramid Texts, Geb is described as the "Bull of Nut". As a Great Solar Cow, She was thought to have carried Ra up into the heavens on Her back after He retired from His rule on the earth.
From as far back as the Old Kingdom (the 3rd millennium), Nut received, revived and protected the dead. This is reflected in such funerary pieces as the “Stele of Revealing”. A mortuary text that dates from 1,350 BCE has Nut proclaim:
“ I enclose your beauty within this soul of mine, for all life, stability,
Her funerary association was perceived as two-fold. Firstly, She was regarded as the Mother of the deceased through Her identification of Her son, Osiris (the Egyptian God of Vegetation and of the Underworld). This meant that when the deceased was sealed inside the coffin, it was as if he was placed within the body of Nut. Secondly, as a Sky Goddess, images of Her were drawn on the coffin lid, just as Her star body stretches out over the Earth. From the New Kingdom (16th to 11th centuries BCE) images drawn on the coffin and sarcophagus appeared as follows:
“O my mother Nut, spread yourself over me,
TO NUT
By As't Nebthet Beyond all time I seek theeThou art the infinite space Whose non-existence is everything, Yet nothing. Bewildered by thy beauty I stand awe-struck, waiting silently For there is no void that thou cannot fill. I surrender to the darkness And count the stars For thou hast no beginning Yet silence beckons me. My emptiness dissolves Words of love and truth are spoken I become all embracing Like thee, the midnight sky.
Today, the worship of Nut is very much alive for within modern magick She is considered to the first Deity of Thelemic magickal trinity, the “ … Star Goddess who is the category of unlimited possibility”(4).
It is said that thousands of years after the Goddess of Eternal Life spoke, “Be as an imperishable star that lives forever”, a 29 year old English magickian heard the words, “Every man and woman is a star”. This magickian was the infamous Aleister Crowley and this revelation in 1904 resulted in him writing “The Book of the Law” that included his “Manifestation of Nuit”, wherein it is written ….
“Above, the gemmèd azure is the naked splendour of Nuit; NB:
Ankh-af-na-Khonsu being a priest of the Egyptian God Mentu who lived in
Thebes during the 25th and 26th dynasty (c. 725 BCE), best known as the
creator of the Stele of Revealing, a funerary tablet he created for
himself to commemorate his death. Crowley believed he was an embodiment
of this priesthood. “ … I am known to ye by my name Nuit, and to him by a secret name which I will give him when at last he knowth me. Since I am infinite space, and the infinite stars thereof, do ye also thus …”(6).
RITUAL TO NUT
By As't Nebthet The following ritual is simplistic in nature to tap into the overall beauty and magnitude of Nut. It is best performed, if possible, outside on a clear night where all the stars can be seen. Have a small candle with you so not to detract from the beauty of the Goddess, as well as a bowl of water. If you have one, bring with you a shawl or wear a robe/cloak that has a hood. You will also need the Star card from a tarot deck.
Place your bowl of water in the centre of your circle, attracting the light of the night’s sky.
Cast your circle in your usual matter. Invoke Nut, the Goddess of the Starry Realms, by using the following invocation:
Goddess of the Infinite Night,
When you are ready, end your ritual and open your circle in your usual manner.
References:
The beautiful Moon Goddess theme background is used couresty of Crystal Cloud Graphics
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