Isis and Nephthys
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Alright I'm trying to understand these 2 figures and would appreciate some help.
Isis is nature & Nephthys is art is the basis of what I've found so far.
It seems to me after reading AC's diarys that he was big on bucking the natural order of things, the natural way, natural sex, etc. His way seems to be finding the lowest of the low, the dirtiest of the dirt, the stinkiest of the stink, and attempting to transmute it into Gold (the highest of the high), and this is his Magick, this is his Art, this is Nephthys...
So Isis might be the Virgin Mary and Nephthys might be Lilith...
Anyone get anything similar, different, etc? Inquiring Mind....
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93
@Scarecrow said
"Alright I'm trying to understand these 2 figures and would appreciate some help.
Isis is nature & Nephthys is art is the basis of what I've found so far."
Isis is usually signified by the waters of the Nile, i.e. the waters of the womb, the source of Life. Nephthys is a greek transliteration of egyptian Nbt-Ht, which has a few disputed meanings. Among them being "Lady of the House" "Mistress of the Temple" "Pillar of the Temple"... all very earth related, physical ideas. Thus, as with most deities in the egyptian pantheon, these are two sides of one coin. There is a source, and a preserver... a progenitor and a presider.
"It seems to me after reading AC's diarys that he was big on bucking the natural order of things, the natural way, natural sex, etc. His way seems to be finding the lowest of the low, the dirtiest of the dirt, the stinkiest of the stink, and attempting to transmute it into Gold (the highest of the high), and this is his Magick, this is his Art, this is Nephthys..."
I'm not sure about bucking the way of things, as it were... perhaps more of a reaction against the way things are generally perceived and accepted. We aren't such beautifully transcendent creatures, after all, that we naturally recognize no part of ourselves as "good" or "bad". That is something which must be overcome, and when we embrace those less appealing parts of ourselves in the spiritual alchemy, the whole can be tranformed. Of course, that's just my take on his writings.
Interesting bit on Art though... the symbolism from the Atu of Thoth is fairly consistent with Nephthys. The robe is green, a color of Earth. The Lion and Eagle reflect the dual nature of the figure, and the spiritual alchemy. Self transformation. If Isis is the wellspring of Life from which comes nature, perhaps Nbt-ht is indeed the Art by which that nature is transmuted.
"So Isis might be the Virgin Mary and Nephthys might be Lilith..."
This I'm not so sure about. It's fairly easy to see how the Isis/Horus mythology would up feeding the Mary/Christ mythology. But the Nephthys - Lilith connection is a little bit confusing.
Lilith refused Adam because she did not wish to be under him. Thus she left Eden and a new, more docile woman created for Adam, from Adam.
Nbt-ht desired her husband, but could not have sex with him because he had been castrated. (The aspect of Set who was her husband was the 'good' one, and rumored to be homosexual, as well.) In her frustration, she disguised herself as Isis and slept with Osiris.
So the powerful sexual motivation, I grant, the two figures have in common... but then, only as archetypal feminine sexuality.
See also Nbt-ht / Nephthys in her role as protectress of the bennu bird... more commonly known in the west as the Phoenix.
93/93
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93,
Isis is Nature, Nephthys is the Earth.
Isis is the Mother, Nephthys is the Daughter.
Isis is Mercy, Nephthys is Severity.
Because they are so ambiguous (as good symbols often are), these meanings are entirely interchangeable along with potentially infinite other attributions
IAO131
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Greetings,
One's personal experience: over 3 decades+ Shows 'The Twin Goddesses of Truth' observing Man, as He is reborn.
Isis as Mercy; Nephtys as Severity, I can go with that.
Around '94, I saw Isis as birth into the incarnate phase:life.
I figured Nephtys as birth into the discarnate phase: Death.
Spiritualy, Isis is the Life giver.
Nephtys Death giver,
from our incarnate perspective:Nephtys is closer to 'perfection'.
Just a thought. -
In a group I was with during the 90's we saw Nepthys more like the dark side of Isis. That part we turn a blind eye to.