Sacred Rites
Writing the blog post on Tuesday got me thinking hard about the rituals that a priest might go through for a cat goddess. Archaeology probably has an answer but Iām too lazy to look it up, so I imagine it goes a little something like the strip above.
Every religion throughout history has had its own concepts about what is and isn’t sacred, what does and does not constitute blasphemy. Modern Christians go to Church and partake of wine and bread, symbols of the flesh and blood of their prophet, Jesus, Buddhists look inward and practice meditation and mindfulness, and Shinto believers visit sacred shrines and celebrate the memory of their ancestors. Sometimes it can be hard to remember that the myths and stories left to us from civilizations (both ancient and more recent) come to us from a framework of religion, that there were very important rituals, beliefs, and work that were tied to the things we see simply as a good read today.
Take Bastet for instance. She wasn’t just some story the ancient Egyptians told, a curiosity for minds to grasp and consider. She was a very important religious figure, a being both symbolic and real with her own temples, worshipers, and spheres of influence. She had her own religious festivals, her own sacred rites and her own priests to perform them. Even the progression of these ancient beliefs mirrors the progression of modern religions. The shift in tone in the Abrahamic faiths, from Judaism to Christianity for instance, is not unlike the changing views of deities like Bastet. Once seen as an aggressive lioness, a protector of the state and deity of the sun, Bastet later became seen as a domestic goddess, protector of the home and connected with the moon. These shifts are natural occurrences in religions, as they reflect shifts in the cultures that adhere to them.
I’ve always found it interesting and valuable to consider just how much like us the people of the past were. We are often given the impression that who we are today is somehow vastly superior and different from those that came before us. While our technologies may have improved and our understanding of the world around us may have taken steps forward, we are not so different at our core.
We talked about Bastet quite extensively on Tuesday so this blog will is pretty brief. Normally I wouldn’t do two strips about the same deity in the same week, but when I had this idea while writing Tuesday’s blog, I knew I had to do it. We’ll get to something else next Tuesday!
Discussion (13) ¬
Shh. If you listen closely, you can hear the subtle sound of purring. a key component of the ritual.
Bast is also found of (according to modern worshippers) chocolate, so nowadays I’d imagine She’d ask for a giant chocolate mouse or something X3
… but chocolate is toxic to cats!
Also: gods tend to be rather set in their ways, so I doubt an ancient Egyptian goddess would enjoy something as newfangled (the cocoa tree is native to the Americas) as chocolate.
Then I wonder about catnip >_>
Gods are always evolving with their believers, so if modern adherents to Bast believe she enjoys chocolate, then I’ve no doubt there’s a kitty-headed goddess out there snacking on some nice cocoa. š It’s a much smaller leap of faith than her evolving from a lioness to a housecat but we know that happened, so why not chocolate?
PS – I do not support followers of Bast feeding chocolate to their cats to appease the goddess. I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate her avatars keeling over.
I know how late I am to this, but I just found this comic ^_^
She is indeed fond of chocolate, bear in mind the fact that shes not a cat, shes a goddess REPRESENTED by cats, and cats represent luxury, chocolate is a luxury good š
But like all kemetic deities she also likes cold water and bread :3
Somewhere off to the side, another of the priests is laying on a scribe’s pens. They’re waiting until the keyboard is invented so they can lay on THAT.
Another of the priests is waiting at a closed door. When another priest opens it, he turns around and walks away.
When the slaves clean the anointed garments, the priests just stare at them.
When the slaves bring in to fold the garments, the priests climb in the baskets and sleep on the (formerly) perfectly clean clothes.
I notice a distinct lack of anyone licking their balls.
fun fact::
i just cited this as an information source in a persuasive research paper on cats being good.
YES! love this comic, love this strip especially!