Moon Whispers for July
During the month of July we celebrate the marriage of Isis and Osiris, the union of Shakti and Shiva, and rejoice as the Earth Goddess and the Sun God pledge their love to one another. It is the full moon that symbolizes the marriage of the masculine and feminine energies within ourselves. Uniting in a divine dance of love, the God and Goddess enter into the sacred marriage enfolding one another into one heart; creating that sacred union, that sacred balance that occurs when two halves become whole. This is a celebration about the true union of life, of both giving and receiving, and, truly, the destiny of humankind.
According to Ancient legend the righteous dead were said to become the stars, and thus the moon was seen as having a connection to Osiris, lord of the dead. As a death and resurrection legend, in which evil seeks to destroy a deity, thus bringing darkness, it developed an association with the lunar cycle in which the moon appears to be destroyed by darkness, and is then brought back to life. It was later said that Osiris had been killed by his brother and dismembered into 13 parts, each part representing one of the 13 full moons seen each year.
In order for Isis to resurrect her beloved Osiris, she had to find his scattered parts and breath life into him in order to revive him. Thus with Isis and Osiris, the two became as one. Being simultaneously alive and dead, Osiris became the god and king of the afterlife.
Lest we think this is the full moon devoted just to Isis and Osiris, remember that whichever gods and goddesses we honor, Shakti and Shiva, Sun and Moon, I would remind you, that we carry these within us, both masculine and feminine energy. And it is at this time that we honor that which is within us, the giving and receiving of each of those parts of us. That truly divine nurturing side that is female and that truly divine teacher side that is male.
Preparing an Altar
You will need:
- An altar cloth of golden color.
- One gold candle to represent the sun, the male energy, and one silver candle to represent the moon, the female energy.
- In the candle, place a drop of Night Blooming Jasmine Oil.
Visualize the male and female within yourself and visualize the energy from the moon, which is the where the female energy comes from, making a connection from the first chakra to the heart. Then visualize the male energy coming from the sun and make a connection from the seventh chakra to the heart. It is like bringing the silver and the gold from the chakras to the heart center to balance them.
Then meditate about what you would like to create for your own sacred marriage, not just within yourself but outside yourself, as well.