Bast, originally known as Pasht, was said to be the daughter of Ra the Sun god. She defended her father against Apep, the Serpent representing the evil forces of darkness. The archetype of Egyptian Goddess Bast is a useful one to learn about if you’re working with consciousness. As a reward for protecting her father she was given the symbol of the uraeus, and it’s an ancient Egyptian symbol of a reared snake, typically a cobra. The uraeus was attached to the very front of the pharaoh’s crowns and a symbol of royalty.
The Egyptians used pictorial symbols to convey the people, nature, and principles represented by a god or goddess. Bast expressed the qualities of the lion or cat family; agility, strength, caution, fidelity, and pride.
Carl Jung suggested that all men and women are imbued with anima and animus. The anima is the feminine aspect of the psyche and the animus is the masculine. His teachings conveyed the idea that all was well when the two aspects remained in balance. He said that if one became over-emphasized or imbalanced, there could be a negative impact on the persona or self-expression of an individual.
Who Was Bast?
Bast can be traced back to 3000 B.C. and it was not until later times that she was acknowledged as the twin sister of Horus and daughter of Isis and Osiris. It’s from the writings of Herodotus that we gain our insight into Bast.
Many confused Bast with the Lion-headed Goddess Sekhmet, however, it seems she was either the more domesticated aspect of Sekhmet, or most likely, an entirely different entity.
Herodotus described her as a happy and benign deity who brought good fortune, music, dance, and joy to all. The cat was her sacred animal and ancient Egyptians associated her presence with every cat they saw. Her original depiction was that of a royal lady or priestess with a cat’s head.
In older schools of thought, they believed Bast had existed before as Tefnut, twinned with Shu, the Sky God. Either way, the cat represents a bridge between life on Earth and the underworld and can protect against psychic intrusion from both external and internal sources.
In modern times, we can call on Bast during meditation. Her energy can support us to release paranoia, self-deception, negative thinking, and other mental disturbances.
Meditation With Bast & Use As A Talisman
Bast is useful to meditate with before doing any type of psychic or telepathic work. She is a highly protective symbol and supports you in releasing your own mental demons prior to working energetically with the mind.
For any physical activity requiring grace or co-ordination, Bast supports you in delivering your best when the time comes to perform. In general, bast can bring happiness, laughter and joy to any mundane situation and support you in lifting your vibration towards joy in meditation.
Carry a representation of Bast with you as protection against the minds and intentions of others who are unfriendly towards you. It will support you in replacing sadness with joy and earn recognition from the rest of the world.
Symbol of Bast
The sistrum is an ancient Egyptian musical instrument shaped like an Ankh. It has four bars representing the four elements fixed across the head. Sometimes, the bars are equipped with loosely-fitting brass discs so that when the instrument is shaken it sounds like a tambourine.
The Greek biographer, Plutarch, suggested that the sistrum has a deeper symbolic meaning. “The sistrum also shows that existent things must be shaken up and never have cessation from impulse, but as it were to be awakened up and agitated when they fall asleep and die away. For they say to turn aside and beat off Typhon (Set) with sistra-signifying that when corruption binds nature fast and brings her to a stand, generation frees her and raises her from death by means of motion.”
The symbology of the sistrum relates to the external nature of all things. Nothing ceases to exist, it simply changes form, energy pattern, or frequency. Therefore, the human psyche is continually moving to other dimensions, or even other physical bodies, once a mode of experience has become outworn. The cycle of death and rebirth is essential to the evolving soul and we must shed our proverbial skins to make spiritual progress.
The sistrum was also considered an emblem of the principles that created the universe and keep it in harmony. This harmonic tune is called “the music of the spheres”. Bast, representing motion and twinship, was assigned the sistrum as her symbol.
Archetype of Egyptian Goddess Bast Working In The Positive
Bast working in the positive encourages the creation of a loyal and connected family unit. She represents reciprocity. When you give out, you receive, and vice versa. She helps us spread happiness in our lives and often her energy encourages us to enjoy dancing, music, athletic pursuits, and other creative pursuits with friends and loved ones.
Her energy helps us to release stress, anxiety, and worries. The result is also a protection from psychosomatic and stress-related illnesses. She helps us boost our immune system by allowing us to live in the joy frequency.
Archetype of Egyptian Goddess Bast Working In The Shadow Self
Behaviours associated with the shadow energy of Bast are insensitivity, remoteness, and depressive withdrawal. We might find ourselves pulling away from the general stream of life. To draw our strength from universal energies we must contribute to them.
If you find yourself pulling back it might be time to shake things up a bit and get involved with a new group or hobby. The limb severed from the body or the tree branch cut from the tree will wither and die. When we don’t share our energy it can present in an unhelpful way; often physical or mental distress. This energy can present physically in a lack of rhythm or flow in the body, perhaps manifesting as a lack of coordination.
Cattiness or bitchiness also present when the energies of Bast are working in the shadow. What we are, we attract, so we want to be what we want to receive.
Egyptian Goddess Bast At A Glance
Hieroglyph: The Ba (Soul)
Identity: Twin Sister of Horus, Goddess of Joy & Patroness of Cats
Symbol: A sistrum and the uraeus.
Working In The Positive:
Intuition, Generosity, Mental healing, Gracefulness, Joy, Happiness, Devotion & Protection
Working In The Shadow
Isolation, Remoteness, Recklessness, Sadness, Loss of coordination & Insensitivity.
Find Out More About Working With Me
If you’re interested in learning Reiki healing or Egyptian Sekhem healing please do get in touch with me by email at sarah@sarahmerron.com.
Fancy a daily energy boost? Click this link to subscribe to my daily ‘Carpe Diem Uplift’ email.
Interested to discover more about becoming an NLP coach?
Learn more about NLP Training here.
I run NLP Practitioner, NLP Master Practitioner & Time Line Therapy® Training.
Find out more about Online Coaching here.
Check out the “Redesign My Reality Toolkit” here.
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel to access my meditations, rantras and more.
