Hello everyone, I wanted to share my experience today as I commemorated my first Egyptian Festival; Khoiak or The Osiris Mysteries.
This festival commemorates my patron deity, Osiris and marks both his murder by his brother, Set, and his resurrection.
For context, Osiris was the first Pharaoh and was loved by his people. Set was jealous and hatched a plan to take the throne. Osiris was sealed in a box and cast into the Nile. His body was retrieved by his wife Isis but before she could revive him, Set cut the body into 14 pieces and scattered them across the land. Isis did not give up; she searched for and retrieved the body parts abd with the help.og her nephew, Anubis, they brought Osiris back to life. This is when Horus was concieved. However, Osiris knew his place was no longer on Earth and took his place as King and protector of the underworld.
Today I started my day as normal by incovering my statues and inviting the lignt of the new day to awaken their spirits. I also offered incense of Sandalwood.
For the actual ritual, i began by cleansing the space and myself. I offered a prayer to Osiris before invoking his presence.
Green candlesnwere litnas a symbol of Osiris’ link to fertility and renewal. A retelling the story of his death was then read out up until the point where his body was scattered.
At this point, my Osiris statue was bound in green fabric to symbolise his absence. It was placed on a mound of soil and seeds scattered around as a symbol of hope for his rebirth.
A second prayer was then offered for Osiris’ return.
Then came a period of meditation and reflection, considering the absence of Osiris from my practice for the next 14 days but also considering my own experiences of grief and loss.
Afterwards, an offering of bread was made as a symbol.of.my willinhness to assist in the rebirth of Osiris.
Finally, i closed the ritual by expessing gratitude to Osiris and for him being a presence in my life.
Over the next 14 days, a green crystal will be placed in soil, each representing one of the body parts retrieved by Isis. On day 14, the statue will be unbound, symbolising Osiris’ rebirth.
I know that Egyptian deities aren’t commonly worshiped as much as others but I wanted to share my ritual on what for me is a special day.
Blessed be
Dua Asar
Alan