NUT - GODDESS OF THE SKY AND UNIVERSAL MOTHER
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the desert, here in Sinai mountains, staring at the sky, mesmerised by the stars, contemplating how these end of days will pan out. Being called to help usher in this new earth, story by story, I don’t know what the future will look like but I do know what’s an absolute truth is that we cannot use the current template as the blueprint for new earth.
Because of the urgency of these times, I find myself pondering on the myths of the land I’m from and the ancient Egyptians for guidance, in particular Isis’ mother Nut, known as the God of the Heavens, she is believed to be the Milky Way herself, representing the arc of life, death and everything in between.
According to Dr. Or Graur, an astrophysicist and professor at the University of Portsmouth
” A recurring dark, zigzagging band across Nut’s back could symbolize the Great Rift, a dense dust lane that cuts through the Milky Way. This discovery offers yet another glimpse into the remarkable astronomical awareness of ancient Egyptian civilization, reinforcing their place among early pioneers of celestial interpretation.” Full article here..
Nut was usually pictured as a woman bent over Earth with her head in the West and feet in the East. She is central to the cycle of rebirth as the ancient Egyptians believed that she protected the Earth deity Geb, her husband, from the night sky. The Mythology states that the sun deity Ra traveled through her - she swallowed him at night and then gave birth to him every morning. Ra was then replaced by Thoth at night.
She was often associated with coffins and sarcophagi because she protected the dead until they were reborn in the Afterlife. She was often painted on the inside lids of coffins full frontal- which was quite rare as most other deities are always painted in profile- therefore being face to face with the deceased. This placement was meant to protect the deceased and symbolise a "cosmic womb" for their resurrection, akin to the sun's daily rebirth. The ceilings of tombs were also painted dark blue with stars.
She births the Sun God Ra each day and receives him back into Her body, by swallowing him, each night. She also gives birth to Him yearly at the winter solstice. A cycle within a cycle within the Mother. As Nut gives birth every day, She is the root and source of all Mother Goddesses, the Universal Mother.
Nut became pregnant with five children and Ra forbade her from giving birth during the official calendar year. The ancient Egyptian calendar consisted of only 360 days in a year, had twelve months of thirty days and twenty-four hours within those days. With this dilemma she turned to Thoth for advice and help, he was god of the moon, scriptures, sciences, messenger and recorder of the deities, master of knowledge, and patron of scribes. Apparently Thoth was secretly in love with Nut ( wouldn’t you be?)
so he didn’t hesitate when she asked for help. Thoth was able to negotiate with the moon and granted Nut five extra calendar days so that she could eventually give birth to the five children: Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder. These children were considered intruders in the divine community and somehow not welcomed.
The decan stars, by which the ancient Egyptians kept time throughout the night, rise and set within Her heavenly body and so she is also known a keeper of time. Egyptologists refer to her as a “shadow clock,” the hours of the night are counted off in relation to where the sun is on/in Nut’s body: First Hour, “hand,” Second Hour, “lip.” Third Hour, “tooth,” Fourth Hour, “throat,” and so on.
In these incredible and challenging times of huge global change, I find deep comfort in looking to the stars and back to the wisdom of Egyptian mythology. Powerful deities like Nut - the Mother Of Isis; Goddess of fertility and magic, worshiped the world over- whose body shows striking parallels to the shape of the Milky way is one of the great ones. After all, indigenous and ancient wisdom are now being revived as future technology. Which we need more than ever if humanity is to survive this next chapter. So I’ll let the stars guide us into dreaming this new earth, back to a Matriarchal society, with a little help of our Universal mama - Nut.