THE DEVOURING LADY
Worshipping & Working With The Goddess Bast
Published by MARGUERITE hnteves@gmail.com ©2018
BAST, or Bastet, is an Egyptian goddess of protection, physical pleasure, and passion. She especially cares for women, children, and those who are vulnerable.
In my practice, I know Bast as a deity who nurtures and avenges. She is both cruel and kind, brutal and gentle. Bast embraces her duality and her potential, and she expects her followers to do the same.
There are many ways to worship a deity, and I find it best to ask whatever your deity is before choosing a particular form. I tend to worship Bast through acts of joy, strength, and passion. For me, this can be physical rituals like dance, yoga, or exercise. They can also be specific events or spells that I perform in honor of Bast. With permission from a partner, sex is also a possibility.
Worship should be something that is created with intent and not out of ease or informality. Everything that I choose to dedicate to my goddess is selected out of worship to her and not to my own time, energy, or power.
There are certain times when it is best to invoke Bast. She is best suited to help those who are vulnerable and who need strength and courage.
Particular instances in which Bast has greater power to give aid are: protecting a woman during childbirth, protecting children and the household, ensuring fertility, protecting a traveler or warrior, and preventing the spread of illness.
Altars are another powerful way to illustrate your devotion and invoke the protection or care of a deity. Cleaning or tending an altar turns your attention and worship to a deity, even when you may be too busy or tired to perform a spell or ritual. Statues or art of a deity, small offerings of food and drink, certain herbs, stones, or crystals, and other unique objects are all items that can decorate an altar.
Do your research and contact your deity to find items that suit your altar best. Altars do not need to be enormous or elaborate; they merely need to be a physical space that is dedicated to your deity.
For Bast in particular, my altar holds: catnip, tiger’s eye stone, perfume, stone statuette of Bast, scented candles, a bowl of fresh milk, and fresh flowers. There is no single correct way to worship Bast (or any deity). Every devotee’s relationship with their deity is different. Do what feels right to you.