Hi everyone,
Please find below our latest entry in the Purrsday Poetry series by Vickie Zisman, this was originally posted on her own Blog here. Don’t forget if you have a cat poem you’d like to publish on our Blog do send us an email to info@katzenworld.co.uk. 🙂
Why I worship Bastet – a reflection on cats and women! by Vickie Zisman
“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”
Robert A. Heinlein
(Have you noticed the identical eyes of both cat and girl?)
A historical note: Bastet (or formerly Baast, Ubaste, and Baset) was a goddess of Warfare in the Lower Egypt in the period of the second dynasty (2890 BC). The name changed later to Bastet, as we know it today. The deity conceptually evolved from the Lioness goddess – a fierce huntress, warrior and protector (of the Sun God Ra, and “nicknamed” Lady of Flame or the Eye of Ra)- to a cat goddess, after the ferals became domesticated in Egypt, around first millennium BC. Cats were elevated to the rank of God.
So what can we say of a Woman and Cat?
Reflecting on Bastet….
That Woman and Cat entwined they beget
The Book of the Master Plan
That Woman and Cat the One they become
Keep everything in place
The Order of things, the Essence of Being
The Mind of the Universe
Protecting the Home, the Wisdom of Old
The Spirit that guides the Light
The Soft Velvet Paw that will sink its Claw
And rip out your unwary Heart
The Gaze that will mesmerize your Mind
The Purr that will balance your Soul
Irresistible Softness of unearthly Warmth
That will bring Rebirth to you Whole
The whimsical Grace, the wistful Face
The Reason that talks to Divine
The Wildness untamed, the Cheek unashamed
This fusion is Woman-Feline
(Clio: I think I’ve asked for Tuna twice already. Am still waiting…. .)
(Tuli: Who me? Me do nothing, no mischief….Cross my heart...)
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I love the reflection of this poem and how you were able to weave in some history with it. Cats through out the years have represented something different.
Thanks! Vickie does loads of great poems 🙂
The. Egyptians got it right in worshipping Bastet … The cats of wisdom and all knowing.
Hehe 🙂
This is amazing, Thank you dear Marc, have a wonderful weekend, love, nia
Thank you 🙂 you too ^^
I shared a link on my cat Nettie’s Facebook page 🙂
Thank you 😀
I have a tattoo of Bastet with the head of a cat and torso of a woman … 🙂
Oh wow! That sounds awesome :). I have a koi Karp on my arm which I’m sure my two kitties are thinking “how can we eat that fish” LOL
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