Hathor & Sehkmet
Hathor & Sehkmet while traditionally associated with the sun may actually be the keepers of your moon cycle. These two goddess archetypes from ancient Egypt are said to be depicting two halves of the great mother archetype.
Hathor is the representation of fertility and fecundity. She often is depicted with a cows head with curving horns holding a great sun disk and soft tipped cows ears framing her face. She is the soft flowing Venusian receiver. Beautiful and luminous and deliciously juicy. We can feel her near the time that we ovulate-when our estrogen has built to a crescendo and we are pregnant with the possibility of all that we could create. We feel her in the roundness of the full moon, and in the throes of spring and summer as everything is blossoming. She is the great giver, the gentle lover, the compassionate mother. She is the becoming, manifestation made real, our sacred womb heart.
Sehkmet is a live wire, a goddess archetype of flame and fury. Both healer, and war maker. Because what is medicine in one context is poison in another. Depicted with the head of a lioness and balancing the sun between her ears, she is the great protector of Ma’at or justice. We feel her most as our progesterone rises after ovulation and we progress into pms and our bleeding time. She is the voice that defines our boundaries for us, and blesses us with the courage to follow through with them. She can be found in the dark of the moon, tending our heart fire and helping us to release all that is no longer of service. She is a dark goddess archetype, and the protector of Sehkem, the Egyptian word for Prana or Qi. As such she shows us where we are giving away our power. She is the boundary maker, the virulent voice of truth and honor, the sacred protectress of heart and womb.
A simple way that I like to connect to these archetypes is on my yoga mat by engaging in cat/cow pose.
In cow pose your heart is fully exposed and open, the crown of your head arching up towards the heavens, and your belly is expansive with breathe. This is Hathor embodied.
In cat pose, your back is arched, your head dropped, and your belly pulled in towards your navel with all breathe fully expelled. This is Sehkmet embodied.
These are two very simple yoga exercises that can be done regardless of your level of experience. Flowing between the two, with your breath is said by the kundalini yoga tradition to clear out old emotional debri and can be done every day.
Wishing you vibrant health, and a deep connection to your heart space along with the courage to protect it.
