Ancient Egyptian Prayer to the Goddess Bastet

Beloved Bastet, mistress of happiness and bounty, twin of the Sun God, slay the evil that afflicts our minds as you slay the serpent Apep. With your graceful stealth anticipate the moves of all who perpetrate cruelties and stay their hands against the children of light. Grant us the joy of song and dance, and ever watch over us in the lonely places in which we must walk - Ancient Egyptian Prayer to the Goddess Bastet

I love cats and have always had an affinity with them,and have four cats of my own at home. In Egypt Bubastis was dedicated to the worship of 'Bastet'the Ancient Egyptian Cat Goddess,the name Bubastisis means "realm of the cat." Bastet was a friend of humanity, who loved music and dance. She was a source of joy and pleasure. Bastet protected people from sadness, hunger, and illnesses from the body and mind, which if you think about your own cat at home, they do offer us this love and joy, and just sitting quietly stroking your cat as they purr is a comfort to us.

Bastet also protected people from the action of ghosts, evil spirits, and demons. Once a year a great festival was held to honor Baset. The festival lasted for three days. On the night of the third day,one candle was lit inside the temple of Baset. Then the light was spread around the town, Prayers and hyms are recited accompanied by incenseand prayers and hymns were mummies were found.

In the cemetry at Bubastis over 30,000 cat mummies were found, in the tombs in the valley of the kings you sometimes see cats defending and fighting the apep snake which was considered as totally evil.Bastet was portrayed either completely as a cat, or a beautiful slender feline woman with the beautiful cat head.

I would be lost without my own cats, they are a constant source of comfort to me. When I was in egypt my friend had a cat called Sabina, but my friend called her silly bina because of how she would scitter about and play on the rooftop,Egyptians today no longer have the reverence for cats that their ancient ancestors had and cats are often left to fend for themselves in the streets which is sad. Me and silly bina in luxor