This is the question an Egyptian friend of mine recently asked, and I thought it was a good question. I don't think any myth ever stops being relevant, and this particular myth is alive and kicking. Consider
the Middle East, and in this particular case, Egypt. The healing that comes in
that great story comes through gaining the clarity of vision through the Eye of
Horus. Horus, the younger generation of heroes, is always battling chaos,
trying to return his kingdom to the bounty that existed during the time of his
father, Osiris. There are, of course, a couple of layers with this myth.
Set and Horus battle for years, years!!! eons. Set feels
that he never received his fair share of th divine promise, that Osiris had it
all handed to him. Then he killed Osiris to claim himself as heir to the
throne, even attempting to prevent Horus from being born. But the gods and
goddesses watch over this divine but all too human drama. Horus grows up and
wants his birthright.
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| The king, an embodiment of the god Horus, is suckled by the goddess Hathor, who is depicted here as the sacred sycamore. |
The battle is ongoing, each trying to murder the other,
until the goddesses Isis and Hathor intervene because they are the embodiments
of human and spiritual love. When Set overpowers and blinds Horus, his beloved Hathor
heals his blinded eye with the milk of her breast. While Horus is being trained to be a spiritual warrior,
he meets his father Osiris, Lord of Duat, in the dreamtime. Osiris teaches him through
the subconcious, through the principles of what we might consider dream,
synchronicity, and the imagination or psychic realm.
And remember here the point is not missed that
the dream world contains our shadows, which really is what we must battle—that is
the dark aspect or ourselves, the disavowed.
Oh, I’m the good guy, one might protest. Right. And so is the other.
Neither side must demonize the other.
The myth also tells us In the midst of the battle the
myth tell us that Isis tried to intervene and stay the hand of Horus when he
was in control, because, or course, neither side can be 'supreme' they must
work in conjunction with each other through love. But Horus didn't like that
idea so he cut off his mother's head. I think we can see that happening today.
Set imprisons Isis to prevent her from birthing and nurturing Horus. Horus
angry with his mother cuts off her head. How's the feminine principle doing in
that battle? She is getting lost and beat up fairly badly.
But Thoth, god of wisdom replaces her head with that of
Hathor, that beautiful goddess of human and divine love.
That is the principle
LOVE that balances the battle between left and right. Do you think it is
applicable today in what is going on in the world? Well, yes, I think so.
I see that battle between
Horus and Set as what is happening in Egypt today. And I see that when both
sides try to imprison or cut off the feminine voice, the battle will do nothing
but continue to rage. Love must prevail, and cosmic order. Isis and Ma'at.
Of course, that is just my
take on it. You can decide for yourself who is Horus, who is Set, and who is
Osiris. And I will say, that in Jungian
terms, we all have within us a feminine archetype that operates on the
principle of love. Call upon her. Go
forth and enact a great love.
