Mysteries of Osiris, Day 2
First Sunday of Advent
I’m sure that seems an odd combination at first glance: Kemetic and Christian, mourning a death and awaiting a birth. Yet upon reflection, I think they go together rather well. During the week of the Osirian mysteries, we examine the heart of the story of the King who is slain and come to see ourselves in those who mourn, as we all will eventually mourn a loss in our lives. We walk through the cycle of his death, his burial, and his eventual restoration, as he is transformed from Osiris Slain into the Foremost of the Westerners, transformed from an inert corpse to new life through the power of love. The Mysteries continue for several more days, and I recommend you read through The Mystery of the Awakening of Osiris to get a feel for the flavor of this festival. The Osiris and Isis myth is a compelling and enduring one, worthy of examination and reflection.
So we come out of that festival renewed, gladdened by the knowledge that Osiris is not lost, but transformed–reborn. That leads rather nicely into the season leading up to the sun’s “rebirth” at the Winter Solstice. Christians, primarily of the liturgical sects, celebrate this season as Advent, a word which means “to come” or “to begin.” In recent years, more pagans and syncretists have adopted the customs of Advent; see Waverly Fitzgerald’s article on celebrating a pagan Advent , for example. For years I’ve celebrated the rebirth of the sun as the sun god Horus; sometimes I’ve gone so far as to set up a nativity scene featuring Isis, Osiris and the infant Horus (it amuses me to make offerings to them while midnight Mass at the local cathedral plays on the TV in the background; and I wonder why my husband worries about my sanity). As a Kemetic, at the solstice we also celebrate the shift from darkness to light as the Return of the Distant Goddess, followed by the Establishment of the Celestial Cow; and I’ll discuss these myths as we get closer to the actual days of the festivals. Lighting candles for Advent on the SUNdays leading up to the solstice pleases me; Advent calendars with little doors to open each day please me as well. If they please you too, here are links to some online Advent calendars:
A more interfaith approach, from BustedHalo.com
Decemberlady’s annual X-Files-themed calendar
The Serpent and the Moon 