Goddess Sekhmet & Karnak Temple Her Home in Egypt

Goddess Sekhmet

Priestess of Isis Training

Debbie Irvine

1: First Meeting with Sekhmet February 2018 Banff, Canada

2: Developing Relationship with Sekhmet

through Course-Work with Nicki Scully 2019

And my time staying with Nicki at her home May 2019

for Healing and Connection with Sekhmet and The Neteru

3: Meeting Sekhmet in person at Karnak,

November 2023 and February 2025 with Normandi Ellis.

4. Exploring Karnak Temple Complex including the 7 Sacred Doors of Osiris and entry to The Underworld with Normandi,

   The Sacred Lake, The Hypostyle Hall, The Pylons, and Obelisks.

   
   

5. Walking The Avenue of Sphinxes - A Pilgrimage

 

1. I first met Sekhmet in Banff, Canada, in February 2018 after dreaming of a lion that morning. I bought Nicki’s book Sekhmet: Transformation in the Belly of the Goddess from the shop where the picture above of Sekhmet was on the wall. The shop owner had worked with the White Lions in Africa. So began my connection with Sekhmet.

2. Developing Relationship with Sekhmet through Course-Work with Nicki Scully 2019

And my time staying with Nicki at her home May 2019 for Healing and Connection with Sekhmet and The Neteru.

Sekhmet at Home in Nicki Scully’s Garden

2. Siting in Nicki’s Garden, I loved being able to see Sekhmet from many different angles, including from Nicki’s deck at dinner, and feeling Her presence commanding the land and all who dared to cast their eyes on Her Visage. Her presence was very powerful, regal, yet also compassionate. She called both loudly and softly if you listened carefully. I felt Her fierce strength, and Her gentle compassion. I had been writing many poems to Her as I worked through the Journeys with Her and with Nicki. These Journeys were taught in classes online over 6 weeks in 2019 and are narrated in Nicki's Book, "Sekhmet: Transformation in the Belly of the Goddess."

The Invocation later in this Document is a compilation of all my processes; of knotting the twine, and praying, burning, releasing, and writing in April 2019; and I edited the Invocation further after I repeated the journeys and writing processes in September 2022. This process was also my reconnection into a deeper relationship from this time, 2022 (albeit I had never stopped) via dreams, visions, and Initiations with the Neteru and Egypt that was preparing me for my trip to Egypt in 2023 (although not consciously known or planned then). I have again repeated the cycle and the affirmations of this Shamanic Cycle  early this year, January 2024, hopefully for the last time in this relationship and with the added power and intimacy of having met Sekhmet finally in person in Her Temple at Karnak.

I sat at Sekhmet’s feet each evening, meditated, and journaled. There was something deeply profound and inviting in a tactile and very personal way about sitting at her feet in silence and so I captured her feet in memory of the intimacy of our relationship.

To Goddess Sekhmet:

Into Your Womb I Enter

I: Initiation

Sekhmet, Goddess of the Temple

I stand humbly before you.

Under your watchful command

I hold the red ribbon I wrapped around my lover’s Christmas presents

now forming my ball of twine to tie my knots

in ritual remembrance of my wounds, suffering and pain:

of his manipulation, control, and deceit

of my acquiescence, silence, and dis-empowerment.

I release the ribbon and the pain

into the burning fire of transmutation.

The tongues of flames rise skyward

with the roar that rises deep from my belly

calling for my rights

for respect, honesty, openness, and Love.

No longer will I accept less, placate, or be submissive.

For too long I have gift-wrapped myself

and given my power and my body over to others, especially men.

Each knot I tied in remembrance and release of past pains

when I did not know how deeply these issues were entwined within me

or how silenced I remained.

All now ignite into the rising powerful Roar

from deep within our bellies of She-We.

II: Death

You place your two broad paws gently on my shoulders

and gaze into my eyes.

I disappear through the deep pools of your eyes

into new dimensions within your body.

I slide down your throat

casting off the detritus of my Life.

Your oesophagus squeezes and pulses against my body

separating off the old, hard, dead pieces

that are stuck and embedded deep within me.

I find myself in the darkness, safety, and warmth of your womb.

I feel you caress and hold me as I surrender curled in foetal position

knowing that I can rest here between the old and the new of my future Life.

I know I am gestating willingly within you

dissolving all my wounds and destructive patterns.

I am being purified and replenished by your juices.

My Heart is being strengthened and realigned by your Heart and Breath.

I trust you completely

that you will know when I am fully re-formed.

I rest and await my future movement through your birth canal

when I shall be ready to re-enter this world as a new woman-child of yours

Goddess Sekhmet, my Compassionate Cosmic Mother Protectress.

III: Rebirth

I step out from your belly and stand anew

I breathe deep into my belly and breathe out my Heart-Breath

I roar with fierce strength, courage, and renewed sovereignty

I am ready to speak my Truth with love and compassion

I feel free and alive.

I look at the sapphire blue sky above me

and feel the stable brown earth beneath me

I see with eyes anew

the beauty of Life that is singing with joy and exhilaration

ready to be embraced, celebrated, and joined with once again.

Dear Goddess Sekhmet,

Compassionate Cosmic Mother and Protectress

I honour my Initiation, Death, and Rebirth

deep within Your Womb.

I joyfully celebrate my rites of passage

and our new Cosmic Relationship.

Sa Sekhem Sahu

May we be filled with

the Sacred Breath of Life,

and The Power and Might

of The Enlightened One.

Karnak Egypt At Dawn

November 2023

As I walked with Normandi and Auset, I said,

“I am SO EXCITED to finally be seeing Sekhmet!”

Normandi paused and standing still for a minute,

cocked her head to one side listening, and replied,

“And so is She excited to see you too!”

We walked to Sekhmet's Chapel with Angel Wing clouds blessing us from above.

Entering the Chapel of Ptah   

Normandi and Auset Blessing and Giving Thanks to Ptah the Creator God

and husband of Sekhmet

  The Chapel of Nefertem -

Ptah and Sekhmet's beautiful son.

The Chapel is now empty but his joyful healing presence and sense of beauty remains.

The Chapel of Sekhmet

Finally in private audience with Sekhmet

 I look into Her eyes and give my Thanks

for all Her continued support, compassion,

healing, strength, and comfort

She has given me over the years since I have known Her.

Sekhmet looked back at me fully, directly,

right into my Heart

and said to me,

“I See You!

I Understand You!

I Know You!”

It was as powerful as my vision a few days earlier

with Mother Mary in the Crypt in the Coptic Church in Cairo

who also acknowledged me so directly,

who also saw me,

and projected her compassion, knowing, and seeing me

that pierced my whole Being.

Both experiences were so powerful

that I will forever know and remember

that I have finally connected with Divinity

and The Goddess

through time and space.

This was profoundly Healing and Empowering

in a gentle but oh so powerful and tender way.

In Gratitude

I bow and promise

to remember this Gift and feeling of

“Seeing into One’s Heart”,

Deeply, Honestly, Authentically, Compassionately;

to practice with others that I too

may extend the power

of understanding, love, compassion,

and healing to others.

To complete my journey experience with Nicki and the Healing from the Sacred Sycamore Tree as we left the Chapels, I touched the leaves of the tree and rubbed them onto my diseased skin and fingers as Sekhmet had done for me during my early Journeys with Her. Just to touch this ancient tree in real life and connect with all the prayers invoked for Healing over the years, and the revivification of the tree itself by Emile who watered it through years of drought, was beautiful and so special.

Karnak Temple Complex

Karnak is an enormous open area of many temples, pylons (huge walled Gates), chapels, obelisks, and colums. The enormous Hypostlye Hall with its Columns in shapes of Papyrus and open papyrus umbel capitals (as in the photo below) are famous. It was built during the reign of Sensssuret I who reigned 1971-1926 in the Middle Kingdom and continued expanding in the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

It is known for worshipping the Theban Triad with Amun/Amun-Re as its head.

As well as the Triad of Ptah, Sekhmet and their son Nefertum, there are also chapels to Mut who became the Alchemist Nekhbet-Mother-Mut, and Montu. There is also a Chapel to Ma'at, the goddess of Cosmic Order, Justice, Truth and Balance. There are huge statues of Ramses II.

The Avenue of Sphinxes connects Karnak to Luxor Temple.

In February 2025 on my second trip to Karnak, we walked the Avenue of the Sphinxes.

Each time I visit Luxor I feel an infinite lightness, happiness, and joy. The spaces are very open and although much is in ruins with large areas covered in blocks of stones and statues lined up to be re-built and put together, I feel very much at home here. Time seems to stand still. Whether it is the silence in the day, and the absence of crowds, as we walked the Temple Complex for hours from sunrise to lunchtime, ot simply the remembrance of past lives, my impressions and memories are of openness, peace, happiness, and joy.

Luxor by contrast I struggle with. It's immense statues to Ramses II and its huge pylons and columns and more cramped but extensive temples overwhelm me. So Karnak is where I return to and to Sekhmet my ally, compassionate healer, and protector.

Sekhmet I know and continue to work with.

Please read my other Sekhmet Invocations and Meditaions on the Website.

Sa Sekhem Sahu

The Power of The Enlightened One!

The Sacred Lake at Karnak.

The Sacred Lake at Karnak is where the Priests and Priestesses would practice their sacred washing and purification rituals. I was given a bottle of the water from the Lake by the resident Archaeologist and have placed it on my Altar at home in remembrance of Karnak, Sekhmet and all the Gods and Goddesses. I especially give thanks to the long traditions of Priests and Priestesses who have kept the ceremonies and Rituals alive over the years and continuing as we pay Homage to Karnak.

The Seven Sacred Doors

at the Temple of Osiris Hek-Djet

Normandi Blessing the Seven Osirian Doorways

These doorways represent the seven gates that the soul had to pass through to achieve a successful Afterlife. "The Ancient Book of the Dead", which Normandi has translated from the hieroglyphics into "Awakening Osiris" takes the reader and journeyer through the tests and tasks to pass each gate and enter the Afterlife. Osiris was Isis' brother and husband who was murdered by their brother Set. He becomes the Guardian and Guide of the Underworld and is the ideal God who has ascended into Heaven or The Afterlife, transmuting suffering and death into beauty and transformation. The Osirian Mysteries are the early shamanic journeys of Initiation, Death, and Rebirth that are repeated cycles of Life in Egypt.

Walking the Avenue of the Sphinxes Karnak to Luxor

A Sacred Meditation

The Ceremonial road between Karnak dedicated to the god Amun-Ra, and Luxor which was a sacred place of Kingship and renewal. It is 2.7 kilometers and was lined with over 1,3050 Sphinx statues. The sphinxes closet to Karnak have Ram heads signifying Amun, while those closer to Luxor have king's heads. Their bodies are of a lion signifying royalty.

The road was used for ceremonial religious processions and festivals allowing Egyptians to celebrate along the road with the Priests and Priestesses who would carry statues of the Gods.

The Opet Festival honouring the gods Amun, Mut, and Khonsu was the main festival celbrated during the Nile's flooding to celebrate the renewal of the pharoh's legitimacy, and linking the Nile's flooding with the king's role and power over the fertility of the land and future prosperity and abundance.

Walking the Avenue of The Sphinxes and linking the experiences of the two Temples Karnak to Luxor as the Priests and Priestesses had done thousands of years ago, was a scared pilgrimage. Each step and Sphinx observed, honoured, and noted helped me walk back in time one step at a time and one sphinx at a time. It is a reminder to walk slowly, observe everything around one, and breathe in the exotic air and sun. Memories of lives lived here before in ancient times rise up though the dust and shimmer in the light of the sunrise seeking re-connection, and retiring once again to rest at dusk under the light of the moon.

The Sphinxes at Luxor during our evening visit.