The Secret Doctrine, Volume II. Anthropogenesis

Chapter 1309

[←1301]

The Goddess Basht, or Pasht, was represented with the head of a cat. This animal was held sacred in Egypt for several reasons. It was a symbol of the Moon, the “Eye of Osiris” or the “Sun,” during night. The cat was also sacred to Sokhit. One of the mystic reasons was because of its body being rolled up in a circle when asleep. The posture is prescribed for occult and magnetic purposes, in order to regulate, in a certain way, the circulation of the vital fluid, with which the cat is preëminently endowed. “The nine lives of a cat” is a popular saying based on good physiological and occult reasons. Mr. Gerald Massey gives also an astronomical reason for it which may be found in vol. i. pp. 322, 323, of the present work. “The cat saw the sun, had it in its eye by night [was the eye of night], when it was otherwise unseen by men [for as the Moon reflects the light of the Sun, so the cat was supposed to reflect it on account of its phosphorescent eyes]. We might say the moon mirrored the solar light, because we have looking glasses. With them the cat’s eye was the mirror.” (Luniolatry Ancient and Modern, p. 2.)

Download Newt

Take The Secret Doctrine, Volume II. Anthropogenesis with you