Artist's Retreat

The beautiful Bastet

Bastet (Bast) was a daughter of Ra the sun god. She was a protective goddess but could become her counter part Sekhmet the lion if the King needed protection.

Not only was she the protective goddess of the home, she was goddess of fire and had a very aggressive side as the lion.
When in the form of a cat she represented the moon and when she became a lion she represented the sunlight, so she was a very duel goddess. Most Egyptian Deities were however.

Her original role did not include "cat as sex symbol," she was first a protectress for the Royal House and the Two Lands but also became Goddess of joy and protector of women.

Good offerings to Bastet include:
Thousands of small cat sculptures, sweet liquids and foodstuffs
mint, catnip, honey, raw meat,
perfumes and ointments (especially in the "bas" jars which are a pun on Her name).
Never offered: cats (The penalty for killing a cat was death!)

This is a description of her April/May festivals:
"When the Egyptians travel to Bubastis, they do so in this manner: men and women sail together, and in each boat there are many persons of both sexes. Some of the women shake their rattles and some of the men blow their pipes during the whole journey, while others sing and clap their hands. If they pass a town on the way, some of the women land and shout and jeer at the local women, while others dance and create a disturbance. They do this at every town on the Nile. When they arrive at Bubastis, they begin the festival with great sacrifices, and on this occasion, more wine is consumed than during the whole of the rest of the year." -Herodotus

https://www.etsy.com/listing/505473637/bastet-w-cat-skull?ref=shop_home_active_3
http://roadstodeath.deviantart.com/art/Bastet-w-cat-skull-659942963