Light fills the Hall as you step through the doorway and Seshat stands centrally awaiting you. She does not lift her gaze, so intent is her work as she writes on a palm reed. You approach, curious to see what she has crafted and as you come nearer, she looks up and you see an intelligence that is older than the beginning of time shining in eyes that sparkle. She finishes the last bit of recording, pauses a moment checking what she is scribed and then turns to face you.

She is radiant and stands with power as a gentle smile face. She extends a hand and beckons you to come closer and as she speaks her words of power, Her Hall fills with the light of star and planet and the sound weaves images of creation filling you….

My words of power
Are written in the
Halls of Wisdom
And I stand at the
Threshold of entry
To the House of Life.

My magick lay in
The seas of creation
And my writings
Hearken a new age
Of
Nature’s wisdom.

I am ancient born
But my vision
Will lay the foundations
Of
What humanities gifts may be.

I am keeper of the histories
Calculator of all sum’s worth
And as I measure each grain
Of time’s sandy shore
You shall come to know
Your own creative
Power.

Who is Seshat?

The Goddess, Seshat is known as the goddess of accounting, writing, measurement and mathematics. Her name means, “female scribe”, “sesh” (scribe) and as such she is considered the feminine counterpart to the Scribe of Wisdom, Tehuti (Toth).

She wears a leopard skin (dress) an honor that was normally held only for the “sem” priests; denoting her high status. The recording and writing components of Egyptian life were executed only by those of higher status and teachings, and as such represented the defeat of the God, Set.

Her headdress is that of a seven-pointed star or a rosette above which is a pair of inverted cow’s horns suggesting a crescent moon. The star, in particular, was associated with being the source of all of creation, possibly representing the seven inner planets and their dynamic energy as that of the Sun and Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Her connection to Toth presents in many ways. She is considered y son to be his consort/wife and the feminine principle of a duality that played a significant part in Egyptian life and the desire for Ma’at or Order. The Egyptians believed that Seshat invented writing, while Thoth taught writing to mankind. She was also known as ‘Mistress of the House of Books’, indicating that she she held prominence in maintaining and effectively using Thoth’s library of spells and scrolls.

In Egyptian Mythology, Seshat holds great responsibility in the workings of The Tree of Life. The Tree of Life was believed to hold the Knowledge of the Divine Plan or the equivalent to a map of destiny which existed from when the world was created and marked the beginning of time. Seshat and her counterpart Thoth kept a record of the pharaoh’s name and the length of his reign on the Tree of Life which protected the ruler and perpetuated his name. Thoth and Seshat were the guardians of the sacred hieroglyphs.

For this reason. Seshat was an important ally to the Pharaoh. She served as record keeper of his oratory and historian of his deeds. She also assisted the Pharaoh at the “stretching the cord” foundation ritual which involved the accurate measuring of what would be the architectural foundation at chief Temple sites. To the ancient Egyptians, the Temples were the manifest forms of the Cosmos itself. In her role as Mistress of Architecture, Seshat was considered as she who held the correct “blueprint” for laying the foundation of that Cosmos on Earth. This was accomplished by her knowledge of the stars and the Cosmic realms, ensuring the precise alignment of the Temple with astronomical emphasis…

“ One of the most important ceremonies in the foundation of Egyptian temples was known as Pedjeshes (Pedj–“to stretch,” Shes–“a cord”) and it forms the subject of one of the chief monumental ornaments in the temples of Abydos, Heliopolis, Denderah, and Edfu. The reigning pharaoh and a priestess personifying Seshat, the goddess of writing, proceeded to the site, each armed with a golden mallet and a PEG connected by a cord to another PEG. Seshat having driven her peg home at the previously prepared spot, the king directed his gaze to the constellation of the Bull’s Foreleg (this constellation is identical with Ursa Major, “Great Bear,” and the “hoof” star is Benetnasch, Eta Ursae majoris). Having aligned the cord to the “hoof” and Spica as seen through the visor formed by Seshat’s curious headdress, he raised his mallet and drove the peg home, thus marking the position of the axis of the future temple.”

– Cyril Fagan, Zodiacs Old and New (1951)

This month is a wonderful time to come to know this Goddess. It is the beginning of the calendar year and a time when resolutions are made and new ways to improve ourselves are sought out. Consider including in these the gift of creativity. Send out the intention of getting to know more of your nature as scribe of your own destiny.
Spend some time with Seshat. Open yourself to her creative wisdom. Write, paint, sing and dance in joy calling out her name as you weave her magick of creation about you.

Next Week
The Hall of the God: Tehuti