Building a Kemetic Shrine to Isis

One of the daunting but fun tasks you first do as a new Kemetic is building your own shrine to your chosen deity or deities. Coming from a Catholic background this didn't seem so taboo. Already I had a few Virgin Mary statues and Greek Orthodox icons of Jesus.

Before I'd bought any Isis statues the Mary statue to right I used as my representation for Isis. I still use this statue when I want a more realistic looking, natural statue during my devotions.

Building a shrine can be daunting especially for a new Kemetic. You wonder, "Am I doing this right?" "Is there something that must or must not be placed in my shrine?"

When I first started buying items for my shrine I was hung up in what had to be in the shrine. I needed traditional, Egyptian-looking statues of my chosen goddess, Isis. I wanted a Sistrum, an Ancient Egyptian style rattle. Due to the expense of buying a sistrum I ended up purchasing a string of jingle bells which sounds just as pretty as a sistrum.

I also wanted to purchase something lotus related to place in my shrine as the lotus was the sacred flower of Ancient Egypt. I bought a pair of crystal lotus votive candle holders. Fire safety was a concern for me since the shrine was located in my bedroom. I decided LED candles were a safer option and I could light them for long periods unattended without risk of a possible fire.

Incense is another common offering Kemetics offer to their gods. Incense is a problem for me as I don't want to keep anything burning in my bedroom. If I offer incense I usually burn it downstairs by the fireplace which is much safer and doesn't draw too much attention.

There really is no wrong way to build your shrine. It can large and complex or quite simple. As you can see I have a very minimal shrine with the focal point on my Isis statue.

I also venerate a beautiful papyrus painting I bought from Egypt with the Goddess Isis having the traditional throne glyph on her head. This throne glyph is a precursor to Isis's later crown with the horns and sun disk which later was incorporated into the goddess's identity when Isis merged with the Goddess Hathor.

Another question is where should you put the shrine? I cleared off space on my dresser. It's highly visible and a wonderful reminder to pray before I go to bed. It's also comforting to know the goddess is with you in your everyday living space and is watching over you even in the most mundane tasks. Having a holy place within your own house is very different from the separate sanctuaries in the Judeo-Christian tradition. A house shrine, however, invites the gods to be apart of your life and your home.