22.5: The Cult of Isis

In modern occultism, Isis is often regarded as a bearer of mysteries and a symbol of feminine power. When Helena Blavatsky invoked her name in the title of her first major work, Isis Unveiled, she sought to reveal the hidden spirituality of the East through an Egyptian lens; a religion that she claimed sat at the heart of all worship and was more true than the bastardized Judeo-Christian practices passed down in the West. Isis has played the role of purveying the secrets of a culture apart to Westerners going all the way back to the Roman empire. The Greeks and Romans were quick to adopt her cult and celebrate her at public festivals and secret initiations. But what was hidden behind the veil of Isis? How much do we know about her cult today?