Testimonials

"Linda Iles' scholarship is excellent. She is indeed, catlike in her ability to reach into the nooks and crannies of ancient Egypt to find the tastiest morsels of information in hiding. She sends the readers back to the earliest manifestations of Bast, the ways of working with her in the temples and houses and brings this information forward so that we may continue our magical work with Bast. An excellent work." - Normandi Ellis, author of "Awakening Osiris" and "Dreams of Isis" and her new book "Imagining the World into Existence."

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"It is exciting to receive such inspiration, the author truly understands ancient Egypt!" - Olivia Robertson, co-founder of the Fellowship of Isis, author of several novels, a spiritual autobiography, "The Call of Isis," and the Fellowship of Isis liturgy.

Upon receiving a copy of "Bast, Cat Goddess of Ancient Egypt" after it was published, Olivia sent the following:

"This erudite and inspired revelation of the Myths, Magic and Mysteries of the Cat Goddess is a New Aeon tribute both learned and mystical. As one who remembers the poet W.B.Yeats and AE - George Russell, visionary poet, essayist and artist, I acknowledge that Linda Iles is worthy to enter their Golden Dawn esoteric company.

Too often I read books brimful of information about Divine Beings yet which show no direct spiritual contact by the author, who can only access other people's experiences.

I quote from the Preface Poem to Bast:

"Lady of the Beautiful East

You come to us on a River of Light

From a Field of Unwearied Stars."

So for those who wish to feel the Divine Essence of Bast as Solar, Stellar and Lunar Deity, yet who incarnates as a Mother holding a basket of kittens, I warmly recommend this beautiful book."

Olivia Robertson, Co-Founder of the Fellowship of Isis

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"An engaging study of the cat goddess Bast from Linda Iles who writes with clairity and erudition. The author has skillfully mined myth, literature and archaeology to present a brilliant tableau for the modern reader. Highly recommended." - Caroline Wise, lecturer, scholar, author

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"Since I made Linda Iles' magnificent book of homage to Bast my bedtime reading, I find myself sleeping with two cats instead of one. The formerly outdoor feral cat has decided to move in!" - Arisa Victor, author of "High Magic: Turn Your Lead into Gold" and "High School Astrology".

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From Gloriana (London, UK):

I have had an interest in Ancient Egypt since childhood and am especially interested in the gods and goddesses.

There seemed to be a dearth of really informative and deeply researched material on the Goddess Bast, but I assumed that I knew a fair bit about her. Then I was given this book as a present, and realised I knew very little indeed! This is a brilliant work, restoring Bast to her place of importance in Ancient Egyptian life, myth, and religion, showing her proper context in the AE cosmology. Impressed by the sheer size of the book, (400 pages), but not daunted, I found it hard to put down when I first opened it. I got so immersed reading this fascinating and meticulous research on Bast that I was late for a really important presentation!

In this book we discover Bast and her real place in Ancient Egypt and beyond: her many names and titles and their meanings, her places and temples (and the functioning and ecology of these temples), festivals, magic, including ritual and spells. We learn of her relationship to a wide circle of other deities and her earthly and heavenly roles and associations including solar, lunar, stellar and planetary. Bast had a role in prophecy, dreams and dream incubation, in healing, in the royal house, and roles as protectress and mother but the book shows there is far more to her than Mother-Goddess.

Linda Iles explores the appearance of Bast in the great initiatory magico-religious texts such as the Coffin Texts and the Pyramid Texts.

The research here is solid, and shows the evolution of Bast from her origins to today, where interest in the Goddesses, and the Cat goddesses in particular, has never been more popular in the wider modern world. In that sense the book also serves as a workbook, and I can see my copy becoming very well thumbed - or should that be well-pawed?

Bast Cat Goddess of Ancient Egypt brings to mind 'The Mysteries of Isis' by DeTraci Regula and also 'Isis Magic' by Isadora Forrest, in that it is not a dry academic list of facts, but a beautifully written, highly readable, reliable and utterly engaging study of a Goddess. We need more books like this and I absolutely recommend it.

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From Serena Toxicat (San Francisco, California, USA):

As a priestess of Bast who lives in a temple of Bast, you can imagine my need for a good book on...Bast.

Finally, I found it.

No longer will the cat goddess-obsessed world have to rely on recycled neo-Pagan imputations of this well-loved deity, whose home in Bubastis is still, sadly, in ruins.

Now, we have the brilliant Linda Iles and a stunning volume born of scholarship rather than vague impressions.

Immensely helpful (first book I pick up before entering ritual space), completely resourceful, and replete with facts gilded with intuited knowledge, this book is an excavation of detailed insights and research wrapped in feline style, which arrives just in time for Catmas.

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From Arisa Victor (Berkeley, California, USA):

Linda Iles, an Arch Priestess of Isis, is a highly-respected expert on ancient Egyptian goddesses and gods. Bast, the elegant cat-headed Beautiful Mother and Great Protectress, was a very important deity, even beyond the shores of Egypt. Bast is alive and well today in these pages: her royalty and powers, temples and festivals, gifts of dreaming and prophecy, and guardianship of souls in transit to the otherworld - all this and much more is written in an engaging style. Various exercises of attunement are offered for mystically inclined readers. "My heart is Bast..." - The Pyramid Texts

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From Birdman:

The amount of research into Bast and Ancient Egypt fars exceeds many books published in the modern time. This book is well researched and original. By far the best book on Bast ever published and an invaluable book to add to any seeker of the Goddess, Ancient Egyptian or the "Ancient Mystery Traditions" library. Truly this is an acedemic and spiritual gem! I could not recommend enough!

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From Anonymous:

I confess I came to this book with a certain amount of prejudice, expecting more "woo-woo" than substance, but I was delightfully surprised. The author may approach her subject as a contemporary believer in an ancient spirituality, but the material she presents rests on solid scholarship. Nowhere else have I found such a complete collection of source materials, archaeological studies, and recent interpretations of this ancient goddess.

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From Mana Youngbear (Willits, California, USA):

Imagine yourself strolling through the bookstore one day and you see the cover of this book.

Just the cover itself brings to life the ancient wisdom of the Egyptians transported to this century.

This book is so well written and presented that one does not need to have any knowledge of Egyptian history nor it's traditions to grasp the wisdom, beauty and truth that LInda Iles so gracefully gifts her readers.

Myself and many others have enjoyed Linda Iles presentations throughout the US and are delighted in her collection of The Ancient Goddess Bast.

The concepts of this masterpiece radiate the Love, Beauty and Joy woven from documented Truth found in the ancient texts as well as the authors years of collected researched in the Halls of Ageless Wisdom.

This is not only a "pur fect" book for your own literary collection, it is a promised treasure for anyones library.

Linda offers lectures and classes through her continued research in the ancient traditions.

Reading "Bast, Cat Goddess of Ancient Egypt" reminded me of the ease in which Linda shares wisdom and tradition for any individual.

This can only reflect her love for each one of us and the Goddess Herself.

In the world of science, research, magic and myth, Linda Iles has created a masterpiece.

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From Rain Graves (San Francisco, California, USA):

Make no mistake--this is not just a book. This is a *tome* - over-sized and very thick, you will use it often as reference material, once you have read it. What is unique about this book is the time and effort placed on gathering a lot of very obscure information that until now, hasn't been readily available to anyone--not even priests and priestesses devoted to the Goddess. As a priestess myself, this book has taught me valuable and intricate ways to relate to Bast in all her forms, as well as work with her in new ways that conjunct well with other gods and goddesses in the pantheon through her relationships with them. Her list of festival dates is extensive, and the knowledge of temple devotion, high magic, as well as simple rites, long forgotten, is important to note. If you are looking for a whimsical, semi-fictitious jaunt through ancient Egypt with a few cats thrown in--this is not the book for you. If you are eager to learn about all facets and idiosyncrasies of Bast as a Goddess, and learn how to work with her using that knowledge, this is the book for you. You can't find this information anywhere. It is a gift from Bast Herself.

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From Lady Magic:

Very in formative as I am a follower of Bast .And want to learn of her positive attributes. Very useful!

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Vicki L. Margaritas (Phoenix, Arizona, USA):

Linda was my teacher many years ago, I just ordered her book as anything she is involved in is of value. She walks the walk with joy, knowledge and creativity.