~May 17
The sun rose golden, to dispel night’s shadows
and the streets filled suddenly with people.
The whole world seemed suddenly lavish with delight.
The animals, the houses, even the sky were filled
with pleasure and serenity. It was only a sunny morning,
but it was as though everything sang out to her,
the queen of stars, mother of the seasons, mistress of all.
Trees, both fruit and shade, waved their branches slightly.
The air was still. The storms were gone, dark clouds
has all dispersed, and the calm blue sky shone with her light.
—Apuleius, The Golden Ass
After she has tested Lucius, the hero of Apuleius’ classic fable, the goddess Isis redeems not only him, but the entire world. When he awakens from his dream of her immense and kindly power, he finds the world transformed with beauty. Believing in her and in her love for him, he embraces the day that was to have been his doom-and he survives, transformed.
We each face tests, some more difficult than others. When we lose a friendship or a loved one, when we face financial difficulty, when we are challenged beyond what we think we can endure, it is difficult to trust in the universal beneficence the goddess Isis promised her servant. These tests seem unfair, unsolvable, beyond our strength. And yet, over and over, we endure. Over and over, she supports us as we move through our life’s difficulties. Over and over, we wake to sunny spring days and know that she is there-hidden, perhaps, but supporting us.
To purchase a copy of the book, I recommend this trusted site; https://a.co/d/bGfVO8a