Isis & Osiris: Death, Resurrection & Alchemical Marriage

BY NICOLE LAU

Osiris is murdered by his brother Set, dismembered into fourteen pieces, and scattered across Egypt. Isis, his wife and sister, searches for every piece. She finds them all except one. She reassembles his body, wraps him in linen, and through her magic—through her love—she brings him back to life.

But Osiris does not return to the world of the living. He becomes the Lord of the Underworld, the god of death and resurrection, the green god who rules the realm of the dead.

And Isis? She becomes the Great Mother, the goddess of magic, the throne of Egypt, the one whose love is so powerful it can conquer death.

This is the myth of Isis and Osiris—the story of death and resurrection, of love that endures beyond death, of the alchemical marriage of masculine and feminine, of the union of opposites that creates eternal life.

This myth is not just ancient Egyptian religion. It is a map of transformation—the death of the old self, the search for the scattered pieces, the reassembly, the resurrection into a new form. It is the pattern of every deep healing, every profound transformation, every journey through death to rebirth.

The Myth: Murder, Dismemberment, and Resurrection

The Murder

Osiris is the king of Egypt, a wise and benevolent ruler who teaches humanity agriculture, law, and civilization. His brother Set (god of chaos, storms, and the desert) is jealous. Set tricks Osiris into lying in a beautiful coffin, then seals it and throws it into the Nile. Osiris drowns.

Isis, Osiris's wife and sister, searches for his body. She finds the coffin lodged in a tree in Byblos (Lebanon). She brings it back to Egypt.

The Dismemberment

But Set is not finished. He finds Osiris's body, cuts it into fourteen pieces, and scatters them across Egypt.

Isis searches again. She travels the length of Egypt, finding each piece. She finds thirteen pieces. The fourteenth—his phallus—has been eaten by a fish. She creates a golden phallus to replace it.

The Resurrection

Isis reassembles Osiris's body. She wraps him in linen (the first mummification). She transforms into a kite (a bird of prey) and hovers over his body, fanning him with her wings. Through her magic, through her love, she brings him back to life—long enough to conceive their son, Horus.

But Osiris does not return to the world of the living. He descends to the Duat (the Egyptian underworld) and becomes its ruler—the Lord of the Dead, the judge of souls, the god of resurrection.

The Symbolism: What the Myth Means

1. Osiris: The Dying and Rising God

Osiris is a dying and rising god—a pattern found in many mythologies (Dionysus, Jesus, Tammuz, Adonis). He dies, descends to the underworld, and is resurrected.

But Osiris's resurrection is not a return to the old life. He is transformed. He becomes the green god—the god of vegetation, of the cycles of death and rebirth, of the grain that is buried in the earth and rises again.

Osiris represents:

• The cycle of death and rebirth: The seed that dies in the earth and sprouts
• The transformation through death: You must die to be reborn
• The ruler of the underworld: The one who has been through death and now guides others

2. Isis: The Great Mother and Magician

Isis is the Great Mother, the goddess of magic, the throne of Egypt (her name means "throne"). She is the one who searches, who reassembles, who resurrects.

Isis represents:

• Love that endures beyond death: She does not give up. She searches until she finds every piece.
• The power of magic and will: She resurrects Osiris through her magic, her intention, her love.
• The feminine as creator: She creates the golden phallus. She conceives Horus. She is the active, creative force.
• The one who makes whole: She reassembles what has been scattered. She heals fragmentation.

3. Set: The Dismembering Force

Set is not just evil. He is chaos, the desert, the force that breaks apart, the necessary destruction.

Set represents:

• The force that dismembers: Trauma, crisis, breakdown—the things that tear you apart
• Chaos and disorder: The disruption of the old order
• The shadow: The jealous, destructive part of the psyche

But Set is also necessary. Without Set, there is no dismemberment. Without dismemberment, there is no reassembly. Without death, there is no resurrection.

4. The Fourteen Pieces: Fragmentation

Osiris is cut into fourteen pieces and scattered. This is fragmentation—the experience of being torn apart, of losing your wholeness, of being scattered.

Psychologically, this is:

• Trauma: The shattering of the self
• Dissociation: The splitting into parts
• Loss of identity: Not knowing who you are anymore
• The dark night of the soul: The experience of being broken into pieces

5. The Search and Reassembly: Integration

Isis searches for every piece. She reassembles Osiris. This is integration—the work of finding the scattered pieces of yourself and making yourself whole again.

Psychologically, this is:

• Shadow work: Finding the parts of yourself you have denied or repressed
• Trauma healing: Reassembling the fragmented self
• Soul retrieval: Bringing back the parts of yourself that were lost
• Integration: Making yourself whole

6. The Missing Piece: What Cannot Be Recovered

Isis finds thirteen pieces. The fourteenth—the phallus—is gone. She creates a golden phallus to replace it.

This teaches: Some things cannot be recovered. Some losses are permanent. But you can create something new to replace what is lost.

You cannot go back to who you were before the trauma, before the loss, before the dismemberment. But you can create a new self, a new wholeness, a new life.

The Alchemical Marriage: The Union of Opposites

The union of Isis and Osiris is an alchemical marriage (hieros gamos)—the sacred union of opposites that creates transformation.

The Opposites:

Osiris:

• Masculine
• Death
• The underworld
• Passivity (he is acted upon)
• The grain that is buried

Isis:

• Feminine
• Life
• The earth
• Activity (she searches, she resurrects)
• The earth that receives the grain

Their union creates Horus—the child, the new life, the future, the one who will restore order.

The Alchemical Process:

In alchemy, the union of opposites (the King and Queen, Sol and Luna, sulfur and mercury) creates the Philosopher's Stone—the substance of transformation, the elixir of eternal life.

The myth of Isis and Osiris follows the alchemical pattern:

1. Nigredo (Blackening): Osiris is murdered, dismembered, scattered. This is the death, the dissolution, the dark night.

2. Albedo (Whitening): Isis searches, finds the pieces, purifies them. This is the cleansing, the reassembly, the making whole.

3. Rubedo (Reddening): Osiris is resurrected. Horus is conceived. This is the rebirth, the new life, the transformation complete.

Isis and Osiris in Your Life

When You Are Osiris:

You are Osiris when:

• You have been dismembered—by trauma, by loss, by crisis
• You feel scattered, fragmented, not whole
• You have died (symbolically)—the old self is gone
• You are in the underworld—depression, grief, the dark night
• You are waiting to be reassembled, to be resurrected

When You Are Isis:

You are Isis when:

• You are searching for the pieces—of yourself, of someone you love
• You are doing the work of integration, of healing, of making whole
• You are using your magic, your will, your love to resurrect what has died
• You are the one who does not give up, who keeps searching, who believes in resurrection

The Work:

1. Acknowledge the Dismemberment
You have been torn apart. This is real. Do not deny it. Name it.

2. Search for the Pieces
What parts of yourself have been scattered? What have you lost? What needs to be found?

This is shadow work, trauma healing, soul retrieval. This is the work of Isis.

3. Reassemble
Bring the pieces together. Integrate them. Make yourself whole again.

This is not easy. It takes time. It takes magic. It takes love.

4. Accept What Cannot Be Recovered
Some things are gone. Some losses are permanent. Grieve them. Then create something new to replace them.

5. Resurrect
You will not be who you were. You will be transformed. You will be the green god, the one who has been through death and returned.

6. Create the New Life
From the union of death and life, from the integration of the scattered pieces, something new is born. This is Horus. This is your new self, your new life.

The Djed Pillar: The Spine of Osiris

The djed pillar is one of the most important symbols in Egyptian mythology. It represents Osiris's spine, stability, endurance, resurrection.

The djed pillar is raised in rituals—symbolizing the resurrection of Osiris, the restoration of order, the return of stability.

Psychologically, the djed pillar represents:

• Your spine, your core, your center: What holds you up
• Stability after chaos: The restoration of order
• Resurrection: Rising again after being knocked down
• Endurance: The strength to keep going

When you have been dismembered, when you have fallen, the work is to raise the djed pillar—to restore your spine, your center, your stability.

The Tyet Knot: The Blood of Isis

The tyet knot (also called the Isis knot) represents Isis's blood, her life force, her magic, her protection.

It is often paired with the djed pillar—Osiris's spine and Isis's blood, masculine and feminine, structure and flow, death and life.

The tyet represents:

• The feminine life force: Blood, menstruation, birth, creation
• Magic and protection: Isis's power to protect and resurrect
• The knot that binds: The love that holds together what has been torn apart

Horus: The Child of the Alchemical Marriage

Horus is the son of Isis and Osiris, conceived after Osiris's death. He is the child of the alchemical marriage, the new life born from the union of death and resurrection.

Horus represents:

• The new self: Born from the integration of opposites
• The future: The one who will restore order, who will defeat Set
• The eye that sees: The Eye of Horus is a symbol of protection, healing, and wholeness
• The child of transformation: What is born when you have been through death and rebirth

When you have been dismembered and reassembled, when you have died and been resurrected, Horus is what emerges—your new self, your new life, your new vision.

How to Work with Isis and Osiris

1. The Isis Invocation: For Healing and Integration

When you are scattered, when you need to reassemble, invoke Isis:

\"Isis, Great Mother, Goddess of Magic,
Help me find the pieces of myself that have been scattered.
Help me reassemble what has been torn apart.
Help me make myself whole.
Through your love, through your magic, through your will,
Let me be resurrected.\"

2. The Osiris Meditation: For Death and Rebirth

When you are in the underworld, when you are dying, meditate on Osiris:

Visualize yourself as Osiris—dismembered, scattered, in the darkness. Feel the death, the dissolution, the letting go.

Then visualize Isis searching for you, finding each piece, reassembling you, wrapping you in linen, breathing life into you.

Feel the resurrection. You are not who you were. You are the green god. You are transformed.

3. The Djed Pillar Ritual: For Stability

When you need to restore your center, your stability, perform the raising of the djed pillar:

Stand with your spine straight. Visualize your spine as the djed pillar. Feel it rising, strong, stable, enduring.

Say: \"I raise the djed pillar. I restore my center. I am stable. I endure. I rise.\"

4. The Tyet Knot Ritual: For Protection and Magic

When you need protection, when you need to activate your magic, work with the tyet knot:

Visualize the tyet knot—the knot of Isis, the blood of life, the magic of the feminine.

Say: \"I am protected by the blood of Isis. I am held by her magic. I am bound by her love.\"

The Gift of Isis and Osiris: Love Conquers Death

The myth of Isis and Osiris teaches:

• Death is not the end: It is transformation
• What is dismembered can be reassembled: You can be made whole
• Love is the force of resurrection: It is love—Isis's love—that brings Osiris back
• Some things cannot be recovered, but you can create anew: The golden phallus—you make something new to replace what is lost
• The alchemical marriage creates new life: From the union of opposites, Horus is born

When you have been torn apart, when you are in the underworld, when you think you cannot be put back together—remember Isis and Osiris.

You are Osiris. You have been dismembered. You are in the darkness.

But you are also Isis. You are searching. You are reassembling. You are resurrecting.

And from this death, from this reassembly, from this alchemical marriage of your own death and rebirth—Horus will be born.

Your new self. Your new life. Your new vision.

This is the promise of Isis and Osiris. This is the gift of the alchemical marriage.

Love conquers death. Wholeness is possible. Resurrection is real.