Lore of the Cat: The Symbol ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

When: Historically, the cat was first endowed with archetypal power at the time when in Egypt, it came to be regarded as a sacred animal. An animal's nature is both light and dark. The cat is, in reality, both affectionate and vicious. Sanctification of the cat meant that it was ritually purified of the dark aspect of its nature. It was recognized as holy (as connected with man's spiritual life), and was treated with the respect naturally due to such a being.

Then came the point when King Osorkon of the twenty second dynasty placed the white cat in the center of a magnificient temple and ritually endowed it with supreme power. From then on, the cat was fully acknowledged to be divine. The eternal and infinite power of the cat goddess was believed to be that of the sun, moon, and earth.

When the Egyptians enshrined the cat, they projected their souls into it. Reference has been made to the belief that cats enshrine the souls of ancestors and when people die, their souls go into cats. The Egyptian cat was irradiated by the light that was shed on it by human consciousness.

It was not until the Middle Ages that the cat was endowed with the power of the Devil. It was said that some women "have the power to put their souls into black cats." But these women were witches, whose souls were dedicated to the Devil. It was their projected, unconscious desire for revenge that darkened the reputation of the cat.

During both ancient and medivial periods of cat worship, the animals were treated with reserve, for they were looked upon as supernatural beings with whose power, whether divine or demonic, was dangerous to tamper. The moment in individual lives when the cat first acquired magnetic power is the moment when it first activated the cat archetype in them.

The physique and the natural habits of cats seem specially suited to attract such projections. The functioning of the cat's eyes, its unearthly wailings, the purring contentment with which it suckles its young, and the diabolical cruelty that it exhibits with its prey have a certain archetypal quality about them. The cat appears to have powers of extrasensory perception. Its fur possesses static electricity and occultists claim that its body is highly magnetized. It is hypersensitive to changes of atmosphere. It often appears to be clairvoyant and to experience precognition.

It seems possible that the chief power of the cat to stimulate people's imagination, attracting to itself myth, legend, folklore, and fairytale, lies in its quality that defies human understanding. There is an unknown quantity with which humans cannot make contact, unable to affect or control.

The popularity of the cult of Bastet, which far exceeded that of any other Egyptian goddess, may have been due to the fact that the cat, more than any other animal, had this quality which people could fill with all they valued and enjoyed most. Since the cat was domesticated and such a part of their daily lives, the Egyptians must have experienced its nature inwardly more than that of other animals. Consequently, it would have had more psychic significance for them.

What: Several different visions of the cat emerged through man's history, which arose and created the body of cat beliefs. For the Egyptians, the shrine within the temple would reveal an awe-inspiring image of a white cat deity. Its beauty was enhanced by jewels and gold which its worshippers had adorned it. It would be attended by priests and priestesses and would probably be surrounded by sacred cats.

In medival Europe, dark murky nights with a large crowd of people would reveal the Devil, probably celebrating a Black Mass. This deity would appear as a huge, black tomcat with fiery eyes and green sparks emanating from his fur. He would be attended by his priests and priestesses, the sorcerers and witches, many of whom had flown in on their cat familiars.

Both deities were the objects of worship, sacrifice, ritual, and pilgrimage, and the centers of orgiastic festivals. Those who honored the white cat celebrated in light and warmth of the sun, and feasted on wholesome foods and wine. The sexual orgies of Bastet were believed to increase the fertility of crops, fruits, animals and women. Pilgrims to the black cat's orgies fed on the flesh of hanged men and unbaptized children. They practised on moonless nights what where were virtually sterility rites. Since they coupled with demons, their sexual licence bore no fruits. They ritually produced hail, gale and storm, setting out to destroy crops, kill off animals, and render humans sterile and impotent.

The white tomcat god was the immortal, self-begotten creator. As Ra, he was the solar fire, the source of power, light and all life. As Osiris, he was the impregnator of the earth and the fertilized seed. He was the hero who fought against darkness, chaos and death.

The white cat goddess was a healer and a nurse. She destroyed poison, counteracted irritation and strengthened people's powers of recuperation. The tail of her animal incarnation was widely used to cure blindness.

The black witch cat poisoned people's minds, infected their bodies with disease, and inflicted both with blindness. The Devil used the tail of his incarnations to bewitch people and bind them to his will.

The white cat was a liberator of the oppressed and a helper of impoverished, under-privileged young men. It used its cunning and resourcefulness to overthrow the powers of darkness. It brought humans wealth, power, honor and happiness.

The black cat was an omen of ill fortune, bringing poverty and frustration in its wake. It oppressed and tortured. It swindled, tricked and lied to the innocent and was notorious as a traitor and a thief.

The solar cat was the "light of the world," and found at the foot of Jesus Christ; the demonic cat was seated at the foot of Judas Iscariot.

The cat, which was virtually a medium, formed a bridge (or a boundary) between good and evil, and the inner and outer worlds of gods and men. It had access to and was at home in both spheres. It had much prophetic wisdom to impart to humans. This was the cat that held conflicting values in balance.

Why: Examining the extravagant and conflicting things people have believed about cats, one finds that most of them have at least a tenuous connexion with the physique and natural habits of the animal. However, they have become elaborated and stretched far beyond the bounds of credibility.

From the physical fact that the cat's eyes dilate at night and shine in the dark has arisen its reputation as a moon goddess with control over tides, weather, vegetation and humans. The fact that cats are predatory animals has given rise to the image of a demonic feline monster demanding human sacrifice and laying waste the countryside. The partial has been extended to the absolute: the hardy animal is thought of as immortal, and it is assumed that its power to protect humans against the vermin in this world will operate against supernatural evil in the hereafter.

To say that these fantastic things people have believed about cats are entirely untrue is incorrect. Folklore, myth, legend, and fairytale refer not to the outer, but to the inner conditions on a deep level of human experience. They do not tell of objective, but of psychic, events, and though such beliefs may not be true about the animal, they are certainly accurate of what the cat meant to people, and still means to many today.