Origin: Egypt Other Names: Kephra by: Willow A familiar Egyptian symbol, the scarab is many things. Primarily, this sacred dung beetle represents the transforming power of the sun, deified as Kephra, an aspect of the sun god Ra (Keph-Ra). He is shown as a man with a scarab beetle forming his head. The common iridescent beetle is often seen in Egypt rolling little balls of dung along and was thus seen as a cosmic force rolling the sun disk along in the sky. Kephra is the force that enables the sun to survive through the dark night of the underworld, to which Ra is forced to sail in his celestial ship every evening. The scarab is often associated with Bast, the familiar cat-form goddess. She is often pictured, when in full cat form, as having a winged scarab on her chest or seated on the back of a large scarab beetle. Bast is a goddess of healing and transformation (among other aspects) and so it’s no wonder that the transformative scarab is associated with her. Scarabs were very popular with the pharaohs, both in every day life as decorations and as magical talismans within their mummy wrappings. What better way to ensure their transformation from earthly king to heavenly ruler than the scarab? And as Kephra, the beetle helped the deceased find their way through the underworld, which was filled with dangers and demons. Use the scarab as a symbol of transformation as well as victory over severe obstacles, especially if you know you’re going to be entering a time of difficulty and can prepare yourself and your surroundings in advance.