At the time I, of course, knew nothing of Isis, Queen Hatshepsut or ancient Egypt. What I did know was that Isis was the coolest thing on Earth and I loved the show. It was the first time I ever got the idea that women could be empowered and powerful. It touched on a mysticism that fascinated me and like so many others, I was in absolute awe of Joanna Cameron's beauty. She was absolutely gorgeous. I loved her long black hair and her costume and oh the crown! This was, of course, the Goddess coming to me in a new way. Being only young, as I was, I didn't really grasp the concept of the Goddess but She was certainly there. And not just for me, but for millions of other girls like me who were watching every week. 
Isis became part of my regular play time as well as I had the Isis doll (yes, even back then marketing was a top business!). I don't recall her hair being as poofy as that though. I think it may have straightened out after I washed it or got it wet. That little doll got played with a lot and she was a favourite. Unfortunately I don't have her any more (can't remember what happened to her), but I still have my fond memories. The cheesy plot lines and 70's music aside, along with any historical inaccuracies, it was a good show for little girls at the time as it was one of the first shows if not THE first show to feature a woman in such an empowering role. I'm grateful I had such a show to hook in to at such a tender age.
My knowledge of ancient Egypt grew when in 1978 the documentary narrated by Orson Welles, Tut: The Boy King, aired on TV, showing to the world (or at least those of us in the US) some of the treasures from King Tut's tomb. Of course, the King Tut exhibition had been touring the world for a few years by this point and interest in King Tut and ancient Egypt grew as it did. It was at this time that I began to link up in my mind the connection between Isis, the TV show, and ancient Egypt and its mysteries.
"You mean there really IS an Isis?" It opened up a whole new fascination with the mysticism of ancient Egypt. The idea that there were many gods and goddesses who ruled over this strange arid place and their rituals and outlook on things blew my little girl mind. What was it all about?
During all this, unbeknownst to a little girl growing up in Midwestern America in the 70's, the Fellowship of Isis was founded in 1976 by Olivia Robertson, Lawrence Durdin-Robertson and Pamela Durdin-Robertson in Ireland, an organisation I joined in 1999 and am still a member of today.
Isis was integral to guiding me on the path to Goddess. I continue to have a mild fascination with the Egyptian pantheon and ancient Egyptian ways, although it's not a path I ever felt compelled to pursue. Still, I do honour Isis and feel great kinship with Her. As a Priestess of the Goddess I feel every bit Her priestess as I do to any Goddess who speaks to my soul. Three years ago when the new King Tut exhibition came to London, there was no way you could stop me from going. It was a chance to see so many things I'd only seen in pictures or on TV. I was a bit sad to read this morning about some of the artefacts housed in the Egyptian Museum being stolen during the protests in Cairo. I hope they can be recovered so they can continue to bring joy to those who are also fascinated with ancient Egypt. The British Museum is now hosting the Egyptian Book of the Dead exhibition until next month. I hope to go see it too before it leaves as I know Isis and the Egyptian goddesses will be there to touch my heart once again.
Fun stuff:-
Fellowship of Isis: http://www.fellowshipofisis.com/
Allegedly, there is a film potentially in the works based upon the Isis show. Will it ever happen? Might be cool if it did.
A couple years ago I actually found the Tut documentary in its entirety on YouTube. However, I think it's been removed due to the DVD coming out recently.
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