About
The daily devotions are written by Her Holiness the Nisut (AUS) and include
prayers and special practices for the faithful, corresponding to the Kemetic Orthodox
calendar.
From 1994-1999, the daily devotions had been available exclusively to followers
of the House of Netjer. We share them now with the general public so that all may
learn from these enlightening and thought-provoking missives.
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 31, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
The festival of Welcoming the Nile goes to completion with the establishment of Djed, or stability. Happy New Year! Nekhtet!
Where are the points of stability in your life (people, situations, resources)? Make sure to bring them all up in your shrine today and give offerings and thanks for them.
May Netjer bless each of you with a personal Djed of health, abundance, prosperity and longevity.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."
Emerson
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 30, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
The festival of Welcoming the Nile continues with a sub-festival honoring Sokar, a form of Ptah and/or Wesir associated with the germinating power of darkness.
It is fitting that the day of Sokar, Who changes things in unseen but crucial ways, is also the spiritual birthday (anniversary of ordination) of Kemetic Orthodoxy's senior clergyman, Kai-Imakhu Antybast (Rev. Craig Schaefer).
I met Antybast in 1992. A friendship that began then blossomed into a partnership, culminating in the formal legal organization of the church which would later become the House of Netjer. For four years, until my coronation as Nisut, we served together as the co-directors of this fledgling church, and laid the groundwork for Kemetic Orthodoxy as it is practiced today, learning to listen to Netjer and to bring the ancient tradition to live in the present. I can say with all certainty that this religion would not exist again today were it not for the effort, sacrifice and vision lent to the process by this talented and dedicated man.
Back when we met, as we were both coming out of other religious experiences, I had a nickname for Antybast. I called him "Tzaddi," after the 17th path of the Qabala (a mystical system originating within Judaism). Within this sytem, Tzaddi is the path of revelation and sudden change brought about by mystical experience. As a force, Tzaddi represents the ability to grow and progress by using experience to break down previous habits and to allow yourself to pursue the best that you are.
Even though I probably haven't called him by this nickname in years, it was a good one. Without Tzaddi's help, I would not have been able to have the experiences I needed to have to achieve my destiny of serving Netjer. His continual support, observations and even just his questioning nature, that would set things in motion to cause a blinding flash of insight, have been important parts of my life since our meeting.
I thank Netjer for you, Tzaddi Antybast, as you begin an eighth year of serving Netjer. Thank you so much for what you have given me personally, and in turn, for what you have given to Netjer and all of its Children. We are honored to know you.
Dua Antybast! Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"You are wise in counsel, apt in speaking, always looking ahead --
and whatever you do, succeeds.
You are a judge of hearts like the Divine Ibis; curious about all matters.
You are powerful, good to your children....
You are an eminent, even-tempered man, offspring of the praiseworthy,
beloved of all who bear the favor of the Nisut."
from an ancient Egyptian litany in praise of a teacher
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 27-29, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Aset and Nebt-het are in jubilation as Heru, son of Wesir, welcomes the Nile!
Even though we are three months into the Kemetic New Year, it is now that New Year is formally acknowledged...the year has had time to begin and now, it has survived its gestation process, and can begin in earnest. The Welcoming of the Nile festival in antiquity was marked with many public rituals where different temples along the riverside noted the rise of the Inundation in the Nileometers situated on their grounds.
The Inundation, remember, had to be just right. A low inundation might spell famine and disease for millions; but an overly high inundation could have the same effect, if it delayed planting or caused damage to crops and homes. Like the balance of Ma'at upon which the kas of men are laid upon their deaths, the Inundation too had to live up to Ma'at: not too shallow, not too deep.
This year, as we prepare to welcome the inundation swirling symbolically at our feet, pray that our year will be neither too shallow nor too deep, filled with equal amounts of fertility and fallowness. May Netjer keep us on an even wave through the year to come.
Dua Aset! Dua Nebt-Het! Dua Heru! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"Egypt is awake -- its sleepiness is gone. All creatures are in joy when He greens the Two Banks, when He pours forth His abundance among children and adults."
From a Hymn to Hapy (The Nile), New Kingdom
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 26, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Pray with me today for all the blessings of Netjer that are waiting to be released.
We offer thanks to Netjer, either as One or as the very Many, the Names, the gods and goddesses who are God at the same time and are still gods and goddesses -- what a beautiful blissful mystery! We thank Netjer One and Netjer Many for everything we are.
For our pain, we ask release.
For our sorrow, we ask for understanding, and solace.
For our loneliness, we ask to be befriended, and to be able to befriend ourselves.
For our world, we ask for peace and understanding.
For our lives, we ask for health, prosperity and to be open to all blessings and lessons that Netjer may care to send our way.
We offer Ma'at in our speech.
We offer Ma'at in our thoughts.
We offer Ma'at in our deeds.
In offering Ma'at, we receive Ma'at and are able to present Ma'at to others.
In offering Ma'at, we complete the circle which is Life itself, the loop of the ankh and the vault of Nut.
In offering Ma'at we offer ourselves.
May all the Names of Netjer bless you today.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"He who lessens falsehood fosters truth, as he who fosters Ma'at reduces Isfet."
from the speeches of an Eloquent Peasant (Middle Kingdom)
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 25, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Heka appears in festival today.
We've talked about Heka in these devotions before (9/11-12), starting an interesting conversation in the Wehem/Daily Devotions boards. Heka, like Ma'at, is both a Name of Netjer and a concept or theoretical framework within the philosophy of our religion. Heka represents both the Name of Netjer associated with words that have meaning....and the power of the uttered word, heka.
On a day belonging to Heka, be very aware of what you are saying, even in your own head...for heka is always present and operational, even if we aren't paying attention.
Dua Heka! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"It is the greatness of the heart and tongue of a wise man that they dwell in the place where God is."
The Teaching of Pahebhor (Late Period)
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 24, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Shu appears in festival today.
There's an African proverb that states, "If you want to talk to God, tell it to the wind." Go outside today and strike up a conversation with that most hidden of forces, allowing it to carry your speech straight to Netjer's ears. Listen carefully for the response as well...
May Shu's blessing refresh you as a sweet breeze cools the face.
Dua Shu! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
Aristotle
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 23, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Today we honor the ritual Appearance of Bast, Lady of Ankh-tawy. The name included in this title meaning Life of the Two Lands is not only a direct reference to the Saqqara cemetery and temple bearing Her Name, but to the idea that Bast is the protectress of the entire country, giving life to all Kemet.
Appropriate offerings today would be those pleasing to Bast (in particular red meat and rich foods, and items made of malachite and turquoise), and appropriate thoughts in shrine would be prayers for protection for oneself, for children and the innocent of the world, and the remembrance of past pets (the cemetery near the Bast temple at Saqqara was mostly for the interment of animals and particularly cats).
May the Invisible Paw carry you home safe and sound. May She also bless Her two servants in our House of Netjer, Kai-Imakhu Antybast and Kai-Imakhu Merybast, who please Her Name every day and honor Her in Her yearly festival appearances.
Dua Bast! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"Sacred One dawning in the seat of silence;
strife and peace are in Your grasp."
from a Hymn to Bast included in the Chapters of Coming Forth by Day
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 21-22, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
We have no special practices over the weekend, but I would encourage all of you to continue in prayers for peace in difficult world situations, for your brothers and sisters in the faith and for all those who could use Netjer's blessing (can't we all)?
Here in Chicago autumn is becoming a certainty, with leaves falling and children in school and birds flying away and ladybugs crawling up into the windows to escape frosty nights. It is a time of year that makes me think about our upcoming holy days at the end of the Gregorian month of November, the Mysteries of Wesir.
Each year as we approach this quiet and holy time we seem to journey, like Wesir, through the underworld in a manner of speaking -- it is the time of year when most of the children of Netjer will report either going through "hard times", or will begin periods of quiet reflection or self-improvement.
Like Wesir, may all of you experience whatever deep changes are necessary to bring you to the place that you will be able to shine in glory. Know that the world itself marches toward this quiet time -- as it will just as surely march back out of it with new resolve, renewed spirit and regained focus. Know that the seed planted in November will be a crocus in March, and the planting is part of the process that results in that crocus -- one cannot have a flower without a little germination period, and a time of reaching through the soil toward the light.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man's foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher."
Thomas Huxley
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 20, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
There is a tendency among people, when presented with viewpoints they do not agree with, to attack first and explain later. Upon observation this seems rooted in an innocent enough desire to present one's own side of an argument, or perhaps even to "change someone's mind" -- but then again, who is to say that their mind should be changed, or that you should be the one changing it?
In dealings with people with whom you have differences, philosophical, ideological or even spiritual, practice patience. Listen to what you are told, and permit yourself the right to disagree without having to correct, to have a different opinion and be respected for that just as you respect the other person's opinion.
We do not have to agree, but we do have to respect each other. This is the basis of Ma'at in society -- where people are comfortable enough to have different ideas and bring them all to bear upon collective problems. One world is enough for all of us. Share the space and instead of rushing to correct, consider what you may learn from a differing viewpoint.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
To email our Nisut (AUS) with a private prayer, click here.
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 19, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
The Great Nine (or Pesdjet, consisting of Geb, Nut and Their Children) appear today. Be aware that Netjer is all around you and pay attention -- messages from the Divine could come in many forms today and if you're not receptive may be missed.
Again, many thanks for all of the prayers being sent. We intend to make this prayer form a permanent part of the devotions site in the next few days to enable you to be heard before Netjer. I offer my thanks to Kai-Imakhu Merybast for supplying us with the technological means to reach out to all of you in such a wonderful way. Nekhtet to her!
May Ma'at be with you every day!
Dua Pesdjet! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development of the contrary qualities. They will not bear discussion."
Lord Acton
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 18, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Half-month festival today. How are you coming on your monthly goals?
Yesterday saw a tremendous outpouring of prayers to my e-mail box...keep them coming! Netjer is receiving each and every one in shrine, and they are being gathered into a book that is kept on the offering stand at our main shrine.
May you receive Netjer's help, blessings and love a thousandfold!
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
To email our Nisut (AUS) with a private prayer, click here.
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Nisut (AUS) with a private prayer!
Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 17, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
As there are no special practices today I wanted to use this devotion to send out a reminder. I'm assuming that our beginners, Remetj and Shemsu are already aware that this is available to them, but there are other guests and friends who read these pages who may not be.
Every day, at sunrise, I conduct the daily ritual of our faith, which involves as part of it, praying for all of the Children of Netjer by name. (Yes, it does take a while!) If you'd like to be added to my daily prayer list, all you have to do is say the word.
Send me an e-mail. You don't have to go into any detail if you don't want to; just give me a name to add to my blessings list. Send whatever information you're comfortable sending, and know that you'll be added to my daily prayers. Let me offer my love to Netjer on your behalf.
I don't think it's possible to have too many people praying for you, and I'd be honored to pray for you too.
May Netjer bless you today and always. You'll be in my prayers.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
To email our Nisut (AUS) with a private prayer, click here.
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 16, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Wesir sails for Abydos today. Make special offering to Him and to your Akhu and remember them in your shrine as we prepare for the season of Wesir's Mysteries.
After the sixth hour of the night, the light always returns. Remember this in your most perilous hour -- that even Wesir carries the spark of Ra within.
Dua Wesir! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans."
Peter Drucker
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 15, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
In reference to today, an ancient papyrus states simply: It is the day of the pacification of the hearts of the Netjeru, wherever They are.
This is an intriguing statement. What does it mean to pacify the heart of God? Of any Name of Netjer, as the item states, which (assuming this is what is meant by "wherever They are,") that They are not all in the same place -- or are randomly about?
Pacifying the heart is a ritual performed every day by a Kemetic Orthodox devotee in shrine: it is the feeding of the kas of our Akhu and the Name of Netjer to which we belong, the One we call "Mother" or "Father" or in the case of those belonging to two, "Parents." It is achieved through offerings, but even more so by opening ourselves up to give and to receive love. We offer our sincere love and devotion to Netjer and in return receive Ma'at and love a thousandfold more, from its infinite Source. Feeding Their kas, in turn, feeds ours.
Wherever They are...you are.
Be ready with open arms.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"I found that Amun came when I called Him. He gave me His hand and I rejoiced, as He called from behind me, as if nearby: 'Forward! For I am with you, I your Father, and My hand is with you.'"
from the Kadesh inscriptions of Nisut Userma'atra Ramses (II)
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 14, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
There are no special practices in shrine today, but I have been troubled enough by recent events in our world to make a special request of all who read these words today.
Please pray for peace in places of violence, especially over the past few days. May we offer our prayers to Netjer that world leaders, military officers and even simple individuals will abandon violence and take up respecting each other again, that instead of escalating factions we might find common ground.
May Ma'at prevail at the bargaining tables in Yugoslavia and between the Palestine Authority and Israel. May the killing stop in Kashmir, Yemen, Ecuador, Colombia, Ireland...and everywhere. May we as a united species find the courage to stand up and agree it must stop.
Killing must stop. Torture must stop. Fighting over resources, land, religion, age-old "rivalries" that are so old those fighting in them don't even know why they do so anymore -- must stop.
Open your heart and offer Ma'at, and pray that others learn to do the same instead of simply adding to the senselessness of this violent time.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"He who is violent like the wind, founders in the storm."
Papyrus Insinger (Late Period)
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 13, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Today we enjoy no special practices in shrine. Spend your shrine time contemplating Netjer and Its blessings.
Today, I consider one blessing I had while the guest of the Kashi Ashram this past week. Within ten minutes of our arrival I was asked by one of the teachers of the River School to come and talk to his sixth-grade class about ancient Egypt. Through this talk, I met some really wonderful young people who asked good questions, listened attentively and above all displayed respect for and genuine interest in the ancient Kemetic culture and its modern keepers, the modern-day Egyptians.
Sometimes people treat children as if they are a waste of time -- always moving, talking, "not paying attention," generally being a nuisance. Children who are treated this way come to believe that it is true, and eventually will metamorphose into the troublemaking brats they are characterized as, if this tendency to misrespect the young is not checked.
Remember always, that the young are Netjer's most obvious gift to the world. The young of any species represent the future. If we cannot respect the future, how can we reach it?
I bless the children of the House of Netjer today as well, two of whom I had the opportunity to meet at our New Year's Retreat. They are my spiritual teachers and my inspiration and I love them all very much and enjoy hearing stories and seeing pictures sent to me by their parents and loved ones. At the Parliament of World Religions in 1999, on the last day when all of the spiritual leaders were to be in the final closing ceremony, the Native American elders present opted not to sit on that stage, but to put the children they had brought along with them into their seats instead. They made a very powerful statement (and those kids were great!).
There is no greater gift than the child. May Netjer bless and protect them all, and may we always remember that in their innocence, trust and faith, children are closest to the holiness we seek.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Images of Our Nisut (AUS) at the River School
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 12, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
We offer a hearty Nekhtet! for the ritual Appearance of Aset last evening in our biweekly Dua. As always it is a tremendous blessing to share an evening with Netjer right there in the room with us -- close as a breath.
It is an illusion we give to ourselves, though, really -- for Netjer is always as close as breath, the breath of life that we take in and give out without even thinking about it most times.
Get into contact with your breath. As you breathe in, be aware of all that you receive from the world outside yourself. Accept the gifts and blessings and filter out negativity in this breath, thanking Netjer for a chance to take it in.
Hold the breath slightly, savoring that which has been taken in, changing it with your own special essence --
--and then send it back forth to the world as you exhale, knowing that what you have received will now be given elsewhere, to others, and perhaps someday even back to yourself.
Given that you can see the universe in a breath in and out, how can you ever feel Netjer is far away? Think upon this today in shrine.
Dua Aset! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"I shall not remain insignificant. I shall work in the world and for mankind!"
Anne Frank
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 11, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
Today we honor the Appearance of Aset. I look forward to celebrating Her festival with Shemsu and Remetj at Dua this evening and hope that many of Her children are able to attend.
Aset (sometimes called by the Greek form of Her name, Isis) is many things to many people. Perhaps this is Her will as She is a shapeshifter, capable of being what people need when they need it -- or perhaps it is how we understand Her best. Either way, She can be Mother, Sister, Helper and many other things to us as Her children. It is a special day when we can call upon Her in shrine and expect Her answer.
Give special offerings to She Who Is the Throne today and rejoice.
Dua Aset! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"Don't be afraid to take a big step. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps."
David Lloyd George
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Daily Devotions from Her Holiness
Nisut Hekatawy I (ankh udja seneb)
October 10, 2000
Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
May your coming be peaceful.
I am writing to all to let you know that I have returned from my trip with Kai-Imakhu Nakhtdeshretiu to the Kashi Ashram in Florida.
You were all very much missed. I am glad to be home and will resume our devotions with tomorrow's devotion to Aset and the Saq-Aset we will celebrate together in Dua tomorrow evening.
May Netjer bless you with all love and kindness today.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
"I will never let mankind put anything over me, but I will try always to recognize and submit to the gods in me and the gods in other men and women."
D. H. Lawrence
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