  About 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. See Also |
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Beautiful Feast of the Valley, Day 8
Purification 12 Hail His-Face-Behind-Him, coming forth from his roof, I do not give the wink. It's always interesting to find a word or phrase that has the same meaning it did many centuries ago, and such is the case with Purification 12. Invoking the keeper of Ra's boat in the Field of Reeds, "the one who looks behind him(self)," it purifies against "giving the wink." At first I was quite puzzled by this phrase and wondered if it had any similar connotation to the idea we often construe with "winking" in modern times. I was amazed to find it has nearly the same meaning. To "give the wink" in Kemet was a phrase used to describe people, in particular judges, who were corrupt or able to be corrupted; when paid off correctly, they would let a prisoner go, "giving the wink" to the person who put the fix in to let them know it had been done. Often in English this phrase is "to give the nod" rather than a wink, but an eye wink in Western culture still is associated with the idea of something not entirely serious, body language that says "I was just kidding" or "that's what he thinks; you and I know better" to the person being winked at. Next time you feel inclined to a lazy eye, pray to Netjer for purification. Dua Amun! Dua Mut! Dua Khonsu! Dua Akhu! Dua Heru! Dua Hethert! Nekhtet! I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards.
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Beautiful Feast of the Valley, Day 8
Purification 11 Hail Qererti, coming forth from Amenti, I do not fornicate with minors. Purification eleven's one of the most controversial, and has been mistranslated in many ways for many reasons. Quite literally, the purification is dedicated to Wesir, "He Who is in His Caverns" (Qererti) in the West (Amenti). It speaks against, again quite literally while still remaining readable by our younger members, "having sex with a sex-boy." There's a play on words here. The verb nek, the most vulgar way to say "intercourse" in Kemetic, is played off of a very similar looking word, nekek, literally a prepubescent boy used to nek, or a child prostitute. The sexual abuse of children has to be one of the strongest sins in our faith. I pray by all Names that children be protected. Dua Amun! Dua Mut! Dua Khonsu! Dua Akhu! Dua Nit! Nekhtet! I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards.
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown! Beautiful Feast of the Valley, Day 7
Purification 10 Hail Bright-Flame, coming forth from Ptah's temple in Mennefer (Huwt-ka-Ptah in Memphis), I do not dislike myself. What an incredible statement in the tenth purification! The "bright flame" of Ptah's temple, of course, is Sekhmet, the goddess of Appropriate Action. Who better to appoint to the maintenance of a purification that talks about not indulging in keni-i, a verb that can be translated in several ways but all of which suggest self-pity, being overly hard on oneself, disgust or dislike? The more I review these hieroglyphs, the more I am inclined to smile and let them explain themselves. This one needs no additional explanation from me. I pray to bright Sekhmet for an end to dislike, even that of one to one's self. May She help you to an appropriate relationship with your own ka. Dua Amun! Dua Mut! Dua Khonsu! Dua Akhu! Nekhtet! I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards.
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown! Beautiful Feast of the Valley, Day 6
Purification 9 Hail Hail Bone-Breaker, coming forth from Neni-nisut (Hierakonpolis), I do not carry off the offering-bread. Purification Nine finds us in the first city of Egypt (Hierakonpolis, called Nekhen in Kemetic), with Heru-wer, called here by one of His more physically intimidating nicknames. It is another purification against theft, though this time there's a specific theft in mind. Imyt here is a word for the standard offerings made in temples, the bread that is the basis of every day's offering to Netjer. It can be used as a euphemism for all offerings made, or a catchphrase to indicate the entire daily offering made by a temple to Netjer. Offerings to Netjer, especially in the form of food, actually were carried off, however: to serve as breakfast, lunch or dinner for the priesthood, the royal establishment, or the nobility or people who offered them. So, what does this purification mean, that one should not partake of the food passed out to the celebrants of a ritual after the ritual is over? No -- it means one should not take from these offerings before they have been given to Netjer -- before they are touched by Netjer and thus transformed into offerings from the gods to creation. One must not take away from Netjer's table to feed oneself; one must allow the gods and goddesses to share with him or her. This purification is all about letting Netjer have the first taste, in a literal sense -- and also letting Netjer give you what you need in a symbolic one. I pray that Heru-wer doesn't have to "break your bones" to get that one to sink in, and that you receive all you need, and then some, from His table. Dua Amun! Dua Mut! Dua Khonsu! Dua Akhu! Dua Wesir! Nekhtet! I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards.
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Beautiful Feast of the Valley, Day 3
Purification 8 Hail Fiery One, coming forth backwards, I do not speak lies. The eighth of the purifications invokes the cobra-serpent called uraeus by most scholars: Weret-Hekau or Great of Magic, the Eye of Ra: a goddess Who takes the forms of Wadjet, Sekhmet, Bast, Tefnut, Mut, Pakhet, Mertseger and/or Het-hert, and Who sits upon the brow of a Nisut's crown or the crowns of certain gods and goddesses. One of the Fiery One's main tasks, and in fact the one from which She gains this name, is to spit fire (or caustic venom) upon those who would harm the ones She is installed to protect: Ra, fellow divinities such as Heru, Aset, Het-hert and Wesir; a Nisut in the form of the kingly ka; or the Two Lands themselves. Her protection against harm is not limited to physical violence and, often, is not put toward such ends, for which Her wearers have other guards and hekau at their disposal. Here, the Cobra-as-Eye of Ra is empowered to act as the goddess Ma'at, thus lending the ability to see through lying to the one Who wears Her. The phrase "going forth backwards," rather than supplying a specific geographical locality, suggests this particular uraeus is not a local god, but the cobra sitting on the crown of Wesir, Whose chamber lies just to the West of the purification proceedings in the Pert em Heru. To "go backwards" in Kemetic also means to go to the right or to go east (that is, against the track of the sun). So, the speaker of this purification is made aware that his or her speech will be checked against the Ultimate Authority: Wesir and His all-seeing Eye of Ra. On this day when Nut's children walk the earth, may you be blessed with all truth, vouchsafed by Ra's Fiery Eye. Dua Amun! Dua Mut! Dua Khonsu! Dua Akhu! Dua Wesir! Dua Heru-wer! Dua Set! Dua Aset! Dua Nebt-het! Dua Ka-Nisut! Nekhtet! I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards.
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown! Beautiful Feast of the Valley, Day 2
Purification 7 Hail His-Two-Eyes-Of-Fire, coming from Sauty (Lycopolis), I do not steal anything belonging to Netjer. Purification Seven invokes the god Wepwawet, of the ancient city of Sauty, known today as Assiut in Middle Egypt. Wepwawet as Opener of the Ways and Guard of the Netjeru is a very appropriate Name to invoke in this purification against stealing, particularly against stealing things that belong to Netjer. One can also read the verb in this purification, from the same root stem as the verb used in Purification 3, as "taking on." Therefore, one does not steal or take on things that belong to Netjer, whether physical objects or intangible expressions. On this second day of the Beautiful Valley Festival of Amun, Mut and Khonsu in honor of our blessed dead, may you be counted among the righteous, without coveting anything of Netjer and without having taken on any burden that can be carried for you by your god or goddess. I pray in Their Names that you are blessed and peaceful. Dua Amun! Dua Mut! Dua Khonsu! Dua Akhu! Nekhtet! I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards.
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Pesdjentiu (New Moon Festival)
Purification 6 Hail Pair of Lions, coming from Heaven, I do not distort speech. Purification Six invokes the blessing of the "Pair of Lions of Heaven," Who are Shu and Tefnut in Their Names of "Yesterday" and "Today." Their symbol, a pair of lions seated with Their backs to each other, echoes the hieroglyph for "horizon" (a pair of hills matching the eastern and western rims of the Nile Valley). Each lion oversees one part of Ra's journey: either the rise into a new day (today) or the set into the end of a day (yesterday). Being the movement of time rather than gods of any city or state, a purification dedicated to Yesterday and Today under heaven must be very powerful. "I do not distort speech" sounds fairly vague. However, this purification is well placed, after previous purifications about personal conduct or character not only in what a person does (physical action). The phrase used to describe a person justified before Ma'at in the final judgment, ma'a kheru, literally "true of voice," has an opposite. The verb used in this purification for "distort," khebet, can be used to describe a person in an unjustified or morally questionable state: thus, to be khebet kheru, "distorted of voice," is to defy ma'at in speech, and that person will fail to be vindicated before Netjer. In not distorting one's speech, one does not distort one's character. In being true of voice, one becomes true of ka and thus true of character. Much to consider beyond just doing good things, isn't it? I pray to Amun, Mut and Khonsu, the gods in festival at this holy time of honoring the ancestors, that you are able to be justified in character as well as in deed, Yesterday and Today. I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards. Dua Amun! Dua Mut! Dua Khonsu! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Purification 5 Hail Terrible-Faced One, coming from Rosetjau, I do not disobey requirements. Our fifth purification invokes the guardian of the necropolis of Mennefer (Memphis), modern-day Saqqara. The word "requirements" can also be translated as "necessary offerings." So, beyond being a simple rule of doing what one is told to do, this purification can be read as a specific statement concerning the importance of honoring the dead, a theme we've been following as the purifications begin. It is a requirement of our faith that we honor and offer to the Akhu, our Blessed Dead. Without sustenance from the living, their kau can suffer and die, and eventually become muuet, the unhappy dead who wander the earth in search of revenge or justification they can never have. It is an important "requirement," then, that as we feed and bless ourselves and each other, we must also feed and bless those in the next world -- so that they might, in turn, feed and bless us. I pray in the Name of Wesir, father and Nisut of the Akhu, that all His children receive their necessary requirements, and that the Akhu continue to bless the living as the living continue to bless them. I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards. Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown! Saq Khenty-Wesir
Purification 4 Hail Shadow-swallower, coming from Qernet, I do not murder (men); [to be said] twice. It is not at all surprising to me that the fourth purification invokes Am-mit, the "monster" that eats the souls of the damned at the final judgment. It is also not surprising that Am-mit witnesses a person's affirmation that they have not murdered anyone. This purification has an interesting rubric as well: the words "I do not murder" should be said twice, or repeated. In Kemetic invocations, to say something twice gives it double significance, marks it as important enough to be repeated. Here, the repetition might also have symbolic or mystical meaning, given what it discusses and the Name of Netjer to Whom it is dedicated. Am-mit kills the already deceased soul, in a "second death" -- where those who have already died in a physical way go to an ultimate punishment of never being permitted to exist again. So in speaking this purification twice, the speaker is purified from causing simple murder, and also from causing the "second death." How one could kill someone already dead is a natural question. The answer comes from the psychological "death" of persons, caused by isfet in their own thoughts and deeds and the thoughts and deeds of others toward them. Related to all purifications gone before, it is important not to speak ill of the dead; it is also important not to wish harm on any mortal living or dead, to hope that they "get their just reward" in a sense of revenge. Am-mit knows who She should eat. We should pray for Her hungering than Her being sated, that all kau spirits, no matter how much evil their owners may have done in life, will ultimately be justified and freed from isfet's second death in a second life. May the great god Wesir, honored in today's festival, help us learn to honor our dead as we honor ourselves and each other. I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards. Dua Wesir! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Purification 3 Hail Beaky-one, coming from Khmun (Hermopolis Magna), I do not harbor enemies. This third purification invokes Djehuty, Lord of Wisdom, from His ancestral home of Khmun in middle Kemet (near modern Beni Hasan). Fenedjiu, meaning "beaky" or "the one with the nose," is a nickname for the divinity Whose theophany (animal form) is a long-beaked ibis. The word often translated "to steal" in this purification (Kemetic tjau'a) is specifically spelled in hieroglyphs with an extra syllable, a glottal stop, than the actual word tjau, "to steal." So, in this purification, a different word appears: tjau'a, which doesn't mean steal, but means "to harbor enemies." According to the dictionary, harbor means "to give shelter or refuge" or, as in the context of this purification, "to hold especially persistently in the mind." Do you have enemies? Why? What makes them your enemies? Are they people who attack you that you permit to do so? Do you permit your abusers "safe harbor" by refusing to defend yourself...or in another way, by carrying the abuse and turning to blame yourself for their actions, thus giving them the latitude to grow in isfet and take advantage of your kindness? Or are they, more insidiously (and ironically, more often), simply enemies of your own making -- people you have harbored by focusing on them more than they deserve, building them up "especially persistently"? Do you create large issues out of small ones, carry grudges, or refuse to forgive past slights or insults until a person becomes an enemy in your mind, far larger than life, far greater than any one harm? I pray to Wepwawet, Opener of the Way, that He help you to empty your personal harbor of any isfet, or any doers of isfet, so that you might harbor friends and neighbors instead of people who wish you only harm. And in the Name of Djehuty, Lord of Khnum, may you have the wisdom to respond with ma'at to any enemies, real or imagined. I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards. Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown! Feast of the Udjat of Heru
Purification 2 Hail Hept-seshet, coming from Kher-aha, I do not steal (literally, "there is no stealing [in] me.") Our second purification invokes the local spirit, "Flame-embracer," of Kher-aha, moving outward from Iunu and toward the city of Mennefer (Memphis), a district called later in antiquity Babylon and today associated with Old Cairo. Robbery as defined in the second purification (using the word a'awau), is the taking, without permission, of something that belongs to someone else. As the purification declares literally, "no instance of robbery," one could read that this line is not talking simply about literal theft but even mental forms of theft: plagiarism, misrepresentation, jealousy, exaggeration -- taking anything without permission from others. Theft, in both physical and nonphysical forms, will appear as a theme again before these purifications are complete. There would not be a prescription against property theft if it was not believed that people were entitled to ownership. This is in spite of assumptions that in ancient Egypt everything "belonged to the king," and modern religions where material possessions are not valued; if you're not supposed to have any goods, why would you worry about telling God you didn't steal any? For the Kemetic Orthodox as well as most other African religions, prosperity, so long as it does not come at others' expense -- or as here, by actual theft from someone else -- is considered to be a good and morally acceptable thing. May the sacred Eye of Heru, the Udjat, watch over us all and prevent theft of any kind, either from us or from others. I invite your discussion of and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards. Dua Udjat-Heru! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day: Nekhtet!
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Purification 1 Hail Strider coming from Iunu (Heliopolis), I am not doing (making) Isfet. Our first purification invokes the local spirit of Iunu, the city that for much of Kemet's history served as its religious capital, home of the Great Nine Gods. This might assume that the first purification is the most important, or that it, like the religious teachings of Iunu, influence all the rest. It is indeed a very important statement. It's interesting to note that most translations of Chapter 125 of the Pert put the purifications into past tense (one is, after all, recalling the story of one's life before the judges, so in English, a narrative past tense is quite appropriate). However, the lines in the original hieroglyphic language are not written in a past tense. They are written in a continuative tense, suggesting that each purification a person states is an ongoing process. Each purification is not something a person did, but rather does and is continuing to do. Also, Isfet, the opposite of Ma'at, is being done or made (or in this case, not being done/made). Isfet is here understood as an action or a behavior. This is a very important definition and brings us back to the idea that a person's being is not to be confused with his or her behavior -- you are not what you do. We may through this purification, in effect, love the sinner yet hate the sin. Just because a person does isfet does not make his or her being part of isfet necessarily, and knowing this permits the concept of redemption or salvation -- there is always time to make amends for one's mistakes. I invite your discussion and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards. Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown! Yesterday, we were out celebrating Kai-Imakhu Inibmutes' birthday; I apologize for the lack of a devotion. However, I intend to make it up to you by starting a series of devotions, to occur during the weekdays (Mondays-Fridays) over the next two months or so, centering on a study of a particular Kemetic text. About two years ago, I shared this subject with the devotions list, and it was very popular. However, since the archives are difficult to locate, and I'm sure many of you aren't even aware this teaching existed, I decided it was time to present it again! Over the next month or so, I hope to spend this time in the Devotions meditating with you on the ethical precepts given to us from antiquity within funerary documents called Pert-em-Heru or "Chapters of Coming Forth by Day," most commonly referred to as the "Egyptian Book of the Dead." I'll be using my own translations of this ancient text, and talking about their meanings. Today, I'll introduce what we're talking about and why. Some people have likened the precepts we are focusing on, from Chapter 125 (a modern designation) of the Pert, to the "Ten Commandments" of Judaism and Christianity. They are referred to as the "Negative Confessions" or the "42 Laws," yet they are really neither. What each of the 42 lines consists of is a prayer and a purification. Beginning with the invocation of a local god for each of the 42 provinces of Kemet, and ending with a recitation of a thing which a person did not do (as opposed to reciting what a person did do, an interesting declaration of innocence rather than of guilt in itself), the 42 lines were actually priestly requirements, from a list of things that priests in life were required to perform (or in this case not) perform, immediately before serving before Netjer in a temple. As the deceased is about to enter the presence of Wesir, it makes sense that he or she must be "purified" in the same way as a priest and prove it to "the 42 assessors," symbolic of the entire land and people of Kemet. This being said, the 42 purifications also give us some idea of what the people of Kemet considered appropriate behavior, and even the living person who is not a priest cannot help but benefit from that study. Tomorrow we'll begin with the declarations. I invite your discussion and participation in this teaching in the Devotions boards. Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
Thought for the Day:
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Feast of Hethert's Giving Birth (Day 23) Sekhmet prowls the country today, looking for things that are not appropriate, whether they be the demons of illness and disease or the terrors of war, injustice and violence. She and Her spirits execute all evil today. Make way for Their healing powers, and rejoice. Dua Hethert! Dua Sekhmet! Nekhtet!
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Feast of Hethert's Giving Birth (Day 22) It is a day to contemplate the ancestors, as Heru talks to His Father in the Beautiful West, and Hethert, Who is sometimes the West itself, brings forth a child. Who brought you here into this world? How can you honor the line of blood and bone that has manifested to allow you to come into being, the entirety of your history that is your identity and your heritage, and will someday be your legacy? May the dead and the living be close on this day and may it bring blessing and peace to all. Dua Hethert! Dua Heru! Dua Wesir! Nekhtet!
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Feast of Hethert's Giving Birth (Day 19) We celebrate the beginning of a month in honor of the god Ra and everyone Who loves Him. There's lots of reason to celebrate, too! Just in time for this holiday I've received the news that our Ra Shemsu, Raemnisut who is stationed in Germany, is now a father! (His son was born a few days ago). Nekhtet for Niccolo's entry into the world! As we gear up for the beginning of the Feast of the Beautiful Valley, it is a time to contemplate your ancestors, as we will be visiting with Them and honoring Them over the next lunar cycle. Be ready! I pray in the name of Ra, and Hethert His Eye, that you are blessed with knowledge of Them and the ancestors who support you from the West. Dua Hethert! Dua Ra! Nekhtet!
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Bless all the children of Netjer, known and unknown!
Feast of Hethert's Giving Birth (Day 17) Creation, in the form of the great god Khnum, and transformation as death, in the form of the great goddess Nebt-het, both make appearances today at the start of the second month of our final season. Alongside Them we continue to honor the goddess Hethert, She of Love, Who gives birth to Joy. May you find joy and love in all creation, whether it is being born or changing into other things. May you be blessed in it. Dua Hethert! Dua Khnum! Dua Nebt-het! Nekhtet!
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