January 31, 2012
Posted in Festivals, Netjeru, Pagan Blog Project 2012
at 1:09 pm
by Shefyt
For the Pagan Blog Project‘s Imbolc prompt:
Imbolc was one of my favorite Sabbats, back when I was kinda-sorta Wiccan. Although the beginning of February was generally still cold and wintery, it was the point at which I could always see the lengthening of the days, the hint of a shift in the wind, the very first stirrings of the coming spring. It lifted my heart with the promise of sun and warming earth and flowers.
Happily, there’s a Kemetic festival at just about the same time that ties into that theme well enough that I’ve been able to shift my affections over. This is the Feast of Heryshef, the ram-headed God of Hnes. You could think of Him as something like a syncretism of Atum, Ra, and Wesir, as well as, or alternately, Heru. He’s rather large. He’s also sometimes a son of Bast, and in my own reconstruction He’s included as one of the Seven Arrows of Bast. My personal mythology is that with the sun’s return, Bast awakens/arouses/causes to come into being Heryshef, who is embodied by the freshening spring wind and the kindling energy of the first new growth.
For the His festival, which was yesterday, I got up early to sing and pray and to offer Him incense and cool water, apples and bread. Not at all coincidentally, I’d been hit with the beginning of a new song for Him the day before, so I finished writing that during my commute to work. At lunch I went for a long walk to enjoy the day, and at dinner I offered Him our spinach and artichoke pie. And yesterday morning the sun rose before the end of my commute for the first time this year, the first pale purple snow crocuses were in bloom (unusually early due to the mild winter), and the wind breathed promises through the still-leafless trees, all reminders of His presence. Simple connections — not a day of pomp and ceremony and high ritual, but nonetheless one that was intimately entwined with the God and His mystery.
Dua Heryshef! Nekhtet!
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January 27, 2012
Posted in Netjeru, Pagan Blog Project 2012
at 9:47 pm
by Shefyt
I was all set to write about baths for my second B entry. Between the purity requirements for my daily rite, the Seven Arrows of Sekhmet baths at Retreat, and experiences of ritual bathing in general, I figured I would have plenty to say. But then, as I was sitting in shrine the other day (as is usually the case when these things happen), I was informed that I was to do this entry on Bes.
At first this seemed entirely random. Bes? What on earth am I going to write about Bes, who has yet to really show up in any part of my devotions? But then I realized that it wasn’t actually random at all. I’m in the midst of floating a new addition to my practices: the idea of having Gods who are over various parts of my house, to guard and bless it. This was triggered by, of all things, FlyLady‘s housework zones, which I had been contemplating as a way to focus and improve my overall care of my home. And I’d thought, if I’m going to to be concentrating my practical attentions on different parts of the house, why not bring the Gods into it and blend in a religious element as well? So I pondered and came up with a personal set of household Gods to call upon, as part of a week-by-week routine of house cleaning and blessing.
What room are we on this week? The bedroom. And which God did I select for the bedroom? Bes, who traditionally watches over sleepers, who was depicted in bedrooms and on the head- and footboards of beds, as on the bed of Queen Tiye, shown below.
Ah, Bes, the apotropaic lion-dwarf: holy dancer, mighty laugher, fierce and tender protector. It is Bes who appeases the angry Eye of Ra with merriment and music; who watches over the heedless — the child, the dreamer, the lovers, the woman in the throes of labor; whose image decorates cosmetic items such as mirrors and kohl tubes, the tools that highlight and enhance beauty so as to awaken desire, bringing forth new love and new life.
As I lit my candle for Bes tonight, offering him spicy chocolate and a coffee-flavored frappuchino, I found myself laughing almost involuntarily, struck by humor when I least expected it.
Welcome, Bes, into my home!
Dua Bes — nekhtet!
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January 22, 2012
Posted in Netjeru, Pagan Blog Project 2012, Thoughts and Reflections
at 9:00 pm
by Shefyt
I debated whether I should do a PBP post on Bast. For one thing, this blog is already largely about my relationship with Her and my experiences as Her priest. For another, Bast is so multifaceted for me that I could probably write a whole book just on Her. But since She is so central to my religious practice, it seemed inescapable that I should write something about Her. So last night, while I was in the shrine, I asked for Her guidance on how to focus this piece.
Bast who lives in the heart.
So. Picture the heart as a flower, a rose, fragrant and lovely. Trace the inner curves of its petals, winding deeper into their labyrinth, traveling in your mind toward its center as the flower slowly unfolds and unfolds, opening ever further, layer after layer of sensuous richness, seemingly endless. Until at last you find, at the very center, the darkness of the deepest night, velvet black, a place of perfect peace and stillness. And as you rest in that darkness, eventually there is a flicker of gold, of flame, two golden eyes growing larger, coming closer, the gold of the Great Lioness emerging from the night like sunrise. Until you are washed in gold, the light of the sun filling you, widening your heart until that light spills over and shines out from you. Breathe out the golden light of the sun, illuminating the world. Breathe out the fragrance of the heart, delighting the Gods. Breathe in the love of Bast that makes the soul tremble and sing. Breathe in the beauty that feeds the ka.
For Bast is the Mistress of Joy, and joy dwells within the heart. The ancient Kemetic word for joy was in fact awt-ib, “the widening of the heart”; a close friend was called “one who has entered the heart.” For the people of Kemet, the heart was the seat of intelligence, emotion, inner mind, and soul. It is in the heart that we remember, that we feel love and loss and delight — and the pricking claws of conscience when we step outside ma’at. In all of these, Bast is there.
O Bast, Beautiful Lady, may You open our hearts to joy. Your perfume comes to me, O Bast. May my perfume go to You.
Dua Bast — nekhtet!
An amulet composed of the hieroglyphs for awt-ib, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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June 19, 2011
Posted in Being Kemetic, Netjeru, Tending the Shrine, Thoughts and Reflections
at 8:37 pm
by Shefyt
I spent a little time outside today, enjoying the dappled sunlight under the trees, the gentle wind, the sweet, green smell of early summer. It’s nearly the solstice, the peak of the Eye of Ra’s presence before She turns toward the south. And although my Mother isn’t the face of the Eye who departs for other regions, Her presence was strong today as well.
As I sat outside, I was thinking and writing in my journal on what my work for Her truly is. My train of thought was inspired by reading Dver’s blog post on mysticism as vocation. I’m one of those who struggle to balance priest work with the demands of being a home owner and having a full-time job. (I don’t have family commitments to further complicate the issue, fortunately, but I do have four rather demanding furry children, in the persons of my cats.) And I often wonder, should I be making other choices? Is it possible to be a real and proper priest under these conditions, when in ancient times being a priest was a full-time vocation? On top of that, I’ve been badly off-kilter the last few months, wrestling with galloping anxiety that’s affected all aspects of my life, to the point where I was barely functional on any level and was seriously considering leaving the priesthood. But somehow I’ve hung on, and with a new therapy program and medication I’m slowly beginning to regain that precarious balance, and to be able to think again about where and how to best put my energy and attention.
What I hold onto is that Bast seems to be satisfied with my service. There are things that She would like me to do, but as far as the more complicated ones are concerned, She appears content to wait until I get other parts of my life sorted out. And as I’m getting better, my ability to hear Her directives has been improving once more — and this time, so has my will and focus to actually follow them! At least this is some progress on the path.
Speaking of the path, what is it, then, that I need to be doing in order to be Her priest? Trance work, spirit work, oracles and prophecy don’t seem to be my primary tasks. I’ve been through an ordeal of late, which has taught me lasting lessons, but my work isn’t the work of ordeals. I’m not the edgewalker, bridging the liminal gap between worlds. I read the blogs of other people, who do perform such functions, and I sigh with relief: This is someone else’s task, not mine. It’s a good feeling to realize that I don’t have to do everything, that there are many ways to serve as there are practitioners, as many as there are Gods.
So what work does Bast desire of me? Tending this place, my home and Her temple. Making my offerings. Blogging for Her. Lighting candles — bringing the flame into my life, and the sweetness of perfume. Praying for the benefit of others. Bringing Her Name before the ears and eyes of all the people.
The last couple of days, Bast has wanted me to dance in shrine, to be present there in movement and in great joy. This is the most important thing, I think — to move, to live, to love life, to dance to Netjer’s song of creation. And this, I think, I can do — I only have to remember, to open the space in the midst of all the other commitments and complications in my life. If I am truly living, alight with my love for Her and my appreciation of all Her gifts, then I am indeed serving as Her priest. In fact, I can do nothing else.
O Bast, may I live, may I dance for You, may I serve as Your priest in Your temple, now and always!
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June 10, 2011
Posted in Netjeru, The Wild Sky
at 7:26 pm
by Shefyt
Last night, the drive home in a thunderstorm, the sky above dark rosy gray, split by threads of lightning, and in the west the eye of the sun blazing red through the clouds, turning them to carnelian: the fire of the goddess, dangerous, fierce, and fulfilled. Tonight, strong heka: a silver bowl filled with white sand, with flame and incense, words spoken ringing to the sky. It’s time for change.
O Bast, put your Strength into me, send Your strength into me, may I live in Your gaze, in the sight of the Eye of Ra. Dua Bast!
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June 5, 2011
Posted in Friday Findings, Netjeru
at 7:36 am
by Shefyt
The teardrop-shaped bowl got its first use last night, to make an offering at the request of the Lioness Goddesses (three small lion-headed goddess statues that I acquired from a fellow House member, who used them to represent Mut; I’m not quite sure yet who they represent for me, although they might be either Mut in all Her Names or all of the lion-headed goddesses). They didn’t seem to want the candle inside the bowl, though — darn, after all my fun playing with symbolism. BUt the offering did seem to please them.
Dua You great Ones, Lioness Goddesses, Eyes of Ra! May You be friends to me, may You watch over me and keep me from all harm.
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March 7, 2011
Posted in Festivals, Netjeru, Uncategorized
at 7:25 pm
by Shefyt
The weekend before last, our local group had a get-together in honor of Nut and Geb. It was shortly after Nut’s birthday and in the general vicinity of Valentine’s Day, so it seemed appropriate to celebrate this divine couple, whose love and desire for each other were so overwhelming that they had to be separated by the god Shu in order for life to come into existence between them. Following in that spirit, the get-together was called “Making Hearts for Nut and Geb”: we created heart amulets in the form of cards (printed with semiprecious stone backgrounds such as lapis or agate and then cut in the shape of the Kemetic heart symbol) and wrote prayers for the well-being of our loved ones inside them before offering them to Geb and Nut. It was a lovely, very peaceful gathering. (Here are a couple more pictures, showing the shrine with our heart amulets and close-ups [1] [2] of some of the hearts.)
This past Saturday was the much-beloved festival of Chewing Onions for Bast (or Onion Day, as we like to call it). Sadly, the scheduling didn’t work out for a group get-together, but I celebrated the festival by going out with my housemate to New Hope, where we fed all of our senses on beautiful crafts and music, and then to Outback Steakhouse for the requisite Bloomin’ Onion. Such a perfect day, filled with freedom and delight — dua Bast!
Since we’re now in a new month (IV Peret, the last month of the season of Growing), I’ve given thanks to Heryshef for His gifts and welcomed in the next set of monthly gods: Wenut, the hare-headed Eye of Ra goddess, and Renenutet, the snake goddess who oversees the fertile fields and the prosperity that comes with the harvest. (To a certain extent, I’m honoring the Eye of Ra goddesses in general this month, but these two are my primary focus.) I’ve had some interaction previously with Wenut, as one of the Seven Arrows of Bast, but Renenutet is entirely new to me, so this should be quite interesting. So far She seems extremely pragmatic, which makes rather a lot of sense. Renenutet is one of the few Names I’ve carried over from the “official” Kemetic gods of the months, as She clicked perfectly for me. (Wadjet is the other exact carry-over, although I also have Hethert-Nut in lieu of Hethert and Ra-Atum in lieu of Ra-Heruakhety. All of my other god/month associations are quite different from the traditional ones.) I’m hoping at some point to write up what all of these various gods mean to me and why I’ve chosen them for these monthly devotions, but it may need to wait until I’ve made it through one full year-cycle.
At any rate, now I seem to be caught up again. Whew!
Hail and praise to You, Nut and Geb, who encircle and encompass us all with Your love.
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February 14, 2011
Posted in Netjeru, The Wild Sky
at 10:20 pm
by Shefyt
Another extraordinary sky this morning, a fleece-soft blanket of orange-rose drawn across half the heavens, patterned in cloud bands and wisps of vapor, shifting later to become the crisp blue clarity of a sunny near-spring day. The snow has already drawn back in places to reveal damp earth and flattened grass, a hint of yielding underfoot as the ground begins to thaw, and one can feel life force starting to move, the grip of winter’s stasis gradually weakening. This evening the wind has picked up sharply, blowing with fierce exuberance, and in the moving air, in the excitement and gathering energy of spring’s promise, the Great Ram tosses His head and ramps, exulting in the vigor of His own surging energy.
In my efforts to deepen my connections with my various deities, I’ve been experimenting with setting a monthly focus. The traditional Kemetic calendar dedicates each month to one or two Gods, but the relationship between God(s) and month and among the Gods themselves has been obscure to me. (My guess is that it reflects some balance of regional or political influence specific to the ancient Two Lands.) For my own personal practice, then, I’ve selected a God or group of Gods that mesh with either my experience of the month in question or my special relationships within the Kemetic pantheon.
The God of this month is Heryshef; I made offerings on His festival (which is definitely becoming a regular and favorite event), and I plan to honor Him again at the full moon this Friday. This list of monthly Gods is very much a work in progress — Heryshef is the first one I’ve celebrated, but He certainly has been making His presence (and His appropriateness) felt!
Tonight, guided by Bast, I made spontaneous offerings of flame, incense, and cool water to Her Seven Arrows, and Heryshef was there as well, his image anchoring the back of the shrine while Nefertem’s bouquet of flowers held the front.
O beautiful Ram Who lives in beauty, Whose breath is the wind that stirs the trees, Whose face gazes down from amidst the clouds, Whose hooves tread the icy snowmelt into fertile mud, may You bring life for us all! Dua Heryshef! Nekhtet!
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December 29, 2010
Posted in Netjeru, Stalking Beauty, The Wild Sky
at 9:37 pm
by Shefyt
On Monday, shoveling my driveway after the season’s first blizzard, I paused to look up into a sky of the most extraordinary blue, only a couple of shades lighter than lapis. I murmured a prayer to Hethert, the Lady of Heaven. Only a moment or two later, I glanced up again to see a hawk riding the tumbling currents of the air, the pale undersides of its wings flashing as they flared first to one side and then the other, like a dancer’s fans.
Dua to Heru, dwelling in joy in His House; dua to She Who Takes Wing as the Female Falcon.
Yesterday, as I was driving to work in the morning, the sky was overcast with rumpled red clouds, like a sailor’s warning. The sun hadn’t yet risen, when from behind the eastern horizon a pillar of red light reared upward, striking across the face of those clouds like a searchlight’s beam.
Dua to Ra in His sun barque; dua to Set standing upon the prow, spear raised against the uncreated one.
This afternoon, on the way to order more tile for the ongoing bathroom project, I was stopped at a traffic signal, and the westering sun blazed in through my car’s rear window, pouring the warm beauty of its light across my dashboard. I reached out to cup a handful of gold.
Dua to Tem in His completeness; dua to the Peaceful One, His firstborn Daughter.
Hail and praise to all the Gods, who ensoul the world.
Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!
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December 3, 2010
Posted in Friday Findings, Netjeru
at 3:18 pm
by Shefyt
Today is the first day of the season of Peret, or Growing. According to the House of Netjer’s yearly oracle, this year is dedicated to three Gods, one for each season, and the deity who is over Peret is Mut, the great Lady of Karnak, wife of Amun and mother of Khonsu. So for today’s Finding, here are a few interesting images of this great Mother and protector:
- This is a quite lovely statue of Her from the Luxor Museum in Egypt.
- Scroll down the page a little to see an armlet featuring a Nubian four-winged Mut. I like the way this makes Her look like a butterfly.
- From the British Museum, a votive offering of a barque that once held a figure of Mut, offered at Karnak by Queen Mutemwia, whose name means “Mut is in the barque.” (I think somebody had way too much fun with this one.)
- This Middle Kingdom stela features the cat of Mut and the goose of Amun. (The goose looks rather pleased with himself, while the cat looks a bit cranky.)
*
- And completely unrelated to the above, as a special bonus for the Wesir Mysteries, which have just ended — the sperm of Wesir!
- Also somewhat appropriate for the Mysteries: Set in the slaughter-house of Sekhmet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Set in the bound-prisoner pose before; very interesting!
Dua Netjer! Dua Mut! Nekhtet!
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