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 20, 2010
Posted in Festivals, Ten Days of Joy
at 9:28 pm
by Shefyt
I fell a bit behind due to the Northeast region’s Bast festival last weekend, so it’s time to catch up.
Day 4: The joy of a truly luxuriant shower, warm and fragrant and soothing. O great gift of cleansing waters!
Day 5: The joy of a shiver of ecstasy, the ringing of the sistra loud and silvery in the silent night, the singing for Bast as the candle flames burn brightly, the Shemsu gathered together in devotion.
Day 6: The joy of accomplishment, of getting all the necessary things done and then resting in satisfaction.
Day 7: The joy of seeing the full moon floating above the horizon, palest rose in twilight sky, and then golden ivory once the sun has set — of walking in the night, all senses alive, caressed by beauty.
Dua Netjer! Dua Bast! Nekhtet!
The shrine just after our ritual for the Festival of Bast Guards the Two Lands
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December 15, 2010
Posted in Stalking Beauty, Ten Days of Joy, The Wild Sky
at 7:54 pm
by Shefyt
Today’s joy was the sudden touch of sunrise light falling on my face — both the simple beauty of it, and the wonder of its uniqueness. Every morning on the drive to work is different — sometimes gray, sometimes gold, sometimes silvery pale, sometimes struck with piercing brilliance or with flushes of deep, vivid color — transforming the daily commuting routine into a celebration, a meditation. Every day is Netjer’s gift.
Dua Netjer! Dua Bast! Nekhtet!
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December 13, 2010
Posted in Stalking Beauty, Thoughts and Reflections
at 10:09 pm
by Shefyt
After yesterday’s rain-washed mild temperatures, today proved to be windy and surprisingly cold when I went out at lunchtime. I picked up soup to bring back with me, then decided to detour to the flower shop to find something for my desk, as it had been far too long since I’d had flowers.
Afterward, walking back to the office carrying three bright yellow Gerber daisies, I felt as though I was carrying warmth with me, tucked into the crook of my arm. A trace of fleeting sunlight flickered through wind-thinned clouds, gilding the bare trees and turning the remaining dry, brown leaves to bronze — and warmer than the sun, the heat of awareness, the delight in beauty, an inner fire of enthusiasm that feels life’s echo everywhere, even when the world might so easily be mistaken for a frost-gnawed, barren shell. The heart, already lifted, leaps! And the dance goes on.
Tomorrow begins my annual observance of the Ten Days of Joy that lead up to and include the Festival of Bast Guards the Two Lands. But it’s good to be reminded that joy can be found at any time, in even the simplest things, and that every day has the potential to be special — today, now, and always.
Dua Bast, Mistress of Joy! Nekhtet!
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October 12, 2010
Posted in Stalking Beauty
at 6:07 pm
by Shefyt
Yesterday I turned around, and suddenly all the colors of autumn were underway. As I drove the kittens to the vet for their check-ups, the slopes of Schooley’s Mountain rippled with flame; the highway was lined with shimmering, Impressionistic trees, and in the evening the dark green tunnel of my road was lit up with gold, all the west side glowing with yellow leaves in the twilight. Even the shrine to Ra was autumnal during my weekly offerings this Sunday: the golden brown of gingersnaps and the orange of mandarin slices, the red of raspberry-pomegranate juice and the darker red-maroon of a chrysanthmum in a dish of water. (Although Ra, as it turns out, would appreciate having His offering earlier, when the room isn’t quite so dark.) It all seems to have come out of nowhere, this swift, flickering fire, quick as laughter. The Wandering Goddess pounces before She heads south! And the season is upon us in all its beauty.
Dua Ra! Dua Nesret, Eye of Ra, Great of Flame! Nekhtet!
The western wall of my shrine room at twilight; from left to right, candles for the Seven Arrows of Bast, Ra, the Akhu, and Nut. (Bast and Amun-Ra’s candles are out of view to the left.)
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October 6, 2010
Posted in Being Kemetic
at 6:50 pm
by Shefyt
It seems as though a lot of my posts relate either to my commute or to being at the gym, so let’s have a change of scenery today. The picture above is of my desk at work (click photos for larger versions). Although the picture was taken back in the spring, the space still looks largely the same, even though the work, reading material, and some of the plants have changed.
The old joke says that “a clean desk is a sure sign of a sick mind,” but for me, it’s very important that my personal spaces are both well ordered and soul-nourishing — and considering that I spend more time at work than I do anyplace else except my bed, I definitely consider my cubicle/office to be an essential personal space. The plants help to clean the air and bring their living colors, textures, and energy to my work area; the empty desk spaces give a tired, overscheduled mind a sense of quiet and calm, a place to rest. It’s always a clear signal of overwhelm when the clutter begins to take over. Yesterday I finally managed to get my desk back into order after a long struggle with stress and inertia, and everything feels so much better. I’m blessed as well with a large light-filled window that helps the plants to thrive, that lets me revel in the warmth and golden beauty of the sun, and that provides a view of the ever-changing sky.
Of course, Bast is present at my desk as well. The space next to my computer speaker houses a small cat statue to honor Her, a photo of a stream to give Her a home, and my collection of assorted rocks and semi-precious stones, found jewelry, and other objects. (This was recently cleaned up a bit as well.)
And finally what would a jungle be without a resident big cat? Meet Milo, the Very Helpful Smilodon:
The Gods are never far, and beauty can be found or made anywhere; thus we live, thus we breathe, thus we possess our lives.
Hail to You, O Beautiful Ones, in Your coming and Your going! Nekhtet!
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October 3, 2010
Posted in The Wild Sky
at 9:50 pm
by Shefyt
As I was leaving the gym one evening last week, just getting back to my exercise habit after letting it lapse for most of the summer, the sky was an extraordinary spectacle, as if the Gods themselves were in procession, slow-moving sails of cloud-veil against a backdrop of palest blue and gold. And as I drove home, the glory of the sky only deepened and intensified: darkening bands of rose, orange, and purple as the sun sank into the West and night began to spread over the land. Such awe-inspiring beauty that I could only stare in utter delight, trying to drive and drink it all in at the same time.
In the uplift of the endorphin high and the satisfaction of finally overcoming my inertia, it was as if the Gods were rejoicing along with me. And indeed, perhaps they were.
Dua Atum, resplendent at the close of day, lord of satisfaction! You are at peace, you are at peace; may I too be at peace.
—-
Photo of the Super 8 Motel (formerly owned by the Ivory Tower Motor Inn chain) and Route 202 overpass against the sunset sky, taken from my car while trying to pull out into the Somerville Circle — which I definitely don’t recommend and don’t plan to do again.
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May 4, 2010
Posted in Poetry and Prayers, Stalking Beauty, Thoughts and Reflections
at 11:35 am
by Shefyt
Hard rain yesterday, although fortunately it had eased off each time I had to go outside; a hard month last month, although not as hard as it was last year at this time. I don’t know why I tend to go off the rails in April. Maybe it’s all that energy, pushing outward to grow, to bloom, that exacerbates my tendencies toward anxiety and overwhelm and leaves me not knowing what to do with myself, with my life.
At any rate, here we are in May, and it’s the beginning of a new Kemetic month as well — the second month of the season of Shomu, the season of heat and harvesting. Only three more months until New Year and Retreat. Soon I’ll start going through my journal for the last year, looking at the patterns, the questions asked and the answers that I may have received without even realizing it.
What does it mean, to live? That question was posed to me the other day by Nefertem, god of the unfolding lotus blossom, lord of perfumes. Of the Seven Arrows of Bast, He’s the one I’ve struggled the most to feel connected to. So to honor Him, and to try to foster that connection, I’ve begun reading a prayer to Him each morning, the first thing I do when I get out of bed.
Nefertem, You are awakening.
Nefertem, may I awaken.
Nefertem, You are awake.
Nefertem, may I be awake.
Nefertem, You arise.
Nefertem, may I arise.
Nefertem, You go forth into the world in beauty.
Nefertem, may I go forth into the world in beauty.
O great Creator, may I see Your beautiful face.
May I live. May I live. May I live. May I live.
What does it mean when I pray, “May I live”? What am I asking for? Walking through my days, doing my work, praying to my Gods, is there any time when I’m not alive? Or is it just that I forget, closed up breathless inside the shell of myself, tensed against the twin pressures of fear and blooming?
Yesterday and today, I read my prayer for Nefertem. And yesterday and today, the gardenia on my desk at work, which has limped along for the last year with shriveled buds and yellowing leaves, has put forth white flowers, perfuming the air.
Dua Nefertem! Nekhtet!
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March 22, 2010
Posted in Stalking Beauty, Thoughts and Reflections
at 11:07 am
by Shefyt
Last Friday I went back up to the library to renew a book (The Role of the Chantress in Ancient Egypt, if you’re curious). By the corner where I was overwhelmed by fragrance, the magnolias had come out, their flowers flaring white and dazzling in the sun. And I found myself glad that I’d been there just a few days earlier, before the magnolias were actually in bloom, because, like a number of other passersby I overheard, I probably would have assumed that heart-catching perfume had to be coming from those great, glorious, shining flowers. I might never have guessed that it wasn’t the magnolias at all, but the low, dark green shrubs around their feet. Because obviously it’s the showy and beautiful flowers that have the sweetest scent, right?
But sometimes it’s the smallest, most ordinary, least remarkable of things that hold the perfume of the Gods.
A whisper on the wind, a glimmer in the dust, the small, comfortably smooth weight of a pebble, a nubbly little flower no bigger than a dime. You never know where (or in whom) you might glimpse something wonderful, an astonishing instant of beauty, a spark of light from the creator Gods’ zep tepi.
Maybe, if you look closely enough, in everything.
I brought a sprig of the sweet box back to work to share it with my office mate and told her the story above about the magnolias. Magic, we agreed –
It’s magic.
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December 16, 2009
Posted in Stalking Beauty, Ten Days of Joy, Thoughts and Reflections
at 10:38 pm
by Shefyt
[From today, the new moon, through the Feast of Bast Guards the Two Lands on December 25, I'll be doing posts for Ten Days of Joy. This was an exercise for the Shemsu and Remetj of the House of Netjer, a couple of years back, which honored Bast by sharing with each other daily that which brings us joy. It seemed like a good thing to revive.]
Today’s joy was in contrasts: sun and shadows sliding beneath bare branches as the chill wind blew, tiny pillows of intensely emerald moss nestling amidst the brown winter grasses. It feels so good to walk outside, even in winter — especially in winter, perhaps, when everything is stark and clean, and the smallest traces of life and movement stand out so vividly.
Dua Netjer! Dua Bast! Nekhtet!
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