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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May 14, 2011
Posted in Festivals
at 5:11 am
by Shefyt
Last weekend, for the Beautiful Feast of the Valley, a friend and I went to the Willowbrook Arboreteum’s lilac grove, where we left an offering of cinnamon-almond cookies and cool water for the Akhu, our beloved dead. It was a sublimely gorgeous day of bright sun, cool shade, and everywhere the flowers of May in bloom: dogwood, evening primrose, spring beauty, Virginia bluebells, tulips, the very first opening blooms on the cascades of wisteria, and many more, all lifting our hearts in quiet joy.
It’s been a difficult couple of months, but I feel as though things are finally getting back on track for me again. So I give thanks to the Akhu, who have been here before, and to the beautiful Gods, who watch over us always. And thank you to all who have been following along, for your patience, for your presence, for your good thoughts and prayers.
Sweetness of lilacs for you, O my Akhu, and sweetness for the Gods, and may there be sweetness for all those I love.
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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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December 27, 2010
Posted in Festivals
at 10:14 pm
by Shefyt
Ah, the holidays…the Kemetic holidays, that is. Not that there isn’t a festival on practically every day of the calendar, but at this time of year there’s a whole constellation of popular celebrations that I generally try to acknowledge. Following the House of Netjer’s calendar, there’s the Return of the Wandering Goddess at the solstice, the Procession of Bast and the Festival of Bast Guards the Two Lands both occuring a couple of days later, and tonight, the Establishment of the Celestial Cow, the Descent of the Dove, and the beginning of the Feast of Thanksgiving Offerings. Whew!
The Establishment of the Celestial Cow (fondly known as “Moomas”) celebrates the elevation of Nut into the sky, bearing Ra as the sun between Her horns; the Descent of the Dove honors Aset, who comes down from the stars with quiet grace, bringing blessings. To me, these two holidays speak of cycles of separation and connection — of the retreat of Ra to the sky, the division between heaven and earth, between mythic time and human time, that creates the world we live in today; and the breath of life that crosses all those divisions, the winged inspiration, the divine messenger, Aset Great-of-Magic. Those two movements together form a great dance, rising and falling, departing and returning, a circulation of energy, everchanging in its form.
Tonight I offered curried beef, couscous, milk, and dark chocolate cookies to both Nut and Aset. Nut was rather taken with the heka ornaments that we made for Bast Guards the Two Lands and wanted one for Herself, so She also got my best attempt at a cow. (The Christmas ball does rather resemble a nu pot.)
Aset seemed pleased with the acknowledgment, and as I stood before Her shrine, She said suddenly, Ask for what you wish. It will be given to you. Not something that I was expecting — I don’t tend to have a lot of interaction with Aset, who honestly rather intimidates me. When the Great Magician asks you what you wish for, what do you say? It took a minute or so of hard thinking, but in the end I feel that I made a good decision. Between that and the prayer I placed inside Nut’s heka ornament, I think I’m pretty well set up going into the upcoming new year.
Dua Nut, Mother of the Gods! Dua Aset, Lady of Heaven! Thank You for Your gifts. May You smile upon me now and always.
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December 22, 2010
Posted in Festivals, Ten Days of Joy
at 9:09 pm
by Shefyt
Today is the festival of the Procession of Bast, and today’s joy has been the joy of understanding at last and letting go — of a lesson finally sliding home as I knelt before the shrine in prayer.
May Bast walk through your day and your nighttime in this season of Her festivals, bringing Her insight and wisdom.
Dua Netjer! Dua Bast! 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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October 15, 2010
Posted in Festivals, Friday Findings
at 9:55 am
by Shefyt
Happy Friday! To revive my Friday Findings postings, here’s a really unique figure of Bes dancing. (Click on the image to go to the item’s page at the British Museum.) Possibly a decorative element for a harp, He kicks up his feet and flings his arms wide, shaking music from His tambourine to celebrate life and love, reminding the Golden One even as She turns for the south that we adore Her and await Her return.
Today is the Feast of the Pacification of the Gods, Wherever They Are. Celebrate for the Gods; make music and offer flame and cool water; and may They send you a joyous weekend!
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August 12, 2010
Posted in Festivals, Thoughts and Reflections
at 8:47 pm
by Shefyt
Today: the smell of rain on hot pavement, a blissful breath of cooler air, the hope that this long, sweltering summer might finally be drawing to a close. The House of Netjer’s New Year celebration was last week, so we’ve just entered the season of the Inundation, the rising of the great river, when a fresh surge of energy sweeps through the world and everything is washed clean and made new. Each year the House receives an oracle from Aset that provides a sort of theme for the upcoming year and also names the God or Gods Who is over that year and receives special offerings and prayers. This year is the year of Zep Tepi, the first time — the instant of creation — which belongs to all of the Gods and none of the Gods, but to make things easier for our poor human brains each season has been declared to be under the auspices of a single divinity: Ra for the first season, Mut for the second, and Mehet Weret, the cow-goddess Who embodies the primordial waters, for the third. And so the year goes from flood to flood, a perfect circle.
May it be a good year, this year of Zep Tepi, filled with prosperity and power and love. And may it bring renewal beyond anything we’ve ever dreamed of.
Di wep ronpet nofret! Nekhtet!
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May 31, 2010
Posted in Festivals, Netjeru, Poetry and Prayers
at 11:27 am
by Shefyt
This morning I got up at the crack of dawn to do a small ritual for Memorial Day (as I’d mentioned previously). Out on the front lawn, I set up a little shrine with offerings and read the following prayer out loud at sunrise:
A Memorial Day Prayer for Heru-hekenu and the Akhu
Dua Heru-hekenu! O Son of Bast,
You Who travel with Ra through the Duat,
You Who journey on the night barque through the land of Wesir,
You Who preserve the body and protect the soul,
may You preserve and protect all those who have died in service:
our soldiers, our police and rescue workers, our heroes.
May You bring light for their eyes.
May You bring breath for their nostrils.
May You bring fragrant unguents for their bodies and their kas
and every good thing so that they might live.
Great solider, Master of Protection,
may You spread Your wings out above the living as well,
may You bless the ones who put themselves in danger,
fighting to protect all that they love.
May their bodies be strengthened,
may their hearts be pure,
and may they return home safely at the end of their service,
until the day when all the lands are forever at peace.
May there be rest and healing for all the veterans
and great glory for the courage that they have shown.
An offering which the King gives to Heru-hekenu, Son of Bast, at the shrine of Saut-sen Iryt Ra: a thousand of bread, a thousand of barbecue, incense, flame, and cool water for the honored dead of this nation, true of voice. Dua Akhu! May you give your protection and guidance to those who fight today and to all the veterans who have served in the past. May you be remembered for as long as the stars shine in the sky. And may you live.
Dua Heru-hekenu! Dua Akhu! Nekhtet!
Afterward I sang “Taps” and then sat in meditation until the incense had burned down.
It was unusual for me, because I don’t usually do anything to celebrate Memorial Day. But this year it seemed right and necessary, as a sort of follow-on to the celebrations of the Beautiful Feast of the Valley. And it was a lovely moment, sitting outside in the early morning, in the cool air touched by the scent of sandalwood incense, feeling a sense of things in harmony, of ma’at in this kind of remembrance.
Heru-hekenu may seem an odd (and obscure!) choice of deity to petition in a ritual like this. It was an intuitive jump at first, but upon further thought it made reasonable sense. As mentioned in the prayer, Heru-hekenu does sail on the night barque with Ra. (In the picture at the head of this page, Heru-hekenu is the hawk-headed figure standing directly behind the ram-headed Ra.) The journey of the sun into darkness and ultimately to regeneration and renewal is also the journey of the deceased; thus Heru-hekenu could be seen in the role of a funerary protector and assistant. According to the Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und Götterbezeichnungen, He lights the way for the ba of the dead, and He does actually receive offerings in a hotep di Nisut formula (although I’ve written my own here, not having tracked down the original yet). His name is also another indicator — Heru-hekenu can mean “Heru of the unguent” as well as “Heru of praises.” Just as oils and lotions were used to protect the living body against the ravages of a hot, harsh climate, so they were also used to protect the body of the deceased, preparing it for the tomb and its former inhabitant for the journey through the afterworld. Thus Heru-hekenu would be a protector of both the living and the dead.
So He seems to have a somewhat more liminal nature than some of the other forms of Heru. Yet he also has that warrior quality, as well as a very primal-seeming raptorial nature, which fits in well with one associated with battle and soldiers. It seemed appropriate, in the end, to call upon Him in remembrance of those who have fought and died for their country, and to ask Him to guard our living heroes as well.
A close-up of the statue I’m currently using for Heru-hekenu. The double crown is appropriate — He appears with it in reliefs from per-Bast — and the pots are about as close as one’s likely to find to perfume jars. The necklace draped around Him is one that I made for Him, and the red tissue-paper poppy came from a veterans’ organization.
Dua Heru-hekenu! Nekhtet!
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May 27, 2010
Posted in Being Kemetic, Festivals
at 1:24 pm
by Shefyt
The Beautiful Feast of the Valley has just ended, the great twelve-day festival during which the holy triad of Gods from Uaset, the city of Thebes — Amun, Mut, and Khonsu — sail to the western bank of the river to pay Their respects to Hethert and Wesir, and during which the people of Kemet would honor their Akhu, their beloved dead, with picnic feasts among the tombs. I think this is one of the festivals that loses a lot in the modern day — even if we could take a twelve-day holiday from work or other responsibilities, most of us would still be missing out on the processions, the revelry, the sheer emotional force of an entire populace joined in rituals of celebration and remembrance.
That said, it’s still worth celebrating. Last weekend, I enjoyed a lunchtime feast before my Akhu shrine, during which I talked with them about the past and also about my life right now. I actually spent quite a bit of time talking to my mother; and I was finally able to express my regrets that we probably had never understood each other very well, and to work through some of the ambivalence that I’ve been feeling toward her lately. At the end of the feast, I played my sistrum for the Akhu, which she seemed to think was a fun idea — I had the sudden mental impression of her shaking her own sistrum and doing the funny, awkward little bobbing dance that she used to do. It made me laugh. I’m not particularly adept at communicating with the dead, but I feel that we made a connection there, or perhaps cleared up a connection that was in danger of growing occluded.
Last night there was an online celebration in the House of Netjer chatroom, during which we named all of our Akhu and made offerings to them. Not quite the same as a live ritual, but powerful nonetheless to see that list of names scroll upward, to speak aloud the names of my own Akhu as I typed them in, the ripples of single drops falling into that great river. This year, unfortunately, daily life caught up with the Northeast region and we weren’t able to organize a get-together for the festival, but I hope we’ll be able to manage it again next year. The more that we can share in the great festivals of our religion, the better.
I’m also planning a personal Kemetic Memorial Day observance for this coming Monday, as a sort of addendum to the Beautiful Feast of the Valley. I’ll post about it here afterward.
May you and your dead be at peace, and may they bless you with good fortune and the everlasting comfort of their love.
Dua Akhu! Nekhtet!
A shrine for the online Beautiful Feast of the Valley ritual, featuring offerings of peonies from the garden, cool water (three glasses for the Theban triad, and a shot glass for the Akhu), and white chocolate (divided as well between the Gods and the Akhu). Note too the modern appurtenances: a binder serving as a windbreak to keep the air conditioner from blowing out the candles and a squirt bottle to chase away the cats.
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