Recently in KO, Tamara has wanted to go over the beginners lessons, and ‘tear them apart’. I imagine that she wanted to go into new depths and meanings of the lessons, and to really get nitty gritty with them. Now, I don’t know if this past week’s chat on it would have gone differently with Tamara talking to us, but I can say I was a little disappointed in what I had read (I couldn’t make the chat, so I have read the log instead).
Although there were many things one could discuss about the first lesson (number 0), the topic that was chosen was “The Wait”. Waiting to start the course. Then you have to wait while you take the course. Then once it’s done, you have to wait for the RPD. Then you have to wait for the naming ceremony. Then if you want to become a Shemsu-Ankh you have to wait for Retreat/Wep-Ronpet. etc. etc. Lots of waiting. And how The Wait is technically a good thing. That it allows you to re-examine things and make sure that things fit, etc.
I, however, thought this was funny and sad all at the same time.
The Wait. The Wait. The Wait is too short, in my opinion. You can blow through the beginners course (BC) with minimal effort. You don’t really have to digest the information. You don’t have to do much of anything. Once you’re done with the BC, there is a small small small amount of time you have to wait before you can undergo your RPD. And you can become a Shemsu pretty much right after the BC is done. In my opinion, The Wait is a joke.
I personally feel like if you want to become a Shemsu, you should have to wait even longer. Go through the BC, and wait for a couple of MONTHS before you can even consider the RPD. And then after the RPD, I honestly think you should have to WAIT some more before you can become a Shemsu. Why? So you actually can EXAMINE your relationship with your parents. So you can see how it might fit together with your life and with the Temple itself. While you might already have a connection with the parents and/or beloveds of your RPD before the RPD occurs, once the RPD happens- your role with them can change. They might have different expectations of you now that you have the RPD information. I also think that time after the RPD might make you examine the lesser known deities in your line-up as well. Overall, I can’t help but feel that more time, more waiting would help to foster ‘higher quality’ Shemsu. To show that the people who are a part of KO actually want to be a part of KO. That they’re not just doing it for the hell of it. That The Wait is a sign of their dedication to the process. Kinda like in Wicca, where you wait a year in btwn degrees. Part of the reason why I have waited this long is to see how my views on KO, my gods, and my religious needs. And during this wait, my views, ideas, and roles within the Kemetic community, and with my gods, has changed drastically. And based off of the fall out after the ReOrg, I think that many people would have benefited from waiting before jumping into KO headfirst. I understand the excitement and desire to be a part of something- but I think that having restraint, and abstaining can also be a sign of dedication. “I really really really really want this. And to prove how much I want it, I will show that I’m mature enough to wait for it”.
God knows I know all too much about waiting. Perhaps others would do well to experience a bit more waiting, too.
The Twisted Rope 