The Magic of a Hug

I want to talk about how magical and religious hugs really are.

No seriously.

This concept started with a conversation. I was talking on Facebook with another Kemetic who happens to be blind. She was asking about the ka embrace. This was a particular sticking point for her because she didn’t happen to have an icon of the deity she worshiped. Why would she? It makes perfect sense, really. She wasn’t sure what to do about the ka embrace portion- there was no point in buying an icon just for the ka embrace, but it seemed wrong to completely omit such an important part of the daily ritual.

For those of you who don’t know what the “ka embrace” is, its a section in Reidy’s daily ritual where you ritually embrace the icon. This action transfers your ka energy into the statue, thereby animating it and rejuvenating it. Hieroglyphically, it would look a lot like this:

So what do you do if you don’t have an icon?

I said the answer was simple: hug yourself.

I know, it sounds funny. But I think that we don’t give enough credit to what the ka embrace (and hugging) accomplishes on so many levels. On the most basic level, you have the sentiment that comes with giving a hug- happiness, consolation, a sense of understanding or care. Usually, when it’s given freely between two people, a hug is comfort and human connection. In Egyptian symbolism, an embrace is a sign of protection and usually shows an intimate relationship between two entities (Reading Egyptian Art, Wilkinson). But this is only one layer of symbolism. Let’s go a little deeper, shall we?

The act of comfort and protection are good- but its also a sign of love in most modern contexts. So to hug yourself could also be read as a form of self love. When you weave in the concepts of transferring the ka, you’re replenishing and renewing your own energy. You’re funneling love and protection and all of that fun stuff right back into you. And we all know that the gods are all for self love (NSFW).

But Devo, you’re not a deity. You can’t replace a deity icon with yourself- because you’re not a deity, right?

Wrong! Most Kemetic myths have everything coming from the Nun and a Creator deity (or set of Creator deities). Therefore, everything is divine. You, me, the table my computer is sitting on. We all come from the same place, and so at our most basic level, we’re all made with the same divine stuff. So why couldn’t you swap out a deity’s icon with yourself in this case? You’re embracing your divinity (for lack of better word) and acknowledging the divinity that is within you. Once again, all good things that help to build you up, which typically helps to make you a more stable person- which always benefits the gods. Plus, if you subscribe to the idea that all of ours kau go back to the original ka of the Creator deity- in a way, you’re transferring your energy to your ka- and so on and so on down the line to the gods themselves.

It seems to me that hugging yourself could be an offering to the gods all by itself. So maybe the next time you’re in a pinch for rituals, or want to give the gods something on the fly, you should give them a hug by hugging yourself.

Relevant Posts:

• Equal
• Mine Enemy, Myself
• Breathe Your Name

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Building it Up

The last time I wrote about community, it was a bit of a disaster. And while I discussed our need for more community, I didn’t got into a lot of discussion about how to better the community around us. So I wanted to revisit the idea of community and how we can all work to make it stronger. How we can all build a boat and visit other islands.

As stated in my previous post, I do believe that we need to reach out to one another- not necessarily to sing kumbaya around a campfire together, but at the very least to reach a sort of understanding. Paganism (and Kemeticism in particular) spans thousands of years and millions of places – with each place having its own particular flavor of practice and belief. It’s complicated, it’s messy- and not everyone is going to completely agree with one another- they didn’t then, we can’t expect to now. However, each sector within the Pagan/Kemetic community has something to offer, something to teach or learn- even if it’s not for you. And each sector should be treated with respect- even if it’s in the respect of agreeing to disagree. If we don’t bother to establish ‘trade routes’ between the sects of Paganism, how can we expect anything lasting to ever be achieved? If all we do is bicker and fight amongst ourselves, we ultimately look no better than children. And that does us all a disservice.

Okay okay, I get it. You want community. So- what are the ideas?

I think the biggest thing holding us back is communication. We don’t communicate with one another. You stick to your circle of people and never branch beyond that circle. This circle can be online, or in real life- possibly both. In order to create a wider, more understood community, we need to expand who we communicate to (as well as how we communicate- this is just as important).

Don’t be afraid to get out there and make some friends or start some discussions!

• You could visit forums (there is a list of Kemetic forums on the Kemeticism page). If you belong to a forum- perhaps try and look into a different set of forums to meet new people.
• If you’re on Facebook, you could also look into Kemetic/Pagan flavored FB pages and join in the discussion there (also listed on the Kemeticism page).
• Read blogs from different paths and different blogging sites. You’d be amazed at the little nuggets and ideas you can pick up from paths that aren’t your own.
• Actually comment on some of those blogs you read.
• Link to other blog posts, websites and useful resources to help spread word and ideas around.
• If you get an idea from someone else, or someone else has written about something similar to your own topics, link to them! Spread some of the readership love.
• Post content that is useful to new comers and seasoned practitioners. And when you do post stuff, make sure it’s labeled and tagged so that it can be found.
• Join sites like Technorati, Delicious, Pinterest or Tumblr where more information can be spread around for others to view and where discussions can occur btwn people of differing paths.
• Join discussions and network with local pagan shops, groups, UU churches and cons.
• Look into local (or online) Pagan newsletters/publications- perhaps you can help with the content or messages being shown there.
• Consider meeting up with online friends to bring that which is online into real life.

But why does any of this matter? Who cares?

My reasons for this are two-fold. First off, think back to when you first started on your path. You had an itch, an idea, a feeling that you needed to look into your particular path. How easy was it to find good information? How easy was it to find people that were worth talking to, who were willing to help you out? For most of us, it was an uphill battle to find anything worthwhile. And for those of us in the smaller segments- Kemeticism, for example- finding useful information is even harder. So instead of waiting for others to create useful information, or letting new comers flounder- why not help to spread stuff that’s useful and good? I’m not saying we need to proselytize or ‘spread the good word’ as though we are looking for converts- but at least have stuff in a place where it can be found via google or something similar. To me, this is a service to our paths and our deities to help lay foundations for new comers who genuinely want to know how to practice.

Or, as it was written in the Ka Theology 101:

We offer to the gods with the liturgy “May your ka be fed.” We present gifts with “For your ka.” It is in the nature of kau to give, and we give so that the ka is replenished, so that there is ever more to give. Every gift, every act of kindness, every investment, every meal, all of these are acts of sustaining the ka. Offerings are made so that the gods may continue to sustain their generosity; this theological principle is called “Do ut des”, “I give so that you may give.” As we give to each other, we sustain each other, we build our strength.

The second reason for many of this is heka. Communication is essentially heka- spoken words, putting forth ideas into the world. What we speak, becomes. And so we should want to speak well and discuss with others as to create a better world, a better place. For me, this blog, this work is also an offering to my gods, as a form of heka. Helping others to find footing within their own paths, or to find ways to bring their spiritual practice more into their life. Helping to dispel rumors and misinformation where I can- because it’s the right thing to do. As stated in the Heka is a Two Way Street post, we should aim to clear the air and create truth where we can. Because as MJ says: And Be Careful Of What You Do ‘Cause The Lie Becomes The Truth.

This whole reviving a dead religion thing is like a big block of stone that we’re all chipping at, trying to create something beautiful. Imagine how much faster we could create this work of art if we were to work together instead of fighting over it, or ignoring that anyone is carving except for yourself.

Relevant Posts:

• How Can You Support Community When You Suffer From Misanthropy?
• Community in the Kemetic World
• You Get What You Reward
• Newbies Need Help

 

Discernment

aka the “Sometimes a Cigar is just a Cigar” post.

Today I wanted to talk about discernment– that elusive thing that most all of us yearn for. The most popular of questions: “How do I know that I’m actually hearing the gods?” “How do I know that I’m not just listening to myself?” Certainly, these questions are important- for we don’t want to think of all of our actions as merely pleasing some head goblin or mischievous netjeri. Yet, despite these fears, many people don’t seem to question if what they are listening to is actually the gods.

And it’s perfectly understandable as well. When you first get into your practice, everything is new and shiny and overwhelming. There is a lot to take in, a lot to consider- and I think many people get in over their heads when they first arrive on the Pagan/polytheism scene. Even when I first started, I am quite sure I spent a good amount of time listening to myself as opposed to Set. But, there is even more to consider than just the gods- many people don’t consider discernment when they come across omens or symbols in their day to day life, either (which may or may not be ascribed to X deity that you are working with). To quote from Tumblr:

In the spiritual world omens are everywhere and there are no such thing as coincidences. You can use signs around you to guide your life and your workings if you only know how to interpret them.

On some levels, I agree. Life, gods, spirits and guides often give us clues about what they need from us, where we should be going, things we should be doing, etc. I have always felt that if you are trying to live within Ma’at, things will generally work out for you- long term. However, I think it needs to be said that sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar. For example:

Crickets.

That’s right. Crickets. There are tons of them around my house right now. About two months ago, I suddenly had crickets everywhere. In my kitchen. My closet. My living room- all over the place. Screeching all night long. Annoying the crap out of me. Not long ago, I had to travel some distance to a river to do a rite. At the river, the place where I chose to sit down and do my rite I found a small cricket running around. So I ask you- is this some divine symbol? Or could it just be that this is prime season for crickets?

Another example would be birds of prey. Many Kemetic deities have associations with birds of prey. But, I live in the desert. Does that mean Horus is trying to get my attention?

Or how about hearing the gods through the radio? That top 40 song that keeps on popping up? How can you tell if it’s actually the gods, or just that darned popular?

The answer, my friends, is discernment.

Well that’s all fine and dandy- but how does one discern deity from head goblin/netjeri?

That is a difficult question to answer, unfortunately. Citing the above examples, it is a good time for crickets- so it could very easily be that I just happen to have an infestation, or I picked an uncanny area near the river. Or in regards to the hawks, I live in the desert- which is a prime location for them. The fact that I see 1, or even 5 hawks may not even mean that Horus is tailing me- could just be that I live next to a field with lots of mice and food in it. However, I do think it’s possible to sort through events that occur and discern whether you might actually have a message that is trying to be delivered. In short form, here are some methods to help figure out if what you’re seeing/feeling is “legit”:

• Multiples of said sign
• Sources from antiquity
• Divination from a third party source/someone who is trusted
• Unlikely circumstances

The multiples is a tricky one. The crickets is an example- how many crickets do I need to see before I actually read it as a sign or omen? The songs on the radio could be another example- for a period of time, I had “Poker Face” playing every. single. time. I got in the car. And even on a 5-10 minute drive somewhere, I’d hear it multiple times. It’s like every single station decided they wanted to play it at the same time. After about a month of this, I felt that perhaps Set was trying to tell me something- but it took nearly a month of it occurring before I finally even remotely considered the idea (and to this day, I’m still not entirely sure what he was trying to say- if anything). Another example for multiples would be feathers- feathers are pretty common to find. However, if you find that you are finding feathers in an odd location every day, or multiple times per day- perhaps you should consider if someone is trying to get a hold of you.

Another consideration for multiples is if the request doesn’t leave. I have ignored Set before- or I tried. But the longer I tried, the more obnoxious the requesting got. It got so bad that I couldn’t concentrate, and I became overly cranky (and when I finally did perform his request, I got further confirmation that I ‘did good’, and the annoying noise in my head went away). Normally, if I get an odd request, or I’m not sure if I’m hearing correctly, I will wait and see what happens if I ignore said request. Usually, if the request is ‘legit’, I will keep getting pestered until I listen. Or, I will receive other signs that confirm that I need to do something. It is possible to go to the gods and say “Hey, I think I’m seeing some signs that are telling me you want something. Is it possible for you give me some other signs so that I know it’s you”. Worst they can do is tell you to shove off (usually this doesn’t happen- in my experience).

I list sources from antiquity, because I think it’s very important. One of the first visions I ever received from Aset was her symbol on a loaf of bread. I thought it odd until I discovered that bread was a common offering in Egypt, and that Aset has some special ties to bread (this was when I was literally just starting out- hadn’t even read a book yet). Nothing can feel as validating (in my opinion) as having a vision or request repeated in history. To me, it’s a pretty good sign that you’re likely being tapped by someone if you can track down the request or symbolism to a time in the deity’s past.

Another method of testing requests is to get outside input. Ask people who are unbiased and can give you straight answers. If you are able, ask a group of people to do some divination for you- and see how well the outcomes line up for you. If you ask 3 or 4 different people to look into something for you- and they all say the same thing, it’s quite likely that someone is trying to tell you something.

Unlikely circumstances is another thing to consider. If you see a bird or animal that is entirely foreign to your location- that would be something to pay attention to. Finding a feather that belongs to a bird that lives nowhere near you, for example. A common situation I have is that I will “lose” stones that I own- even though I haven’t touched them. I will sometimes also find stones in my rock box that I never purchased. Another example would be seeing an animal with very odd markings- a black coyote, or a raven with white spots on it.

And above all, I think that any symbol or omen that you are seeing needs to be considered heavily every time it occurs. Because we never know if what appears to be simple and straight forward might actually be complex and mean something entirely different than what it appears on the surface.

But why do I need this? Why would what I am experiencing be “not legit”?

This also comes with many reasons. A lot of times, humans get into the habit of feeding into their own egos (myself included). We often times see what we want to see. Especially in stressful situations- we will look for anything to comfort us or tell us that it’s alright. During my long period of unemployment, I looked for signs everywhere (ironically, this was the same time with the “Poker Face” reference above, as well as Set’s request that I ignored). I would see things and tell myself that this was a sure sign that things were going to get better. I’d even ask my mother to ask her pendulum to confirm things- which ironically didn’t pan out. Turns out my mother was just as biased about me getting a job as I was. It’s very important that we do our best to maintain an unbiased and open view about our circumstances. To give into our own prejudices and leanings cuts us off from growth and from hearing the things that we need to hear in order to move to the next phases in our lives. The best way to be unbiased is to practice discernment to the best of our abilities.

And if all that fails, you can ask Helms his opinion on discernment:

If it makes sense, you’re probably imagining it. “What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?” is probably a sure-fire sign.

Relevant Posts:

• Discernment
• How do you know it’s the gods you’re listening to?
• Hearing the Gods
• In Defense of Judgement
• Polytheism While Dealing with Mental Illness

 

Devo Magix: Execrations

Most Kemetics know about execration, or at least, we know of them. Execrations are highly misunderstood within the Kemetic community, and in some ways, they are generally feared. I wanted to clear up some ideas about execrations, and how you can bring them into your practice- whether you’re Kemetic or not.

Execrations Then:

Back in antiquity, execrations were a daily practice in the temples. It’s considered that they might have occurred multiple times daily, even. Execrations were considered integral to keeping the kingdom and all of the Created world safe. Execrations were generally exacted against agents of a/pep and all enemies of the king and/or ma’at.These rituals weren’t optional- they were mandatory. Ma’at, and all of creation, was always at risk to being undone. To quote Meeks:

From the moment of its creation, the world was threatened by the Forces of the uncreated, forces that the mere existence of a world drove back toward its periphery. There was no escaping these forces, even if they were pushed further and further back as the domain of the Created expanded. Because they had not been brought into being by the act of creation, they could not be definitively destroyed. They could only be defeated periodically; their repeated onslaughts made it necessary to wage unending battle to maintain the integrity and equilibrium of creation. (quote taken from Eternal Egypt).

Creation was not something to take for granted. And it’s still not. In our modern world we forget that things aren’t certain or guaranteed. The gods still fight a/pep daily. They still work to maintain order even though the majority of humanity has fallen deaf to the need or the call. Just because our lives feel more secure doesn’t mean that Creation is any more secure than it was before. The Egyptians fully appreciated the precarious nature of Creation. The wrong flood levels, a bad cycle of crops, invaders, plague- any of that could deal massive damage to the nation and its people. Creation needed everyone’s help to survive- and this is where execrations came into play.

Execrations Now:

Execrations almost seem non-existent in the modern Kemetic’s practice. Most Kemetics have a mindset that execrations are bad- that performing an execration will cause negativity to come back upon you (reminiscent of the Threefold Rule that really has no place in Kemetic mindset or practice). This is a crying shame, in my opinion. Execrations have so many uses and potential for creating happier, healthier people. I really think that everyone should consider making some form of execration a part of their regular practice. Most people consider execrations to be nothing more than a ritual against a/pep, but they can be used for so much more than that. Execrations are good for letting go, for moving on, for destroying bad habits, or for getting negative things out of your life. Anything and everything that could eat away at the happiness in your life could be counter acted with an execration.

Don’t like that you’re broke? Execrate anything and everything that is in your way (you could use a ‘foes of Ra’ approach to this). Don’t like that you’re overweight? Execrate your bad eating habits, laziness, or other factors that could be holding you back. Heavy shadow work that you’re trying to work through? Blast that stuff away with a strong execration. Anything and everything can really be enhanced via execration. Execrations are there to demolish things that are blocking your path.

So how do you do an execration?

Traditional execrations can be pretty extravagant. The more complex execration rituals in Eternal Egypt include an ‘ingredients list’ of: water, natron, incense, candle or oil-lamp, a wax figure of a/pep, sheets of papyrus, green ink, copper pan, wood or charcoal, herbs (dragon’s blood, nettle, etc), iron knife or nail, black thread, flint blade, red clay pot, sand and a lid for said pot.

That’s a lot of stuff! But execrations don’t need to be that complicated (and in Reidy’s defense, there are execration rites in Eternal Egypt that require little to no supplies to perform). Most execrations have elements that are similar, despite the technique being different. Here are the basic elements of any execration:

• Creation and identification of an item with a/pep and the things you wish to execrate (in this post, the item would have been the red pot).
• Defiling this item via stabbing, spitting, trampling, or other destructive means.
• Burying, flushing, or disposing of said item.

The steps are pretty simple and straight forward. I have found that a lot of what makes an execration effective is the emotion you put behind it. There is some sort of release in ripping apart a piece of paper, stabbing a figure, smashing a pot, etc. It allows your emotions to be let out in a safe manner that helps you to move forward and eradicates things that hold you back.

While using an ‘old school’ execration rite from antiquity is awesome, sometimes we don’t have the ability or desire to use something from ‘back in the day’. But no worries, you can easier come up with your own rites and methods to execrate the unwanted or unneeded. To create your own execration, you’ll first need to determine what you wish to execrate. You could try to execrate anything and everything in one go, but I recommend taking a few things at a time and doing multiple, smaller execrations. Once you have decided what you might wish to get rid of, you’ll want to determine what item will best work for your means. You could go the traditional method and use red pots or wax figures. You could use fresh paper. You could build a sand castle or use a mug that you can’t stand. You could create a pillow and stuff it with things that you want to destroy- let your creativity and specific situation guide you.

You will then need to imbue that item with whatever you’re trying to get rid of. You can write these items or attributes on the item (in the case of paper or pots), you can state or visualize what you’re wanting to execrate as you create the item (as with the sand castle). You could do both, technically (I tend to). Once you have your item ready, you will take this item and beat the crap out of it. Yell at it, stab it (or draw knifes in it), scribble on it, maim it, stomp on it, spit on it- whatever. Destroy it as much as you can. Put all of your energy into it until you are completely spent.

Then, you will take what is left of your item, and get rid of the remains. A lot of times I flush things down the toilet. However, you can’t do that with, say, pot shards. In those cases, I throw them in a dumpster or bury what is left. If you went the sand castle route that I mentioned before, you might want to smooth out the sand to the point that you can’t tell anything transpired. You more or less want to remove and eradicate any and all remains of the execration.

How often you want to repeat this process (and how complicated you want the process to be) is entirely up to you. Most Kemetics I know only perform one execration per year- at Wep Ronpet. However, in the month and a bit since Wep Ronpet occurred, I have found that I have done 3 or 4 execration rites of some capacity- and I have found that doing them has helped me progress a lot faster in my shadow work lately. Whether you need to perform them daily, monthly, yearly- etc. is going to be dependent upon your particular situation and what you are working on currently. Don’t be afraid to do them regularly, though. Especially if you feel the urge!

I believe execrations deserve to have a more prominent place in modern practice. They have such a variety of uses and purposes, and I would love to see more people give them a shot!

Do you perform execrations? What are your thoughts and experiences with them?

Recommended Reading to Learn More About Execrations:

• Execration Ritual
• The Mechanics of AE Magical Practice
• Eternal Egypt
• Magic in AE

Relevent Posts:

• Formal Execration: The Learning Curve
• Execration!
• Wep Ronpet 2012
• Execration via Small Child

 

Flirting With Destruction

aka: Devo’s Guide to Working with Set and Other “Hard-nosed” Netjeru

Mandatory Disclaimer: As with everything, this guide is exactly that- a guide. Gods (especially trickster and chaos gods) can change rules at the drop of a hat, and my interactions with Set might not match your interactions with Set. This guide contains my own personal thoughts and interactions with this deity as well as interactions I have witnessed other followers experience over the years. This guide is merely meant to be a general overview for those who are new to working with Set.

_________________________________________________________

Nothing gets people talking like a trickster god. And one of the most discussed deities in the Kemetic pantheon could easily be Set. Is he evil? Is he mean? Will he ruin your life? Does he hate Osiris? Does Osiris hate him? If you worship him, does that instantly make you evil too? Set has called me- do I get excited, or run for the hills? He is one of the most misunderstood netjeru there is- to the point that you can gauge a lot about any book on Egypt by seeing how the author views Set (in my opinion), and even a fair amount of Kemetics, while understanding that he is no Satan, still fear him on some level.

And one of the largest things I have seen through the years is:

OMG SET HAS STARTED TALKING TO ME/FOLLOWING ME/REQUESTED MY ATTENTION. WHAT DO I DO?

And then panic ensues.

Usually, when I see Set step into people’s lives, he usually is there to help you grow, to help you move forward and to help you shed unnecessary things. If he only plans on staying in your life for a bit, you might only have to live through the destruction of your life once. If he is going to stick around forever, I highly recommend you learn to regularly purge un-needed things in your life. In my experience, working under him (for lack of a better term- I don’t like using ‘worship’) requires you to alter your perspective on life and the way you approach things. For someone who is only intending to work with Set for a spell, I believe you can learn a lot about how to approach him by examining how long-term followers experience him and handle his quirks.

So what are some things that are good to know with Set? What traits should you expect to cultivate?

1. Light a fire under your ass.

In my experience, Set likes go getters. That doesn’t necessarily mean he wants you to burn out, but he wants you to be actively moving forward in you life by the means necessary. So, for example, if you’re coming to him about getting a job, he would expect you to be actively pursuing getting another job- updating your resume, applying to whatever you can, honing your interview skills, networking, etc. If you’re coming to him about getting more money, he’d expect you to be saving where you can, budgeting better, and trimming excess fat. Those sorts of things. You can’t expect to ask Set for help, and then do nothing. If you ask him for help, or find that he is coming in your direction, you better prepare to start working quickly to make things better. As I have said to many others- if the destruction and change that you need requires you to jump off a cliff- jump off of it. Don’t wait for him to throw you off.

2. Learn to be patient and more laid back.

Ironically, we all think of chaos as being uptight. However, when you’re working with a deity that is chaotic, you’ll find that you need to learn to take a chill pill, or have your head explode from frustration. Many times, Set works in his own, secretive ways. He has methods, and sometimes they don’t make a whole lot of sense. There are also times when he’ll disappear at random and not reappear for quite a while. It’s chaos, it doesn’t always make sense or appear to, at least. One of the best things I’ve learned from this is to just chill out. Oh, Set hasn’t been around for a month or two? Well I guess he’ll wander back around when he needs me. So long as you’re actively performing number 1, you should be okay. The randomness of his actions might be maddening at first- but you learn to get used to it.

3. Remember the importance of a good attitude.

This is especially true if you asked for his help. Don’t cry to him for help, then complain about his methods. During some of my lower points, I’ve wailed to him about how I was breaking under the pressure, or how I was angry that he was effectively cutting me off at the knees (in my mind). This only garnered stares or responses of “GTFO”. Having a go-getter attitude really does go a long ways with him. And sometimes (in me experience) he won’t even bother to help you start moving forward until you’ve shown that you have the courage to jump off the cliff and accept his help- which also means accepting his methods of help. Even though it might seem like hell on earth while in the middle of the process, trust in it. Know that you are getting stronger, and that in the end, it is worth it.

4. Keep on keepin’ on.

Part of having a good attitude is to keep on moving forward. Usually, Set’s lessons are hard. They will push you to your limits- but that’s part of the point. Sometimes we have to break before we can ‘level up’ as it were. Once you’ve been thrown off the cliff, you might as well keep going until you hit the bottom or learn to fly. There is no point re-contemplating once you are half way down. Showing him and yourself respect by continuously moving forward (or trying to) is one of the greatest offerings you can give him (in my opinion). Having the discipline and trust to see things through to the end is important. Even if you have a few breakdowns and tantrums along the way- so long as you pick yourself back up and keep putting one foot in front of the other, that’s what matters at the end of the day.

Even though Set can appear to be a hardass, do keep in mind that there is more to him than that. On the by and large, I would advise against whining, crying, and throwing your hands up in a fit of “I give up!” However, it does happen to the best of us. There have been times where I have absolutely broken down in shrine. When I’ve screamed at him for the position I was put into. And never in any of those moments did he lash out at me (even if he looked less than pleased). There have even been times where he seemed to feel bad for the situation I was in. He can be nice, he can be caring. However, he seems to be very particular about when and where those feelings will be shown. That’s not to say he doesn’t feel these things all the time- it’s just that he doesn’t always show it. Sometimes we need someone to be stern and somewhat cold to help us grow. I think it is the harder exterior that scares many people away- because they don’t understand that there is more to him than that. If you are going to work with Set long term, it is helpful to understand this, and to try to understand the nature of the jobs he tends to take on. To understand his methods, for there is a rhyme and reason to what he does (usually). I also think it’s important that Set appears to have a better understanding of what we can handle. Many times I thought I was at the end of my rope- only to find out I still had more left in me. It was only when I was truly at my limit did he step in to make larger changes.

All in all, if we give Set the chance to work with our lives and help facilitate changes within ourselves, there is the potential to be so much more than we currently are. I know it’s scary for many people to hear that Set is looking in their direction, but he really does have valuable lessons for us that we should try to embrace and bring manifest into our lives. So the next time you see Big Red heading your way, instead of heading for the hills, try meeting him halfway and see how working with chaos can bring good things into your life.

 

Devo Magix: Ninja Magix

Almost everyone that I know has spent at least some time living with people who don’t appreciate or understand any religious practices outside of Christianity. And with today’s economy being what it is, it’s more and more common that many of us have to rely upon others for financial assistance and living arrangements. However, just because you moved back in with your parents doesn’t mean that things quit happening, and you can just turn off all of your religious practices or that spiritual crises can’t still happen. It’s not like some angry spirit gives a care about where you’re living, or the fact that you can’t burn incense while in your parent’s house.

So what is one to do?

The short answer is to get creative! There are many ways that you can protect yourself and perform simple forms of magix while living under someone’s roof. To really grok ninja magix, you will need to really get and understand the core concepts of magix- what makes something work or tick, so that you can deconstruct it to it’s most basic components. You then take these components and alter them so that they can be done discreetly.

To better illustrate my point, let’s take a look at a few examples of magix that are right out in the open for everyone to see.

Take a look at this wall hanging. It doesn’t look like anything special. I got this coin from my therapist actually. When she moved offices, she let a lot of her clients take stuff home that she no longer needed. I thought nothing of the coin- it fit in with her Asian decor and it all made sense to me. But then I got home, and I took a look at the back of it, and this is what I found:

That, my friends, is magix. She might not call it magix, but that’s what it is. It’s financial magix to be more specific. Take a look around the home you’re in- are there things on the wall? Could there be things on the wall that you could hide magix on the back of? Get creative! You don’t always need to write directly on the back of something to make magix work.

For example, I have this IKEA frame by my front door- it contains cards that me and SO have exchanged. Inside each of these cards contains love magix and happy home magix.

Or how about this for magix: I have a hollow cat that my mother gave me many years ago. It looks pretty non-descript, especially considering my crazy-cat-items fetish. However, when you open it up…

You’ll see that it’s filled with stones, shells and dried flowers- as protective magix.

Yet, if I would have never told you about these things, no one would ever be the wiser 🙂 Here are some more examples:

In Feng Shui, it’s good to have bells on the front door, in numbers of 3 or 5 (odds = luckier). These bells help to bring good chi (energy) into the house. When I lived at my mother’s house, I asked to put bells on the door. I didn’t tell her it was for magix, I told her it was because I would like to know when people enter the house- she agreed, as she is paranoid about breaking and entering. She actually still has the bells on her door, despite my moving away.

If you would like to have protection outside of your house, or at your doorway, but don’t want people to see it or know about it, try using your welcome mat as a means to protect. You could easily write sigils or protective seals on the bottom of your mat. If you want to be even more secret, you could write it in a market of the same color as your mat (for my house, that would be black) and then it will be even harder to see.

You could even put protective items or markings on the bottom of furniture pieces (chairs, tables, desks, etc). Even places like a fish tank or toilet tank could contain protective items (no joke, I moved into an apartment once with a cross in the toilet tank).

That’s all good an well for items that are around your house- things you can leave out. But what about things like cleansings? You have to cleanse regularly, and you would stick out quite a bit walking around with a smudge stick- so what do you do?

These types of situations can be difficult, but they can be worked around. Here are some ideas about how to cleanse while out in the open:

• Light candles in various parts of your house. My mother loved candles. When I needed the energy to move around, I’d light candles all over her house, in every room of her house and let them do the cleansing for me.
• Go to a sink and wash your hands. Instead of drying your hands off, leave them wet. You can enter any room that needs some extra cleaning, and mark the walls or doors. If you want to really play it up, you could walk around and just smack the walls (the added BAM of hitting the wall gives extra oomph, imo, due to the disturbed sound waves). People might look at you like you’re crazy, but I’ve found that playing up the odd can really throw people for such a loop that they don’t ask. Either way, you can use wet hands and mark things to cleanse.
• I have “accidentally” dropped salt before- to cleanse an area. You could accidentally drop water, too.
• If you wanted to cleanse an area with bells, you could wear bells as jewelry and walk around your house. Jewelry in general makes for good protective amulets- to wear on your person, and to use in your home.
• Wind chimes also make good vibrational cleansers. My family loves wind chimes, so when I was in hiding, I had tons of them out on the porch to help with negativity that always built up in my house.
• As mentioned in the Cleansings post- plants can cleanse an area. So try putting some potted plants in various areas to stir up the energy. We like to put gnomes in our potted plants, which also is for protection. You could potentially do the same with other decorations.

And lastly, I’d like to cover concepts and ideas that you could even work on your own person. We often forget that our own bodies can be vehicles for magix- but there is a lot of potential for body based magix that is hidden in plain sight. Here are some basic ideas:

• Knot magic using your hair, jewelry, or shoelaces. Knots can be good for protection, or bringing anything manifest into your life. For every knot or twist in a braid that you create, you would repeat what you want to bring to fruition. If you were to do this over a course of days or weeks, imagine the heka that could build up.
• Jewelry magix- you could have amulets and sigils hiding in common jewelry.
• Makeup magix- I know of a couple of people who like to use makeup for rituals. But the same could be done for daily magix as well. Different colors to symbolize different things. Or to speak magix into the makeup itself- and so when you wear it, the properties transfer to you. Alternatively, you could put purifiers (such as natron or oils) into your lotions and wear them to obtain the properties.
• Permanent or semi-permanent tattooing- now this may or may not be very ‘ninja’ for some people, but you could create magix into henna or a tattoo. When I’ve needed quick protection, I have been known to quickly draw in marker- a sigil on my person (usually my hand). Be careful which markers you use, as some are not recommended for the skin.
• Nail magix- painting your nails with symbols or colors to bring for protection, wealth, or whatever you want. It’s almost like nail amulets. See some examples here.

These are just a few ideas to get your brain thinking about ways you can perform magix while in plain sight. The more you work with the concepts I’ve laid out in previous magix posts and the better you get with focus and visualizing, the easier it’ll be to perform magix in any setting- with minimal tools. The more you experiment, the easier it will be to get creative in the application of magix to every day items and situations!

Other topics in the Devo Magix Series:

• Amulets
• Cleansings
• Sigil Making
• Barriers and Wards, Part 1
• Focusing and Visualization

 

Wep Ronpet 2012

This past weekend my household celebrated Wep Ronpet. Although KO’s calendar stated it would be on the third, for some reason, I kept thinking the fourth. So, I decided to just go with it. At least this way I’d be able to celebrate on the weekend, instead of while at work.

The day was filled with lots of cleaning. I cleaned my house from top to bottom. I cleaned my shrines, my statues… just about anything I could get my hands on. Clean clean clean.

I then decided to do some execrations via red pots.

Supplies for red pot execrations

Home Depot carries some small terra cotta pots for about .98 a piece. I didn’t want to search for red specifically, so we opted to paint ours with some acrylics laying around the house. We decided to take red sharpies and write all of the things we wanted to execrate onto the pot. Then, I decided to scribble over everything I wrote- just letting my anger and frustration out, along with any negative emotions I had stored up. We then painted our pots red and spat in them.

After the pots have been filled with negativity.

And after that, we smashed them. I stepped on mine until they were tiny tiny tiny little pieces. I had placed mine in a bag- but managed to tear the bag quite a bit. However, it felt really good. And truth be told, I could have gone for smashing 10 or so more pots.

I also finished up my work with my amulet that had been charging all week. I don’t currently have a chain for it (it’s in the mail) so for now, it’s sitting safely in the bottom drawer of my shrine.

After we did all of that, we went out to eat and enjoyed a nice meal together. Pretty much every holiday needs a good meal.

The gods got a large meal, too.

The day after Wep Ronpet we decided to go the bath route (as per what I’ve seen Tamara Siuda say in the past- the day after WR is good for baths, I believe? You can see some of the bath mixes that she sells here), for more purifications. So we got a bath bomb from Lush and soaked in the wonderful aroma that it created.

It’s called Twilight. Not related to vampires.

We are now ready to tackle the new year 🙂

Relevant Posts:

• Happy Wep Ronpet!
• Wep Ronpet 2012.
• Wep Ronpet 2012 (vlog)
• Happy Wep Ronpet!
• Wep Ronpet
• Year 20 Under Nut, and New Beginnings

 

Working with Gods

Many people in the pagan realm have stated that they have a problem with the phrase “working with gods”. Most of them seem to feel that this is demoting the god to that of a hammer or screwdriver- it is something you pick up to do a job with, and once you’re done, you put the tool back in the tool box. That it turns the gods into tools for us to ‘use’ and simply put away again.

I happen to like the term ‘working with gods’, and I wanted to go into why that is. That way, when you see me use the phrase, you understand what I mean by it.

When I say that I work with Set or Asar, the image that comes to mind is a strong handshake. We are joining together to do work, to create something bigger and better. We are coworkers and peers. Teachers and students- setting out to ‘get some work done’ – together – and to accomplish something. There is no imagery of tools, hammers, nails, etc. It’s just me and them coming together cooperatively to get stuff done.

I know the second most common phrase out there would be worship. I “worship X god”. I don’t particularly care for this phrase, myself. Because worship, in Devo-land, means that you’re a doormat, you are star struck and you follow X entity in whatever it is they say or request. “I worship the ground that she walks on” kind of thing. And while I know that that might not necessarily be the case for all of you, it is the imagery that pops up for me. And because of that, I tend to steer clear of the term ‘worship’. Set is no-nonsense, for sure. But I do have the ability to tell him no (or worse). And for me, worship implies that I couldn’t or wouldn’t ever disagree with what he has in mind. And that just isn’t the case.

I also believe that the phrase ‘working with’ implies that we are on somewhat equal terms (as opposed to the term ‘worship’). Or that there is respect on both sides. We are working in harmony, creating something more, together.

So when you see me use the phrase ‘working with gods’, don’t think of tools, think instead of the picture below: people and deities connected together, and working together to make the world better.

What types of terms do you use to describe your relationship with your god/s? Are there certain terms that you are not comfortable with using?

 

Book Review: The Priests of Ancient Egypt

I managed to get a copy of The Priests of Ancient Egypt by Serge Sauneron, and I finally got around to reading it. This book is considered a staple for Kemetics in many circles, and it doesn’t disappoint. This book goes far more in-depth into the priesthood of AE than almost any other book that I have read so far.

The book starts off discussing the generalized idea about what priests are and do. Sauneron shows us that while many people have an ideal about what priests were like (morally speaking) there were examples of priests who were less than savoury in their dealings. I would guess he does this to break any romanticism we have with the notion of being a priest. Priests were people just like us- and they were fallible as we are now.

Sauneron also discusses the basics of temple ritual, what a priest’s day might entail while in the temple. Most of this was not entirely new to me, but it was still interesting to read another perspective on it. After reading this, it really does validate a lot of what I’ve read in Reidy’s book. One confirms, in many ways, the other. He also goes into detail about different areas priests would have studied. He made a point to mention that each priest within the temple would have had a specialty. There was rarely a priest who knew EVERYTHING. Usually, you had someone who read stuff. Someone who oversaw just the offerings. Someone who spent their day making the linen and clothes for the icon. Someone who was there to deem if an animal was pure enough to be sacrificed to the god. Someone who knew the music that the god liked… etc. I think this is an important concept for modern Kemetics to consider, since it seems like we all have to know everything about everything in order to get somewhere. He also gave a generalized history of AE and how the priesthood could have played a role in it. It was interesting to see his ideas about how the Ramessides were trying to placate the priests of Amun while trying to promote their own god- Set. I’ve never seen anyone really discuss whether the 19th dynasty had problems with the temple of Amun or not. So the concept was interesting to consider.

I liked learning little facts that I’ve seen asked around the forums, yet never knew answers to. For example, Sauneron does mention that there was likely some type of initiation ritual for new priests. He says not a lot of information is known, but that something happened to transition them from outside to inside. In the case of higher priests appointed by the King, they would receive a ring and ceremonial staff, which I thought was interesting to know.

I also found out that there was mandatory ‘rules’ for animals that were butchered for the temple. Usually, related to markings (or lack thereof) – the beast had to be deemed pure in order for it to be served to the gods. I wonder how the Netjer feel about the types of meat we are serving them now 😛

Apparently each nome of Egypt kept some sort of master list relating to what grew there, the mythologies of the area, common offerings, and a whole slew of other things. I would love to get my hand of a whole lot of these. Imagine the things we could learn.

I also found out that in the typical inner sanctuary of the temple, there would be a kar shrine, the boat, and usually a table- and that offerings were left outside of the kar shrine, on the table. I had thought that perhaps the offerings went in the shrine itself, so it’s good to have this cleared up. I guess for most temples, the shrine was sealed up after the morning ritual, and wasn’t opened the rest of the day. Which I was unaware of as well. I also found out that for some temples, there were lesser and greater morning rituals. Every 5 days or so, there would be a more involved morning rite that involved the changing of the clothes for the god, etc. But that on the lesser days, just the four strips of linen were swapped out.

He also confirmed that Open statues had their joo-joo renewed once per year. I would guess through another Opening of the Mouth rite.

Overall, the book had some interesting stuff to it. I learned a few new things and it reinforced a lot of what I have already read. Here are a few excerpts from the book I placed in my FB feed:

A priest is any man who, through bodily purification, puts himself in the state of physical purity necessary to approach the holy place, or to touch any objects or dishes of food consecrated to the god.

Maat is the aspect of the world that the gods have chosen, it is the universal order as they established it from its basic constituent elements, such as the course of the starts and the succession of days, down to the humblest of its manifestations” the harmony of the living, their religious piety; it is the cosmic balance, and the regular recurrence of the seasonal phenomena; it is also the respect for the earthly order set up by the gods – truth, and justice.

The Egyptians distinguished in the sky, beyond the sun and the moon, the stars which never rest- our planets: Mercury, Venus (the star of the evening and the morning), Mars (the red Horus), Jupiter (the glittering star), and Saturn (Horus the bull).

I think the biggest complaint I have about this book is that he cites late sources a lot. It seems like the majority of his information comes from Greek writers. While I know that it’s possible that this was his only major resource to pull from, I would certainly enjoy to hear more about priests from the Egyptians themselves- not outsiders who came to Egypt at the very end of her life.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the priesthood of Egypt, and whoever might be interested in creating a priestly role for themselves (or taking on such a role) in the modern era. I think by looking back at how the ancients did it, it can create a lot of ideas about how we can approach the concept today, and translate it into something that works in this time and place. I also feel this book does a good job at clearing up some of the misconceptions one might have about what bring a priest in AE was about.

See this book review over on Pagan Book Review!

 

Nelson’s Landing

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about gods in the land around us (see: here and here). This has inspired me to write about a place where I felt the gods on a very up close and personal level. For whatever reason, Nelson’s Landing has always been one of the few places where I saw the gods everywhere. It was a very sacred place for me.

So where is this place? Nelson’s Landing is a small little spit of a town that lies along the Colorado river. Nelson’s Landing is south of Boulder (Hoover) Dam, but is north of Laughlin (for those who know the area). And from my home in Henderson, it took me about 45 minutes to get out to the river. Nelson’s Landing is a place you could easily drive by. The town is tiny and off the beaten path- and there is virtually no commerce there. As you drive back through the mountains, you lose all telephone signals. You really do become cut off from the rest of the world. No one can call you or find you. It’s like being sucked into an alternate space- because you are just so cut off from the world outside.

The town itself isn’t entirely on the river. It’s a few miles back. The river itself is part of a state park- so there are a few dirt roads that weave in and out of desert. The scenery is stunning. There are huge cuts in the earth from years and years of rain and water. The washes there can be a couple hundred feet deep. And if I could afford to go biking or off roading through the desert around Nelson’s Landing, I would. I can only imagine the variety of things you could see back there.

However, the area I’m always most interested in is the river. I love the river. It’s calm and serene. Beautiful and blue. Growing up in a desert, I don’t get to experience rivers very much. And for whatever reason, I have a special fondness of the Colorado River. It always seems more beautiful to me than a lot of other rivers I have seen. And from the cliffs of Nelson’s Landing, I could sit and watch the river for hours on end. Many times I would climb up one of the cliffs and stare out over the river and soak up the feelings I’d get.

In the river, I’d see O. Calm and sustaining the local wildlife. Around him, I could see Aset. Embracing him, Protecting him. Watching over the land. In that, I could see Nut as well- as she also embraces and protects O. The desolate nature of the area made me think of Set. The ruddy color of many of the cliffs also reminded me of him. In the sky, you had the unrelenting sun- Ra. There was local wildlife- coyotes (insert jackal gods here), birds of prey (insert falcon gods here) and fish (Hetmehyt). Even though it is the middle of the desert, there is growth, plants and flowers. One time there was a large swarm of lady bugs… showing that life still thrives in a very arid climate. Geb is alive and well, and is flourishing. As you find refuge in the shade from the sun, sometimes you’d get a nice breeze coming through, so that you could feel Shu in the air.

For whatever reason, this mixture of elements- the river, the cliffs, sun, vegetation, rocks, animals… it all mixed together and made me feel complete there. The urge to connect with this was so strong that I’d get ‘cravings’ to go out to Nelson. And it wouldn’t leave me alone until I went and spent a few hours just soaking it all in (and while I waited for the weekend to be able to go out there, I’d actually look at pictures or look at google maps satellite pictures and stare at the river and pretend I was there… the feelings were that strong). It filled some sort of void for me in a way that no other location ever has.

And I’m sad to say that it’s been a few years since I’ve been back. It’s very hard to justify driving 8 hours to see Nelson’s Landing, especially when I could use that time and money for other ventures. I also wonder if I don’t feel bitter for not having the ability to go there regularly anymore. I loved the southern Nevada region. Something about it just made me feel alive. Living there was a time of high high and low lows, and I was sad to have to go. And although I tried really hard to stay, life had other plans for me. I no longer live in a location where my surroundings bring me joy, or remind me of my deities. Sure, I still have desolate desert to remind me of Set. A sun that beats down on me year round to remind me of Ra. Plants and vegetation to make me think of Geb, O, Min and Aset. There are also your coyotes and birds of prey here as well. Despite the fact that all of the ‘same’ puzzle pieces are here as are in Nelson, they don’t make the same picture when put together. For whatever reason, Phoenix doesn’t bring me joy in the way that Nevada did. I wish I knew why. I know I’m going to be here for a while and that this is the location I’m supposed to be in, but I can’t help but feel contempt for my surroundings. I know there are things here that I love that aren’t in NV, I know that there are aspects of Phoenix that make life a lot easier and happier (closer to family, Matsuri, IKEA, monsoon, etc). But still, I can’t let go of Nelson or Nevada. I can’t get over that feeling I get when I’m staring out over the river and surrounding areas and I feel like I’m a part of the world around me. Feeling such a push to go and be with my gods that I would clear out my schedule for an entire day to just go and sit by the river.

You’d think in the middle of the desert, I could find my gods and resonate with them. And while I know the gods are here, I really don’t connect with them in Phoenix. Despite the beauty that can be found here, I don’t resonate with it. I don’t get the same feeling of nourishment and comfort here, and that bothers me. How does one connect with a place that they can’t stand? How do I change my perspective so that I can enjoy and connect with the surrounding area? What is blocking me from doing so? I really wish I knew. Until that point, I’ll just have to suffice with closing my eyes and going to Nelson in my dreams.