tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23585329551111568602024-03-12T20:07:58.841-07:00Kemet TodayAncient Egyptian Religion in Today's WorldRev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-40575231531461616202023-08-01T18:11:00.000-07:002023-08-01T18:11:00.449-07:00Year 31 Letter - This Website is now an Archive<span style="font-family: inherit;">As of July 31, 2023, I am no longer acting as the Nisut of Kemetic Orthodoxy. I sent an official letter privately to our temple membership explaining this change, but there is no reason why it cannot also be shared publicly, and I will do so here. From August 1, 2023 this website will enter archives mode so that Oracles and other things can continue to be read; no new posts will be made here. Its ultimate destiny now lies with the House of Netjer Kemetic Orthodox Temple Board and their decisions around what will become of our historical internet presence(s) as we shift into a new phase of existence together.</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Year 31 letter is long and follows.</span></div><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><a href="http://www.nisut.org/2023/08/year-31-letter-this-website-is-now.html#more">Read more »</a>Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-25243858581392113252023-07-31T09:04:00.002-07:002023-07-31T09:04:12.401-07:00Aset Oracle, Year 31<p>Following is the transcript of the Oracle of the Year delivered to us by the goddess Aset (Isis) on Her holiday called "Aset Luminous" (occurring on July 2 in Gregorian 2023). Each year, we receive such an oracle to provide wisdom about the Kemetic Orthodox year to come. This year's Wep Ronpet (Kemetic Orthodox New Year, the modern celebration of ancient Egyptian New Year) occurs August 5. This oracle is to cover the next Kemetic year, that is, through Gregorian August 2024. Nefertem, the beautiful son of the Memphite deities Ptah and Sekhmet whose very name means <i>Beautiful and Complete</i> or <i>The Beauties of Atum/Tem</i> (the Self-Created One), is the protective or guardian deity over this year. The colors of this year (to be used in decorating altars or shrines, or for heka purposes to bless and protect) are white and dark blue, indicating the lotus of the Creator(s) rising on the primeval waters of Zep Tepi at creation's very first dawn.</p><p>Dua Nefertem!</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Oracle of Year 31 received at Aset Luminous, Year 30 IV Shomu 2 (July 2, 2023CE)</b></p><p>In the first time of first times, waters flowed. They flowed unceasing, in every direction, holding all potentials and all creations yet to be, dreaming in the oneness of the self-created Who had not yet created Themselves.</p><p>Then suddenly, the self-created Became! A perfect child rose to the surface of the unceasing waters. Bundled in the sweetness of the petals of a lotus of light, the beautiful being rose out of Nun and Became. The Beautifully Complete One existed - and creation Became.</p><p>I am Aset the Great, Lady of Heaven, the Throne and Judge. I am as eternal as the waters of the self-created. I speak to you once again from the place of Zep Tepi, the memory of the first occasion, first creation, first time, first of firsts.</p><p>Nefertem, the Beautifully Complete, emerges from the primeval lotus to bring life, and renewal to all who hear My words. He comes with both hands: to heal and protect, to create and rebuild. He comes to you when you need His guidance, as He rose on the day when the beauty of the complete one needed to arise. He brings beauty and the tools to create it. He brings peace and strength. Most of all He brings love, Our love, to you. Will you accept this gift? Will you hear His guidance? Will you see your own beauty like He saw His own in the reflection on the face of the waters of Zep Tepi?</p><p>Bring yourselves together like the lotus closes its petals on the sleeping perfect child in the night, who opens joyfully at dawn. Go proudly in beauty like the young lion. Carry the wisdom of your elders, and the knowledge of creation and destruction, as Nefertem strides forth as the bright son of Ptah and Sekhmet to bring His joyous brilliance to all.</p><p>Begin again, strongly, united in the lessons of Heru-sema-tawy you carry into this new year, as well as the work of My son Who ruled you for the cycle. Nothing that changes need be lost. Walk forward into the sweetness of renewal. Receive Our blessings for another year, and the beginning of your new cycle.</p><p>When you need to be close to Nefertem, carry white and blue cloth or place it on your altars as a sign of His beauty and protection, of His appearing shining on the deep dark wave. Wear it proudly as a sign of His favor and His presence. Do not be afraid. I favor these colors too. And I will bless you in His year and many years to come, if you permit it and do not flee from Our presence.</p><p>There is no separation between you and the divine world unless you create it. Like Nefertem, be united with Zep Tepi and be beautiful in its dawn. In this year, you shall be self-created, and what you create will be Beautifully Complete, like the Beautifully-Complete One Himself.</p>Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-69133460633200896972022-07-31T09:00:00.001-07:002022-07-31T09:00:35.596-07:00Aset Oracle, Year 30<p>Following is the transcript of the Oracle of the Year delivered to us by the goddess Aset (Isis) on Her holiday called "Aset Luminous" (occurring on July 2 in Gregorian 2022). Each year, we receive such an oracle to provide wisdom about the Kemetic Orthodox year to come. This year's Wep Ronpet (Kemetic Orthodox New Year, the modern celebration of ancient Egyptian New Year) occurs August 5. This oracle is to cover the next Kemetic year, that is, through Gregorian August 2022. <i>Sema-Tawy</i>, an epithet or praise name meaning "uniter of the Two Lands" which is an epithet of the god Heru-sa-Aset (Horus son of Isis, the Younger Horus), is the protective or guardian deity over this year. The colors of this year (to be used in decorating altars or shrines, or for heka purposes to bless and protect) are red and black, the heraldic colors of the Two Lands of Kemet/ancient Egypt.</p><p>Dua Heru-Sema-Tawy!</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Oracle of Year 30 received at Aset Luminous, Year 29 IV Shomu 2 (July 2, 2022CE)</b></p><p>I am Aset the Great of Magic, Mother of God, and I speak to you once again.</p><p>I speak as the Widow, who weeps for what is lost. I speak as the Throne, who validates and restores, who seats the one who holds My power as trust for all. I repeat all I have said before, and I add to the record of what is needed in this zep tepi, this opening of the year as Anhur finds the Distant One and brings Her back in peace.</p><p>Ra rises above you, for the first time and every time. He shines upon all, those who welcome His light and those who curse it from the shadow. He judges all creation to be worthy then descends into the Duat, to be among those who await His light there. </p><p>All creation is worthy. When you seek to judge, remind yourselves that the Lord of All has already made the day's judgement. Let your desire to take His power fall aside. There is a day for judgement, in the halls where I watch, at the proper time for each ka who comes there. You do not know when that day will come for yourself or for anyone. Yours is not that responsibility. Cease judging, neither judging others nor judging yourselves, for you cannot know what Ra sees from where He rises above. </p><p>Now the cycle will begin again. Many of you have suffered. We hear your prayers. We hear you weeping. We weep with you as you suffer plague and death and battle and hatred and neglect. We do not wish for you to suffer. We do not wish for you to be alone in your griefs. We never wish for you to be in pain. So, in this year as you continue to emerge from a time when the slaughterers walked the lands We send to you My son, in His Name of Sema-Tawy. He will unite the Two Lands again and provide the Distant One a place to celebrate Her return.</p><p>Two Lands are united, yet separate. They are different, and yet together as one. They provide a place for all who choose to be united to unite in common purpose, with the help of the one I place upon the throne, not to command you but to call you together to share the blessings We give you in this year of unification. They are Red Land and Black Land, Red Crown and White Crown, together. Carry red and black together in equal measure as you bring the Two Lands into Ma'at.</p><p>Let the lands where you live know your commitment to care for them, as you spread beyond the Two Lands of zep tepi into all Ra encircles, all your world. The Two Lands are Kemet and they are in every place your hearts reside, within you. They are among you as the uniters, along with My son.</p><p>There will be peace and there will be challenge. There will be joy and there will be difficulty to bear. He is with you through all in this year, uniting you, reminding you of the power in your unity. All the Netjeru are with you, in love and ma'at and deep satisfaction, in peace and prosperity and in health. We will defend you against what will come. We will help you to do the work you want to do as well as the work you must do. Act with us. Connect with us and together we will unite the Two Lands.</p><p>Those who oppose connection, who oppose Ma'at, come to judgment. Sema-Tawy comes as the uniter but also as the defender. The Two Lands are not created in peace, they are created in battle, and there will be battle this year. But the greatest warrior fights at your side. Fight with Him and not against Him, and your victories will be unending. </p><p>You are not without strength, but you lack unity. Unity is your hands. Unity is your voices. Unity is the Uniter of the Two Lands moving through your hands and voices like the northern wind, bringing life to those who need it. Do not despair, for there is help at hand. The choices you make - for unity or division - create or destroy the Two Lands in your lives. Choose with care, but do not neglect to choose or your choices may be made for you.</p><p>Ra rises each day, bringing zep tepi and another chance to choose. This power is yours to hold and to use as you wish, as I granted it to My son so He might aid you in uniting your Two Lands. I give it to you as the key that unlocks your power, which you can use in unity with others to create ma'at everywhere. May you wield this ma'at every day. May you be with ma'at every day, and may Ma'at be with you every day as your protection and your blessing.</p><p><b>Deity of the Year:</b> Heru-sa-Aset as<i> Sema-Tawy</i>, "Uniter of the Two Lands" (i.e., Upper and Lower Kemet/Egypt; called <i>Harsomtus</i> in Greek/Classical sources)</p><p><b>Colors of the Year:</b> red and black (for the Two Lands of Kemet)</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information on the Ancient Egyptian (Kemetic) Festival Calendar, or to calibrate your own, see the Ronpet app! <a href="http://www.ronpet.app">http://www.ronpet.app</a> created with data from <i>The Ancient Egyptian Daybook</i> <a href="http://www.egyptiandaybook.com">http://www.egyptiandaybook.com</a> </p><div><br /></div>Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-83541105843429961802021-07-31T09:55:00.007-07:002021-07-31T09:59:35.523-07:00Aset Oracle, Year 29<p> Following is the transcript of the Oracle of the Year delivered to us by the goddess Aset (Isis) on Her holiday called "Aset Luminous" (occurring on July 2 in Gregorian 2021). Each year, we receive such an oracle to provide wisdom about the Kemetic Orthodox year to come. This year's Wep Ronpet (Kemetic Orthodox New Year, the modern celebration of the ancient Egyptian New Year) occurs on August 5, and this oracle is to cover the next Kemetic year (through Gregorian August 2022). <i>Anhur</i>, a praise name meaning "bringer of the distant one" which is an epithet of the primordial god Shu, is the protective or guardian deity over this year. The colors of this year (to be used in decorating altars or shrines, or for heka purposes to bless and protect) are white and gold to mimic the wind and the sunlight that are His manifestations.</p><p><br />Dua Shu who is Anhur!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Oracle of Year 29 received at Aset Luminous, Year 28 IV Shomu 2 (July 2, 2021CE)</b></p><p>Zep Tepi is always a beginning, but sometimes, things are not complete from the year that has passed. While there is new beginning, new chances, new intentions, new opportunity, there are also things that persist. Some things continue because they are part of the cycle. Other things continue because they must, until they reach their Ma'at. Yet other things continue until changes are made. All these realities are true for you in this time when I am speaking, both the year that is passing and the year that strives to be born.</p><p>I am the Throne and I speak of the foundations of creation before all things, before deities and humans and trees and flowing water. I am with you and I have always been with you. I know your fate and your destiny. I know you have promises from last year that were broken and others that were never fulfilled. You can still keep them. Your opportunity to do so will not last forever. You have not forgotten, and neither have I. Keep your promises, including the ones you have made to yourselves.</p><p>For some of you, the year of the Flame was more harsh than for others. She brought blessing, and She also came to carry out Ma'at and return balance in a time of its lack. May you be comforted in your losses and celebrated in your gains. May you remember the lessons you learned and not need to repeat them. May you never forget the strength you found in linking with others, in coming together instead of running away. Your hands should still be reaching toward each other, in love, in companionship, in strength, and in rescue. </p><p>Release the anger that will destroy you from within. Fight the divisions that will bring all of creation to flame and destruction. The angered Eye acted by the will of Her Father. She did not go forth because She was angry, or because She desired revenge. When She exceeded Her mandate, She was appeased and came home. Even as the Wandering Eye flees in anger, She is brought to peace. In this cycle of loss and recovery, so too shall you find recovery from loss. Cease wrath where it is not necessary for your survival. If even the divine wrath comes to an end, why should yours be eternal?</p><p>Read my words from the last Oracle again. They remain as true as they were the day I spoke them. You still have work to do. Zep Tepi will not erase the need for that work. If anything, it has become even more urgent, as you come closer to understanding Ma'at and what is needed in order to bring Ma'at to fruition in your world. There are many remaining tasks to be completed, hearts that must be mended, wrongs that must be righted. There is much for you to do and you cannot do it by yourselves. Not even all of the children of the Netjeru are enough to finish these tasks, which will involve all beings who live within that which Ra encircles.</p><p>We have asked you to come together before. We cannot bless you unless you accept Our blessing. What is given can be taken, or it can be left to wander alone forever. Because We wish for you to receive this blessing, We have chosen a messenger in this year to help you find it.</p><p>Firstborn Lion of Creation, Slayer of His Enemies, He Who Brings the Distant comes forth in this Opening of the Year. He retrieves the Flame, He ceases Her angry wanderings, and He finishes the work of Her appeasement. With laughter and joy, with the promise of feasting and dancing, He convinces Her to turn Her kindly face toward You again. For it is never violence that ceases violence, or more pain that ceases pain. Love, and the remembrance of that which is most beloved, will bring you to Ma'at. This Ma'at must be established within your own hearts individually, and collectively among your peoples.</p><p>Even in this great work the First Lion did not make his journey alone. With the wisdom of Djehuty, and the blessing of Ra, Anhur-Who-is-Shu went forth. He brings Their blessings to you this year. Do not neglect Their gifts of wisdom and authority. Both will be helpful to you just as They were helpful to Anhur as He sought reunion with the Distant One. </p><p>Accept His blessing and join Him on his journey. Your beloved will be found, but like Anhur, you must retrieve it. Go forth and find Her.</p><p><br /></p><p>Deity of the Year: Shu as Anhur, "The Bringer of the Distant One" (i.e., the Wandering Eye goddess, called Tefnut, Sekhmet, Hathor, Menhit, Nebtu and other names in the sources)</p><p>Colors of the Year: white and gold (wind and sunlight)</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information on the Ancient Egyptian (Kemetic Calendar) see the Ronpet app! <a href="http://www.ronpet.app">http://www.ronpet.app</a> created with data from <i>The Ancient Egyptian Daybook</i> <a href="http://www.egyptiandaybook.com">http://www.egyptiandaybook.com</a> </p><div><br /></div>Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-28794754698699635652020-08-01T10:12:00.001-07:002020-08-01T10:12:46.246-07:00Aset Oracle, Year 28Following is the transcript of the Oracle of the Year delivered to us by the goddess Aset (Isis) on Her holiday called "Aset Luminous" (occurring on July 2 in Gregorian 2020). Each year, we receive such an oracle to provide wisdom about the Kemetic Orthodox year to come. This year's Wep Ronpet (Kemetic Orthodox New Year, the modern celebration of the ancient Egyptian New Year) occurs on August 5, and this oracle is to cover the next Kemetic year through August 2021. Sekhmet, in Her form of Nesret the Powerful Flame, is the protective/guardian deity of this year. The colors of the year (to be used in decorating altars or shrines, or for heka purposes to bless and protect) are red and white in even distribution (see the oracle for the reasons why we balance Her red with white this year). <br />
<br />
Dua Sekhmet-Nesret! Dua Aset!<br />
<br />
Oracle of Year 28<br />
received at Aset Luminous, IV Shomu 2 (July 1, 2020CE)<br />
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Touch your mouths to the ground in honor of Zep Tepi, shining above you, once again.<br />
<br />
Touch your mouths to the ground in gratitude for your life, for your health, for your prosperity. We renew all these blessings for you this year.<br />
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Touch your mouths to the ground and avert your eyes as She of the Flame, Greatest of Eyes, Mistress of Arrows, goes forth with Her messengers into all the districts. Allow Her to pass over and through you, to remove all isfet, to burn away sickness, to drive all that is not in Ma'at from all places where you are. <br />
<br />
In this year She comes as strong flame, for you have need of it. Whether She ends this year burning or in peace, is in your power to change. The Powerful One was pacified after Her wrathful birth and became once more the Lady of Joy, the Sweet Mistress of Love. She may be again. See to it that Her offerings of appeasement are given. You have made your promises; now keep them.<br />
<br />
The Ma'at of this year is in your hands, as it has always been. In this year your hands are more able to feel Her weight. For some, their burdens are already too heavy. Will you carry Her for those whose hands are chained or weighted down? You must all come together, for you are not and never have been forsaken.<br />
<br />
Bring Ma'at to the places She has not yet come. Do not wait for someone else to make the first offering. Appropriate action and justice lead to Ma'at. Hearing truth and making it known leads to Ma'at. Your voices, your thoughts, your promises, your very kau lead to Ma'at. Will you follow? <br />
<br />
Will you do Her work or will She pass by and leave you in flame? You have the tools to quench Her fire in your keeping, just as you had tools to avoid its coming but did not use them. If you do not quench Her fire, it will consume you. She of the Beer in the Night consumed the wicked of Neni-nisut, and She will not fail to consume wickedness in this year.<br />
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Do not make your flesh desirable to Her. Turn Her wrathful face, as She will not be deterred from what needs to be destroyed. You do not need to be destroyed - unless you choose to be. <br />
<br />
You know how to appease the Great Flame. You know how to bring joy to the Eye. You know how to entice Her to return to Her seat in peace and gladness. We have shown this to you since Zep Tepi. Each year, Anhur and Djehuty bring Her back for dancing and laughing and feasting and great joy of all kinds. The Heka-Speaker of the Two Lands, one who is helpful to you, has shown you how to appease Her. Do not neglect the ritual. Do not neglect to appease the Flame, lest She be out of control.<br />
<br />
Do not wait for the time of the Eye's movement to appease Her. Appease Her in all things, each day. Pray, give good offerings, and create Ma'at, in order that Ma'at will satisfy Her and keep her from your throats. This year is very red. This year add white to the red so that Ma'at is next to the flame, and brings Her peace and appeasement. Wherever you use red in ritual in this year, always place Ma'at next to it, in honor of the Flame and its balance.<br />
<br />
Do Ma'at for all people. There are no exceptions in this year. You must be the Ma'at that is needed. You must act as one, and have compassion for all who have suffered the calamities that came with opening the wrong doors in the year of the Opener. <br />
<br />
His year, once again, has passed. Now you continue your work in Ma'at. The Son of Ra continues to guide you with My blessing, and must be supported in bringing Ma'at to all people everywhere. You must each do this work; it is not solely for the Son of Ra, Beloved of the Netjeru, to do. Do not stop and do not be deterred. Place the Flame in Her proper place in order that She brings the light of Ma'at and not the fire of destruction.<br />
<br />
Deity of the year: Sekhmet-Hethert as Nesret, "She of Flame"<br />
Colors of the year: red and white (or red and white stripes of even size in cloth)<br />
<br />Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-87938230074618155992020-03-20T21:59:00.001-07:002020-03-20T21:59:36.728-07:00A Prayer to Sekhmet for Our TimesIn Kemetic Orthodoxy, we have a great goddess that we call on for health, and for protection against plague. Her name is <i>Sekhmet</i>, the Powerful Woman. As the Eye of Ra, Sekhmet can destroy, and in this case She can destroy the seeds of illness. <br />
<br />
I invite you to join me in adding a prayer to Sekhmet as part of your daily devotions. Following is the prayer I will be saying each day as we battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. You are welcome to share this prayer anywhere you like. I ask only that you note where it comes from, since it is my creation, as an adaptation of a translation of larger ancient rites to Sekhmet for the destruction of illness and evil.<br />
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<i><b>Prayer to Sekhmet against COVID-19<br />
</i>Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siuda, March 20, 2020</b><br />
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O Sekhmet, Eye of Ra,<br />
Powerful Flame,<br />
Protectress of those whom She created,<br />
O Sekhmet Who lights up the land with Her flame,<br />
Who gives life to everyone:<br />
Come, Sekhmet! Free us!<br />
Save us from the misfortunes of this time.<br />
May they never have power over us, forever.<br />
<br />
Powerful One of Fire,<br />
Who makes the virus tremble with fear of Her,<br />
Come to us! Stop all calamity!<br />
May our beginning be life, our middle be health, and our end be strength.<br />
May there be cooperation between us.<br />
May there be protection against all our enemies, living or dead.<br />
Appease in our favor the Great Nine;<br />
Appease in our favor the Lesser Nine;<br />
Appease in our favor all the blessed dead,<br />
as Ra is agreeable to His following,<br />
in this time of our need.<br />
<br />
O Pure Mother,<br />
grant that all of the peoples of our world,<br />
the generations we know and generations still to come,<br />
be pure of all evil contamination,<br />
of all bad winds,<br />
and all bad journeys for this time.Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-1522967272948588822018-08-02T12:13:00.000-07:002018-08-02T12:13:34.161-07:00Aset Oracle, Year 26As <a href="http://www.nisut.org/2014/09/find-me-at-polytheistcom.html">Polytheist.com is on hiatus and "Kemet Today" is not being updated there,</a> I'll post the Kemetic Orthodox Year 26 Oracle of the goddess Aset (Isis) on this website.<br />
<br />
Following is the transcript of the Oracle of the Year delivered to us by the goddess Aset on Her holiday called "Aset Luminous" (occurring on July 2 in Gregorian 2018). Each year, we receive such an oracle to provide wisdom about the Kemetic Orthodox year to come. This year's Wep Ronpet (Kemetic Orthodox New Year, the modern celebration of the ancient Egyptian New Year) occurs on August 5, and this oracle is to cover the next Kemetic year through August 2019. Ra is the protective/guardian deity of this year. The color of the year (to be used in decorating altars or shrines, or for heka purposes to bless and protect) is red. <br />
<br />
Dua Ra! Dua Aset!<br />
<br />
<b>Aset Oracle delivered at Aset Luminous, Regnal Year 25 (2 July 2018), for Kemetic Orthodox Year 26 (5 August 2018 - 30 July 2019)<br />
<i></i></b><br />
<br />
Greetings to you in the time of the renewal of the year, from the Mother of God, Aset the Great, I Who am luminous and strong in the prow of the Boat of Millions, the possessor of that great and terrible secret Ren of Ra that makes Ma’at to be exalted in all Her places. Blessings to those who hear with their ears, and who listen with their hearts, to the words that I address to the people of Ma’at, and the children of the Netjeru everywhere, My children:<br />
<br />
The year is renewed in Sekhmet and Ma’at, in power and truth, in red and white, in blood and light. The year that has passed in djet is truly passed, and is no more. This year is for the judging of what came to pass in the year previous. What have you done? What have you promised? What have you carried out? What were your words and your actions before the Red and the White? Are they justified? Have you passed before the Two Truths, or are you standing shivering and naked in the hall, afraid to face your own consequences to the events of your own making?<br />
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Come before Me, as I am one of the Two Ma’ati, the voice of the voiceless in that hall where all are judged before the Pure One in His Field. Come before Me, and say your words, earn your censure and your praises, and make your amends. Judge yourself and be free. Stop putting your guilty hands on the scales of Ma’at and punishing yourselves. That is not yours to do but Ours. We will dispense Ma’at in its time.<br />
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Ma’at cannot come, because Ma’at is already among you. What remains is for you to assist Her in Her work, to take up your own responsibility and your own power and to carry out Her sentence. Start it in your own life, then move outward. Create a chain of Ma’at so strong that it holds all, and cannot be broken. Do not allow the weakness of any part of the chain to undo the work. Reach out your hands, and seal the breach. If your hands do not join, there can be no joining. If you cannot strive together, you cannot be victorious.<br />
<br />
In this year I send you the Secret Name and the light and the blessing of My Father, Ra, Who calls this year His. You shall shine in His brilliance and be unified in His love, all the created beings under the sun of His divine barques in joy and in interminable blessing, but only if you also join together with His crew to pull the chains of the barque through the hours of the night and past the uncreated. Every hand, every eye, every bit of strength is needed to rise up and support the King of all creation, to hold up His throne as well as the one Who is seated there. <br />
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United you shall not be separated, nor will you suffer. We ask again that you set aside your differences and unite in Ma’at and power before Him. Those who pledge themselves to the Sun cannot be harmed in this year. He rises in Wep Ronpet as Zep Tepi incarnate to illuminate the way. He rises for each of you, in glorious love. He rises, and you live.<br />
Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-47990139586105540652018-06-15T21:34:00.003-07:002018-06-15T21:34:48.198-07:00Official Kemetic Orthodox Statement regarding Immigration in the USAMy official Kemetic Orthodox statement on unjust actions by ICE and Attorney General Jeff Sessions regarding immigrants and refugees is here: <a href="http://www.kemet.org/node/2443">http://www.kemet.org/node/2443 </a> #AbolishICE #ProsecuteICE #FamiliesBelongTogetherRev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-86737903240522949292017-08-08T20:03:00.002-07:002017-08-08T20:05:32.328-07:00Aset Oracle, Year 25As <a href="http://www.nisut.org/2014/09/find-me-at-polytheistcom.html">Polytheist.com is currently on hiatus and thus "Kemet Today" is not being updated there at the moment,</a> we need somewhere to post the Oracle of the goddess Aset (Isis) for the Kemetic Orthodox Year 25. Thankfully this original blog of mine is still functional and available, so here we are. Em hotep (in peace) to all of you once again!<br />
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Following is the transcript of the Oracle of the Year delivered to us by the goddess Aset on Her holiday called "Aset Luminous" about a month ago. Each year, we receive such an oracle to provide information about the Kemetic Orthodox year to come. This year's Wep Ronpet (Kemetic Orthodox New Year, or the ancient Egyptian New Year) was on August 5, and this oracle is in force until next July. The deities Who are considered to be protecting the year are two goddesses: Sekhmet and Ma'at. The colors of the year (to be used in decoration for Their shrines, or for heka purposes to bless and protect this year) are red and white. <br />
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Dua Sekhmet! Dua Ma'at! Dua Aset!<br />
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<b>Aset Oracle delivered at Aset Luminous, Regnal Year 24 (2 July 2017CE), for Kemetic Orthodox Year 25 (5 August 2017CE - 30 July 2018CE)<br />
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Hear the words of the Luminous, Mother of the God and the Great King, She Who is Present in the life of the world as magic, Aset the Very Great. I am She, and I say to you in the year of the Two Princes that the message of this year (editor's note: see the Year 24 Oracle <a href="http://polytheist.com/kemet-today/2016/08/04/aset-oracle-for-year-24/">here</a> for more details) is still valid. It is still true. It still calls out for you to heed it. Have I spoken in vain? Will you not accept this gift of love that I have provided, that all of the Netjeru have given to you as your gift and your birthright? Will you allow your fear and your shame to cause you to deny that which is best and most bright in your secret hearts?<br />
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No more.<br />
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There must be no more thinking of the things that you will do one day. There is no one day for you. There is today, this day. There is what you are, where you are, and when you are, Now. Right now. Cease chasing after an impossible moment because it has not yet come. Now, your present moment in time, the gift of mortal lives, is yours. Until you know immortality, you have no need to chase it. You may as well chase the boat of Ra. You have love, and you have Now. Cease thinking, cease chasing. Be. Be now. Be in Ma’at at the moment of Zep Tepi, your moment of Zep Tepi, your moment of creation. Take this creation into your hands, and take it up. Be it. Live. Love. Be now.<br />
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She is coming and She has come, Mistress of the Blood-Red Garment, Powerful One, the Drinker of the beer-mash in the night. She is coming and She has come, in Ma’at, to destroy destruction, to cease chasing, to end those who defy Ma’at in Her time. The Powerful One has come. Will you rage and rend and split and slaughter? Or will you slake your thirst for vengeance as She did, will you end your quest for vindication and return in glory and beauty, as She-of-Love returned to Her Father once She had wiped the blood from Her maw and the anger from Her hair?<br />
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Appropriate action is not simple, but it is Ma’at. Even this great Sekhmet, She must do Ma’at and She must be Ma’at, in Her time. If even this goddess is subject to Ma’at, how can you think you are above it? How do you think you will escape responsibility? <br />
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Ma’at comes, is coming, has come. This year that opens after Me, I tell you Now, it begins in Sekhmet, and it ends in Ma’at. You will begin in Sekhmet, and you will end in Ma’at. Together Sekhmet and Ma’at make the right, They open the way, They bring things to the balance of judgment. They challenge and build. <br />
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Will you? Will you take up what you love, your lovers, and your Ma’at, and join Them? Or will you be lost in slaughtering? The King Who speaks for the Two Lands, Who sits on My Throne because I will it, has taken Ma’at and given it to the Netjeru, so it can be returned to you. United with the heart of Ma’at, beloved of the Netjeru, the one helpful to people must also be helped, as Ma’at is given and then returned upon the royal altars on behalf of all.<br />
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Do not chase. Do not wander. Do not slaughter without reason. Do not pass your responsibility to another. Do not fail to keep your word. She comes, She is coming, She has come. You are given Now. What you make of Now, is in your hands to make. Make it, then, fully and with all the love that you possess.Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-74711560711020551972014-09-08T15:21:00.001-07:002015-12-23T17:52:35.925-08:00Find me at Polytheist.com!This morning, a new website for interreligious education and community, <a href="http://www.polytheist.com">Polytheist.com</a> , went live.<br />
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I am honored to report that I am among the first ten contributors to this new venture, and that Kemet Today will be hosted at Polytheist.com from now on. As a result of the community encouragement (read: outside pressure to meet posting deadlines), I also expect that I'll be posting on a much more regular basis than I have managed here. This is an excellent thing and I'm very excited for it.<br />
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I encourage you to check out the entire website, but if you want to link directly to my personal page, you can do so via this link:<br />
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<a href="http://polytheist.com/kemet-today/">http://polytheist.com/kemet-today/</a><br />
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Hoping that this is a Zep Tepi and a new beginning for cooperation and understanding between the various polytheists online, and continues to spread to offline and real world interaction as it already started to do this summer. It's about time we began such a journey.Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-10872241501686039102014-07-31T12:05:00.000-07:002014-07-31T12:05:41.778-07:00Aset Oracle, Year 22Year 22 Oracle, spoken at Aset Luminous, 2014<br />
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Awake, Children of Netjer.<br />
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Awake, to see the splendor of Ra. <br />
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Awake, to feel Shu and Tefnut.<br />
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Awake, to walk upon Geb under Nut’s belly.<br />
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Awake, to the care of Wesir, of Heru, of Nebt-het.<br />
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Awaken, to welcome the year that is coming. <br />
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Awaken, Listen, Speak, to the Year that is Mine.<br />
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I am Clever of Speech.<br />
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I am Aset, Great of heka, Mistress of Heaven. <br />
I am all that you think you know. I am nothing like what you think you know.<br />
So too will be this Year.<br />
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This is the year that brings its own heka. <br />
This year will be as simple as the first breath. As simple as one word. <br />
This year will be anything but simple.<br />
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Speech may be clever. Speech may be simple. <br />
Speech may not be clever or simple.<br />
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In this Year, My Year, you may understand what you do, and do not do; what you speak and what you will not speak, what is appropriate for you, and what is not.<br />
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It will not be what you think.<br />
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It will not be simple. Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-86312055624786821742014-07-16T19:05:00.000-07:002014-07-16T19:05:07.630-07:00Organized Modern Polytheism (Keynote Speech, PLC 2014)This past weekend, I had the honor to appear as the keynote speaker (and a guest on several panel discussions) at the first <a href="http://polytheistleadershipconference.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Polytheist Leadership Conference</a>, held in New York state. It was an excellent opportunity to meet with the existing and the rising young leaders in the polytheist world, and the entire experience left me humbled, surprised in some ways, and hopeful for the future of our religious organizations and our people. It was the first religious conference I have ever attended in my adult life where people were genuinely civil to each other, even in cases where there were distinct and sometimes absolutely opposed world views. There was no drama. It was a good indication that polytheists are ready to take their game to an entirely new level, and I'm delighted to have been able to contribute to that process.<br />
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I have more to say on the subject but I need to get over jet lag and really think about it before I can post more. In the meantime, though, I wanted to share some important links for those who were not able to be present, or who might like to see what I did when I was there.<br />
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<a href="http://tamarasiuda.com/PLC2014/plc071114speech.pdf" target="_blank">You can read the keynote speech I gave here</a> (note: it's long), and <a href="http://tamarasiuda.com/PLC2014/plc071114slides.pdf" target="_blank">you can look at a copy of the slides </a>that I projected while I was talking alongside it, here. I hope that we continue to dialogue and have many more opportunities not only to learn what different groups are doing, but learn more about how we can support each other in that work, and take it to the larger world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-66861420296146359272014-07-09T14:27:00.000-07:002014-07-09T14:27:50.412-07:00What a busy July!I'm finishing up the packing and work I need to do to get myself to New York and the <a href="http://polytheistleadershipconference.wordpress.com">Polytheist Leadership Conference</a>, where I will be offering the keynote address. Once it's done, I hope to be able to post some or all of a transcript here, as well as links to any of the presentations I'm taking part in. I'm told that there are quite a few people signed up to attend and more will be signing in at the conference itself. It's not a bad turnout for this first foray into a conference format, and I'm impressed and encouraged by the response to the call for more interreligious work between the polytheistic religions. Here's to an excellent conference and a great beginning.<br />
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Some of my books have been added to the conference auction, and 100% of the proceeds will be going to <a href="https://www.rainn.org/">RAINN</a>. I'm honored to be able to contribute something to that cause on our behalf. If you will be at the PLC, I'll see you soon! If not, there'll be another one next year sometime.<br />
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Next weekend, I'll be celebrating my birthday with the St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society of Los Angeles, at their annual <a href="http://conference.stshenouda.org/16ccnfreg.htm">Coptic Studies conference</a> held at UCLA. This year's conference coincides with the feast day of St. Shenouda himself (Coptic for sa-Netjer, or "son of God"), and should be interesting as always. Looking forward to the lectures and connecting with new and old friends.<br />
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A few days after that, I leave for Chicago, to get ready for our <a href="http://www.kemet.org">House of Netjer</a> Year 22 Wep Ronpet (Kemetic New Year) celebrations. Can't believe we're this close to the end of another Kemetic year again. Lots to do, but it's all very exciting. During this period I'm also putting the final touches on the <i>Ancient Egyptian Daybook</i> so it can be released with the opening of Year 22. More on that at <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tsiuda/the-ancient-egyptian-daybook">the Kickstarter site</a> and the <a href="http://www.egyptiandaybook.com">Daybook official website (preorders/pledges are still available!)</a> over the next week or two.Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-35714808370351109232014-05-05T20:30:00.000-07:002014-05-05T20:30:06.578-07:00Polytheist Leadership Conference, July 11-13, 2014So, this happened....<br />
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I will be the keynote speaker at the very first Polytheist Leadership Conference this summer in upstate New York, just a few weekends before Kemetic New Year and our annual retreat in Chicago.<br />
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You can read more about the conference at the <a href="http://polytheistleadershipconference.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">official website,</a> and about my presentation on organized modern polytheism <a href="http://polytheistleadershipconference.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/our-keynote-speaker/" target="_blank">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-73606227964051640072014-04-11T03:50:00.003-07:002014-04-11T03:50:30.723-07:00Greetings from EuroRetreat!This morning, I'm posting from a conference room in England, during a break in our very first Kemetic Orthodox religious retreat outside of the United States.<br />
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If you'd told me in 1987 that I'd be teaching and sharing information about the ancient Egyptian religion in England, with people from all over the world, I think I would've laughed. There is no way I could've foreseen this happening. It's exciting, and a huge milestone for our religion and our religious community. We have, in one weekend, become a global organization in a literal, non-Internet-based way. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our W'ab priest, Nesyutenmutes, for all that she has done to bring this together in her country; and Rev. Tanebet, who also helped plan and put this together from Germany. Both of them have been dreaming about a European retreat for years, and we've finally made that dream reality.<br />
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So far this morning, we've had a discussion about Kemetic terminology around the deceased (specifically <i>Akhu</i> and <i>Muuet,</i> an expansion of a discussion that the wider temple was already having this past week in our official internet message forum), and some basic talk about apotropaic magic and what we'll be doing over the rest of the weekend. We have a very cozy group as we had some cancellations, but know that we're thinking fondly of everyone who isn't here, and already planning for future European gatherings.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-90545385215306641092013-12-25T22:38:00.000-08:002013-12-25T22:38:46.048-08:00And there were stars: How a time out turned into the nighttime skyHave you ever been angry with other people?<br>
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I'm not talking about being annoyed with one or two particular people, or general frustration. I'm talking about the kind of seething, frothing misanthropy that makes you furious at the human race in general, the kind of rage and disgust that makes you think, "If I never see another human being again, I could live with that." This is the kind of all-consuming anger that makes you sick of trying to get along with anybody, that has you cursing everything and everybody and just wanting to be left alone.<br>
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This is how angry Ra was with human beings, according to <a href="http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~shagin/307destruction.pdf" target="_blank">the myth where Sekhmet was born.</a> In His rage – and mind you, as far as the myth goes, He was right to be angry – He sent Hethert down as the Lioness of the Blood Red Garments and told Her to chew up evil. Then She got carried away, and started chewing up everybody, not just the evil ones. Her rage was "pleasant to her heart," and She would not stop.<br>
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So Ra came up with a clever ruse with the help of a small army of priestesses and a large quantity of beer and hematite powder. Transformed into a lake of "blood," this red-tinted beer was poured out alongside the town where Sekhmet had gone a'slaughtering, and once She found it, She drank it. And once She drank it, She fell asleep. End of angry lion, end of destruction, end of story.<br>
<br><i>Or was it?</i><br>
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<a href="http://www.nisut.org/2013/12/and-there-were-stars-how-time-out.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-4395286204844831832013-11-16T05:50:00.004-08:002013-11-16T06:19:22.002-08:00Nothing that is original can perish: Lady Olivia Robertson, 1917-2013<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Bear with me. This will be long and full of feelings, but these are things I haven't been able to talk about for a very long time. In the spirit of Olivia Robertson, an amazing spiritual woman who always had the knack to be able to be herself without judgment or censorship who passed to the Beautiful West yesterday, I'm going to present my thoughts here, in her honor, and in her memory. I will miss her more than I know how to express.</i></blockquote>
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I read about it in the back of <i>Rolling Stone</i> when I was 13. "<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/fellowshipofisiscentral/" target="_blank">Fellowship of Isis,</a>" the little ad said. "International Goddess organization."<br>
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The ad caught my attention at a curious time. I'd recently lost my maternal grandfather, and his final words to me, "what are you going to do with your life?" were a mandate. I'd asked my parents for a hiatus from church. Sitting in the place where I'd had to watch that funeral was the last place I wanted to be, plus I was dealing with my emotions around well-intentioned but misguided behavior from relatives who suggested in televangelist-fueled wisdom that Grandpa might not have gone to heaven, due to his not having attended church. I didn't blame God or Jesus – I was more than certain that Grandpa was right with Them – but I found myself dissatisfied with a structure that suggested heaven was only something you got if you had enough punches on your churchgoing card.<br>
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It wasn't a typical teenage rebellion. I didn't go running to some opposite. Atheism held no appeal, and neither did Satanism. Instead, I spent a lot of time in the woods, in the library, in solitude thinking about what my grandfather had taught me by his life. I considered every Christian sect and then everything outside Christianity. After my review, I became a Buddhist. Meditation was helpful and I enjoyed the practice, but found myself troubled by that First Noble Truth. While I could agree that life is often suffering...I couldn't agree that it was suffering <i>all the time</i>, that <i>everything</i> was always doomed. I loved the world and the people and things in it too much. And if I couldn't get past the religion's first tenet...well....Of course, <a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/4noble4.htm" target="_blank">now I know better, </a>even having had the honor to speak about it personally with the <a href="http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=380" target="_blank">Dalai Lama</a> once, but that's a story for another day, and I wasn't meant to be a Buddhist apparently.<br>
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So I retreated into the Egyptian mythology I'd read off library shelves since elementary school. I wondered what the world would've been like, had the <a href="http://www.livius.org/aa-ac/actium/actium.html" target="_blank">Battle of Actium</a> ended differently, or Julius Caesar had opted to listen to his wife and stay home on <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/03/120315-ides-of-march-beware-caesar-what-when-shakespeare-quote/" target="_blank">a certain March morning.</a> I wondered whether ancient Egyptian deities even existed anymore.<br>
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And then I saw the ad, and I wrote a letter, and my adventure began.<br>
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<a href="http://www.nisut.org/2013/11/nothing-that-is-original-can-perish.html#more">Read more »</a>Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-12699108945892002092013-08-19T22:20:00.001-07:002013-08-19T22:20:27.358-07:00For the ancestors (Akhu): The Wag-FestivalTonight is the eve of the <a href="http://www.senytmenu.org/ancestors.htm#wag" target="_blank">Wag festival,</a> one of <a href="http://www.freeegypt.info/Pages/414/The-Wag-Festival.html" target="_blank">ancient Egypt's earliest-attested celebrations. </a>Tonight and over the next two days, those who continue to honor the gods of ancient Egypt will tend to the graves of their loved ones, remember their beloved dead, and honor Wesir (Osiris) and various other gods and goddesses associated with life, death, and renewal. <a href="http://peacefulawakenings.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/wag-festival/" target="_blank">Kiya did an excellent job of gathering some sources about Wag (also called Wagy in some texts) last year, </a>and it's worth a read.<br />
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Other than knowing that Wag is to be pronounced to rhyme with "dog," and not "wag" like what that dog's tail does, what else do you need to know about this festival?<br />
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It seems simple: Wag is a little like the <a href="http://www.dayofthedead.com/" target="_blank">Day of the Dead</a> in Mexican tradition, only earlier in the year, and, perhaps sad to say, without a single <a href="http://hello-alva.tumblr.com/post/28165735243/model-anita-golden-half-sugar-skull-egyptian" target="_blank">pharaonic sugar skull</a> in sight. It is a time to <a href="http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/ancestorworship.htm" target="_blank">remember our ancestors, </a>those who have gone before us, and to re-establish our connections with them.<br />
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Many of us will be visiting cemeteries to serve the dead, with offerings or prayers, or even just by helping clean the graves of strangers. We will gather in festival and ceremony to give honor to Wesir, called the "lord of wine" at this time of year as the grapes begin to ripen, and to bake bread and make beer from the first harvest grains. The cycle of life, of grape and wheat and sun and stars and animals and human beings, turns, and we turn with it, in praise and in wonder.<br />
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This year, Wag also coincides with the first full moon of the Kemetic Orthodox new year that began a couple of weeks ago, and thus creates a doubly-strong holiday in honor of Wesir and His silent land.<br />
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What will you do for Wag festival?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-76836316607897594102013-08-16T03:51:00.002-07:002013-08-16T03:51:52.176-07:00There are no words.A month ago, I posted to say <a href="http://www.nisut.org/2013/07/about-egypt.html" target="_blank">a little something about current events in Egypt.</a> I sincerely hoped that the intervening month of Ramadan would cool tempers and promote more discussion amongst various factions.<br /><br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23721584" target="_blank">The events of the last several days</a> have proven me very, very wrong. I don't even know what to say, beyond that I've heard from almost all of our family and friends in Egypt, and they are all right, but the whole situation is discouraging, depressing, and scary.<br />
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I will try to gather my thoughts. In the meantime, I can only hope for something better than violence and chaos for Egypt and every Egyptian. Our new Kemetic <a href="http://www.nisut.org/2013/07/year-21-oracle-of-aset.html" target="_blank">year of Heru-sa-Aset</a> promises that everyone will get what they put into this year, whether it is good or bad.<br />
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We need so much more good to be going on right now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-5866561703638357012013-08-03T22:37:00.000-07:002013-08-16T03:28:57.467-07:00Happy Kemetic New Year! (di wep ronpet nofret)!A little before sunrise this morning, I put on clothing and regalia that I only wear once a year. The jewelry needed polishing, and I'm a little embarrassed to say that my robes are a little tighter than they once fit, but everything was clean and in good order, and once I'd gotten myself into the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=675364692493496&set=a.512280308801936.132273.500259640004003&type=1&theater">official clothes,</a> I headed out of my office and down the hallway at <a href="http://www.tawyhouse.org/">Tawy House</a> to the Truth and the Mother Temple room itself.<br>
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Priests were streaming in and out of the room: bringing in the portable air conditioner, sorting out where the offering mats would go, reading through the ritual scripts to make sure no tool had been forgotten and that no part had been neglected. One of the priests, unable to serve at the altar due to ritual purity requirements, could still serve in another capacity. She stayed downstairs and greeted each member as they entered the building, directing them to where they could change into ritual whites, or wait to be allowed to enter the temple on this most special of all mornings this year. There is always much to do, and many hands to share the work, and that work has incredible meaning.<br>
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This morning, the sun rose for the first time under <a href="http://www.nisut.org/2013/07/year-21-oracle-of-aset.html">Kemetic Orthodox Year 21,</a> under the zep tepi, the "first time," of the new Kemetic year. <br>
<a href="http://www.nisut.org/2013/08/happy-kemetic-new-year-di-wep-ronpet.html#more">Read more »</a>Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-34759241425055526602013-07-31T06:50:00.000-07:002013-08-16T03:29:44.542-07:00Year 21: Oracle of Aset<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Each year, during the Aset Luminous festival, an oracle of the goddess Aset (Isis) is recorded, to discuss the year to come. These years are numbered by Kemetic Orthodox custom beginning at the heliacal rising of Sopdet (Sirius) over the main temple of the faith in Joliet, IL. This year, Wep Ronpet, or the "opening of the year," is marked beginning August 3, 2013. We share the Aset Oracle publicly for anyone who might be interested. This year is to be marked under the special protection and blessing of the god Heru-sa-Aset (Horus, son of Isis and Osiris), and is given the colors white and red, after the two crowns He wears in victory. <i>Dua Aset! Dua Heru-sa-Aset! Nekhtet!</i></div>
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<b>The sky abides.</b></div>
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</div><a href="http://www.nisut.org/2013/07/year-21-oracle-of-aset.html#more">Read more »</a>Rev. Dr. Tamara L. Siudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17062740037568839159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-69997511982189993502013-07-10T06:00:00.000-07:002013-07-10T06:00:04.515-07:00About EgyptI've been asked more than once in the last several days about why I haven't made some sort of official statement about <a href="http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/timeline-egypt-morsy-s-ouster" target="_blank">current events in Egypt,</a> where the first elected president, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18371427" target="_blank">Mohammed Morsi,</a> was removed from office by the military.<br>
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<a href="http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/08/19356446-white-house-rebuffs-calls-to-cut-us-aid-to-egypt-ducks-coup-label?lite" target="_blank">Was it a coup</a>? Is it <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-09/is-permanent-revolution-egypt-s-best-future-.html" target="_blank">bad for democracy</a>? Will things get better? Will <a href="http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/fjp-beblawi-elbaradei-appointments-deal-coup" target="_blank">El Baradei</a> end up being President? Will <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-egypt-a-violent-step-backward/2013/07/08/8d5c2802-e7f7-11e2-a301-ea5a8116d211_story.html">Mubarak-style Egypt somehow come back</a>? What happens to <a href="http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/07/10/tourism-sector-on-unstable-ground/" target="_blank">Egyptian tourism</a>? What about the <a href="http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/04/16/pope-receives-delegation-from-al-azhar/" target="_blank">Copts</a>? Is the <a href="http://www.ikhwanweb.com/" target="_blank">Muslim Brotherhood</a> going to turn into (or go back to being, depending on who you ask) a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/10168917/The-jihadis-are-waiting-in-Egypt.html" target="_blank">terrorist organization</a>?<br>
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Don't you <i>care</i> what's going on in Egypt? Aren't you going to say <i>something</i>?<br>
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<a href="http://www.nisut.org/2013/07/about-egypt.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-84742573837453508942013-06-28T07:00:00.000-07:002013-06-28T07:00:00.856-07:00Book reviews availableI recently learned that two of my books were reviewed (and more than once!). You can check them out here:
<a href="http://paganbookreviews.net/2013/06/24/the-ancient-egyptian-prayerbook-by-tamara-l-siuda/">Ser's review of <i>The Ancient Egyptian Prayerbook</i> </a>
<a href="http://paganbookreviews.net/2013/03/04/the-ancient-egyptian-prayerbook-by-tamara-siuda/">Devo's review of <i>The Ancient Egyptian Prayerbook</i> </a>
<a href="http://paganbookreviews.net/2013/06/24/nebt-het-lady-of-the-house-by-tamara-l-siuda/">Ser's review of <i>Nebt-het: Lady of the House</i> </a>
I was a bit surprised to read that the <i>Prayerbook</i> was interpreted by both reviewers as somehow intended solely for a Kemetic Orthodox audience, as I never intended for it to be just for them. Perhaps that just shows that you can never control how people interpret your work, once it leaves your head. I suppose that it is also easy to mistake me for the religion I founded, though the latter has quite a life of its own.
It is very good, however, to get some feedback and review of the books in the larger world. Many writers don't read their reviews. I understand that motivation; it's not always easy to read negative reactions or be on the receiving end of internet disdain. But I think it's important, if you actually do write for people other than yourself, to have some idea of what interests them, what they respond to, and how. It's not so much to write in a way that caters to them. Unless, of course, that's why you write. The intention of receiving that feedback is to make your next work that much more useful/better/accessible.
Or maybe I'm just a masochist. Who knows?
In any case, I am grateful for the reviews, and for any reviews, of my work.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-25869073950349897372013-05-02T04:00:00.000-07:002013-06-28T01:11:23.878-07:00Two years on...coming back to the Two LandsTwo years ago, I consolidated this blog with my <a href="http://www.tamarasiuda.com">personal website.</a> At the time, it made sense, as I was trying to disengage from a fragmented life, where I wore many hats and functioned as many people in different parts of my life. I was making a statement – <i> I am me, not my job(s)</i> – and I was also trying to simplify my online presence.<br><br>
It worked, for that time. Now, my needs are changing once again, and I've got more to say that specifically applies to the religion I founded, <a href="http://www.kemet.org">Kemetic Orthodoxy,</a> and its main temple, <a href="http://www.netjer.org">The House of Netjer.</a> It's time to have a separate blog for things Kemet again.<br><br>
So I've remade the old site, with a new design, and a new URL, <a href="http://www.nisut.org">nisut.org</a>. This blog will be for things related strictly to my Kemetic faith, and the wonderful people and wondrous deities I get to share that faith with. You'll still want to check out my personal page for information about my various writing projects or my "secular" life, and soon enough, there'll be more content on <a href="http://www.legba.biz">my other religion-related website pertaining to Haitian Vodou,</a> but for now just know that Kemet Today is back, and it's not about two years ago anymore.<br><br>
How's it looking on your browsers and/or your mobile? Let me know. We have the technology to improve it!<br><br>
Looking forward to our future discussions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2358532955111156860.post-56338879000731116292011-05-14T18:13:00.003-07:002013-08-16T03:26:20.097-07:00Blogsolidation - Join me at tamarasiuda.com !Most of the people who will read this, and who know me, are aware that I am involved in a lot more things than just Kemetic Orthodoxy. Some might suggest I'm a polymath; others would say I just have too many curiosities, and both are right.<br />
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I'll be posting from here on out on a new blog at <a href="http://www.tamarasiuda.com/">tamarasiuda.com</a>. Join me there if you like; I'll be talking about more than Kemetic Orthodoxy and Egypt but you can just click on the categories links if you'd rather not read about the other things I ponder.<br />
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Thanks for reading!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0