#Ptah Hotep

[antiquitiesandlabyrinths]

I've created a website where I can properly share my analyzations of the ancient sage Ptah-Hotep, and add context for both my words and his. On this website you can find:

Brief descriptions of Kemetic terminology

An in depth look at the ancient Egyptian aspects of the soul

An overview of ancient Egyptian cosmology

The full script of translations from Christian Jacq's book; both the direct translation and the translation rendered to make more sense in English.

The analyzations of Ptah-Hotep's maxims that I have thus far completed

Outside sources for further independent research

I hope you find the information there interesting and enlightening, and that it pushes you to research more about this wonderful culture and religion.

[mynzah]

Love...Oneness...Heart...

If thou be among people, make for thyself Love, the beginning and end of the heart… ~ Ptah-Hotep (Wisdom of the Egyptians, 1923..Brian Brown) http://www.twitter.com/MYNZAHhttp://www.mynzahosiris.wordpress.comhttp://www.instagram.com/mynzah/http://www.facebook.com/Mynzah/

[highpriestofptah]

AU Huy

Smol outfit design sketch for a roleplay I am part of that takes place in modern times.

[poptod]

A little bit, I suppose! Here are some alternate translations by Christian Jacq:

“If you marry a joyous woman who has a full figure and is well known in her neighborhood, she should, supposing in her opinion the time is right, obey the dual law. Do not part from her and make sure she is well provided for. A woman with a joyous heart controls the life force.”

Direct translation: “If you marry a woman with a full figure, with an open heart and well known to the inhabitants of her town, may she obey the double law if the moment is agreeable for her; do not part from her, and act so that she is nourished. A woman with a joyous heart controls the rising of the waters.”

Another related bit of advice from Ptah-Hotep comes from maxim 21 in which he states,

“if you are a man of quality, build your house, love your wife intensely, marry her according to the customary law, nourish and clothe her. Oil is a remedy for her body. Make her happy all her life; she is the fertile earth, useful to and a light for her husband.

Don’t get involved in legal conflict with her so as to not provoke intense rage. Her furious looks can make the storm worse. Act to keep your wife in your house. If you reject her she will weep. Feminine energy is what feeds her being; what she asks is that a channel be created for the energy of her love to flow.”

Advice from 4500 years ago.

[wanderingskemetic]

𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 Em hotep!

I'm Naru (they/it). I'm a mixture of kemetic polytheist and agnostic, and I'm slowly adding Rasenna polytheism to my practice. I've been interested in Ancient Egypt since elementary school, and my love of it and its history is deeply intertwined with my love of the Netjeru. I'm currently working towards a degree in an ancient history/archaeology related field and may occasionally post about that.

I try to strike a balance between reconstruction and revivalism, using my knowledge of historical practices to guide my practices. However, as a college student, someone with multiple conditions that cause executive functioning issues, and someone who needs to be discreet around some family members, I also focus on keeping things approachable for me.

I am devoted to Djehuty/Thoth and Amun.

I primarily worship Ptah, Menrva, Wesir/Osiris, Aset/Isis, Ra, and Khonsu.

I also frequently worship Bes, Tinia, Uni, Seshat, Het Heru/Hathor, and Sekhmet.

I worship all of the netjeru and aiser as appropriate and desired.

I have some interest and knowledge of Hellenic and Roman polytheism, and thus will occasionally reblog content related to them. I hope to eventually incorporate some Roman deities into my practice, particularly Janus and Angerona.

The Kemetic subtle deity worship masterpost can be found here.

Tags Guide Under Cut

Deities:

Posts about deities are tagged with their name(s). If it's about a synchronized deity (ie Amun-Ra or Ptah-Sokar-Wesir) the synchronized deity will be tagged as will all the deities that make up the synchronization. Any deities that have well known Greek names or popular variations (like Bast and Bastet) are tagged with all popular spellings that I know. Posts involving Heru/Horus will be tagged Heru and Horus and if it's mentioned what Horus (ie Heru Wer, Horus of Behdet, etc.) or I can easily tell (ie it's Horus in child form) that will also be tagged.

Reblogged posts with images of a deity or images that remind me of them are additionally tagged Dua deityname if a Kemetic deity or Sin deityname if a Rasenna deity.

Original Posts:

#Naru's eofferings

#Naru writes--prayers, poems, and similar writings

#Naru answers--answered asks

#Naru's musings--various thoughts on polytheism, tends to be about my personal practice, does not overlap with Naru answers

Resources:

#divination--is broken down into further tags based on divination type

#heka

#prayer--different prayers written by other people

#devotional journal

#deity communication--anything deity communication wise that's not divination

#deity worship references--offering ideas, deity information, etc.

#historical references--historical philosophy, perspectives on the gods, etc.

#research references--research recommendations and tips for researching effectively

#resources--catch all tag for posts that don't fit cleanly into a more specific tag ie discord servers

Others:

#skemeticism--Skepticism, struggles with belief, general atheist/agnostic stuff, etc.

#for fun--memes, jokes, and other things of that sort

#reminders

#wandering into Rasenna polythiesm

#a wandering religio roma encounter

#wandering through helpol

[todaysleap]

Today is March 2 and today's leap is:

The Curse of Ptah-Hotep (S4, E20) March 2, 1957

[madamlaydebug]

"Be not arrogant because of your knowledge. Seek counsel from the ignorant as well as with the wise. For the limits of knowledge in any field have never been set and no one has ever reached them. Wisdom is rarer than emeralds and yet it can be found among the women at the grindstones." ~The Teachings of Ptah-Hotep

[simply02artists]

Shapeshifter Ben sister au:

Whenever Ben and Jenny visit their ammitu khufan relatives, Ptah-hotep, Aziza's dad would try to teach young Jenny how to be patient by introducing her to some hard games that require patience.

Jenny failed her game eight times, and Ptahhotep was like, "Hmm...she needs more practice."

Shapeshifter Ben belongs to @sweetpeaches666

Shapeshift Ben Sister au, aziza, ptahhootep, ammit khufans belongs to me

Ben 10 belongs to man of action.

[poptod]

Hi! So I don’t know if you’re doing asks for fic writing; if you’re not, ignore this entire thing and just know I loved your fic about Ahkmenrah! If you are, read on! <3

Your fic gave me an idea: what if Ahkmenrah had a lover in his past life in Ancient Egypt, and since he saw how alive Teddy and the other wax figures were, he asks for there to be made a statue of them (I’m thinking of his lover being a female, since that’s what was the norm back then [I think??] but it’s whatever). Larry agrees to try and persuades one to be made, as you had an infamous murder or something. Ahkmenrah is super excited and giddy to finally see them after so many years and wants to live the rest of his kind of afterlife with them! But then the ANGST comes in. He kind of overwhelms them in the first moments, and they’re disoriented. They don’t know where they are, how they’re alive, because they know they’re dead, or who the people around them are. It’s established that the exhibits know their past because of Octavius knowing Pompeii, but they feel like they’re two people. It’s a little bit ruined, their entire happy reunion, but eventually it gets fluffy again and Ahk is so excited to show them the new world!

I’m a new fan to Night at the Museum (if you can believe it), and Ahkmenrah is best boi! If you feel like doing it, shoot! If not, then if it’s not too much trouble, please say that so I have closure or…idk. Have a nice whatever time it is!

To be honest... I've done some stories similar to this already! One is more recent and the other is my oldest Ahkmenrah fic, Say My Name. Similar, but not the same. And... sad to say... I don't really write too much for Night at the Museum anymore, although I am still rife with love for it. I'm focused more on historical things! I'm finishing up The Night Grows Dim which will likely be my last long fic for Ahkmenrah for... maybe a long time. And to be honest again, my longer stories already haven't really been about Ahkmenrah for quite some time.

I'm still writing, of course, but my stories coming up take place in Petra around 600 AD, and another one takes place during the Islamic Golden Age. I don't know if I will share them since I doubt people will want to read them here, online. The latter was originally a fanfiction idea for Ahk but I realized it was waaaay too far removed from Ahkmenrah for it to be a fanfiction. He hasn't got the same name, totally different timeline, no familiar characters even from the list of original characters I've used in other Ahkmenrah stories time and time again. So... all my upcoming long stories are original.

I'm also sorry for taking so long to reply to this. I hesitated to say any of this stuff because it kind of feels like letting go of an era! But I still write short fics for Ahk sometimes. I think this fic is a good idea and someone should certainly write it. But my plate is sort of full with my translation works, study of Ptah-Hotep, mapmaking for Egyptian sites, Arabic studies, and other things... thank you for requesting anyway. I hope your day is wonderful. (:

[egypthistoryproject]

Event: Learning from the teachings of Ptah Hotep

Still traveling on my trip through Ancient Egypt, I decided to stop and get some teachings from Ptah Hotep a pharaoh and philosopher. Ptah Hotep has wisdom to share with his kingdom and I wanted to learn from him. One of his many wisdom teaches from his precepts is the saying “O Ptah with the two crocodiles, my lord, the progress of age changes into senility. Decay falls upon a man and decline takes place of youth. A vexation weighs upon him every day………Old age makes a man altogether miserable” (Ptah Hotep,2200BCE). He knows that with old age comes a person losing what is naturally with youth, such as the ability to see, smell, and overall remember things. These teachings are included on two sets of moral and social declarations, that are called “Negative Confessions”. That have been accumulating since the 11th or 12th dynasties, and finally appeared in collected form in book 25 of the texts of “Book of the Dead” from the 18th dynasty (Hertzler, 175). The teaching about old age is to prepare the citizens for when the end is near or when they are dying. And he praise to the God Ptah because the Egyptians got their youth or form from him. He follows up with that goes along with the previous teaching “Beginning of the arrangement of the good sayings, spoken by the noble lord, the divine father, beloved of Ptah, the first son of the king, the first-born of his race, the prefect and feudal lord Ptah Hotep…..It is profitable for him who hears them, it is a loss to him who shall transgress them (Ptah Hotep, 2200BCE). What he is saying is that whoever is listens to his teachings that he gets from Ptah is a blessing for him, but for the ones who don’t hid his warnings is a lost for him. As he is only here to give out advice to the Egyptian population. As I finish up here I leave with a last teaching from him and that is “Inspire not men with fear, else Ptah will fight against you in the same manner.If any one asserts that he lives by such means, Ptah will takes away the bread from his mouth (Ptah Hotep, 2200BCE).

[countxcrimson]

I was doing work for my Western Civilizations class and Ptah-Hotep dropped the realest shit ever

[antiquitiesandlabyrinths]

Kemeticism Under the Advice of Ptah-Hotep:

Maxim 4

This is the final maxim to communicate wisdom upon the subject of arguments and verbal adversaries. We have covered arguments with opponents who are both greater and equal to you, but the fourth maxim explains the proper way to act in an argument with someone who is inferior.

Translation of Maxim 4:

In debate with an opponent who is by no means your equal, do not take advantage of his weakness by attacking him. Let him show his own mediocrity and he himself will provide the rod with which to beat his own back. Resist the temptation to show him up and don't lose your temper. It is despicable to crush an inferior. People will then act according to your wishes, while your adversary will sink in the eyes of the great ones.

Breakdown:

Lesson

Jacq's translation

Direct translation

Do not take advantage of the weaknesses of those inferior to you. Harming someone who does not have the means to protect themselves is against Ma'at.

“In debate with an opponent, who is by no means your equal, do not take advantage of his weakness by attacking him… it is despicable to crush and inferior.”

“…unworthy is the one who harms an inferior man.”

Those inferior to you will show their own mediocrity simply by showing themselves; thus it is best to stay silent and let them reveal themselves.

“Let him show his own mediocrity, and he himself will provide the rod with which to beat his own back.”

“Bring him down to earth, and he will punish himself.”

Resist temptation to prove yourself as better to one you know to be your inferior.

“Resist the temptation to show him up and don’t lose your temper.”

“… may your heart not be aggressive with him because of his weakness… do not answer him to relieve your heart.”

For the final time I would like to press the importance that Ptah-Hotep puts upon control of oneself and, ultimately, the dispelling of pride. Being able to put these ideas into motion within one's own life allows one to see the importance of expression and communication, which is one of the major ideals of Egyptian thought.

The sanctity of words rises above all. Such things as pride and desire can make the art of language sick and twist its' meaning. In Memphite theology and the Egyptian's idea of the universe and cosmology, words held great meaning, and those words written down turned both the writer and their thoughts into immortal pieces of knowledge. No thought left unexpressed by the mouth had any existence or meaning in the world. The last thought to express about these maxims, maxims 2, 3, and 4, deals with control.

When we are able to control ourselves, we control the world. We are able to control how we see the world and our reaction to everything that happens within it. We are able to see and experience our emotions but not act upon the negative ones, or the ones which do not serve us. When we control ourselves, we are able to express ourselves perfectly, and pride does not cloud our vision of the truth.

Ptah-Hotep does not preach an extreme asceticism to follow when wanting to learn how to control yourself. In fact, he preaches very little in terms of teaching one how to become in control. It is up for the individual to find their path and take from the teachings of many to make their way towards the state of imyakh, or im-akh; the state of Blessedness. This unsure path is because Ma'at is fluid and personalized, and takes into account the surrounding circumstances. It is not an unchanging dogma since Her true representation is within balance and harmony, and such things cannot be achieved through strict and rigid dogma or asceticism, though nor can it be reached through extreme pleasure.

This is the underlying message. But I think the most overt message, and one still of great importance, is to realize the power of words. The invention of language has allowed us to express complex thought and with the complexity we have given our human languages, has allowed us to soar beyond the machinations and rituals of other animals on earth. Even further, the invention of writing has allowed us to peer into the past and hear the exact words of people who lived possible thousands of years before us. But being able to express yourself within the parameters of the language you know can be quite difficult, and was considered by Ptah-Hotep to be one of the hardest practices to master. When one is able to express themselves concisely, they are able to communicate the very core of their essence, and the essential thought in their mind. When one is unable to do this, they are misunderstood, and chaos can follow. This is why being able to speak and communicate with the perfect word is a true following and deep understanding of Ma'at, as the absence of the perfect word leads readily to isfet, or chaos.

While at first these last three maxims may seem to simply give advice for particular situations, when one looks deeper, one can discover a great, hidden message within the words of the Vizier Ptah-Hotep. By analyzing the words handed down to us over the millennia, we are able to see true depth of thought within all our ancestors, beyond what simply meets the eye and passes on.

[susansontag]

(Papyrus Prisse. From the sayings of Ptah-hotep, manuscript from ca. 2000 B.C.)

‘We must die because we have known them.’ Die of their smile’s unsayable flower. Die of their delicate hands. Die of women.

Let the young man sing of them, praise these death-bringers, when they move through his heart-space, high overhead. From his blossoming breast let him sing to them: unattainable! Ah, how distant they are. Over the peaks of his feeling, they float and pour down sweetly transfigured night into the abandoned valley of his arms. The wind of their rising rustles in the leaves of his body. His brooks run sparkling into the distance.

But the grown man shudders and is silent. The man who has wandered pathless at night in the mountain-range of his feelings: is silent.

As the old sailor is silent, and the terrors that he has endured play inside him as though in quivering cages.

— Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. Stephen Mitchell, ‘We Must Die Because We Have Known Them’

[ailinn71]

“Presta le tue Orecchie per Ascoltare ed il tuo Cuore per Intendere”

SEKHMET: LA GRANDE GUARITRICE

Sekhmet, Sirio: divinità egizia, dea leonessa, la potente, appartiene al gruppo delle divinità guerriere di Ra.

Protettrice degli dei, lo è anche del Faraone, che sa onorarla e rabbonirla, in modo che la sua forza possente, ben controllata, sia benefica per il regno. Guardiana della soglia, è sempre pronta a dilaniare il profano, o chiunque voglia accostarsi al segreto con il cuore impuro. Rappresenta l'aspetto distruttivo di Hathor, l'esecutrice dell'operazione alchemica in cui il fuoco svolge un ruolo essenziale.

Sekhmet, come l’Atanor, può esplodere distruggendo.

La dea è un Neter guaritore, può porre fine e sconfiggere la malattia. I suoi sacerdoti sono definiti “terapeuti”, che pongono in atto la sua "Magia" tramite il Magnetismo dell'imposizione delle mani, nell'atto rituale.

Congiuntamente a Ptah e Nefertum, Sekhmet appartiene alla triade di Menfi.

Le sono consacrati tutti i felini, gatti compresi. Infatti se ben accolta, la terribile Sekhmet può trasformarsi nella dolce gatta Bastet. La vigile leonessa dal corpo di giovane donna aspettava gli adepti nel labirinto di Karnak. Ai pii ed agli attenti non sfuggiva il rumore dei suoi artigli che graffiavano i pavimenti di pietra inondati dal chiarore lunare. Occorreva coraggio e prudenza, poiché la dea poteva sia sbranare il visitatore che fargli varcare la fatidica soglia. "Sekhmet la cui potenza è grande come l'infinito" (Iscrizione sulle statue della dea).

La dea Hator assume, per ordine di Ra, l'aspetto mortifero della leonessa Sekhmet nel mito della distruzione del genere umano.

Questa funzione distruttrice è rivolta a quella parte di umanità, la Hamamit, che intende percorrere il cammino rigenerativo senza adeguata preparazione, per cui, nel momento che viene risvegliata in modo inadeguato la dea Fuoco, questa si rivolta e distrugge l'intruso.

Ma se, opportunamente preparato, si fa innanzi il Kemut, ecco che essa assume le sembianze del figlio Nefertum, il fuoco rigeneratore, e della dea benefica, la dolce gatta Bastet, che lo condurrà per mano nei Campi Yaru e più su, fino al Seket Hotep,l'Oasi di pace.

Sekhmet, la terribile, diviene così la guaritrice e colei che guida la mente e la mano dei terapeuti/sacerdoti.

Perché si possa divenire terapeuti, cioè portare gli altri al riequilibrio, prima, ed alla guarigione, poi, è indispensabile ripercorrere i sentieri della Tradizione, in generale, e di quella Egizia in particolare.

(di: Carlo Paredi)

[kormanproductions]

Dave and Stacie perfectly time their discussion of Quantum Leap Season 4 "The Curse of Ptah-Hotep" for Friday the 13th :)

[myopinionisimportant]

I wonder if Imhotep's name was a sore point for him? Like sure, everyone wants to have a cool god-name like Ra-hotep, Nut-nefer, Ptah-hotep. And then he's over there being just Imhotep. Gotta suck a little bit.