#cult of aten

[nickysfacts]

All hail Nefertiti, who turned her back on the old ways!𓆸

[egypt-museum]

Cult Stele of King Ahmose

This unique stele commemorates the deceased ruler Ahmose (1539-1515 BC), who inaugurated the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom. The relief style places the stele’s manufacture later in the reign of Tutankhamun (1332–1323 BC). At this time, royal cults were reinstated after the reign of Akhenaten, who wiped out the cults of other gods in favor of worshiping a single deity—the Aten sun disk. It is possible that the stele was a votive offering for King Ahmose that coincided with the reestablishment of his royal cult at Abydos. This stele illustrates how style is used to identify and date objects.

The relief stele depicts King Ahmose, identified by cartouche, offering ritual nw-pots to the god Amun-Kamutef and the goddess Isis. The king wears the Blue Crown or Khepresh with a uraeus and long sash, a broad collar, and a short kilt tied with a sporran with two pendant solar uraei. Before him is an offering table with a libation jar crowned by a lotus flower and bud.

New Kingdom, late 18th Dynasty, ca. 1332-1323 BC.

Now in the Michael C. Carlos Museum. 2018.010.401

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[antiquitiesandlabyrinths]

Nefretiti

Neferneferuaten Nefertiti, or Nofretiti, (14th century BC; 18th dynasty, New Kingdom) is perhaps best well known for her bust, which has become world famous for its' uniqueness and craftsmanship. But Nefertiti played a role in one of the most controversial eras of Egyptian history. She is one of the most well-recorded Queens of ancient Egypt, but very little is known about her actual life besides conjecture.

Let's start with dissecting her name. Most people will divide her name up into the words Nefer and Titi; Nefer being a common word in ancient Egypt meaning beauty and goodness. In actuality, her name is divided up as neferet - iiti, more classically transliterated as Nfr.t-jy.tj. The t belongs to nefer as it is the denomination of a female pronoun in the ancient Egyptian language, and the jy.tj means coming or has come. All together, her name means The Beautiful One Has Come.

Nefertiti is indeed beautiful; she is, as mentioned earlier, one of the most depicted Queens of Egyptian history, with her image appearing on a great number of walls, in carvings and in paintings, and of course, statues. The reason for this is partly due to her marriage to the Heretic Pharaoh, Akhenaten. To understand this connection a little better, one must have some background about the Pharaoh Akhenaten.

Akhenaten and Nefertiti were married close to when Akhenaten was coronated, which was for him around the age of 16 or 18, and for Nefertiti was around the age of 12 to 16. Akhenaten is fairly well known Pharaoh. His controversial history has made sure of that, despite the fact that after he died, the following Pharaohs did everything in their power to rid Egypt of his memory by destroying his city and erasing all images of him. Akhenaten started off as Amenhotep IV––a name which connects him to the Egyptian God Amun, often associated with the sun, but representing hiddenness, and one of the highest and most powerful Gods of Egypt. The cult of Amun at the time of the New Kingdom was perhaps the most widespread cult of worship in Egypt, and the 18th dynasty, to which the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV belongs, is the first dynasty of the New Kingdom.

This was, apparently, unsatisfactory for the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV. Still, for the first 5 years of his reign, he followed Amun's cult, until he made a dramatic religious change to worship of the Aten; a new God that represented the sun disc. Aten was a faceless God, and the first mention of the word aten was in the Old Kingdom, and back then, it meant 'disc'. While Aten was worshipped as a mere aspect of Ra, the Sun God, in Amenhopte IV's father's (Amenhotep III) reign, Amenhotep IV decided that the Aten should be the primary deity worshipped. Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten, and worshipped the Aten above all else, as the nurturer of the world, the creator, and the giver of life. This would've likely been fine; however, Akhenaten decided that the Aten should be the only God worshipped, and banned the worship of all other Gods.

Ancient Egypt had been polytheistic since it's very earliest beginnings. Akhenaten essentially introduced monotheism out of nowhere and insisted all his subjects follow him in his new faith, outlawing all other worships, and forcing many priests to abandon the temples of other Gods. Additionally, ancient Egyptians were very accustomed to using an image to worship a God; the image usually being an animal, human, or an animal-headed human. But the Aten was a disc. Although the Aten had been worshipped in Amenhotep III's reign as a falcon-headed solar deity, Akhenaten insisted that the Aten be only shown as a disc with rays reaching out, with small hands on each ray.

Obviously, this caused a lot of dissent in Egypt and the following reigns.

Another interesting point of contention was the fashion in which the Aten interacted with the royal family. In the past, the Pharaoh was connected to the Gods more than any other human––he was the bridge between the two worlds, and the mediator between humanity and the Gods. This was, generally, not a task shared by the whole of the royal family. But in Atenism, the Aten would only shine its life-giving rays onto the Pharaoh and his royal wife; in this case, Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Thus the people, if they wanted to experience the life and love of the only, legally worshippable God, would have to go through the Pharaoh and his wife. This power would've likely, at least in part, been given to the royal family in order to cement their changes, and protect them from any backlash.

This massive change in culture and religion had great affects on ancient Egypt at the time. The style of ancient Egyptian art changed drastically, and the figures of the royal family were now represented as sinuous and gangly, often with large, sagging bellies and breasts, and curved, graceful facial features. Since Akhenaten and Nefertiti, as the royal family, were so important to this new religion of Atenism, the two of them were depicted in a number of scenes––many of them unique to the Amarna period, which is the name for the period in which Atenism was installed. These scenes were familial in nature; depicting the royal couple sitting with their children and bathing in Aten's life-light, throwing gifts down to the people, and engaging with one another. This is one of the main reasons that Nefertiti is the most widely-depicted Queen of Egypt. Not only is she depicted often as the wife of Akhenaten, but she is drawn in her own right––she makes offerings to the Aten on her own, and there are depictions of her smiting the enemies of Egypt, which is a role traditionally given solely to the Pharaoh.

Another piece of evidence for the high status of Nefertiti comes from this famous depiction of the royal Amarna family:

Here, Nefertiti sits on the right side, opposite her husband, Akhenaten. Akhenaten is holding up one of his children, and Nefertiti holds another two children; three of the six daughters that Nefertiti would bear for Akhenaten. The children are depicted in an almost grotesque, alien fashion, though it's not something you can really fault the artists for; it took a long time for artists across the world to realize that babies are not, in fact, just tiny humans, and that their proportions are different. Still, the style of the Amarna period is not helpful; with their large, oval heads, thin limbs, and sagging stomachs, it is difficult to imagine that anyone could be traditionally, Egyptian beautiful. Yet there is still a strange beauty to it; the sagging bellies are meant to call to mind Hapi, a God of great fertility, and the artist's ability to capture the facial features and emotions of their subject is amplified by this new and forgiving artstyle.

This image is a house altar. What that means is that people were encouraged, and evidentially did, worship the royal family in their homes, which is somewhat unprecedented. House altars were usually for Gods such as Tawaret and Bes, who were protectors of the household. But now, with traditional Egyptian religion banned, the typical house altar was now a shrine to Akhenaten and Nefertiti, and by extension, their children, which again shows the importance and power bestowed upon not just the Pharaoh, but his wife as well, as the two are represented in equal size.

Another interesting note about this particular house altar is the thrones on which Akhenaten and Nefertiti are seated. While Akhenaten's seat is mostly blank, Nefertiti is seated upon a throne reserved only for Pharaohs, the reason for this being the decorations which depict the Sema-Tawy ritual; the conjoining of the two lands.

Some time during the course of Akhenaten's reign, he decided to move the capital of Egypt to a deserted stretch of land along the Nile Valley, and called the new city Amarna, for which the period was named after. Here, the royal family took up residence, and this is where the cult center of the Aten would carry out its worship. This is also where Akhenaten royally screwed up his duties in foreign diplomacy, but that is a story for another day.

Before moving to Amarna, Nefertiti had three daughters in Thebes, the previous capital, and three more daughters in Amarna. In order, her daughter's names were Meritaten, Meketaten, and Ankhesenpaaten; then in Amarna, Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, and the youngest, Setepenre. It was to a lesser wife of Akhenaten's that the famous boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun was born, and originally, his name was Tutankhaten.

During his reign, when concerning Nefertiti, Akhenaten placed special attention upon her and loved her dearly, which is why she was one of the most powerful Queens of Egypt. Akhenaten described her as "possessed of charm" and "sweet of love", that "one is happy to hear her voice," and that "contents the Aten with her sweet voice". The two husband and wife were rarely depicted separately, and Akhenaten gave Nefertiti the title of 'heiress', although she was not the daughter of a King. Instead, what many scholars believe Akhenaten meant by this, was that she was to be his successor.

After Akhenaten's death, two Pharaohs ruled for a short time before Tutankhamun took over, and one of those Pharaohs is believed to have possibly been Nefertiti under the name of Neferneferuaten, which means beautiful is the beauty of the Aten. It is still debated whether this was in fact Nefertiti, but given that Nefertiti had given herself the name Neferneferuaten far before Akhenaten's death, and the elvated status gifted by her husband, it seems somewhat likely.

In essence, due to the circumstances of her life and her husband, Nefertiti was elevated to a status that never came before or after her life. Women in ancient Egypt were awarded the same rights as a man, but the wife of the Pharaoh was never depicted as equal to the Pharaoh in such a fashion, as being Pharaoh meant being the intermediary between the heavenly and the earthly, and was a special accorded honour. Nefertiti, perhaps due in part to her charisma and beauty, was given a position equal to the Pharaoh, which never happened unless it was a woman who was becoming Pharaoh. As controversial as Akhenaten's reign was, he did love his wife greatly.

I want to share my opinion on this subject a little, which is essentially to say, that I don't like Akhenaten and I don't try to hide it. His worship of the Aten is alright, but it is the banning of all other worship which rests very uneasily in me. That being said, there is a good source which goes more into detail about Nefertiti, and it is very pro-Akhenaten and anti-ancient Egyptian religion, instead glorifying the monotheism of Atenism and such. Still, it is a valuable resource; Nefertiti and Cleopatra: Queen-monarchs of Ancient Egypt, by Julia Samson, and can be found on Internet Archive here.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Ancient Egyptian Art Vocabulary

for your next poem/story

Amulet - small token, for example a hieroglyphic symbol or figurine of a god, that is believed to provide magical protection or another kind of benefit to its wearer

Amun - god of Thebes, “the hidden one,” shown in human form with a tall crown of feathers. Sacred animals are the ram and the goose.

Amun-Re - from the Middle Kingdom onward this fusion of Amun and Re is the preeminent deity, combining in a single entity all the characteristics of the creator and sustainer of the world

Ankh - hieroglyphic sign meaning “life” and “to live”

Anubis - god of embalming, protector of the deceased, guardian of the cemetery

Atef crown - resembles the crown of Upper Egypt with an ostrich plume on each side and horizontal ram’s horns underneath; worn by Osiris, to symbolize his triumph over death, and by the king in certain rituals

Aten - solar disk; under Akhenaten worshiped as the medium through which the divine power of light comes into the world

Atum - “the undifferentiated one”; according to myth, the primeval being and creator of the world; also god of the setting sun

Ba - the spiritual part of a deceased person that has the ability to act and move about. The ba of a god can be translated as that god’s efficacy. In art the ba of a deceased person appears as a human-headed bird.

Bas relief - low relief in which the images are raised from the background, which has been cut away

Bastet - goddess of the city of Bubastis in the delta, depicted as a cat or as a human with a cat’s head; often understood as the benign counterpart of Sakhmet

Bes - protective dwarf deity with a monstrous face and a lion’s ruff; a household god who averts evil, especially at times of childbirth, and is in charge of sexual life

Blue crown - the khepresh, a helmet-shaped crown frequently worn by kings from the New Kingdom on, usually colored blue

Canopic jars - funerary jars containing organs removed from the mummy; these were made in sets of four to contain the lungs, stomach, liver, and intestines

Cartonnage - a material made of layers of gummed linen or papyrus and plaster; a medium for mummy masks and coffins

Cartouche - oval frame (meant to indicate a tied rope) in which the birth and throne names of the king are written

Crook and flail - from the early Old Kingdom onward, part of the king’s paraphernalia also held by Osiris. Originally the crook probably derived from a shepherd’s stick; as a hieroglyph it signified the word “ruler.” The flail resembles a fly whisk.

Cult symbol - symbol of a deity, often itself an object of veneration

Cursive - a style of writing in which successive characters are joined and angles are rounded

Demotic - a cursive form of hieroglyphic writing developed in the seventh century B.C., written from right to left

Source ⚜ More: Word Lists

[talonabraxas]

"Splendid You rise in the lightland of the sky, O living Aten, creator of life ! You have dawned in the eastern lightland. You fill every land with your beauty." -Great Hymn to the Aten, 1-4.

Aten/Aton Talon Abraxas

Ancient Egyptian Aten: Sun God And Creator Deity Symbols: sun disk, heat and light of the sun Cult Center: Akhetaten (Tel El-Amarna) Aten was a being who represented the god or spirit of the sun, and the actual solar disk. He was depicted as a disk with rays reaching to the earth. At the end of the rays were human hands which often extended the ankh to the pharaoh. Aten's origins are unclear and he may have been a provincial Sun-god worshipped in one of the small villages near Heliopolis. Aten was called the creator of man and the nurturing spirit of the world. In the Book of the Dead, Aten is called on by the deceased, "Hail, Aten, thou lord of beams of light, when thou shinest, all faces live." It is impossible to discuss Aten without mentioned his biggest promoter, the pharaoh Amenhotep IV, or Akhenaten. Early in his reign, Akhenaten worshipped both Amon (the chief god in Thebes at the time) and Aten. The first as part of his public duties, the latter in private. When he restored and enlarged the temple of Aten first built by his father Amenhotep III, relations between him and priests of Amon became strained. The priests were a major power in Egypt and if another god became supreme they would lose their own prestige. Eventually, relations became so strained that Akhenaten decided to built his own capital by the Nile, which he called, "Akhetaten", the Horizon of the Aten. At Akhetaten, Akhenaten formed a new state religion, focusing on the worship of the Aten. It stated that Aten was the supreme god and their were no others, save for Akhenaten himself. It has been said that Akhenaten formed the first monotheistic religion around Aten. However, this is not the case. Akhenaten himself was considered to be a creator god and like Aten was born again every day. Aten was only accessible to the people through Akhenaten because Akhenaten was both man and part of the cosmos. Akhenaten systematically began a campaign to erase all traces of the old gods, especially Amon. He erased the name of Amon from the temples and public works. He even went so far as to erase his own father's cartouche because the word "Amon" was featured in it. Even the word "gods" was unacceptable because it implied there were other deities besides Aten. It is clear that the Egyptian people never accepted their king's religion and view of the world. Even at his own capital, Akhetaten, amulets featuring Bes and Tauret have been found. Following Akhenaten's death, Atenism died rapidly. Mostly because the people never really believed in it and also because Akhenaten's successors did all they could to erase Akhenaten and Aten from the public eye. Eventually, Akhetaten became abandoned and the name "Akhenaten" conjured the dim memory of a "heretic king."

[whencyclopedia]

The Art of the Amarna Period

Of all the pharaohs who ruled ancient Egypt, there is one in particular that stands out from the rest. Over the course of his 17-year reign (1353-1336 BCE), Akhenaten spearheaded a cultural, religious, and artistic revolution that rattled the country, throwing thousands of years of tradition out the window and imposing a new world order. After his death his name was omitted from the king lists, his images desecrated and destroyed. From the surviving fragments of evidence, Egyptologists have pieced together the story of his life and reign, a period of spiritual upheaval and experimentation unlike any other in Egyptian history. Under his supervision, Egyptian art underwent a monumental transformation, with centuries of rigid convention abandoned in favor of a new, highly stylized artistic approach imbued with divine meaning.

EARLY REIGN OF AMENHOTEP IV

The second son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Akhenaten (originally Amenhotep IV) was never meant to be king. His elder brother, Prince Thutmose, was heir apparent, but after his untimely demise, young Amenhotep found himself thrust into the political spotlight. Following a brief period of co-regency, Amenhotep III died in 1353 BCE, and Amenhotep IV ascended to the throne. With his Great Wife Nefertiti by his side, the new pharaoh began what appeared to be a conventional reign: he dedicated monuments to Amun, added to the temple complex at Karnak, and even held a Sed festival in Regnal Year 3. However, Amenhotep IV's rule was anything but ordinary, and before long the king began to let his true colors show. The pharaoh was a fanatical devotee of Aten, a deity representing the physical form of the sun disk. Unlike most other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Aten had no human characteristics and took no anthropomorphic form. Under Amenhotep's direction, this fringe cult soon became the largest religious sect in Egypt.

In Regnal Year 5, the pharaoh dropped all pretense and declared Aten the official state deity of Egypt, directing focus and funding away from the Amun priesthood to the cult of the sun disk. He even changed his name from Amenhotep ('Amun is Satisfied') to Akhenaten ('Effective for the Aten,') and ordered the construction of a new capital city, Akhetaten ('The Horizon of Aten') in the desert. Located at the modern site of Tell el-Amarna, Akhetaten was situated between the ancient Egyptian cities of Thebes and Memphis on the east bank of the Nile.

Continue reading...

[walterdecourceys]

mutuals do we have opinions about whether the like ~70 year period where the pharaoh instituted worship of aten exclusively counts as the first historical record of monotheism. because i feel like technically yes but it's more of an "erm actually" situation than the actual origin of modern monotheistic practice. in my mind it's more connected to greek mystery cults than ancient judaism

[a-d-nox]

akhenaten, heretic pharaoh of egypt (asteroid 326290)

Akhenaten (sometimes referred to as Ikhnaton and/or Khuenaten) was a pharaoh of Egypt - his name translates to "successful" or "great use to" the god Aten (sometimes written as Aton). As we have discussed in his wife's post, the two were involved in the cult of Aten. He was remarked as the "heretic king" who abolished traditional religious rites and monotheistic in Egypt at the time. One of his biggest plans was to have an entire city built completely dedicated to worshipping Aten - Amarna. This plan was enacted as many open-air temples built from limestone were erected. This new belief system notably weakened the economy of Egypt at the time. The end of his reign is rather murky sadly. It is unclear if he passed from a genetic disorder (he is depicted with an elongated head); some believe he had Marfan's or Froelich's Syndrome, others believe the depiction of his head was artistic preference. It was rather shortly after Akhenaten's death that the religious cult and Amarna was abandoned completely. IN MY OPINION Akhenaten in your chart can represent a) where you experience cult like obsession, b) where your beliefs do not align with the majority of those around you, c) where your obsession results in other areas of your life falling apart (aspects will tell you where/which), and/or d) where the results of your time in power are quickly taken apart when you are no longer in charge.

i encourage you to look into the aspects of akhenaten along with the sign, degree, and house placement. for the more advanced astrologers, take a look at the persona chart of akhenaten AND/OR add the other characters involved to see how they support or impede akhenaten!

OTHER RELATED ASTEROIDS: nefertiti (3199) and aten (2062)!

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[ashkav]

(Re; Your theory about Rainy's baby) Omg, I somehow missed it in the tag, unbelievable 😖

I think it's very smart! I like the contrast between Rainy's baby in the samurai and Dollman in his small body. You're right about Rainy's pregnancy, I can't see it going well for both of them in any way 😭 the spirit of a baby piloting a giant, deadly samurai is such a kojimism, I can totally see it happening 😭

I'm working on a theory about Higgs' cult being based on the Ancient Egyptian cult of Aten, with Higgs being the equivalent of Akhenaten; Well, in this theory, Rainy would be a stand-in for Nefertiti, Akhenaten's wife- Higgs "married" Rainy so that she would give birth to his heir (not his biological child- I don't think he can have kids lol. Rainy is probably a pregnant widow or smth). But what's interesting is that Tutankhamun, Akhenaten's son, actually ended the cult of Aten and brought back the old gods. I'm saying it all to ask: Do you think that Rainy's baby has some paticular grudge towards Higgs? Or were they just trying to protect Sam?

I remember that when the state of play trailer came out, Kojima released posters for all the characters, samurai included, like they're supposed to be a reocurring character- just some more proof for your theory :D

ah thank you! I felt a bit like a crazy person putting it all together lol.

omg that would be so insane if true. I did feel like Higgs's ancient Egyptian obsession was a bit of a missed opportunity in the first game - apart from the visual nod in his costuming and some things in his room, it was barely mentioned. I think it would be awesome if they leaned harder into it all in the second game, since he's now possibly a cult leader spreading the religion of Amelie. That plus confronting your own death probably opens you up spiritually, right?

That's a really good question! I have two ideas:

first being that Rainy and/ or her partner nearly joined Higgs's cult and during this time Higgs got really really interested in Rainy's pregnancy (possibly because he was thinking of trying to form a new kind of BB?) until the death of Rainy's partner made her run away and Fragile, having first hand experience at being fucked over by Higgs, took her in. In this instance, I think the baby would have a personal grudge against Higgs himself, as possibly their first memories are of Higgs causing the death of their father and pain to their mother.

second idea is direct baby to baby communication. We know Lou is still (somehow) in the pod, just in a weird BT looking way, though much more conscious (as she can still respond to Sam and is capable of emotion unlike every other BT). since she doesn't seem to be in the pod all the time, just showing up sometimes, I think it would be possible for her to just... float around, maybe make friends with the only other baby around, figure out a way of communicating that doesn't require words. From there, Lou asks the baby for help in a desperate moment when she thinks Sam is in danger and the Samurai shows up to rock Higgs's shit for trying to hurt their only friend's dad.

[weiner-enjoyer]

my latin teacher saw me draw a very aggressive sun disk (of aten) and his immediate response was to recommend me a liminal analog horror series, not before grimacing at the cult-like behavior in front of him

[templeofoccultpractices]

Aten

Other names:Aton, Atonu, or Itn

Major cult center:Amarna

Symbol:Sun disk and reaching rays of light.

Domain:Sky and sun

Aten also Aton, Atonu, or Itn was the focus of Atenism, the religious system established in ancient Egypt by the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh  Akhenaten. The Aten was the disc of the sun and originally an aspect of Ra, the sun god in traditional ancient Egyptian religion. Akhenaten, however, made it the sole focus of official worship during his reign. In his poem "Great Hymn to the Aten", Akhenaten praises Aten as the creator, giver of life, and nurturing spirit of the world. Aten does not have a creation myth or family but is mentioned in the  Book of the Dead. The worship of Aten was initially dismantled by  Tutankhamun and later eradicated by Tutankhamun's former military general Horemheb.

The cult-centre of Aten was at the new city Akhetaten; some other cult cities include Thebes and Heliopolis. The principles of Aten's cult were recorded on the rock walls of tombs of Amarna. Significantly different from other ancient Egyptian temples, temples of Aten were open-roofed to allow the rays of the sun. Doorways had broken lintels and raised thresholds. No statues of Aten were allowed; those were seen as idolatry.However, these were typically replaced by functionally equivalent representations of Akhenaten and his family venerating the Aten and receiving the ankh (breath of life) from him. Priests had less to do since offerings (fruits, flowers, cakes) were limited, and oracles were not needed.

Worship

In the worship of the Aten, the daily service of purification, anointment and clothing of the divine image was not performed. Incense was burnt several times a day. Hymns sung to Aten were accompanied by harp-music. Aten's ceremonies in Akhetaten involved giving offerings to Aten with a swipe of the royal scepter. Instead of barque-processions, the royal family rode in a chariot on festival days. Elite women were known to worship the Aten in sun-shade temples in Akhetaten.

Religion

The solar Aten was extensively worshipped as a god in the reign of Amenhotep III when it was depicted as a falcon-headed man much like Ra. In the reign of Amenhotep III's successor, Amenhotep IV, the Aten became the central god of the Egyptian state religion, and Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten to reflect his close link with the new supreme deity.

The principles of Aten's religion were recorded on the rock tomb walls of Akhetaten. In the religion of Aten (Atenism), night is a time to fear. Work is done best when the sun, Aten, is present. Aten cares for every creature, and created a Nile river in the sky (rain) for the Syrians.Aten created all countries and people. The rays of the sun disk only holds out life to the royal family; everyone else receives life from Akhenaten and Nefertiti in exchange for loyalty to Aten. Aten is depicted caring for the people through Akhenaten by Aten's hands extending towards the royalty, giving them ankhs representing life being given to humanity through both Aten and Akhenaten. In Akhenaten's Hymn to Aten, a love for humanity and the Earth is depicted in Aten's mannerisms:

Aten bends low, near the earth, to watch over his creation; he takes his place in the sky for the same purpose; he wearies himself in the service of the creatures; he shines for them all; he gives them sun and sends them rain. The unborn child and the baby chick are cared for; and Akhenaten asks his divine father to 'lift up' the creatures for his sake so that they might aspire to the condition of perfection of his father, Aten

Akhenaten represented himself not as a god, but as a son of Aten, shifting the previous methods of pharaohs claiming to be the embodiment of Horus. Akhenaten positioned himself as the only intermediary who could speak to Aten. This contributes to the belief that Atenism should be considered a monotheistic religion where "the living Aten beside whom there is no other; he was the sole god".

There is only one known instance of the Aten talking, "said by the 'Living Aten': my rays illuminate…"

Aten is an evolution of the idea of a sun-god in Egyptian mythology, deriving a lot of his concepts of power and representation from the earlier god Ra but building on top of the power Ra represents. Aten carried absolute power in the universe, representing the life-giving force of light to the world as well as merging with the concept and goddess Ma'at to develop further responsibilities for Aten beyond the power of light itself.

Iconography

Aten, by nature, was everywhere and intangible because he was the sunlight and energy in the world. Therefore, he did not have physical representations that other Egyptian gods had; he was represented by the sun disc and reaching rays of light. The explanation as to why Aten could not be fully represented was that Aten was beyond creation. Thus the scenes of gods carved in stone previously depicted animals and human forms, now showed Aten as an orb above with life-giving rays stretching toward the royal figure. This power transcended human or animal form.

Later, iconoclasm was enforced, and even sun disc depictions of Aten were prohibited in an edict issued by Akhenaten. In the edict, he stipulated that Aten's name was to be spelt phonetically.

──────⊰In Workings⊱──────

Ideas for honoring or working with/worshipping Aten

*Please know basic protections and energy work before attempting any deity work.*

*It is important to note that everyone's experiences are different and will work with spirits for different reasons. Some people may like a spirit while others will not and that's okay. Ask these spirits what they will work with you on as well as ask them if they can help you with whatever it is you need.*

Aten representing the sun itself. Giving life to all things and providing for nature. Appreciation for the light Aten gives.

During Amenhotep-Akhenatens reign using any form of statue was seen as idolatry. So it's entirely up to you if you find it appropriate or not to have one for Aten. It may be appropriate to do outdoor offerings since Aten is the sun itself.

Altar

Make alter outside or under a window or skylight.Burn Inscence.

⬩Altar cloth (maybe one of the sun)

⬩Chalice or cup

⬩Offering bowl

⬩Yellow or white candles (you can use any color)

⬩Incense and incense burner

⬩No statues were used but that's up to you

For more information on basic deity work and altar setups check out the deity work post.

Basic offerings:Bread, Cakes, Flowers, Frankincense, Fruits, Myrrh, Water

Rituals

Say or sing Atens hymn and play harp music. Use a wand or sceptre and wave it in front of the sun.

⬩Honoring the sun

⬩Summer solstice

Great Hymn to the Aten

Thou appearest beautifully on the horizon of heaven,

Thou living Aton, the beginning of life!

When thou art risen on the eastern horizon,

Thou hast filled every land with thy beauty.

Thou art gracious, great, glistening, and high over every land;

Thy rays encompass the lands to the limit of all that thou hast made:

As thou art Re, thou reachest to the end of them;

(Thou) subduest them (for) thy beloved son.

Though thou art far away, thy rays are on earth;

Though thou art in their faces, no one knows thy going.

When thou settest in the western horizon,

The land is in darkness, in the manner of death.

They sleep in a room, with heads wrapped up,

Nor sees one eye the other.

All their goods which are under their heads might be stolen,

(But) they would not perceive (it).

Every lion is come forth from his den;

All creeping things, they sting.

Darkness is a shroud, and the earth is in stillness,

For he who made them rests in his horizon.

At daybreak, when thou arisest on the horizon,

When thou shinest as the Aton by day,

Thou drivest away the darkness and givest thy rays.

The Two Lands are in festivity every day,

Awake and standing upon (their) feet,

For thou hast raised them up.

Washing their bodies, taking (their) clothing,

Their arms are (raised) in praise at thy appearance.

All the world, they do their work.

All beasts are content with their pasturage;

Trees and plants are flourishing.

The birds which fly from their nests,

Their wings are (stretched out) in praise to thy ka.

All beasts spring upon (their) feeet.

Whatever flies and alights,

They live when thou hast risen (for) them.

The ships are sailing north and south as well,

For every way is open at thy appearance.

The fish in the river dart before thy face;

Thy rays are in the midst of the great green sea.

Creator of seed in women,

Thou who makest fluid into man,

Who maintainest the son in the womb of his mother,

Who soothest him with that which stills his weeping,

Thou nurse (even) in the womb,

Who givest breath to sustain all that he has made!

When he descends from the womb to breathe

On the day when he is born,

Thou openest his mouth completely,

Thou suppliest his necessities.

When the chick in the egg speaks within the shell,

Thou givest him breath within it to maintain him.

When thou hast made him his fulfillment within the egg, to break it,

He comes forth from the egg to speak at his completed (time);

He walks upon his legs when he comes forth from it.

How manifold it is, what thou hast made!

They are hidden from the face (of man).

O sole god, like whom there is no other!

Thou didst create the world according to thy desire,

Whilst thou wert alone: All men, cattle, and wild beasts,

Whatever is on earth, going upon (its) feet,

And what is on high, flying with its wings.

The countries of Syria and Nubia, the land of Egypt,

Thou settest every man in his place,

Thou suppliest their necessities:

Everyone has his food, and his time of life is reckoned.

Their tongues are separate in speech,

And their natures as well;

Their skins are distinguished,

As thou distinguishest the foreign peoples.

Thou makest a Nile in the underworld,

Thou bringest forth as thou desirest

To maintain the people (of Egypt)

According as thou madest them for thyself,

The lord of all of them, wearying (himself) with them,

The lord of every land, rising for them,

The Aton of the day, great of majesty.

All distant foreign countries, thou makest their life (also),

For thou hast set a Nile in heaven,

That it may descend for them and make waves upon the mountains,

Like the great green sea,

To water their fields in their towns.

How effective they are, thy plans, O lord of eternity!

The Nile in heaven, it is for the foreign peoples

And for the beasts of every desert that go upon (their) feet;

(While the true) Nile comes from the underworld for Egypt.

Thy rays suckle every meadow.

When thou risest, they live, they grow for thee.

Thou makest the seasons in order to rear all that thou hast made,

The winter to cool them,

And the heat that they may taste thee.

Thou hast made the distant sky in order to rise therein,

In order to see all that thou dost make.

Whilst thou wert alone,

Rising in thy form as the living Aton,

Appearing, shining, withdrawing or aproaching,

Thou madest millions of forms of thyself alone.

Cities, towns, fields, road, and river --

Every eye beholds thee over against them,

For thou art the Aton of the day over the earth....

Thou are in my heart,

And there is no other that knows thee

Save thy son Nefer-kheperu-Re Wa-en-Re,

For thou hast made him well-versed in thy plans and in thy strength.

The world came into being by thy hand,

According as thou hast made them.

When thou hast risen they live,

When thou settest they die.

Thou art lifetime thy own self,

For one lives (only) through thee.

Eyes are (fixed) on beauty until thou settest.

All work is laid aside when thou settest in the west.

(But) when (thou) risest (again),

[Everything is] made to flourish for the king,

Since thou didst found the earth

And raise them up for thy son,

Who came forth from thy body: the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Ak-en-Aton, .and the Chief Wife of the King Nefert-iti, living and youthful forever and ever.

𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓

For more content relating to other practices/religions or pantheons follow my main blog for updates or ask me anything

If you have any more questions or wish to join a community feel free to join my 18+ discord server

[ghostly-wisteria-tea]

One thing I like to try to explore is the huge diversity of the Egyptian Pantheon, and the vast history of the "Moon Knights". There is no exclusivity in the name.

Basically, Marc doesn't own/trademark name and isn't the only Knight as there is. He is just one on hundreds.

Khonshu isn't alone either. He doesn't solely own the Moon, Vengeance and the night sky association alone. There is Ptah, Yah, as well as Thoth and Osiris. So technically if you see a man with a crescent moon, it doesn't always mean that he is a follower of Khonshu, it could mean he is a follower of Ptah or Thoth. Or Artemis.

Vengeance is also mainly associated with Petbe and Horus.

Petbe is the God of Vengeance in antiquity while Horus is also called the "Avenger" for fighting Set over the murder of Osiris.

And the night sky mostly belongs to Nut (pronounced as Newt sometime). The embodiment of the night sky itself.

Infact there are like 200 gods so seeing the Ancient Egyptian world through the eyes of a foreign monotheistic belief is really, really inaccurate and wrong.

Really the first time someone tried to force the monotheism belief on the pantheon, it traumatized the entire nation to it's core because of all the bans, arrests and forced worship.

See Akhenaten and the Aten (Sun disk) Cult.

Khonshu's own cult would have been banned and surpressed during the Mad Pharaoh's attempt to turn the Kingdom Monotheistic by force. So the whole idea of a Monotheistic belief would leave a very sour and traumatizing memory for him. The move is also politically motivated so it would be more like some power struggle on who runs the Kingdom, the King or the priest.

The current Monotheistic belief is of a foreign/outside party, the Abrahamic faith isn't native to the region and the fact that at that time Egypt was colonized by Rome made it much easier than changing the entire Pantheon lore, thanks to politics and well, mass bans, arrests, forced shut down, public executions, mobs by fanatical followers burning "heretics" in public, and generally making life miserable for anyone who didn't comply (heavy taxes, lack of rights, inequality, public harassment) because the "Christians"/Empire have the bigger guns to subdue the competition.

[egypt-museum]

“An illustrated cultural guide to the archaeological site of Amarna, the best-preserved pharaonic city in Egypt.

Around three thousand years ago, the pharaoh Akhenaten turned his back on Amun, and most of the great gods of Egypt. Abandoning Thebes, he quickly built a grand new city in Middle Egypt, Akhetaten―Horizon of the Aten―devoted exclusively to the sun god Aten.

Huge open-air temples served the cult of Aten, while palaces were decorated with painted pavements and inlaid wall reliefs. Akhenaten created a new royal burial ground deep in a desert valley, and his officials built elaborate tombs decorated with scenes of the king and his city.

As thousands of people moved to Akhetaten, it became the most important city in Egypt. But it was not to last. Akhenaten’s death brought the abandonment of his city and an end to one of the most startling episodes in Egyptian history.

Today, Akhetaten is known as Amarna, a sprawling archaeological site in the province of Minya, halfway between Cairo and Luxor. With its beautifully decorated tombs and vast mud-brick ruins, it is the best-preserved pharaonic city in Egypt.

This informed and richly illustrated guidebook brings the ancient city of Akhetaten alive with a keen insider’s eye, drawing on ongoing archaeological research and the knowledge and insight of Amarna’s modern-day communities and caretakers to explain key monuments and events, while offering invaluable practical advice for visiting the site.

With over 150 illustrations, maps, and plans, Amarna is both an ideal introduction for visitors to Amarna and a window onto the extraordinary reign of Akhenaten.”

— Amarna: A Guide to the Ancient City of Akhetaten (aff), by Anna Stevens

[beardedmrbean]

Oh about the thing of a world where Jewish people aren’t told about what Hadrian did to Israel hence the modern Jewish diaspora

While they aren’t taught that in general schools, hmm feel like this is a sitcom joke

Jewish child: Mom why I have to deal with my annoying cousins again? What this holiday about

Mom: It’s about when people try to wipeout our tribes and we survived!

JC: Wait wasn’t that the last holiday we got together?

M: There a lot more ,but I can avoid next the family get together without your grandma guilt tripping me

Actually if I remember correctly the night in museum sequel had a pre Moses pharaoh couple in it and they mention they thought their Jewish slaves were fine.

But Ben Stiller (a Jewish man) character pointed out to them that it actually sucked for his ancestors and their former slaves made holidays reminding how bad it was.

And the hoteps-waaaaait

Oh…the Tutankhamen phenomenon, actually I saw a National Geographic magazine irrc at Walmart. And I sent it to my friend that the irony of how the Egyptian erased Tut names from records and pretend he never existed. But now millions of people had, have, and will say his name

But the Egypt phenomenon, I think people don’t really know Tut is an extremely recent find. Like only a century old. He was important to the Egyptology because he tomb wasn’t constantly looted and body barely meddled

But then we learned the truth about why he wasn’t touched. The cult of aten, the priests of Ra, why he was never brought up in previews pharaoh list. Only for most Egyptians having a vague idea that there was this heretical pharaoh prior to Rameses

But something got me wondering about people idea of Egypt…wait y’all think the Egyptians couldn’t get as corrupted as the Roman’s or Chinese? King tut is a prime example how corrupted they could be with how they exploited and treated him after death

Actually you can go to tut tomb in origins dlc and there some words on a tablet they translate to “May he be remembered!”….the tragedy it’s wasn’t his direct civilization that made sure he is remembered today. It was though who came after long after ancient Egypt died

Oh tangent, but I’m getting terrified with how so many people have a 10 year old comprehension on non white civilianizations

Also yes a lot of the slave trading African kingdoms are gone….buuuut everyone knows their descendants are running around.

Also for me, I like to sneak around without telling my identity. So I know how much horse shit most SJWs are. And while this harder, I can easily sneak into Internet forums or chat groups of native Africans and realize the tricks and exploitation. Of course not all, but I got a bitch snap of reality how they basically CRINGE when a black American comes their way

Tbf the black Americans they loathe are usually the same ones I loathe too

Also you mention the passive aggression, here the thing, if they try the con artists shit, I will hint at me going beyond the surfaced levels.

And if they don’t stop, I unleash my knowledge of the Dahomey on them.

Also which African countries asked for slave reparations?

Fuck them

No seriously fuck them on Satan cock

It was YOUR ancestors that sold my ancestors for guns. MCU Wakanda, pan Africa bs, Obama bombing the living fuck out of your ass. The Congo shit, ALL OF THIS STARTED FROM YOU!

I would rather marry a direct descendant of Robert Lee or President Davis at a confederate theme wedding than give one penny to these activists asking for refunds

Jewish child: Mom why I have to deal with my annoying cousins again? What this holiday about Mom: It’s about when people try to wipeout our tribes and we survived! JC: Wait wasn’t that the last holiday we got together? M: There a lot more ,but I can avoid next the family get together without your grandma guilt tripping me

Really one of the best ways for everyone to keep track, Jews and Gentiles alike.

Actually if I remember correctly the night in museum sequel had a pre Moses pharaoh couple in it and they mention they thought their Jewish slaves were fine. But Ben Stiller (a Jewish man) character pointed out to them that it actually sucked for his ancestors and their former slaves made holidays reminding how bad it was.

I don't remember if I've seen the 2nd one or not, Ben and Owen get together and fart out a movie whenever they feel like hanging out for a month or so same way Adam Sandler does it, which is fun since they get to give lots of people work the same too, it's a good formula.

Nice that he tossed that bit in with the Pharaoh

But then we learned the truth about why he wasn’t touched. The cult of aten, the priests of Ra, why he was never brought up in previews pharaoh list. Only for most Egyptians having a vague idea that there was this heretical pharaoh prior to Rameses

There's a lot of stuff going round from that time, Akhenaten and all that and people theorizing connections between the cult of Aten and the Israelite's, since monotheism and all.

Hyksos is the people of the 15th dynasty of Egypt, but they were northern Egypt at the Nile Delta, 16th and 17th dynasties were going at the same time.

Theory runs with Joseph having established the area after his whole thing, not sure if the timelines work too well or not haven't read a whole lot on it, yet.

Also yes a lot of the slave trading African kingdoms are gone….buuuut everyone knows their descendants are running around.

That made me look for something and find something else I'll need to read in a little bit.

Why slave descendants want the Benin Bronzes to stay in US

TL:DR; I'm guessing is.

Also which African countries asked for slave reparations? Fuck them

That was part of the question, looking at benin, states bordering benin might have a claim but they should make it against benin.

Also these areas

But might be more the Afro Iranians, Afro Palestenians, and any other of those groups that may exist in MENA as a result of being sold into slavery that will want to collect from those

It was YOUR ancestors that sold my ancestors for guns. MCU Wakanda, pan Africa bs, Obama bombing the living fuck out of your ass. The Congo shit, ALL OF THIS STARTED FROM YOU! I would rather marry a direct descendant of Robert Lee or President Davis at a confederate theme wedding than give one penny to these activists asking for refunds

Harsh, fair, and funny.

Congo will get theirs from Belgium, they kinda deserve it after what Leopold did, think they've gotten some already.

[withinycu]

Spicy God Headcanons

Jesus was a son of god but also not the Messiah in the Jewish sense. Paul of Taursus was essentially a cult leader who took the rough details of Jesus life and married them to the Greek/Roman Mystery religions.

God is a syncretic deity. They are part Aten, part son of El the last survivor of the Canaanite Pantheon mixed with the Edomite Qos among others all of which coalesced into the Yahweh cult that eventually dominated the region. Whether God had an active hand in wiping out the other cults or simply had over-zealous followers is unknown. Because of their syncretic nature, god has different and conflicting memories of their origins, it also makes them fairly unique when compared to other deities. What they do know for certain is they're lonely which is why they want to shape humanity into being their equal but they also to some degree resent their followers and will intentionally sow discord by inspiring different sects for their own ends. It's a very real possibility that they either consciously or unconsciously want humanity to destroy itself or them or both.

But that all said they are capable of a great deal of empathy and even change but that might be another factor why god is essentially so messed up. They're contradictory to the point of being insane by most metrics.

[talonabraxas]

Aten - Sun God, Solar Disk Talon Abraxas

The Cult Of Aten The God And Disk Of The Sun, It's Origin

Amongst all the mass of the religious literature of Ancient Egypt, there is no document that may be considered to contain a reasoned and connected account of the ideas and beliefs which the Egyptians associated with the god Aten. The causes of his rise into favour towards the close of the XVIIIth dynasty can be surmised, and the principal dogmas which the founder of his cult and his followers promulgated are discoverable in the Hymns that are found on the walls of the rock-hewn tombs of Tall al-'Amarnah; but the true history of the rise, development and fall of the cult can never be completely known. The word aten or athen is a very old word for the "disk" or "face of the sun," and Atenism was beyond doubt an old form of worship of the sun. But there were many forms of sun-worship older than the cult of Aten, and several solar gods were worshipped in Egypt many. many centuries before Aten was regarded as a special form of the great solar god at all. One of the oldest forms of the Sun-god worshipped in Egypt was HER (Horus), who in the earliest times seems to have represented the "height" or "face" of heaven by day. He was symbolized by the sparrowhawk, the right eye of the bird representing the sun and his left the moon.