#ptah-djehuty

[khensaptah]

I recently wrote a new purification prayer, as part of a new moon ritual I am developing. I'm hoping to host a public ritual going forward in honor of Ptah's role as god of the newly waxing crescent!

You can find this prayer here, on my website.

This purification connects us to the Ogdoad as a primal source of purification, as well as Ptah-Djehuty as the creator. May it provide you with blessings.

[bronzegods]

Look at Sokar and Djehuty holding hands in the Amduat

I cannot believe I predicted Djehuty/Sokar

Source: Egyptian Festivals: Enactments of Religious Renewal p 65

[antiquitiesandlabyrinths]

. . .Osiris

Osiris (Great and Beautiful is He) is the God of the Underworld; its King and Pharaoh ruling over the Duat. He is pictured here on the far left, His skin green and His body in mummiform. This is commonly how He is depicted; as a green-skinned, mummified man.

Son of Nut, the Sky Goddess, and Geb, the Earth God, Osiris was the first King of Egypt in accordance with Kemetic mythology, although there are stories that recount Geb, His father, being King before Him. There are a great deal of myths and stories that surround and involve Osiris, and I suppose it is important to at least skim over them before discussing hard facts about Him, as it gives some reference as to who He is and what the culture surrounding Him is like.

Osiris Myth

After the world was created, the Demiurge (who changes according to myth, and can be Neith, Ra, Amun, Ptah, or others) produces children; in the most popular form of this creation story, it is usually Ra who births the first Gods. They are Shu and Tefnut, Air and Moisture. Shu and Tefnut then form a union and birth two children of Their own: Nut and Geb, Sky and Earth. Nut and Geb were very much in love and refused to separate from each other, which, of course, caused a problem, because if the sky and the earth are eternally in contact, there is no space for anything to live and walk upon the earth. Ra made it so Nut and Geb were forever separated, by having Shu, air, stand atop Geb and hold Nut up as the sky. But Nut was already pregnant. When Ra discovered this, He was enraged, and forbade Nut from ever giving birth on any day of the year.

Nut cried to Djehuty (Thoth), and Thoth devised a plan. He went to Khonsu, God of the Moon, and set up a gamble, saying that every round of the game Senet Khonsu lost, He would have to give Nut some of His moonlight. Khonsu ended up losing so many times that Nut had enough moonlight for five days––five days that weren't in the calendar. This allowed Her to give birth on those five days, and on each day She had a different child; Ausir (Osiris), Wr-Heru (Horus the Elder), Sutekh (Set, Seth), Auset (Isis), and Nebet-Het (Nephthys). Nut and Geb were still forever separated by atmosphere (Shu), but the five Gods were birthed, and Osiris, as the eldest son, became King of the Living World.

As a side note, all Gods do have ancient Egyptian names which are different from Their Greek and now modern names. For convenience's sake, and to avoid confusion, I will use the names They are most known by; Their Greek/modern names. And as another side note, there are a lot of variations on this story. I will be piecing together a lot of different ideas but I will be leaving some things out for the sake of cohesion.

When Osiris came to Egypt, He found the people there to be chaotic and lawless. As King, He instituted laws and spread ma'at, which is truth, justice, harmony, and order. Egypt flourished under His rule and the people were incredibly happy, as all were equal, and with the fertility of the God-King, the crops were always bountiful and food was plenty. He brought not only law and prosperity, but also the right way to worship, and the teachings of agriculture.

Set, God of chaos, confusion, the desert, and of foreigners, and the youngest brother of the Ennead, grew to be quite jealous of His older brother. There are many variations and the most popular variation of this story comes from the end of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC), where Set fashions a fabulous coffin in the perfect measurements of Osiris, throws a party, and tells the party-goers that whomever the coffin fits may have the coffin as a gift. When Osiris fits perfectly, Set quickly shuts and bolts the coffin and throws it in the Nile (this version of the myth gives an origin to the idea that people who drowned in the Nile were holy). His coffin drifts downstream and into the Mediterranean, where it washes ashore in Phoenicia, in Byblos. The coffin wedges itself into a growing tamarisk tree, a tree which envelops the coffin. Eventually the tree is cut down and used as a pillar in the palace in Byblos.

Isis, Osiris' wife and sister, searched far and wide for Her husband, and did eventually find Herself in Byblos. The story is quite long and complicated, but in the end She convinced the King to give Her the pillar, and when she returned to Egypt, She hid Osiris in a swampy area of the Nile delta, and bade Her sister, Nephthys, to watch over Him while She went in search of healing herbs. But Seth heard that Osiris was back, and so after interrogating His sister-wife, Nephthys, He found Osiris, cut His body into pieces, and threw them into the Nile.

Isis was horrified at what transpired in Her absence, but She immediately set to work on finding the many pieces of Her husband with the help of Her sister, Nephthys. They managed to find every piece of His body except His phallus, which had been eaten by an oxyrhyncus fish, a fish that was thus forbidden to eat.

With the pieces of Osiris reassembled, and the healing powers of Isis in full power, Osiris was brought back to life, but incomplete. Isis assumed the form of a kite, and from above drew out the seed of Osiris, impregnating Herself with Their child: Horus the Younger. But Osiris, still incomplete, could not properly rule over the land of the living any longer.

This is why He is the ruler of the dead––He was once the king of the living, was killed, and was resurrected, and this is what every ancient Egyptian expected and hoped would happen to them: that they would die and be resurrected. In tombs and mortuary temples you will always see Pharaohs associating themselves with Osiris.

But this long myth I have just told you is not the only version of the story, and in my opinion, it is definitely the longest version of the story. Back in the Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom there were several different versions; for example, Set's motive is different, ranging from revenge for Osiris kicking him, to revenge for Nephthys (Seth's sister-wife) sleeping with Osiris (which eventually births Anubis). Some texts claim that Seth took on the form of a wild animal, such as a crocodile or a hippopotamus, and killed Osiris that way. In others, Osiris is drowned. In some, the steps surrounding the coffin are skipped, and Osiris is simply cut up, and His pieces scattered around Egypt; a version which explains the many cult centers of Osiris claiming to be a place where Osiris is buried. Osiris' resurrection is also often helped along by other Gods such as Thoth (God of wisdom) and Anubis (God of embalming). In some versions, Set is killed for His actions. In most He is simply defeated and driven from the land, as chaos is necessary for balance and harmony, and thus cannot be killed. And the story that I have told is from the Late Period, recorded by Plutarch, and does not really go along with many Egyptian accounts, which often find Osiris' penis intact.

So that is the Osiris myth with all of its' intricacies and changing rhythms over the course of 4,000 years of Egyptian history. It embodies a huge amount of cultural practices and religious ideas within ancient Egypt, including the idea of truth, harmony, and justice, as well as resurrection, the afterlife, healing, and the workings of the cosmos. I've decided to leave out the later parts involving Osiris' son, Horus, and His fight with Set, for now because this does not directly involve Osiris, and that is our topic for this post.

Tradition, History, and Culture

Worship of Osiris dates back to the Old Kingdom, but the idea of Osiris is likely older than this. Before Osiris was actually Khentiamenti, an agricultural God centered in Abydos, a city which would later become the cult center of Osiris. Khentiamenti means 'Foremost of the Westerners', a title for the ruler of the dead, as the dead resided in the west, where the sun set each day. But Osiris Himself is not found mentioned in any texts or carvings until the 5th Dynasty, where He is depicted as a man wearing a divine wig. Later on He would take on the form we know Him best in––wrapped in a white mummy shroud, wearing an atef crown with ostrich plumes on the sides.

The mummy shroud He is depicted in forever associates Him with death and with the essential story behind Him, which is why I found it so important to start off with the Osiris Myth. This myth is also why He consumed and took the place of Khentiamenti; the name Khentiamenti, Foremost of the Westerners, instead became a title for Osiris as the King of the blessed dead. Another common epithet/name of Osiris is Wennefer (Omnophris), meaning 'The Beautiful One', 'The Beneficent One', and more archaically, 'One Whose Body Did Not Decay'. Among these names He was also called 'The Lord of Love', 'The King of Living', and 'The Eternal Lord'. From the Early Dynastic Period up until the end of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, when Rome conquered Egypt, Osiris was one of the most highly worshipped and revered Gods of Egypt.

Osiris was associated with the Nile river, with its' renewal and life-giving abilities, as one of Osiris' domains and powers was fertility, as well as rebirth. Another of His duties, evidence of which originates in the New Kingdom, was to act as judge of the dead; being King, He sat on the tribunal with the 42 Judges in the famous Weighing of the Heart ceremony. In this ceremony, which took place in the afterlife, the deceased would have to stand before the court and place their soul up for judgement. If it weighed lighter than the feather of Ma'at, representing all justice, truth, and harmony, then the heart acted well in life and would be allowed eternal happiness in the Field of Reeds. If not, the heart, and thus the person, would be consumed by Ammit and committed to nothingness. So Osiris would sit in on this tribunal and judge who entered His kingdom, as it was His domain. In this role, and in His role as King of the Living, as well, He was the embodiment of harmony, law, and justice.

"Most of his appeal was based on his embodiment of the cosmic harmony. The rising Nile was his insignia, and the moon’s constant state of renewal symbolized his bestowal of eternal happiness in the lands beyond the grave. In this capacity he also became the model of human endeavors and virtues..." (The Complete Gods And Goddesses Of Ancient Egypt, p.307)

As I mentioned earlier, Abydos became His cult center, as it was the cult center of the God who came before Him, whose traits He subsumed. It became a very popular burial site, as legends would say that Abydos was where Osiris was truly buried, and the people wanted to be buried as close as possible to Osiris. At one point they believed an ancient tomb there––which was actually the tomb of an Early Dynastic King––to be the tomb of Osiris, which they much revered, and left so many offerings in clay pots that Arabs would later call the site 'Umm el Qa'ab'; Mother of Pots. But this was not the only burial site of Osiris; since many variations of the myth include Set chopping up and dismembering Osiris into many parts, ranging from 14 to 42 different parts. These parts were scattered across Egypt, so many cities and nomes could claim that they had a part of Osiris buried in their domain. For example, far in the south, the island of Bigah claimed to be the burial site of Osiris' left leg, and thus the source for the yearly Nile inundation.

Going back to the Osiris Myth, after Osiris died and became the ruler of the dead, His son took His place as King of the Living: the falcon God, Horus (Heru the Younger). After the brief bout of chaos brought about under Set's rule, Horus took over (after much deliberation from the Gods) and order was restored. Because of this story, Pharaohs would not only associate themselves with Osiris in death, but with Horus in life. Each Pharaoh, as they came to the throne, would become the living embodiment of Horus on earth, the son of Osiris. In this way, Isis was also the mother of every Pharaoh, and their protector. And, to added extent, each Pharaoh would have a personal name, and then a Horus name granted to them when they ascended to the throne.

"It is for this reason that Osiris is so often depicted as a mummified pharaoh; because pharaohs were mummified to resemble Osiris. The image of the great mummified god preceeded the practice of preparing the royal body to look like Osiris... The king's appearance as modeled after Osiris' extended throughout his reign; the famous flail and shepherd's staff, synonymous with Egyptian pharaohs, were first Osiris' symbols as the flail represented the fertility of his land while the crook symbolized the authority of his rule." (Osiris, World History Encyclopedia, Joshua J. Mark)

Osiris can also be represented by a number of physical symbols, such as the crook and flail that He carries in almost all representations of His earthly form. The crook, which is the striped hook He carries, represents power/authority, and is a symbol of the Pharaoh. The flail, which is the instrument in His other hand, represents the fertility of the Nile, and as an extension, the fertility of Osiris Himself. But the crook and flail, though both seen typically as symbols of Pharaonic power, are actually the tools of a shepherd. There is reasonable evidence, thusly, to suggest that the physical origins of the idea of Osiris may not be that of a great King, but of a ruler of a shepherd tribe in the Nile Delta, whose rule was so beneficent that it led to him being worshipped as a God. For Egyptologists, this theory comes from His association with Andjety, a predynastic God-King worshipped in the Delta who also bore the crook and flail as His symbols. This, however, has not and likely cannot be fully proven. But the postulation is still interesting nonetheless!

Osiris' ba soul had its' own culture of worship, a practice of soul-worship that is prevalent in the cults of several other Gods, such as Hathor (HwtHer). In this form, Osiris was known as Banebdjedet, meaning 'The Ba of the Lord of the Djed,' which in English terms means 'The Soul of the Lord of the Pillar of Continuity', as ba means soul, and djed is the symbol for a pillar, which represented the backbone of Osiris. Interestingly, the name Banebdjedet is feminine, as the letter t denotes a feminine word or name in ancient Egyptian; although there are also variations on this name that exclude the t in favour of the alternative, Banebdjed. Banebdjedet, Osiris' ba soul, was worshipped mainly in Mendes, a city in Lower Egypt, in the Delta.

This leads to an interesting point concerning the androgyny of Osiris, a subject I found while researching for this post. Osiris' fertility comes from His castration and then being healed by the mother Goddess, Isis. Not only that, but both men and women identified themselves with Osiris in death. Then the name for His ba personified as another God is feminine, although representations of Banebdjedet are overwhelmingly male. Before anyone attacks me, I am not claiming that Osiris is a genderless God or King––just that He has some traits of androgyny, which I find interesting and love to study in ancient cultures, and I thought it would be good to mention for anyone else similarly interested.

Worship, Festivals, and Cult Activities

When it comes to the practices surrounding Osiris' cult, we actually know a good deal of information regarding the activities of worshippers and priests. Osiris' cult and worship was so widespread and lasted long enough that it could be recorded by the earliest Greek historians, and remained carved in temple walls for thousands of years. Among the most well-known cultic tradition is the Osiris Bed.

The Osiris Bed is rather well documented, as it was an object placed in tombs. It was not a bed for the deceased to lie in, but instead a box made of wood or clay, moulded into the shape of Osiris, in which the fertile Nile soil was placed and seeds were planted. These boxes were then wrapped in white mummy linens, and the seeds sprouted through, representing the resurrection and fertility of Osiris, and the crops that grew each year in cycles. One of the most famous of these beds was found in King Djer's tomb, a King from the Early Dynastic Period; the 2nd King ever of the unified Egypt. Coincidentally (or, perhaps, not so coincidentally) King Djer's tomb was the tomb which pilgrims believed to be Osiris' burial site.

While the Osiris Bed is far from the only practice and tradition of the Osiris cult, it does show the rich cultural practices and symbolism present in His worship. Let's look at some other examples of the practices of Osiris' cult.

Similar to the Osiris bed were Osiris gardens, which were essentially the same concept; fertile soil was planted inside a vessel shaped into the form of Osiris, and seeds were settled within to grow. These beds were tended to during festivals instead of being buried in a tomb.

There were a great many festivals, and each of them quite popular according to their time period, dedicated to the story and symbolism of Osiris. Some festivals started with recounting the mournings of Isis and Nephthys, Osiris' sister-wife and sister, in the form of a drama acted out in a call-and-response format. Another drama acted out for the glory of Osiris was more in the form of an actual fight that anyone could participate in; it was modelled after The Contendings of Horus and Set, which I briefly mentioned as a long and drawn-out argument between Horus and Set over who deserved Osiris' vacant throne after He had died. On this occasion, people would battle out and reenact the events of the story until the side of Horus finally won and victory was achieved. Afterwards, the celebrations commenced in honoring the restoration of order, and the gold-encased shAwyt-nTr (the Holy Statue) of Osiris would be taken out and lavished with offerings. Osiris, in the form of this statue, would be paraded throughout the city of Abydos before being placed in a shrine outside, where He could participate fully in the festivities, and be admired by the commoners who would usually never behold the face of Osiris. This emergence of Osiris from the dark temple's inner sanctuary to the light of the city resembled and represented His resurrection from death into life again. Although this particular festival was celebrated mainly in Osiris cult center of Abydos, it was also celebrated in other cities such as Bubastis in the Delta, Busiris, Memphis, and Thebes, in Upper Egypt.

The Mysteries of Osiris was a series of plays performed annually, and in dramatic, passionate form. It was one of the most popular observances of worshippers, and it told the story that I first told to you––of Osiris' life, His death at the hands of His brother, His resurrection at the hands of His sister-wife, and His ascension into the role we now know Him for. The roles in this reenactments were often taken up by high-ranking officials, and afterwards, the Contendings of Horus and Set would take place, which I just mentioned. These plays would take place over several days.

One festival was called The Fall of the Nile. During this time, the waters of the Nile would recede, and the worshippers of Osiris would go into mourning. One of Osiris' representation on earth was the Nile, and the Nile represented His fertility and life.

Another festival was celebrated on the 19th day of Pakhons, one of the months in the Egyptian calendar, which is roughly equivalent to May in our Gregorian calendar. On this day, the followers of Osiris would go to the river with shrines containing vessels of gold and metal, and would pour water into the Nile, exclaiming, "Osiris is found!" Mud and spices were mixed and moulded into the shape of Osiris, as well, to celebrate His return. Another festival similar to this one was called The Night of the Tear, and took place during modern-day June.

The last festival pertaining to Osiris that I will mention is the Djed pillar festival, held in modern-day January. The Pharaonic court and family would participate, raising djed pillars to welcome Osiris and the harvests that coincided with His return.

One last and interesting tradition that may seem familiar to Christians, at least in a small way, was the baking of bread in the shape of Osiris; bread as the flesh of the God, a sort of predecessor of communion wafers. But in reality the traditions of the Osiris cakes are completely different, and there were several different ways of going about it, depending on which nome you were from. In Dendera, wheat-paste models were made in the shape of each of the 16 dismembered parts of Osirs, and each model was sent out to the town where each respective part of Osiris was found by Isis. In Mendes, figures of Osiris were made of wheat and paste. On the day of the murder, they were placed in a trough, followed by water being added each day for several days. Afterwards, this mixture was kneaded into a dough, put into a mold of Osiris, and buried on the temple grounds.

Conclusion

This has been a somewhat brief glimpse into the cult, history, and traditions surrounding the Great God, The Beautiful Lord Osiris. If I can clarify anything please let me know and I will do my best!

[wanderingskemetic]

Kemetic Subtle Deity Worship Masterpost

These are arranged alphabetically. Any post not made by me is marked as such.

Aset

Amun

Bast (made by @pupilofbast)

Bes

Djehuty

Hetheru

Khonsu

Ptah

Ra

Sekhmet

Seshat

Wepwawet

Wesir

This list will be updated as I make more posts!

[yaellaharpe-blog]

Archaeologists discover ancient Egyptian sarcophagus with painting that looks eerily like Marge Simpson.

Arqueólogos descubren un antiguo sarcófago egipcio con una pintura que se parece inquietantemente a Marge Simpson.

The exterior illustration of the sarcophagus may represent the goddess Nut. (Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

La ilustración exterior del sarcófago puede representar a la diosa Nut. (Ministerio de Turismo y Antigüedades de Egipto)

(English / Español)

In October 2023, Egyptian archaeologists discovered a trove of artefacts from a New Kingdom cemetery, including the lid of a sarcophagus with an image of the goddess Nut, who bore a striking resemblance to Marge Simpson. While news of the "Marge Simpson" sarcophagus did not gain much traction until June 2024, the discovery was first announced in October 2023 through a Facebook post by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. At that time, the ministry organised a press conference to share the archaeological discoveries made by researchers over several years at Tuna El-Gebel.

During the conference, Dr. Mostafa Waziry presented numerous artefacts, including Ushabti funerary figurines, ancient pottery and, of course, the sarcophagus lid, which has now gone viral. According to Waziry, the sarcophagus housed the remains of a woman named Tada Ist, daughter of Irt-Heru, the high priest of Djehuty at Hermopolis. Next to her, archaeologists found two wooden boxes with their canopic vessels, along with more Ushabti statues and a statue of the funerary deity Ptah-Sokar.

All of these artefacts came from a New Empire cemetery that housed the remains of high-ranking officials and priests, the first discovery of its kind in the Garifa region. Excavations at the site began in 2017, after archaeologists found the cemetery in the northernmost part of Garifa. It contained numerous burial pits dug into the rock, leading to chambers filled with stone and wooden coffins, more than 25,000 Ushbati statues, thousands of amulets and more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

En octubre de 2023, los arqueólogos egipcios descubrieron un tesoro de artefactos de un cementerio del Imperio Nuevo, incluida la tapa de un sarcófago con una imagen de la diosa Nut, que tenía un asombroso parecido con Marge Simpson. Si bien la noticia del sarcófago de “Marge Simpson” no cobró mucha fuerza hasta junio de 2024, el descubrimiento se anunció por primera vez en octubre de 2023 a través de una publicación en Facebook del Ministerio de Turismo y Antigüedades de Egipto . En ese momento, el ministerio organizó una conferencia de prensa para compartir los descubrimientos arqueológicos realizados por los investigadores a lo largo de varios años en Tuna El-Gebel.

Durante la conferencia, el Dr. Mostafa Waziry presentó numerosos artefactos, entre ellos figurillas funerarias Ushabti, cerámica antigua y, por supuesto, la tapa del sarcófago, que ahora se ha hecho viral. Según Waziry, el sarcófago albergaba los restos de una mujer llamada Tada Ist, hija de Irt-Heru, el sumo sacerdote de Djehuty en Hermópolis. Junto a ella, los arqueólogos encontraron dos cajas de madera con sus vasos canopos, junto con más estatuas Ushabti y una estatua de la deidad funeraria Ptah-Sokar.

Todos estos artefactos procedían de un cementerio del Imperio Nuevo que albergaba los restos de altos funcionarios y sacerdotes, el primer descubrimiento de este tipo en la región de Garifa. Las excavaciones en el lugar comenzaron en 2017, después de que los arqueólogos encontraran el cementerio en la zona más al norte de Garifa. Contenía numerosos fosos de entierro excavados en la roca, que conducían a cámaras llenas de ataúdes de piedra y madera, más de 25.000 estatuas de Ushbati, miles de amuletos y más.

text excerpt from: allthatsinteresting.com

[aerial-jace]

3 attempts at kemetic prayer beads. Trying out which format I like better since I for sure want to incorporate prayer beads into my practice in some form. More likely I'm going to be using different ones for different recitations.

The tri-colored ones I call Ennead beads. I arranged them as 9 "decades" of 9 each for a total of 81. The intention as the name suggets would be to use them in recitations to the whole of the Ennead, but since the "decades" go in a color pattern of green-orange-blue I can see them adapting well for recitations in honor of divine triads like Aset, Heru, and Wesir or Mut, Khonsu, and Amun.

The bi-colored ones I call Ogdoad beads. The alternating green-blue pattern reocurrs 32 times for a total of 64 beads (8² or if you want to see it like that 2⁶ or even 4³). Intention here being an eightfold recitation in honor of Djehuty in his epithet of Lord of Khemnu/creator god of the Hermopolitan theology. Can be adpted for worship of groups of two (Sekhmet and Ptah, Aset and Nebet-Hut, Anupu and Wepwawet), of four (the sons of Heru, the 4 Noble Ladies), or of eight Netjeru (like the Ogdoad, of course, but also the grouping of the sons of Heru + the 4 Noble Ladies).

Finally the solid colored beads are 49 (7²). The kind of recitation I had in mind was something to the effect of the Wep Ronpet 7 arrows litany to Sekhmet. If I look more into it I can probably encounter more sevenfold things. Off the top of my head I also remember the "7 Hathors" but I'm unsure if anything can be built off that.

[ktempestbradford]

I love this post but I cannot help but slide in here and point out that Thoth (or Djehuti as I call him) did not invent alphabets or writing, nor is he the master of scribes. Those are all attributes of Seshet, his divine feminine counterpart. And I don't blame you for not knowing this since dudes have been shoving Seshet to the side since Alexander landed his sorry butt in Egypt and the hellenization began.

Djehuti created spoken language, Seshet created the physical form of language (aka the hieroglyphs). Seshet was the initial scribe and keeper of records. She was also the neter (what we call "gods" but isn't quite the same concept) that provided the tools for setting the foundations of buildings and is essentially the architect where Ptah would be the builder.

In ancient Egyptian iconography you always see Seshet with Djehuti except in the Otherworld (what is sometimes referred to as Underworld or Afterlife). I asked an Egyptologist about that once, and he said it's because she is deeply tied to the world of form, whereas Djehuti slips between more easily. You do sometimes see her pictured there, though way more often you'll see him.

Seshet does not get enough respect! Especially from the Western esoteric tradition.

we heard that you are jewish. is it true? either way, we appreciate you for respecting jewish culture!

I'm not Jewish. I did, however, grow up in what was for a while a very Jewish neighborhood in the Long Island suburbs... which is probably where I initially learned the respect. I remember during elementary-school-period catechism (one of my parents was Catholic) getting deeply pissed off at the nuns for talking shit about my Jewish friends—claiming that their prayers to God only went "so high" (indicating a measurement at about knee level)—and decided then and there that This Religion Was Crap and I was going to do some reading to find one that worked better.

And guess what? I'm still doing the reading. :)

People who read my work will find all kinds of influences surfacing, (More data and specifics in this old post.) And as it says over there, if it all seems a bit syncretic, and that makes me a syncretin? Guilty as charged.

Meanwhile—to keep all the differing religion-adjacent approaches in my mind from getting uncomfortable with one another—when I swear, I do it by great Thoth: inventor of alphabets and the art of writing, master of scribes, god of the invention and wrangling of languages, deviser of calendars and project manager of the infrastructures of spacetime.* Does that make me some kind of pagan, then? (shrugs) Damned if I know. After I'm dead, I'll inquire. :)

(ETA: Sometimes people will see/hear me saying, "Sweet Thoth on his e-bike...!!" or "...e-scooter"!" about something. For the edification of those interested: here he is.)

*Probably also patron of fountain pens. See up above there? The thing he's carrying in his non-handlebar hand is the pen-case that scribes keep their equipment in. It's one of his formal attributes. ...Now let's all fight over which pens he uses, and what nibs. :)

[starsandepithets]

Do you know if any lesser known Netjer that dwell over messages, letters and notes that isn't Djehuti?

Hello!

So the obvious one, like you say is Djehuty. He is often called the patron god of scribes, the Egyptian language and writing. Ancient Egypt was not a literate society, and the few scribes in the population that could write were extremely precious and well paid. With the exception of administrative notes and legal notes, it didn’t really have a culture of just making notes in the same way as we have today.

But you say that you’re looking for a less well known deity than Djehuty. You might want to make sure you’ve checked all the Djehutys. There are a few different ‘versions’. A quick thought that the deity in question is one of the less common forms of Djehuty, like for example Thoth of Pnubs.

If it isn’t Djehuty you’re looking for it could be his sometimes consort Seshet. Her name means female scribe, but she was a little more associated with measurements, dates and astrology. Rather than notes, messages and letters.

☀️☀️☀️

I guess an Ancient Egyptian note could be like a stela. Stela were clay tables, or carved stone tablets, which were often used for religious purposes, like prayers, hymns or spells. These could lead you to the craftsman god Ptah. But it’s a shaky connection.

@arcreads do you know if there is a solid connection between Ptah and writing in this way?

☀️☀️☀️

And it could really be any god, as each temple would have their own scribes who worked on the admin for that temple and would be called the Scribe of —- [deity of the temple]. So all deities have some very loose connection to writing and note-making.

The Coffin texts describe that people may become the Scribes of the gods in the afterlife, like becoming the Scribe of Hathor of the Scribe of Ra. Here is a really good article about it:

☀️ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303550747_Scribes_of_the_Gods_in_the_Coffin_Texts

☀️☀️☀️

The word messages reminds me of Hermes from the Greek tradition, and I was thinking that unlike the Greeks, the Egyptian didn’t really have a messenger deity. Except they did in the Ptolemaic Period when Hermes was worshipped in Egypt. There are two most notable forms, Hermes-Thoth, and Hermanubis.

Check out:Hermes-Thoth - @intaierHermanubis - @the-typhonian

☀️☀️☀️

There are a full lists of all the nTrw deities floating around, which might be useful for you to check. See if any names pop out at you. Or if not it might be a good question to get divined?

I don’t know if this has been helpful or not! I’m sorry I’m not able to just give you an answer. I’ll keep thinking about the question and update if I can think of any more deities that are connected with notes and letters!

[khensaptah]

psDntyw or Pesdjentiu; one moon, many names

originally posted on cohost and on my neocities!

I've returned to the subject of calendars once again with a new question. I am moving away from a solar calendar and the holidays of Pharaonic Egypt to a lunar calendar with personal, intuitive holidays. I'm sure this won't the the end of my relationship to the ancient calendar - but another journey of discovery that will culminate in a mix of both.

I started feeling out of sync with the Kemetic Orthodox calendar even before I left the House of Netjer*. It was a great tool to use in community with others, but in solitary practice it left me feeling untethered. It didn't connect to the land I live on; it rarely related to the day to day devotional practices I was developing. So I floated away, bobbing down the river to the sea.

The gods steered my ship across the Mediterranean: toward druidry, towards animism, towards Hellenism. I found things to learn - and still have things to learn - from these practices. Among them: a focus on the seasons here in Boston, along with re-tethering myself to the Moon. In 2020, my spirit work lead me to a relationship with a new entity. As a lunar spirit, she stirred the pot, urging me to be more mindful and open to change. Nothing stays the same, she reminded me, yet everything returns to where it began.

I have recently gotten to know a new group of Egyptian polytheists, many of whom are Egyptians themselves. Through their encouragement, I've started exploring how living Egyptians, regardless of their faith, engage in worship and mark their time. After all, my new peers remind me, Egyptian religion and polytheism did not end in the Pharaonic period.

The Islamic calendar (or Hijri) is a lunar calendar. Each month begins with the first observation of the waxing crescent (or Hilal). There is some debate on when precisely when the Hilal can be observed, though it is certainly after sunset.** Additionally, there is great debate over if one may use astronomical calculations to determine the presence of the new crescent or one must see it with their own two eyes. In the case of physical sightings, weather and geography can play a huge role in if the moon is visible at all on 29th day of a lunar cycle, resulting in different countries being on entirely different calendar dates than their neighbors!

Now what does that have to do with me, as a practitioner of Egyptian polytheism?

As someone seeking to reconnect my faith to the cycle of the moon and the seasons, I turned to what I know of the lunar calendar in the Pharaonic period. They too began their lunar months with the sighting of the first crescent; and in some places, this day was sacred to Ptah (see Dr. Siuda's The Ancient Egyptian Daybook). Now, these days I'm more of a Ptah-lytheist than a polytheist, but nothing feels more validating than seeing someone else's research point to what you're doing in neon signs saying "GO FOR IT"***.

Modern arguments on the topic of the sighting of the Hilal include asking if the process of looking for the moon is itself an act of worship. I take my cue from this argument. For myself, in adapting a modern practice to my ancient faith, observing the moon is absolutely an act of worship. It would be to have a convenient, set date like the new moon's zero percent visibility, or to even calculate when a single percentage of the crescent is theoretically visible. But it is much more in line with my animism, with my reverence of the place I live, with my desire to reconnect to the natural world, to take the time every night to step outside and admire the moon.

Tonight, I walked home from work and eagerly gazed the skies. Finally, after a few grey days, I spotted the crescent, rising just behind our local mosque. Happy first Pesdjentiu of 2024, Boston. May Ptah-Djehuty restore our light once again.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

* I believe that Kemetic Orthodoxy / the House of Netjer is a cult. I witnessed so much emotional abuse and financial abuse in my ten years there. If you would like to discuss this privately, DM me. It is never too late to leave, no matter what they make you think.

** This is all very beyond my scope as a non-Muslim, but I would encourage interested parties to take the time to learn more on their own!

*** My relationship with Dr. Siuda is complicated (see note 1), but I won't deny she is an excellent source for information on both Pharaonic Egyptian religion as well as Coptic Christianity. I still use their Anglicization of psDntyw in English writing.

[bronzegods]

Djehuty, the god of scribes, knowledge, wisdom, and the moon

A well-known and ancient deity from the Kemet pantheon, Djehuty manages to seamlessly combine being an academic elitist and being a coward gentle soul that really just dreams of someday living in a perfect world where his fellow deities use their brains, you know, for a change. Such is the challenge of being a god of knowledge and wisdom in a world full of divinized natural forces who tend to act on impulse.

Djehuty is constantly faced with the struggle of knowing better than his more powerful (and violent) peers who apparently cannot fathom the usefulness of a knowledge and wisdom deity. As a result, he tends to slip into a judgmental, short-tempered, and rather condescending attitude when irritated, which is frequently (especially given that Sutekh adores him, about as much as he adores annoying the shit out of him). Djehuty just does not handle frustration all that well, unfortunately. Nor does it help that he is a traditionalist who hates change. Djehuty has to be practically forced into acquiescing to any kind of cultural change and has a loooooong adjustment period.

As one of the oldest gods of the Kemet pantheon, he’s seen a lot of shit, some of it genuinely traumatizing, and he’s well aware of the power difference between himself and more… er, physically powerful deities. But he’s managed to stay alive this long, which is more than he can say for other deities that operate in the cerebral realm, so he must be doing something right. Being under Sutekh’s protection helps a lot, though, and makes foreign envoy trips less stressful for him.

Highlights in his life include:

designing, with the artistic assistance of his close friend Ptah, the hieroglyphic and hieratic writing system (Djehuty can’t draw, unfortunately)

avoiding getting killed during all the major regime changes that have rocked the Kemet pantheon’s stability and its lands

cultivating a dramatic rivalry with his counterpart in Mesopotamia, Nabu, who is apparently incapable of not brutally criticizing everything he publishes (while being overly excited to read it too)

orchestrating an embezzling scheme in Ptah’s temple, though he did get caught by Sokar so he had to stop

trying desperately to befriend Nisaba, the Mesopotamian goddess of scribes, despite the fact that she clearly thinks his vibes are unpleasant

setting into motion the biggest conflict the Kemet pantheon has ever experienced - Djehuty was the catalyst behind Usire’s death, though very few gods know he was the culprit and not Sutekh

writing bad romance stories under a pseudonym, which Sutekh distributes to literate deities in foreign pantheons, thus earning himself royalties that preclude ever having to get wrapped up in an embezzling scheme again (probably)

Commissioned work, lines by ArgenemArtwork

[khertu-katiset-djaniry]

Prayers to you my friend! and may Djehuty's knowledge bring you where you need to be! and may Ptah be your pencil and arm for you to draw!

Dua Netjeru!

Asking for prayers, please!!!

Em hotep, y'all.

Today I'll be moving 2000 miles away from home to pursue my third degree. There's a lot of unknowns and I'm pretty scared but I know my Gods and Goddesses are by my side, loving me and believing me.

Still I'd like to ask for your thoughts and prayers as this'll be the first time I'm making a long trip like this. I applied for a shit load of jobs but I pray I get one soon to pay for rent and pay off my loans. I have manifested such things in my Wep Ronpet spell but I'm still nervous.

Additionally, I'll be leaving my blind cat behind who unfortunately can't be around my other cats or she'll start yowling and get pist off, so she stays in a pretty spacious bedroom. I'm gonna be praying to Bastet every day to watch over her cause I'm afraid my mom's gonna try and "acclimate" her to the house. Any prayers for my baby Beez would be greatly appreciated.

I'll be busy af with college and work so Idk how active I'll be on here other than reblogging stuff for the netjeru. Other than that, this is one hell of a way to start my new year (in the kemetic context). Thank you all for being here with me on my kemetic journey and may your Gods and Goddesses be with you.

Ankh, udja, seneb!!

[dukuzumurenyiphd]

"The ꜥd mr/Adj mer [Kush/Kemet: Administrator, King, Radiance, To Know, Be Sound, Chief, Governor, Leader] was the divine measure of the people, who served as the mtn/Maten [Kush/Kemet: Leader, Guide]. The ꜥd mr/Adj mer [Kush/Kemet: Administrator, King, Radiance, To Know, Be Sound, Chief, Governor, Leader] as mtn/Maten [Kush/Kemet: Leader, Guide] guided the people along the mtn/Maten [Kush/Kemet: Path] of mꜣꜥt/Maat [Kush/Kemet: Truth, Justice, Harmony, Balance, Order, Reciprocity, Propriety] by way of dhwty/Djehuty [Kush/Kemet: Thoth, Hermes, Mercury]. This mtn/Maten [Kush/Kemet: Path] was mtn/Maten [Kush/Kemet: Engrave] upon the heart of all of the people of the nation."

pp. 361 - 362

km dd.tn mꜣꜥt/Kem Djed.ten Maat [To Be Black, Speak You Maat]

Ambakisye Dukuzumurenyi, Ph.D. Public Policy Analysis

Essays on Afrikan Liberation, Revolutionary Governance and Radical Macroeconomic Public Policy with a Translation of the Oldest Book in the World, the Instructions of Ptah-Hotep, the Ethical Axioms of Excellent Discourse & Afrikan Behavior by the Prime Minister & Chief Public Administrator of Kemet c. 1866 – 1891 KC [c. 2375 – 2350 BCE]

kmyt/Kemyt [Books of the Black Land]

AFRIKOLOGY PHILOSOPHY SERIES Pan-Afrikan Ethics for Pan-Afrikan Public Policy & Public Administration Volume I

Accra, Ghana: University of New Timbuktu Seba Press, 2021. Pp. liii, 690. [PDF] Price: $29.95 https://www.abibitumi.com/shop/tobeblackspeakmaat/

[wanderingskemetic]

I think Wesir might be the first deity I start regularly worshipping for less practical reasons for lack of a better term. I love all of the deities I currently worship and do not mean to imply that I see them as some some sort of divine vending machine but they all have fairly obvious reasons I worship them and why I'm drawn to them. As a college student, history enthusiast, and aspiring writer I worship Djehuty, as someone who does multiple types of art and creative work I worship Ptah, as someone with numerous lifelong health issues I worship Sekhmet and Khonsu, etc. There isn't one for Wesir but whenever I think about him I just get this sense of kindness, compassion, and steadiness.

[wanderingskemetic]

I've also found Ptah to be quite helpful with art in general and depending on what art you're doing Khnum, Neith/Nit, and Djehuty could be helpful as well. I also tend to dedicate my house cleaning activities to Bes since I see cleaning as a way to protect your home from germs.

Mundane devotional acts to various Netjeru

Clean your house/room in honor of Nebet-Het

Get physical exercise in honor of Sekhmet, Maahes and Ausar

Journal in honor of Auset, Ausar, Nebet-het (really a variety of deities)

Water your plants in honor of Ausar, Geb, Neper

Sunbathe in honor of Het-Heru, Ra, Amun, Atum or Heru

Moongaze in honor of Khonsu, Iah, and Djehuti

Read a book in honor of Djehuti, Nit, and Seshet

Do your makeup or skincare in honor of Het-Heru and Nefertem

Anything to do with music (even just listening) falls under Het-Heru, Ihy and Merit's domains.

Learn more about your ancestors in honor of Anpu, Anput and Wesir

Spend time with your cats in honor of Bastet and Sekhmet

Spend time with your dog in honor of Anpu or Anput

Play a lighthearted prank on a friend in honor of Set and Bes, you can also laugh with them as well.

Cook with your deities and offer it to them

Work on your mental health (such as going to therapy) in honor of Auset or Sekhmet

Anything art related is under Het-Heru's domain, however Ausar was said to enjoy music and Auset is the patroness of artisans

Anything physical health related falls under the domain of Auset, Sekhmet, and Serket

Weave in honor of Hedjhotep, Nit or Auset

Stargaze in honor of Nut

Lay on the Earth in honor of Geb

Celebrate achievements in honor of Heru, Nit, Sekhmet and Maahes

Study in honor of Seshet and Djehuti

Meditate on justice and what it means to you in honor of Ma'at, Sekhmet and Ra

Listen to silence in honor of Meretseger, Auset, and Nebet-Het

Stormwatch in honor of Set

Learn more about your deities associated animals and watch documentaries on them

Read about ancient Egypt and how the ancients practiced the religion, it is ALSO very important to read up on modern day Kemetism in Egypt and surrounding territories :)

Drink water in honor of Nut or Tefnut

Go out in the rain in honor of Min, Auset, Tefnut and Nut

This is by no means an exhaustive list, as ANYTHING you do can be religious if you interpret it to be so, these are just some ideas :)

I tried to include as many deities as I could here, because I know what its like to want to find information on a deity you're interested in just to find that there are almost no modern day Kemetic content on them, and its a bit of a buzzkill.

If you have any ideas, feel free to share in the comments!!!! :)

[tonybconscious]

I'VE BEEN FEELING MIGHTY KEMETIC today.... here's a few pieces I did....whatcha think ??? Namaste, Ashe TONY B. CONSCIOUS (323)251-4969 Www.consciousent.com Www.flydyeart.com Www.tony-bconscious.pixels.com #africanamerican #blackartmatters #blacktwitter #blackbusinessesmatter #bayarea #bayareaartist #california #berkeley #ancient #egyptian #ankh #pyramids #maat #nefertiti #baset #ptah #djehuti #heru #medu #blackart_365 #blackartmatters #kemetic #knowthyself #tonybconscious1 #tonybconsciousart #tonybconsciousartwork #tonybconscious (at Berkeley, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtFdKzRnZVB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=yolkemxjyzfz

[asert-mat]

...the ear stele of Penbuy in the British Museum—is dedicated to [Ptah]. In this stele, Ptah of the hearing ear is shown enthroned before a richly decked offering table with the ears symbolic of his listening role surrounding the kiosk in which he sits. Other deities sometimes described as 'hearing gods' include Amub, Serapis, Horus, Thoth, and Isis.

Richard H. Wilkinson, Reading Egyptian Art, p. 45