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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in devotion

Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs
Sometimes we sink back
and root deep,b2ap3_thumbnail_IMG_6160.PNG
drawing up nourishment
from cool, dark places
and eternal mysteries.
Sometimes we send out
tender shoots
of possibility
tasting the air cautiously,
checking to see
if it is safe to grow.
Sometimes we crack open
with abandon,
casting off our limits
and our caution
and pushing forward with intention,
determined and strong.
Sometimes we rise up
riotous and wild
aching with the fullness to bloom.
Always we are held
on solid ground,
even when we feel lost
and uncertain,
or ferocious and powerful.
Always we are cradled
on a rich and whirling Earth,
the sky above our
bright and bounteous forms.

 

Last modified on

Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs

Years ago I dreamed
I was walking around
holding a large sign
that said: “path to awakening”
upon it.
I couldn’t decide
where to hang it
and finally settled
on placing it above
my own bed,
pointing at my own head,
where I then,
woke up.
Disappointingly literal,
or simplistically profound,
I was not sure,
but I think of this dream
and about the things we seek
and how we wander
and what we crave.
Perhaps we already carry
what we need to awaken.
Perhaps we already hold
our own signs
Perhaps we need only
to open our eyes,
to be awake,
right here.

This was written as part of my current month of #30DaysofGoddess.

...
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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Jamie
    Jamie says #
    Molly, Wonderful as usual, and food for thought. I've had the same kind of dream in the past. It's as if our Higher Self (or pe
  • Molly
    Molly says #
    Thanks!

Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs

May I be inspired. b2ap3_thumbnail_75392784_2474522466093294_7626079059591561216_o.jpg
May I be grateful.
May I walk in ease
and devotion.

As I have noted several times here on this blog, this June I fell and hurt my ankle, which confined me to flat surfaces and my back deck instead of the long walks on the road and through the woods that I so enjoy and find so nourishing of my creativity and spirituality. In my time on the deck, I started to ponder devotion and building devotional practices and from those contemplations the Goddess Devotional prayerbook was born. My family jokes that I fell down and when I got back up, I’d written a book. This was a surprise project for me this year, not something I expected to create, and I’m really pleased with it.


Free pdf version and a collection of additional resources is available here

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Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs

Where might you find
a spot to nestle?b2ap3_thumbnail_49781219_2253077831571093_4813848419653124096_o.jpg
To watch and wonder.

To listen and feel.
To incubate your own being
and soothe your own heart.
This is cave time
soul song
heart call
life beat.
The listening hours.

...
Last modified on
"The Way of God": walking with the Netjeru

To walk on the road of God is to be filled with light,
Great are the advantages gained by those who
Discipline themselves to follow it.
It’s a monument raised by them on this Earth,
Those who follow the Paths of God,
Those who cling to the Ways of God,
Spend all their lives in joy,
Gathering riches without equal.
(…)
The West is the dwelling place for he who has not transgressed the Rule.
Happy is who reaches there!
Nobody can reach there unless
Their hearts have conformed exactly to the Rule.
Down there there is no distinction between rich and poor,
Unless it is in the favour of he who is found to be righteous
When weighted in the scales of justice before the master of Eternity.

-- The inscriptions from the tomb of PetOsiris, high priest of Thoth (4th/3rd century B.C); quoted from: Cristian Jacq, “The living wisdom of ancient Egypt”


Living as a kemetic is walking your path of life together with Netjeru.

Come to the Netjeru with open heart, embrace Them with joy, let Them help you to get better when you are in sadness. Bring Them flowers, water, bread, say Their names, dance for Them, dedicate to Them your actions, listen to music you associate with Them and assemble your devotional playlists. Look at the images of the Netjeru - online or in art albums you may have, marveling at Their beauty. Sit before the shrine and just think about Them. Share with Them your thoughts, your worries and doubts. Don’t be afraid of asking questions.
Look at the wonders of nature and see the manifestations of Netjeru in the sky, in the sun and moon, in every flower and every bird.

Your goal in the kemetic religion is to maintain Maat and keep relationship with the Netjeru.
Religion should bring happiness and fulfillment, and while trials and tests happen, the Netjeru are not here to make your life miserable. In turn, they are loving and caring, and They are willing to help you on your path of spiritual growth.
Devotion begins in the heart;
And “going in Ma’at” is the primary “way”. It’s the way of life; it’s not “practicing religion”, but Living the religion.
The first step in walking in Ma’at, walking with the Netjeru, however simple it may sound, is: “Place God in your heart”.

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Posted by on in Paths Blogs
First steps in Kemetic Religion

"Come, let me cause you to know them,
namely, the four principles of life…
to bind with them -
Set your heart upon god!
Adhere to the law!
Make revenge!
Go in ma'at!"

Be small of wrath!
Be thoughtful!
Be a good man!.."

"Conversations in the House of Life" ("The Demotic Book of Thoth" - 388-390)

 

If you feel called to Kemetic religion and wonder what should be your first step, my answer always is “Just make that step”. Come before the Netjeru to walk on the path of Ma’at and prepare a place in your heart where your honored Gods will reside, making your body and soul into their temples; guiding your boat on the waters of life.

If you have attraction to certain Netjer, by whatever reason, try talking to that one.
Even if you just consider the deity to be handsome. This also is a valid reason :)
If you are attracted to the pantheon as a whole, address them all, as one divine family… and ask if someone wants to take a larger role in your life, to “step in”.

Once you let them in (as living gods- they may reside in your heart), even if you don’t think about them often, they think of you :)

It’s not required to think about the Gods every single minute of your life, but it makes one happy when you know that deities are loving, caring, helpful and ready to hear your prayers, your praises, and the sharing of your concerns and worries with them. They are like your family and friends; think about your prayer/shrine time as about divine phone call or skype chat with a close friend who is not physically present, but always ready to answer your call and listen.

If you are drawn to several Netjeru already, then start doing more for them and learn more about them.
 
You do not have to have one central Netjer to work with. There is more likely to be several. In Ancient Egypt it was not common to choose only one Netjer to serve/“work with”. People had personal devotions, and may be had their favorites between Netjeru; but more common case was that there was a group, or “family” of the Netjeru who were closer to that particular person.

Frequently it was defined by the place they lived in and other circumstances. We know accounts of ancient Egyptians who had Netjeru appearing to them in dreams, and this causing their focus of devotion to significantly change. There are recorded stories of people who were called for intense devotion by Mut, Aset/Isis and Djehuty after the Netjeru making clear appearance in a dream. But most of the people simply followed their hearts, natural attraction, tradition of family and home town.

Choosing one “primary” Netjer doesn’t mean that you can’t have “many”. Historical example again: even the high priest of one temple could also have priestly ranks and offices in other temples, dedicated to other Netjeru. So, Egyptian priests could bear titles “high priest of NN, and priest of NN, and NN, and having a shift in the temple of NN”, and it totally worked.

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  • helmsman of inepu
    helmsman of inepu says #
    Well done! I'm glad to see someone else suggesting using an image on a cell phone or laptop if you can't afford or find a statue.
“I want it all”: Entering the Joy of Priesthood

* To: A.K., E.H., P.N-U, M.M. – hmw-Ntr & my friends


If you’re not Kemetic but feeling “the call” of this religion, it can be said that any aspiring Kemetic is called for two simple and important tasks:
- Maintain Maat and oppose Isfet (help keep the Universe running by maintaining the Balance and All-Things-Proper – even on a small level of your simple things and daily life)—this is not simply our duty; this is also the duty the Netjeru undertake in far grander scale.

- Commune with the Netjeru – and from simple honor, veneration and worship, driven by love and attraction to their perfection and beauty, achieve the blessed afterlife (that may come in many various forms – there are a lot of things to do in the Duat besides watching your crops in the Aaru/Hetep fields grow!) Choices for eternity are indeed very important.

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