Trust in Your Own Experiences

AKA Why historical attestation isn’t always the holy grail.

I have something to admit.  I’m addicted to finding anything rooted in history that may mention or give me insight into Bast-Mut.  Once I get the itch, I’ll dig into the deepest parts of Google in order to see what I can find, even if just a brief mention of “Mut-Bastet.”  I occasionally get jealous of those who have parent deities who have a long history and many records and myths.  It’s the woe of somebody who worships an “odd-god.”

To be fair, Bast isn’t particularly unknown, and neither is Mut.  The downside falls in the destruction of Per-Bast (Bubastis), so we don’t really have much to go on.  Mut is very prominent, but Bast-Mut is NOT Mut, not completely.  If there existed any record at all of Queen Bast of Bubastis, it’s gone now.  We have small hints of Mut-Bast over in Waset (Thebes), but primarily that was Sekhmet-Mut town.

When I get into my heavy “research mood,” I really have to try to remind myself of one simple thing:

Trust in my own experiences.

What am I hoping to gain by finding my Mother in historical texts?  Maybe an epithet here or there, but that is probably all I’ll possibly find.  What this research won’t tell me is how the ancients perceived Bast-Mut, nor how they experienced her.  You won’t find that stuff in any scientific material.  You have to live it.  Nothing I’ll find will replace any experience I’ve shared with Mom.

For those of you in the same shoes, it will do you well to remember this.  This is your path, and you will not find that in any Oriental Institute Publication.

Reflecting on a Name

It’s been a little over three years since my Shemsu naming.  This is a name with big shoes to fill, and I’m finally starting to grow into it and fully understand what it means to be a soldier of my Mother.

I’ve done a lot of thinking over the years regarding this name and how it reflects me and my duty to both Netjer and the community in which I took my vows.  When I was first named, I was this meek little thing flanked by three powerful and protective Names.  It is now that I’m realizing just what being a soldier of a Queen entails.

On occasion, I’ll find myself doing some research on the literal roles of soldiers in Ancient Egypt.  I like to take in all the information available and see how it applies to me.  Something I discovered kind of stuck with me; When there is no war, soldiers were often out helping the community, building, farming, and taking on other helpful tasks.  They were always taking action for the betterment of the whole.

Action.

This is a word that is increasingly important to me.

Bast-Mut, as Queen, is one to direct.  I am taking action on her behalf.  Not only am I fighting in the name of ma’at, I am also expected to work with the community and help when necessary.

As I considered that, I also realized I had already been working on helping out the community.  I was, and am, getting more involved, and it fits my role perfectly.

(In meme speak: I protecc and attacc, but most importantly I give bacc)

Day of Chewing Onions for Bast 2018

Now, Onion Day is one of the holidays that I can celebrate with my fiance.  He loves onions!  We had to celebrate early however, since I’ll be leaving to go back to work on the 6th.  This is the first time we’ve really celebrated a festival together, and it was a ton of fun!

We started the day today by going out to a restaurant, where I got a breakfast skillet with onions included!  This was the first part of the feast.  Unfortunately we couldn’t celebrate earlier since I had a massive migraine that I carried from the night before, but with some tender loving care, I mostly got rid of it just in time for lunch and dinnertime fun.

Earlier in the week, we went to the store and gathered our supplies for making delicious foods. I also set up the shrine on the dining room table so that we could share our meals with Bast(-Mut).  I decided that I finally wanted to make those Rose Puff Pastries and he was going to make a French Onion Soup.  Today we spent much of the afternoon and evening in the kitchen in a cooking frenzy!  (After I felt better, of course!)

The picture to the right shows his delicious soup made with sunny sweet onions, provolone cheese, and French bread.  We also had a baked potato on the side and it was all SO good!  Here I am sharing my meal with Bast, while we have the candle and incense lit for Her as well.  On the left I have cut out some onion shapes for some heka we performed later on.

The picture on the left shows one of the delicious rose puff pastries that I baked and shared with Her!  They turned out pretty good for a first try, but they were super messy to create.  It was sure a learning experience, and I know I can do better next time.

While we ate, we took the onion shapes and some pens and considered what we wanted The Devouring Flame to consume.  We wrote down things we wanted to be rid of, such as procrastination and similar things.  We wrote as much as we could think of on our onion shapes, because we were going to take them outside and allow Her to devour them, to take them from us so that we could fill those gaps with better things.

After we ate our fill, we took our onions and allowed them to be consumed while I sang a song for Bast.  The fire felt very good in the crisp northern air.

All in all, this was a very exciting festival for us and I’m glad we got to share it together. Hopefully this post will give everybody else some ideas for their own Onion Day festivities!

 

First Steps onto the Kemetic Path

For those who are new to the Kemetic path, things can be quite daunting.  Where do you start?  Where do you go?

It’s okay to be confused!  We’ve all been there, me included.  I’ve gotten questions much similar to the ones above lately, and it has inspired me to write a short post in order to give people a starting point.  This won’t be extensive, it’s just a way to get your feet wet!

So take a breath now and think.

Consider what brings you to your interest in the Kemetic faith.  What gods are pulling you, if any?  This is a good time to write a small journal and get your thoughts down if you wish!  Just know that you’re not doing anything wrong if you are unsure about these questions, they are simply reflection.  Even so, it’s a helpful exercise!

Here are the basics:
  1. Live in ma’at.  This is the most important part of this faith.
  2. Communicate with the gods.  Even if you can’t set up a shrine, try to speak with them.  Greet Ra in the sunrise.  Greet Djehuty/Thoth in the moonlight.
  3. Research.  There is so much to learn!  You can read up on a particular god, or you can read about making shrines.
  4. Participate in the community.  Be it on Tumblr or elsewhere, it’s very good to interact with others who share this fatih!  You can learn a lot from one another.

I found that keeping a blog or a journal was an excellent way to keep me on track and to put my thoughts in order.  Your mileage may vary, but just know that this is your path.  Make it how you want!  Start slow, work up, and enjoy the process.

If you have further questions, please leave a comment!

Kemetic Resolutions for 2018

We all know the typical question: “What are your New Year’s Resolutions?”  It’s kind of a stereotype at this point, however I had some of my own I wanted to set in stone before the year got too ahead of me.
  • Do Senut more often.
    • Because of my surgery, I have been unable to do Senut, save for one time in the last week.  It’s hard to purify, and it’s hard to stand and kneel when your heel is still healing.  However, I’ve been called back and I need to get back into a routine, even if my life is very not routine.
  • Work on Sau Training.
    • Between working, surgery, and learning other things, I’ve kind of fallen back on my training to be a Sau Magician.  This is important work, and I want very hard to get back into it.  I started to work on it more last night, and I hope that I can continue to learn and grow.  The calling to return is strong.
  • More Reiki.
    • While I was out for the count, I become Reiki certified and I have added it to my practice. I’ve become quite confident in doing it over a distance, and yet I’m still learning more and more.  I picked up Crystal Reiki from the same teacher, and I’d love to incorporate crystals into my practice as well.  I started to work with Sekhmet and Khonsu on this healing endeavor, and this is why I’ve listed it under Kemetic Resolutions.
  • Attend Wep Ronpet Retreat.
    • Okay, I’ve been saving up for this one.  This is the year I step forward and attempt to become Shemsu-Ankh.  I’ve been meeting House members, I’ve been active, and I’ve been doing things for the community.  I don’t need to be a SA to do these things, but it’s the direction I feel drawn, and I feel that it’s a calling I must answer.
  • Do more artwork.
    • Because you can never have enough artwork around!  This ties into Retreat a bit, as I’d love to create some prints of the Gods to auction off for donations.  I pray for inspiration in order to bring about beautiful pictures to share with everyone.

This is going to be a busy year, but I’m excited to see how it progresses.