Site of Chelsea Luellon Bolton: Author, Scholar and Poet
Here is part one: Growing Devotions Part 1- Understanding Devotions
Here is part two: Growing Devotions: Finding Your Center
Here is part three: Growing Devotions: Connecting with the Land
Here is part four: Growing Devotions: Embracing the Ancestors
Here is part five: Growing Devotions: Knowing the Gods
Here is part six: Growing Devotions: Returning to the Center
Isidora Forrest, Priestess and author has a blog post about being a Priestess of Isis.
It can be found here: What Does It Mean to be a Priestess of Isis?
Today is the “Goddess of Heaven Goes South to the Road” Festival. This celebrates Aset as Sopdet as She makes her journey in the Duat in order to re-appear at New Year. This is the half-point of Her journey.
Honor Aset as Sopdet (or Aset-Sopdet) today as the stellar Goddess of the Heavens.
Sopdet is often portrayed as a woman with a star crown on Her head and She is sometimes in bovine form. As Sopdet is an Eye of Ra, She can also appear as a cobra or lioness.
Her theophany for this festival is the Cow.
Hail the Star Goddess!
Here is the continuation of devotions series.
Here is the fourth installment:
Growing Devotions: Embracing the Ancestors
Here are parts one, two and three:
Here is part one: Growing Devotions Part 1- Understanding Devotions
Here is part two: Growing Devotions: Finding Your Center
Here is part three: Growing Devotions part 3
Here is the continuation of devotions series.
Here are parts one and two:
Here is part one: Growing Devotions Part 1- Understanding Devotions
Here is part two: Growing Devotions: Finding Your Center
This festival is on the Cairo Calendar on 2 Peret Day 16. The “Awakening of Aset” would be at sunrise since all ancient Egyptian deities are awakened then. The “Majesty of Ra” here is the sunlight. So basically, go outside at sunrise bathing a statue of Aset in Ra’s rays.
I could not do that today since I went to bed at sunrise and it was cloudy and cold all day. So instead I lit candles for Her. Candle flame is analogous to the First Dawn during daily rites so I think it is a workable substitute if you can’t get outside or the sun isn’t out.
This festival celebrates Aset as a solar Goddess, an Eye of Ra and a Daughter of Ra.
Her theophanies as a solar deity include the cobra and the lioness.
Many Kemetics do a daily or weekly rite or ritual to certain Netjeru. I sometimes perform the Kemetic Orthodox Ritual of the Senut.
I’m trying to make a ritual for Aset to perform as well. I found a few things I can use (ancient hymns and so forth), but I need to dig deeper to know what I’m doing. Because you shouldn’t perform a ritual (or create one) unless you know what you’re doing.
So why do we perform ritual to the Netjeru? Here are a few answers:
*It strengthens and maintains Ma’at in the world and community
*It maintains the creation of the world against the Uncreated One.
*It feeds the Kau of the Netjeru and ourselves which sustains us and Them
*It invites the Gods and Goddesses in our homes and our lives
*If you have a Parent/Patron Netjeru, the ritual will strengthen your bond with that deity. This can result in you becoming Their Eyes and Hands in this world.
*Where offerings go, blessings flow. You give to Them and They give back to you. This is another way of saying “I give so that You may give.” or reciprocity.
*My life is made up of choices I have made (some good, some bad, some in between) and the blessings I have had in my life (and being alive at all would be one of them) has come from Them. And when I have made mistakes and owned up to my mistakes, and tried to fix them, who was there to help me? They were (along with my awesome family and friends–that would be another blessing). They have showered my life with many blessings. I give to Them because They have already given to me.
*I choose to honor the Gods and Goddesses I have chosen to follow.
And that’s all the thoughts I have for now.
Notes
Ka/Kau (plural)–Life force; it is the energy sustained by offerings in both humans and Gods–it is also part of the soul.
Ma’at–a goddess of balance and justice; a concept of balance that helps maintain the world.
Netjer/Netjeru (plural)–ancient Egyptian deity/deities
Uncreated One–Apep/Apophis and Its agent of isfet
Priestess and author Isidora Forrest has a great post about the fires of Aset/Isis.
The post is here: Isis Fire
Here is another post on devotions from the blog Not All Who Wander Are Lost: Growing Devotions: Finding Your Center
Here is part one: Growing Devotions Part 1- Understanding Devotions
*Note: This is about the Ritual of the Senut and not about libations in general.*
You need to understand what this libation is doing.
It is not an offering–not in the traditional sense.
It is a doorway.
It is calling upon the Foundations
to open the way–
so that We may communicate.
Do not consume this offering.
You are calling upon your Dead to support you.
You are calling upon Wepwawet to guide you to Us for this is His role as Opener of the Way.
You are calling upon the Wisdom of your teachers to support you.
You are calling upon Ma’at to strengthen this bond
for She is the foundation of all the worlds.
What do you think you are doing, dear child?
What do you think you are doing?
You are opening the way between the worlds.
Water is a liminal element, creating liminal space.
It is the conduit in which you are connecting to Us.
You are eating the doorway.
Stop it.
Stop it.
Unless you want to become a doorway yourself.
Unless you want to become a Shaman’s Gate–
stop it.
Do not eat this libation.
Offer water separately to Us to drink or to give to your pets.
That is fine.
But this specific libation–pour out.
It is a ritual conduit.
It is a ritual tool.
Do not consume it.
Dispose of it when you are done.
Fiercely Bright One 