Month: April 2015

Aset Luminous, Auset Luminous, Isis Luminous, Aset Neferset, Auset Neferset, Isis Nepherses, Aset of Pharos Lighthouse, Auset of Pharos Lighthouse, Isis Pharia, Aset, Auset, Isis, Aset-Serqet, Auset-Serqet, Isis-Selkis, Awakening of Aset, Awakening of Auset, Awakening of Isis, Calendar, Candles and Lamps, Devotional Practice, Festivals, Mysteries of Wesir, Mysteries of Osiris, Rhodophoria, Rituals

So, I have thinky thoughts

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So, I’ve been thinking about festival cycles and how to come up with a good cutic practice for Aset.

Obviously there are Feasts, Festivals and Processions of Aset. But there are also cycles. Yearly cycles. I’ve been looking at the worship of the Virgin Mary recently and she has feasts year-round and a monthly feast on the 21st of each month in the Coptic Orthodox Church. And these feasts are all about her life (birth, temple, immaculate conception, Theotokos, her mourning of Jesus etc).

This got me thinking about the yearly cycle of Aset life I did here: Aset’s Yearly Cycle and how I could build something from it.

She has tons of holidays and some of them are more low-key celebrations like for Feasts of Aset you could offer Her a feast or for Processions they could be oracle or divination times (unless they are specifically for Wesir, maybe). But Her Mythic Cycle is the point. Her stories are the point. These are Her Mysteries.

I think the holidays that need to have a separate festival ritual done for them are only a few times a year. Looking at Her divine relationships and Her stories and Her cycles, I’d have to say Her High Holy Days could be:

Natural Cycles
1-New Year (Sopdet appears and inundation)
12 to 24-Festival of Roses/Rhodophoria
20-Procession of the Goddess of Heaven Goes South to the Road (Sopdet; half-way point)

Her Mythic Life Cycle
4 to 21-Aset, Mother of God Gives Birth to Heru-sa-Aset
8 to 16-Festival of the Marriage of Aset, with the Beautiful Throne (Isis Nepherses), the Great Goddess
9 to 26-Entering the Temple of Aset-Shentayet (not sure if this is redundant as the Mysteries are in the same month)
18-30-Mysteries of Wesir
26 of 3 Shomu to 15 of 4 Shomu-Festival of the Birth of Aset, with the Beautiful Throne (Isis Nepherses), the Great Goddess (and a ritual can be adapted to be used for the other Birth of Aset festivals throughout the year)
2-Aset Luminous: Procession of Aset, the Brilliant, Mother of God (searching for Wesir; bright goddess festival)
Extra Day 4-Birth of Aset

I’m not sure what to do with these either. They aren’t Her Myth cycle or natural phenomena, but Her stellar and solar aspects and light aspects are very important.

Bright Festivals
Her Various Birth Festivals Throughout the Year
5 to 6 of March-Navigation of Aset/Isidis Navigium
21-Sacred Festival of Aset of Pharos (Isis Pharia)
25 of April-Sacrifice to Aset of Pharos (Isis Pharia)/Sacrum Phariae
26 of 3 Shomu to 15 of 4 Shomu-Festival of the Birth of Aset, with the Beautiful Throne (Isis Nepherses), the Great Goddess
28-Appearance of Sopdet
30-Burning the Widow’s Flame
2-Aset Luminous: Procession of Aset, the Brilliant, Mother of God

Here is a link to the festival calendar if anyone wants to see it: Aset Holidays.

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Aset of Pharos Lighthouse, Auset of Pharos Lighthouse, Isis Pharia, Aset, Auset, Isis, Festivals, Writing

Song of Light

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Okay, so I offered my dinner to Aset and I asked for help with writing a song.

Here is what I got:

Brightest of Ladies
Brightest of Lights
Come, join the Circle
Come join the rite!
Light the incense,
Burn the candles
Offer to the Goddess
On this night!
Pour out libations
Give to the Gods,
Thank the Ladies,
Thank the Lords.
Give to the Gods and You’ll never be bored.
Brightest of Ladies
Brightest of Lights
May You be blessed on this Holy Night!

Aset of Pharos Lighthouse, Auset of Pharos Lighthouse, Isis Pharia, Aset, Auset, Isis, Festivals, Goddesses

Reminder: Remainder of April Festivals and Aset of Pharos

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Here are the festivals for the rest of the month of April.

1 Shomu/Pachons/April
21-Sacred Festival of Aset of Pharos (Isis Pharia)
25 of April-Sacrifice to Aset of Pharos (Isis Pharia)/Sacrum Phariae and Serapia
26-Festival of Roses/Rhodophoria
26 of April-Harvest Festival

Today is the Sacred Festival of Aset of the Pharos Lighthouse (Isis Pharia). I see the analogy here as the Lighthouse guiding ship through troubled waters, dispelling the darkness and showing the way with the brightest of lights.

I see Her as Fiercely Bright here. I see Her as a goddess who guides, who leads, who nurtures and provides, when asked.

I see the brightest of stars over the waters. I see Her ships filled with offerings on the waves–filled with offerings of bread, milk, water, meat, vegetables and fruits. I see the tresses of the ships adorned with roses–bright red, yellow and blue.

I see Her festival as a Goddess who weaves, who commands all things. She is the Goddess who knows Her spells and weaves them well. For the devotees. For Her Shemsu. For Her son and husband. For Herself.

I see the Lady of the Rivers, the Goddess of the Rains and the Lady of the Primordial Ocean as the Goddess invoked here. And I see Isis, Goddess of the Sea.

I see the Brightest of Lights and the Brightest of Stars. I see the Mourner and the Widow as She searches for Her husband.

Most of all, I see a fiercely bright, radiant Lady who stands with Her arms out, blessing those who leave offerings and call Her name.

Ancient Texts, Books, Links, Publications, Research, Translations

Books and Where to Find Them

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As many recons will tell you, academic books are important to our research about the Gods/Goddesses we honor and how to worship them today. There are a few ways to get ahold of these wonderful books and articles.

Purchasing Them

You can purchase them from publishers’ websites such as Peeters Publishers or IFAO or Brill.com.

Amazon.com: You can find great deals on used books or even lower prices on new books here.

Eisenbrauns has period sales on academic books especially from the Near East including ancient Egypt, Assyria, Palestine, as well as Judaic and Biblical sources. They have an email list you can sign up for to be alerted to their periodic sales.

Book Depository has good prices on used books and they have free shipping worldwide. This is especially useful to people in Australia or other places where the cost of shipping makes it difficult to buy things from overseas.

AddALL.com is a great place to bargain shop. They put the prices of books in a list from various sellers such as Amazon, Half-Price books and other places. They also have a place to buy used or out of print books: Used AddALL.

Powells is another place to buy used books.

Other Options

Academia.edu is a great site to find articles posted by academics on various subjects. You have to sign in through Facebook or Google or affiliated with a university to have access.

Jstor has a free option where you can add up to three articles in a certain amount of days, before you can add three more articles to your queue. Some of the articles you have to purchase to read. Some cost $10.00 usd and others are more.

Free Options

Your Local Libraries. Ask your local library if they have the book or can obtain it through Inter-Library Loan.

Borrow from a friend.

So, where do you get your academic books? And what books do you have that are your favorites?

I’d love to hear from you! Keep researching and reading!

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Ideas?

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I’m kind of in a rut.  I’d like some help.  What are some good blog post ideas or content you’d like to see on my site?  I’d like for the topic to pertain to Aset in some way if possible.

Also, are there any ideas or improvements you think the site needs to make it better or more usable or more aesthetically pleasing?

Thank you.

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Titles of Ra

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Epithets of Ra
All-Lord
Besouled
Far-Reaching
Far-Striding
Father of All
Father and Mother of All Living Things
Glorious
Great God Who Came into Being of Himself
He of the Horizon
He Who Comes into Being of Himself
King of the Gods
Lord of All the Gods
Lord of the Gods
Lord of the Heavens
Lord of the Horizon
Lord of the Nine Gods
Lord of the Secret Casket Belonging to Aset
Lord of the Sunbeams
Lord of Time
Luminous One
Mighty
One Who Comes into Being
Ruler of the Gods
Shining
Sovereign Who Created the Gods
Strong
Sun as the Sovereign Power in the Horizon
Who Created His Names
Who Gave Commands and the Gods Came into Being
Who Has No Opponent Among the Gods
Who Shines Forth from the Horizon Every Day

Bibliography

Faulkner, R. O. and Ogden Goelet. The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth By Day. Chronicle Books, 1998. Spell 15, plate 20.

Foster, John. Hymns, Prayers and Songs: An Anthology of Ancient Egyptian Lyric Poetry. Scholars Press, 1995.

Muller, Maya. “Re and Re-Horakhty,” in Ancient Gods Speak: A Guide to Egyptian Religion. edited by Donald Redford. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp.325-328.

Piankoff, Alexandre. Tomb of Ramesses VI: Bollingen I. University of Princeton Press, 1954.

Piankoff, Alexandre. The Shrines of Tut-Ankh-Amun: Bollingen II. University of Princeton Press, 1955.

Pinch, Geraldine. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Quirke, Stephen. The Cult of Ra: Sun-Worship in Ancient Egypt. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2001.

Roberts, Alison. My Heart My Mother: Death and Rebirth in Ancient Egypt. England: Northgate Publishers, 2000.

Wilkinson, Richard H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2003.

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Reminder Post: Festivals of Aset for April

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Here are the festival days of Aset for the month of the 1st of Shomu or Pachons/April. Some of these festials such as the Harvest Festival and the Festival of Aset of Pharos festivals are listed twice since they have two set dates associated with them on different calendars.

The Aset of Pharos festival is listed on the 25th of April, but a footnote in one book mentioned it may also be on April 21st so I included the date here.

1 Shomu/Pachons/April
1-Harvest Festival
12-Marriage Contract of Aset
20-Feast of Aset-Renenutet, Sobek and Heru-sa-Aset
21-Sacred Festival of Aset of Pharos (Isis Pharia)
25 of April-Sacrifice to Aset of Pharos (Isis Pharia)/Sacrum Phariae and Serapia
26-Festival of Roses/Rhodophoria
26 of April-Harvest Festival