Anyone aggressively non-interested in this whole religious thing should probably just skip the whole entry, heh. :)

The ancient Egyptian calendar had 360 days, and 5 days which fall between years. Five of the most powerful and intimidating gods have their birthdays celebrated on those days: Wesir (Osiris), Heru-wer (Horus), Set, Aset (Isis) and Nebt-Het (Nephthys). Then the New Year itself is celebrated for a full month, but most especially on its first day. :)

On the evening of the 31st, Wesir's birthday, we drove up to meet with the other priests. Over dinner, Her Holiness invited me to go through ordination this year if I felt I was ready. Until then I had assumed it would be another year or two down the road... so I had to, as Imakhu Niankh said it, "put my affairs in order" in a matter of days. I think I spent more time pondering and soul-searching than I did sleeping on the next couple of nights (after that, I was too busy to do anything but fall into an exhausted sleep at every opportunity anyway).

August 1st, Heru-wer's birthday, was officially the first day of the event. We mostly spent it shopping for supplies, packing, doing a bit of last minute organizing, and transporting stuff to the hotel. We did get to meet everyone though -- a group of around 40 great people, including two from South Africa, one from Holland, and one from Sweden.

The next day, Set's birthday, we really got things going. Wab (lay priesthood) training began, some interesting workshops and panels were held including one on beading which I thoroughly enjoyed... new hobby on the horizon, I see. :) Then we drummed like madmen and met Set face to face in saq (an appearance of a god through ritual possession, to give you the ten-cent definition). He saw how pale and nervous I'd become over being ordained, and told me "don't look so terrified, it'll be over soon." Heh. :)

On Saturday, the birthday of Aset, Wab training concluded with some new stuff that the previous year's trainees (myself included) hadn't learned yet. More workshops and panels, the wedding of two men of our faith (which will not be legally recognized, but is official as far as our community is concerned), and we had the Sekhmet healing ceremony again. Rather than going to the divination workshop this year though, I was ordained at that time.

The details of that are personal, but I can say I did get to meet my Mother in saq and learn a few things. She does speak, softly and sparingly... we had wondered whether she would. I got to learn a few things of personal interest and I owe a letter to Her other child in the House when I get time.

So I am now officially Reverend Dave. I can legally marry people and perform funerals though I don't expect to do either often if ever. More significant to me is the increased responsibility, and the opportunity to more fully serve my Mother and the people of our faith. It's not really the completion of something so much as the beginning. A lot of work really, work that I have the need to do to be complete.

Unlike last year, my own health is in hand... but I was warned to keep an eye on my family's health. Later on at the Sekhmet ceremony I was reassured a bit on that matter though. If someone I love does get ill, they will also get help. Interestingly enough, Sekhmet told me something that Ra later told other people -- "I am your Mother too, I am your Beloved too." A reminder of the one-and-many aspect of Egyptian religion, that all these different names and faces and personalities are really just one God. So now I have a statue of Her as a reminder.

Sunday, the birthday of Nebt-Het, the last, weirdest and most dangerous day before the New Year, I was present for the Coronation ritual and assisted in the Shemsu Ordeal. I can't say much about either of those, other than they were both big, serious, and went off without major bad incidents. Those who went through them will have lasting memories about them and much to think about. That evening we had our Naming Ceremony, always one of the more joyful and community-oriented things we do. My priest-name is Seshagemseger, "wisdom is found in silence." The entire tongue twister of names and titles is Imakhu Seshagemseger Ankhkaseshat, Hem-Seshat-Nebthet-Nit, mery Hethert-Sekhmet, Sesh-ka Nisut... and if anyone actually addresses me as all that mess they are just being silly. I'll go by Imakhu Sesha in the House or Dave everywhere else. :)

I had no nightmares or really weird things going on that night as I have in the past. Startled awake a couple of times but for the most part, I grabbed what little sleep we were afforded before having to wake up at 3:30 AM the next day for New Year ceremonies.

One of the hotel staff, a Haitian, walked in on us at the conclusion of the first of two New Year morning rituals, to bring fresh water and cups. He got to see a bunch of people all wearing white, celebrating and drumming and singing and shaking sistra, approaching a table arrayed with icons to touch them for luck, piling more stuff on the offering mat with the ten dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and other heaped goodies... I think his eyes popped out and he'll have all kinds of interesting stories to tell his friends. Or he might sign up, I don't know. :)

Yup, this diabetic ate two donuts, a glass of OJ, some candy, and a cookie before taking his medicine and eating breakfast that day. I had pie after dinner and got stupid drunk that night after the gift-giving and entertainment. And yet my blood sugar was relatively good -- being one of "God's Roadies" is good exercise, heh. :) The morning after that the level was a little high, but it was right in line with my usual for the rest of the event. I'm really pleased that it's settling down; I would still like it to stabilize lower than it has and continue losing weight, but that can be worked on.

Once again I return from a New Year retreat with more things to think about, more projects to do, new responsibilities, more fire and a bigger smile.

I wish I had taken another couple of days off from work to catch up with things and make plans, but there is no rush, and getting back into the mundane world will do me some good at this point... :)

Posted 06:56 AM CST [Link] [Archives] [Index]

Dave,

It is always interesting to read about your religous experiences. I know next to nothing about ancient Egyptian dogma, though because of your website I have been able to get, what I think is, a decent feel for what the religion is about.

Which is about brother(sister)hood, spreading knowledge and treating others well.

I grew up as a Catholic. I left the faith as soon as it was my decision to do so and then, recently I might add, I came back.

I've developed a strange theory while I was away and I still subscribe to it.

The theory is that the supreme being uses religion to get his ideas across and he uses what best suits the culture of that particular people.

If you look at all the religions some things are always constant. They only differ in small details. The golden rule is in basically every religion, what is wrong in one religion is usually wrong in all the others.

Because of this, I've basically come up with this theory that God (the supreme being) uses the best means necessary to get his message across. Sometimes it's Catholicism, sometimes Buddism, sometimes Wicca and sometimes even ancient Egyptian religion. I believe that s/he fits the religion to the culture of the individual p

Dave,

It is always interesting to read about your religous experiences. I know next to nothing about ancient Egyptian dogma, though because of your website I have been able to get, what I think is, a decent feel for what the religion is about.

Which is about brother(sister)hood, spreading knowledge and treating others well.

I grew up as a Catholic. I left the faith as soon as it was my decision to do so and then, recently I might add, I came back.

I've developed a strange theory while I was away and I still subscribe to it.

The theory is that the supreme being uses religion to get his ideas across and he uses what best suits the culture of that particular people.

If you look at all the religions some things are always constant. They only differ in small details. The golden rule is in basically every religion, what is wrong in one religion is usually wrong in all the others.

Because of this, I've basically come up with this theory that God (the supreme being) uses the best means necessary to get his message across. Sometimes it's Catholicism, sometimes Buddism, sometimes Wicca and sometimes even ancient Egyptian religion. I believe that s/he fits the religion to the culture of the individual person in order to best convey what God wants you to believe.

The only religion that I have put effort into studying and have seen that my theory isn't fullproof is Islam.

I know that saying this isn't too PC right now but before you pass judgement please read the Koran.

The religions I have looked into preach peace, harmony, spreading the word by peaceful means and that doing so will help you go to a better place once you die. Islam is the only religion I have studied that is contrary to that point. If you believe different and can point that out in the Koran, please do because it ruins most of the theory I previously wrote about.

I am wishing I could erase what I wrote above but I am not going to do it.

Anyways, the point I am trying to make is that every religion, bar one, teaches basically the same things. Which lead me to believe that the guiding power designed things that way.

Sorry for the long post,

Bryan

Oops. Sorry about that.

Bryan

Except on the issue of Islam, I agree. Where religions differ, it tends to be a cultural thing. Religions split apart and merge together like rivers but they all carry water to the same place.

I think the perception of Islam in our culture is a bad one. We think of the crazy violent fundamentalist Muslims, because those are the ones the media shows us, because unfortunately those are the ones that affect us the strongest. There are crazy violent fundamentalist Christians too, but any power they have here is negated by our love of freedom. They do manage the occasional book burning, abortion clinic bombing, beating of someone not of their religion and culture, etc. But they do not have the money or the clout to run the show.

A feature of Islamic doctrine is the overthrow of tyranny, the repelling of invaders, and self-defense. Fundamentalists stretch this past the breaking point, and outright ignore other Islamic laws, to paint the US and Israel as tyrants that have to be overthrown.

Here are some quotes from the Koran:

"If anyone murders an (innocent) person, it will be as if he has murdered the whole of humanity. And if anyone saves a person it will be as if he has saved the whole of humanity."

"There is no compulsion in religion."

"To you, your religion; to me mine."