Archive for December, 2011

Today, in the Kemetic calendar, is the Establishment of the Celestial Cow. As my Mother, Hethert-Nut, is Hethert-as-Nut, cow-as-sky, I feel this is particularly appropriate to continue my research into the Book of the Celestial Cow.

Snippets obtained from the links found here. I am fairly sure the person who translated these into English and German was originally a francophone, because some of the English really doesn’t match the French. When I have time, I’m going to go back through and see if I can’t reckon some slightly more accurate translations. Thank Netjer I can still read French pretty well. For now, however, the bits involving (Hethert-)Nut:

“Be not disappointed, be not weary.
You have power over all You wish.”
Then said the majesty of Re
to the majesty of Nun:
“My limbs are feeble as in primeval times,
I will not return until another cycle overtakes Me.”
Then the majesty of Nun said:
“My son Shu!
Let Your eye look upon Your father, and protect Him.
My daughter Nut,
place Him on Your back!”

Nut became a cow,
and the majesty of Re was on Her back.

Men were astonished when,
from the location to which they had fled,
they saw Him on the back of the cow.

His majesty proceeded to His palace
on the back of this cow,
and He was together with the gods.

Then this god said to Nut:
“I placed myself on Your back to be elevated, what then?”
So said He, and Nut
became the sky.
The majesty of this god begged:
“Be far from them and elevate Me, that I may see them.”
And the On High came into being.
Then the majesty of this god
looked into Her,
and She said: “Make Me into a multitude!” And stars came into being.

Then Nut began to shake, owing to the height.
And the majesty of Re said:
“Had I only the Heh gods to support Her!” And then the Heh gods came into being.
Then the majesty of Re said:
“My son Shu,
place Yourself under My daughter Nut
and guard for Me the four Heh gods of the east and the four Heh gods of the west
who live in twilight.
Place Her on your head and keep Her.”

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I am still sick, but I am also impatient, and while my coughing up a lung means I’m not exactly in a state of physical purity fit for ritual, I can still paint. Right? Right.

So I painted this for Hethert-Nut:

I swear to you, the stars on Her body are silver, but the camera turned them golden. I don’t know why. This is the best color-correcting I can do, and it’s still a lot more subtle and blendy in person. Nekhtet and huzzah! Thanks to Tornir’s brilliance, I got a shot with the colors far more accurate. Yay! You can see the original photo here.

It’s not the purple I associate with Her presence; I mixed the painting-purples myself, but I just didn’t have supplies to do the kind of rich, deep royal purple that I’d prefer. I may go buy a bottle of the right color and do another painting of/for Her later – we’ll see.

That said, however, I do like how this turned out. =3

Dua Hethert-Nut!

From here:

Finally, I remembered the most beautiful form of grace a Kemetic Orthodox knows, the short formula spoken over offerings right before they are presented to the gods and goddesses in Their shrines. One holds out their hands as if preparing to receive something — because you are — and says:

In Kemetic:
hotep Netjer em shabu en imenti her iabi

Or, in English:
May Netjer be satisfied with the repast to the right and to the left.

Immediately after this pronouncement, the spirit of Netjer descends upon the food, partakes of its spiritual substance, and makes the food holy, to be shared with all who were part of the ritual.

I am sick and migraining, and have been sick all week, so I cannot sit in open shrine or do Senut. However, it’s the first of the month, and as suggested, I will write a prayer to my Akhu and my Parents, my Mothers.

dear akhu:

Come in and share my bread;
come in and share my tea and water.
I give thanks for my roots-who-are-people
and offer you all good and pure things
a thousand times over and again.
May this month see us
begin a lovely, respectful relationship.
Known and unknown, old or ancient,
you are welcome in my home.
Blessed dead, I honor you.

to my Mothers:

Thank You for bearing me
before I knew I was born.
Thank You for helping me sleep
and for helping me dream.
May this month see us
become closer and fonder,
as I learn more about You
and spend more time in Your presence.
I wish to sit with You
and listen, and feel.
You have my love
and forever my gratitude.

From Reading Egyptian Art by Wilkinson, around p. 201:

In the Late Period, the tyet was associated with the goddesses Nut, Hethert and Nebthet.

HELLO ALL MY MOTHERS