Grave Moss & Stars

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Magic to the People

Drew Jacob, of Rogue Priest and Altmagic fame, has a new project: to open his door in New Orleans to anyone who wants or needs a dose of magic.

Through crowdfunding, Drew hopes to raise enough money to create “an open-door workspace to provide spells to whoever needs them, at no fixed cost. Together we can outfit the space to serve the community with positive, life-changing magic ceremonies.” Located at a cultural cross-section of New Orleans, Drew is well-positioned to be able to offer help to a wide diversity of folks who could walk in, sit down, and be heard.

Whether magic is metaphysically real or “just” a psychological tool, the validity of magical experiences to create change in an individual’s life has been experienced in nearly all cultures and ages. Like faith, like love, the intangibility of magic has never stopped it from making an impact. And like faith, like love, cost should not be a barrier preventing someone from getting the benefits of magic.

Drew wants to create a pay-what-you-can magical workshop to serve anyone who needs it, in a city already rife with magic. What’s not to love?

Come support the project—or, if you can’t afford to, please spread the word!

The Ancient Egyptian Calendar–At Your Fingertips?

The ancient Egyptian calendar is amazing. It is scientifically measured and absolutely filled with festivals, feasts, processions, celebrations, and holy days. Tamara Siuda, accredited Egyptologist, has provided Kemetic Orthodoxy with a month-by-month calendar for years, and I have used it on a near-daily basis for over a year now. It has informed my practice and intrigued my inner reconstructionist; it has brought me closer to my gods, introduced me to new ones, and given me a broader taste of history and ancient Egyptian religion.

And now that calendar is coming into the world as a book!

This Kickstarter was funded in the first two hours, so it’s already going to happen. We get an ebook, huzzah!

But there’s so much more we could get, too. A coil-bound printed copy. Or even a mobile app. How’s that for insanely freaking useful and awesome?

Please, if you can spare a few dollars, back this project and help us bring even more forms of the the Ancient Egyptian Daybook to the public. I’ve been plugging in each new month’s Kemetic calendar into my Google calendar and synching it to my phone; I cannot tell you how excited I am at the prospect of an actual app to do this in a more efficient and user-friendly manner!

If you can’t afford to back the project, please take a few moments and spread the word. The Daybook is of interest not just to Kemetics, but to anyone who loves or studies ancient Egypt; this is both a spiritual and a historical project, and I can’t wait to see it completed!

Naming Rescheduling

For my fellow Kemetics who are planning to attend my and Ekunyi’s Shemsu naming ceremony tomorrow, please be advised that it’s been shifted to next Wednesday, Feb 6, 8h30 pm Central, due to the passing of a wonderful lady who will be dearly missed by many. May her ka be justified, and may Nebt-het comfort her loved ones who mourn her.

a promise to make

Tuesday was my birthday, and I was blessed with surprise snow (in Texas, THIS IS AMAZING) in the morning, a zillion wonderfully happy-making birthday wishes from friends and family, and a truly lovely evening spent with my gods in shrine.

Today is a festival of Nit, Who is one of my Mother Nebt-het’s three faces, and my heart is glad: After discourse with Netjer and some months of contemplation, I have made an important choice in my spirituality. I will be taking Shemsu vows, swearing to honor my gods foremost and devoting myself primarily (but not exclusively) to Kemetic Orthodoxy, both the religion and the community. I’ve let Hemet (AUS) know, and I will be standing for my Netjer-given Shemsu name on Wednesday the 30th of this month, at 8h30 CST. It is my great pleasure and honor that my sister Ekunyi and I will be named on the same day; she announced her intentions to become Shemsu earlier this month, to the joy of our Kemetic family.

It has been fourteen months since I underwent the Rite of Parent Divination; it has been almost two years since Sekhmet led me to the House; it has been a lot more years than that that I’ve followed the Red Lady and wholly adored Her. I have loved this community and the Netjeru Who have become my family, and I have grown as a person, for better and for deeper, since I have been a part of Kemetic Orthodoxy. I am proud and excited to step up as a Shemsu, and the four Netjeru of my divination– and Sekhmet as well– support my decision to take these vows.

Dua Netjer! Nekhtet!