Posts Tagged ‘hethert-nut’

… which is apparently the primary resource on Hethert-Nut. So I’ve ordered a book by Erik Hornung which should have a solid chunk of information about it.

For now, I get, from here (which I do not claim to be correct; I am doing preliminary research here):

“It is my mother the Great Wild Cow, long of plumes, bright of head-cloth, pendulous of breasts, who has lifted me up to the sky, not having left me on Earth, among the gods who have power.”

Part 3 : The Heavenly Cow:

This spell is to be recited over the (picture of) a cow, with “the Infinite Ones who are” (inscribed) on her chest, and over whose back is (inscribed) “the Infinite Ones who are”. Whose four hoofs are filled out in paint and upon whose belly are nine stars, issuing from its hindquarters in front of its hind legs, while beneath its belly stands Shu, painted in yellow ocher, his arms support these stars, and inscribed with his name between them, which says “Shu is himself”.

A barque, on which are a steering-oar and a shrine with a Solar disk over it and Re in it, is in front of Shu, close to his hand, while another version (of a barque) is behind him, close to his (other) hand. Her two udders are placed in the middle of her left leg, one half of them being drawn in paint in the middle of this hind leg with the following words outside in retrograde : “I am who I am. I will not let them take action.” What is (written) beneath the barque that is in front is : “You shall not grow weary, my son.” – in retrograde, and as follows : “Your condition is like that of one who lives forever.” and as follows : “Your son is in me. Life, prosperity and health be for your nose!”

What is (written) behind Shu, close to his arm, is as follows: “Guard them !” What is behind him at his flank is (written) in retrograde as follows : “It is right that they should enter when I retire each day.” What is (written) under the arm of the figure below the left hind leg and behind it is as follows : “Everything is sealed.” What is (written) above his head, below the hindquarters of the cow and what is between its hind legs is as follows: “May he come out.” What is (written) behind the two figures that are between its hind legs and above their heads: “The aged one is in the realm of the dead. Praise is given to him when he enters.” What is (written) over the heads of the two figures that are between its forelegs: “He who procreates, he who adores, support of the sky.”

Third Spell: Hymn to Nut

A magician, his head being purified, should make a female figure, standing to his South, and draw a goddess upon her, and in the middle of her, a snake standing erect upon its tail, with her hand upon its body and its tail upon the ground.

(He should say):
“O You, to whom Thoth gives praise, while the dignity of heaven is upon You and toward whom Shu extends his arms, may You save me from those two great and mighty gods who dwell in the East of the sky, who guard heaven, who guard Earth, and who are with enduring mysteries.”

Then they must say:
“How great he is when he goes forth to see Nun!”

Unrelated to Hethert-Nut, but of interest to me, Ra speaking to Geb:

“Take heed of your snakes which are in You! Behold, they feared me as long as I was there, but You know their magical power. Go then to the place where my father Nun is and tell him to keep watch over terrestrial and aquatic snakes. You are to write down each mound belonging to the snakes there, saying: ‘Beware of spoiling anything!’ They should know that I am here, for I am shining for them too. Now as for their habitation, it will exist in this land forever.”

edit to add:

Oh oh, actual translations here!

Oh oh oh. Oh, my friends. November 21st shall forevermore be a day of celebration.

Yesterday, I was divined a child of Nebthet-Nit-Seshat and Hethert-Nut, and a beloved of Ma’ahes and Serqet. Nekhtet!

(An explanation of the divination for those unfamiliar can be found here!)

I’m not sure if I can write about this coherently, but I’m going to try very hard. :) The opening message from my Akhu, my ancestors, was an overwhelmingly positive one, all blessings, all encouragement that I’m doing well, all reassurances that I can do and have what I work hard to achieve. I am so very grateful for that, and I will buy them flowers in thanks, and I will start work on the little Akhu shrine that I planned out over the weekend. I hope to pick up a shelf tonight for that very thing.

I am immeasurably delighted and surprised by my Mothers. I mean, yes, I’ve had some very pleasant interactions with Nebt-het before, and I had been intrigued by Nit (a very old hunter-goddess with associations with the primordial waters of the Nun) and Seshat (librarian goddess!), but for Her (yes, singular, as They are One) to be my Mother… I am awed. (And of course, Djeri and my sister were all “I never would have guessed but it makes perfect sense!” when they found out. XD)

Hethert-Nut is Hethert as the night sky. She came outta nowhere; She’s the only one I had never had relations with before yesterday. However, while in a teaching chat with Hemet (the leader and founder of Kemetic Orthodoxy) a while ago, Her name came up and immediately had a color association with it– this rich, deep, beautiful royal purple, like silks. It’s not exactly common for me to get a color-vibe before even encountering a Netjeru, so I asked about Her, intrigued, and was given a little more information, but that was all until yesterday, when She was pronounced my Mother along with Nebthet-Nit-Seshat. And I was just… instantly enveleoped in Her color, and it was joyful and smiling and felt like a hug from a warm spring night with fireflies and stars and night-blooming flowers. ♥

Ma’ahes… oh, Ma’ahes. I have become very close with Him over these past couple months, and I regret that I haven’t written more about Him on here, but I will make a separate post that explains our short but rich history soon. He is a male Eye of Ra, a lion-god, colored like the sun and usually seen as a warrior and/or executioner of enemies. I see Him as human-animal, with a lion’s head and tail, paw-like hands and feet, and a muscular man’s body. Sometimes He has tawny-golden fur, but more often, I see His skin like magma, blaze-orange shining past patches of blackened char; to me, He is the setting sun, the transition between the golden glory of day and the encompassing darkness of night. I was so hopeful that He would show up in my divination, and so happy, so relieved, when He did. To me, He is also a god of storms, and it was thundering all yesterday evening, a soothing and grounding background to the RPD itself and my bubbling-over excitement.

And Serqet! Serqet, the Netjeru I have written about most in here, for all my work with Her in prayers to help me heal from poisons and guard me against new ones. Until recently, when I felt Her presence– to accept the offerings a few weeks ago, to choose the colors for Her painting, and all of yesterday, when I wasn’t wearing my scorpion necklace, yet felt Her dull-amber energy drape around me like the collar of a cloak, like an embrace, and She felt happy– I would not have guessed She would show up. My sister and my partner both placed their bets on Her being here, and well, they win. :D I am grateful and happy that She is here.

I will stop here, and leave essence o’ joy scattered in my wake, and come back as soon as I can to write a little bit more, especially about Ma’ahes, as I have been amiss in talking about Him.

So very happy and so very grateful, to my gods, to my community, to my Akhu, to Hemet. Nekhtet!