"Seth is the god of blasphemous and scandalous curiosity. This is also the theme of a myth told by Ovid and several other ancient authors that provides an explanation of animal worship in ancient Egypt. The gods, it is revealed, so feared the reckless curiosity of Seth-Typhon that they decided to disguise themselves in the shapes of animals. Later they declared these animals sacred out of gratitude to them. Diodorus of Sicily, who calls the cult of the animals an aporrhêton dogma (unspeakable secret) replaces “Seth” with “humankind” in his rendering of the story, which is how he claims to have heard it in Egypt. It seems possible that this very strong and conspicuous condemnation of curiosity reflects an Egyptian reaction to the scientific and investigative mind of the Greeks, who subjected the Egyptians to a veritable program of “Egyptological” research. It strangely foreshadows Saint Augustine’s verdict on curiosity, which dominated the occidental attitude toward the world and nature until the end of the sixteenth century. Another work in which the theme of curiosity plays a central role is The Golden Ass, by Apuleius of Madauros. Lucius, the hero, dabbles in magic out of an insatiable curiosity and is punished by being transformed into an ass, the animal of Seth, whose principal vice he practiced."

Jan Assmann, Of God and Gods: Egypt, Israel, and the Rise of Monotheism

Sun rays. The three furlongers. 1914. Cover detail.

Internet Archive

For There Is Power In Creation

someone was asking about Ptah, and I was gushing out, and this came up

Movement of fingers, deftly or stumbly trying something new, repeating an expertise it can be one, it can be a million it matters not the quality or quantity For There Is Power In Creation and all that which is created is within His domain

I have! Since most of my practice is centered around Kemeticism, and the herbs/plants/crystals/etc that I do have attested correspondences with are primarily local to Egypt, I have to do a bit of work creating my own correspondences when using other items!

I will say that my spells typically involve invoking the Gods, as I actually correspond specific items to Them and use that as the meaning behind it. For example, I needed to get a spell done at a certain time, and the Blue Lotuses I ordered to use with Nefertem (as He is said to have been born from a Blue Lotus) went to mail purgatory and I ended up using Peony and Rose buds as a substitution (after all in my mind, wouldn't buds in general correspond to birth/growth). The spell worked as intended and I was pretty pleased with it overall despite the unplanned changes.

I think if the correspondence didn't manage to tie into my belief and religious praxis, it would have added nothing to the spell. In that same vein: would it have worked the same if Nefertem did not accept it as a substitution? Probably not.

Has anybody on here tried an experiment where they've used a completely personal to them (unknown otherwise) correspondence on ANOTHER PERSON with success?

Some rather unusual Djehuty epithets

He, who takes for himself the bow. The Baboon with His bow. The Knife of the Gods. The Lord of the Whip. The Lord of the Flint Knife.

The Fighter. The Great One at Parrying. The Lord of Strength. The Strong One of the Gods. The Valiant One. The one of Manly (= Strong) Arms. The One with the Strong Arm.

The Ruler of Lower Egypt. The Memory of both Lands.

The Presider over the Entrance to the Desert at Hwt-sh3y He who arises from the Desert Valley. The Lord of the Foreigners. The Presider over the Shore. The Presider over the High Plateau. He, who guides/manages (?) the Affairs of all Foreigners.

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Source: LGG  -  Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und Götterbezeichnungen, Bd. 8, p. 717-721 (there are more pages on Djehuty, these are the ones, in whch I found these epithets though). I translated them from German. Should there be some weird wording I would appreciate you telling me. Thank you!

I think it's time for me to slowly start sliding back into doing readings. The only caveat is that certain Netjeru cards will be in use and unavailable for readings (unless They show up very strongly without the cards).

As always, check out my Reading Guidelines before sending in an ask! Anything not following the Guidelines will simply be deleted.

Hermanubis is a syncretic god combining Anubis and Hermes who was popular during the Roman period of Egypt's history, as both were known for their skills as psychopomps. I was inspired by Byzantine icons for this one. Prints available here.

might fuck around and let nature reclaim me

"you should be at the club" i should be in the woods. performing the ritual.

Hi, I don't know anything about the Egyptian pantheon but might be interested to learn about it and maybe incorporate it to my practice. But I don't know if it is a closed practice ? I am white and European and I am not sure if that would be considered cultural appropriation ? Sorry if it is a stupid question, I genuinely am ignorant on the subject.

This is an important question, and I am glad you are being considerate of others before moving forward with Egyptian polytheism.

The short answer: no, it is not a closed religion. Both ancient and modern Egypt were part of a larger multi-cultural conversation between the peoples of the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Levant. Pharaonic Egypt was a culture that built empires: colonizing and spreading their beliefs was a part of that. Egyptian belief spread with the Romans even as far as the British Isles!

The longer answer: it's not a closed religion, but being mindful of cultural context is critical to practicing Egyptian/Kemetic polytheism. As white practitioners, we need to be mindful of uplifting Egyptian, African, and Arab voices in our community. Egyptology and Kemeticism both have a huge whitewashing problem. In the twelve years I've been practicing, I've seen this problem come up again and again in multiple groups.

Since the center of Kemeticism is ma'at, I highly encourage you to take time to find and follow folks sharing their experiences (both within and without the religion) as Egyptian, African, and Arabic peoples so you can better understand their perspectives... especially given everything happening in the world right now.

Feel free to send any other questions you have my way, always happy to chat!

Sutekh and Nit have appeared together, Twin Creators tied to the Nun. Both strong, fierce protectors and yet They have decided to focus on cultivating life itself.

From Their Waters springs forth opportunity and potential and energy, ready to be harnessed and used. From Their Waters springs forth anything that has or will exist.

May all of humanity sing Their praises! May all of humanity be blessed by Their Creations! Shake your sistrum and rejoice, for They have created you and all you love and enjoy!

"Cave canem" - beware of the dog! In ancient Rome, mosaics like this were used inside homes to warn visitors of vicious dogs within. This one guards the house of Paquius Proculus in Pompeii.

#4 if you are still doing Ancient Egyptian Magical Texts spells?

Hello! Apologies for the delay, I was out of town until this morning!

This spell is meant to protect whoever is specified in it from (according to Borghouts) alarming nightly visions. I believe it could also be focused to protect from the dead, or any who would wish harm upon the intended target.

The magician says:

"Oh you four glorious spirits there whose function is to keep watch over Osiris! As for the watch that you have kept over Osiris, you should act in a similar way with regard to (person's name) born of (their parent's name) - to prevent any male dead, any female dead, any male opponent or any female opponent which is anywhere in the body of (person's name) born of (their parent's name) from killing them.

O' Lord of Chaos,

you tear my body apart,

limb by limb,

bone by bone,

building me up from my foundation.

Building me into the man I am meant to be,

who I will be,

who sings in my ka,

and flies on my ba.

Dua Set-Re!

I have buried my dead with Wesir. I have cried and mourned for them, and now it is time for them to truly rest. May they be at peace!

As a priest(ess), are you tied to a certain group? Were you ordained or trained by someone? I want to work with the gods but I'm not sure where to start or who to go to for training and guidance!

I am not tied to a certain group, nor did I have someone else train me.

When I first began my journey within different communities, I did want to go through the process of becoming a priest with a specific group. However, after seeing mistreatment, neglect, and other issues, I realized that there is not a group that I would feel comfortable working with and being tied to.

Instead, I went to the Netjeru myself to offer my service, and call myself a priestess due to the nature of my work with and in service to Them. I serve the Netjeru directly, not a group or leader. I have worked with Them to build out my rituals, rites, and prayers.

Of course, I still focused heavily on researching what I could regarding ancient priests and their practices to align myself to what has been practiced previously. While I cannot do a perfect match, I do try to strive for a close revival of ancient rites.

I would honestly recommend reaching out to the Netjeru first to discuss your wants and what you hope to accomplish by being in Their service. Afterall, regardless of if you work with a specific group or independently, They are the ones you are in service of and should be dealing with directly. If you do decide to go through a group or train under someone: do not allow them to come between, act as an intermediary, or hold authority over your relationship with Netjeru.

A concise Amduat.

Where: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

When: Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty