Who follows the Kemetic Orthodoxy faith?

[Rennie`]

Hiya

It doesn't just have to be KO, it can others too like Kemetic Pagan, Tamerian Wiccan ....


Anyway I have joined the Beginners Class and I am so excited! I want to find out if anybody else is in the class and are of what title.

Beginners Class:

Remetj:
Rennie`
WebenBanu

Shemsu:
4shi
Kefet502
King Robert Silvermyst
Ubat

Shemsu Ankh:

Misc:



Discuss:- The House of Netjer
- KO, KP, TW ...
- Worshipping the Netjer
- Anything related  

[WebenBanu]

I'm a Remetj in House of Netjer- I went through their Beginners Class and opted to stay as a friend of their community because I like the dedication and the passion I see in many of their members. I prefer a much more traditional view of Egyptian religion, however- Kemetic Orthodoxy is not a reconstructionist approach to the religion, quite a few things are changed or added. A lot of people think that "Kemetic Orthodoxy" is a synonym for a reconstructionist approach to ancient Egyptian religion (I did too, before I took their Beginner's Class^_^), despite the fact that poor Hemet has tried again and again to correct that misconception. I think it's the name- you hear "orthodoxy" and expect it to be conservative, but it is orthodox to its own set of rules. Hemet Tamara Siuda is a revivalist, not a reconstructionist, and she feels that the old form of the religion has become dead and outdated- she has taken on the task to breathe new life into the religion, and with that has come a uniquely modern touch. I've gotten this from reading her responses to questions about this sort of thing, btw. Most of Kemetic Orthodoxy's additions or tweaks to traditional ancient Egyptian religion have been good stuff- they've got a thriving community, and a strong sense of cultural identity.

But for me personally, I am a traditionalist. I see the fundamentals of the ancient Egyptian religion pretty much unchanged over a few thousand years- there is power in that, and a reason for it. I know I'll never be able to reconstruct the religion 100% as it was during any of its major periods- but I am committed to preserving as much of the form and essence of it as I can, and I am fortunate enough to have a few friends in the area who share these ideals. One has a Masters of Divinity, the experience of seminary training in an orthodox Christian sect, and access to academic libraries of which I did not previously know; and there are others who read German or French and have helped to translate foreign articles. I myself study Middle Egyptian and have access to more learned scholars in that area. We are a humble group of devotees, but between us we've managed to pull together a really wonderful fellowship of people who value traditional Kemetic religion and are able to come together about once a month. At these meetings we either celebrate a ritual and a communal meal afterwards including the reverted offerings, or we study various aspects of the culture and religion so that we can better appreciate the symbolism and power of those rituals. The rest of the month we worship on our own and stay in touch.

I consider myself a Kemetic Reconstructionist, but I enjoy speaking with Kemetic Orthodox folks- as well as other members of the Kemetic community- for fellowship and inspiration. I also enjoy speaking with scholars of the field and enthusiasts who do not actually practice the religion, because in addition to being a heartfelt spiritual force in my life... I also think many aspects of ancient Egyptian culture and history are just plain fascinating. I also think it's important for me to be able to keep track of what is archeologically established fact, what is egyptological theory, and what is my own personal gnosis or impression from experiencing the ntjrw (the gods and goddesses) on my own. I pride myself on being able to speak on any of those levels, and keeping my sources straight when I do so. heart  

[Rennie`]

Lovely post, WebenBanu xd

I think I've met people from the TW faith before, I'm not sure.

I do agree with what you said about Nisut. I was reading a thread on purity and somebody quoted that purity is not just in the physical form but in the mind as well. Alot of what She says is so true.  

[Nevira Shadowfire]

Ack. I haven't thought about religion I am in...uh...years. sweatdrop

I was looking into Kemetic Orthodoxy at one point in time, however. I think it was when I first joined this guild and saw the links. Then I kind of forgot about it. D: Absentminded Nevira...

Growing up in the Bible Belt, I was under pressure a lot to accept Christianity. And for a long time I did, until I realized I was just doing it because it was expected of me. I wasn't feeling any kind of physical or spiritual fulfillment, I couldn't work myself into the religious fervor that others around me seemed to get into like flipping a switch. It might be because I'm not much for outward display of extreme emotion, or because it simply wasn't for me.

My sister took me to a circle her friends were having once, and one of the guys was very passionate about Tamerian Wiccan. I enjoyed listening to him talk and explain it. I even helped him out on some of the details of ancient Egyptian history and religion, and we've established a kind of mutual information-sharing. It's a lot of fun and very interesting so far. smile Even when others around us might not approve, we love our First Amendment rights. They can't do anything to us. razz  

[WebenBanu]

I've heard of Tameran Wicca, but I don't remember ever meeting anyone who actually introduced themselves to me as a practicing member. Well, at least now I've spoken to someone who's met one, lol! I've met many Wiccans, of course, and Egypt is a popular pantheon- I've known several who would occasionally use a symbol or two here and there, and maybe drop a few Names... but they'd do that with a lot of pantheons. I think Tameran Wicca only uses Egyptian symbols and god names? They use a Wiccan calendar and conception of divinity, but I think they stick pretty much exclusively to Egyptian names and symbols, if I understand correctly.

Even when I began as a (neo)Wicca, though, I had a mixture of Greek and Egyptian deities and didn't consider myself Tameran... and as the Greek gods faded out of my life, I was also moving out of Wicca and into reconstructionist territory. So I didn't have much contact with that community. I did, however, buy a book by Jocelyn Almond called "An Egyptian Book of Shadows"- it's an interesting marriage of Wiccan practices and ancient Egyptian mythology. I was actually fairly impressed with it... most books of that type don't really bother to learn the mythology of the gods involved. Usually, what I see is people just substituting names here and there, Mad Libs style, into an otherwise more traditional Wiccan text.^_^' But for this one, the author actually seemed to know a little about the gods being invoked, and the result was a pretty neat book.^_^  

[Adrienne Clementine]

I am now and always will be an agnostic.

----------------
Now playing: Daler Mehndi - Tunak Tunak Tun
via FoxyTunes  

[King Robert Silvermyst]

Hotep!

I'm Sematersekhmet (Bear witness to Sekhmet's truth), Shemsu in the KO. Child of Sekhmet-Hethert, beloved of Amun, Djehuty and Wepwawet-Yinepu ^.^ Haven't been as active as I'd like to be, but I'm starting to get back into my normal routines.  

[Ubat]

Hotep.

I'm a divined Remetj, but as far as everyone else knows atm, I'm a Shemsu ninja I just sent Hemet an email about my decision to leave the house and become just a friend of the faith yesterday, actually (finally got the balls to do it lol). I haven't gotten around to telling anyone else about it though. sweatdrop

I'm a child of Wepwawet-Yinepu and Set, beloved of Heru-wer and Khonsu. I was named Ubatitui (My Two Fathers Make Revelation).  

[Champagne Jane]

is this religion spiritual in terms of symbolism or are their traditional ritiuals? ie like when your body dies do they preserve it like the pagan egyptains? im a bit confused here.  

[Katie Tatie Tot]

I've never heard of this religion before but I'm very interested in it and about to do some crazy googling... heh... but I have seriously always wanted to be mummified when I die. My Mom was horrified when she heard about that and tried to convince me it was not pleasant by telling me about where they pull out some of the organs razz but I already know all that. IDK! I just think that Ancient Egyptians were onto something... I feel it is the true faith, that there are so many things lost, forgotten, and buried that we need to find out and get back in touch with.

I'm reaaaaaaally interested in this!  

[A1Saucy]

I, too, am a member of KO. I'm a shemsu there, and I go by the name Hethertiret (meaning "Hethert's duty / purpose"). I am the daughter of Hethert-Sekhmet and beloved of Amun, Djeheuty, and Bast.  

[Katie Tatie Tot]

I'm really interested in learning some of the rituals... I made a shrine for my ancestors and all... and I bought the Book of the Dead ((aka Papyrus of Ani)) from Half-Price Books. I'm working on learning some hieroglyphs as well. Can anyone show me a good site with rituals or something?  

[stellacadente]

I'm a pagan with strong ties to the Netjer. I believe they still live today; certainly Isis was worshipped for many years and well outside of Egypt.

I've looked into KO years ago; there wasn't anything available at the time. Is there an online group?