Names or gods

[David19]

I'm interested in Kemetic paganism but there's one thing i'm a bit confused about. I've seen some people call the Egyptian gods 'Names of Njeter(sp)' and i was wondering, do you see the Egyptian gods/names as individual beings or just as different facets(sp), of seeing an ultimate god, for example do you believe that Horus, Isis, Set, Osiris, etc all independent thoughts and feelings to each other, and that some may not get on like Set and Horus.

I've heard that Kemetic belief is that the gods are individual beings but they all represent a specific thing/being, kind of like a group of lawyers will be individual beings but also representing the law firm (that's probably a bad or wrong example but i can't think of anything else) and if that's true, do you believe that other gods are also like that like Zeus, Yahweh, etc all work for the same 'company'.

Also i heard that the Kemetic gods stand up for and keep Ma'at(sp) to make sure order stays in the universe, what would happen if they didn't and also are there any gods in egyptian belief or your own personal belief that may try and overthrow the Ma'at(sp)/order.

And finally another question, if i wanted to maybe try and get closer to some of the gods, how could i do it, like if i wanted to see if Isis or Anubis would have anything to do with me, could i maybe try and meditate on them?. Are there any specific meditations you do, also do rituals or offerings have to have a lot of stuff since i'm only 19 and a student and still live at home so i can't really have/afford lots of things like statues, would maybe drawing or painting a picture of them be good or, for an offering, making food since i think i'm good at those types of things.

Anyway that's all, i know it's a lot of questions so i hope you don't mind :), and thanks for any help.

[Morgandria]

I personally see them as individuals, but I am not Kemetic Orthodox, Isian, or anything like that.

[Zephyrstorm]

I've seen some people call the Egyptian gods 'Names of Njeter(sp)' and i was wondering, do you see the Egyptian gods/names as individual beings or just as different facets(sp), of seeing an ultimate god, for example do you believe that Horus, Isis, Set, Osiris, etc all independent thoughts and feelings to each other, and that some may not get on like Set and Horus.

Hi, David :)
I'm Zephyr, or Neheti in the House of Netjer (Kemetic Orthodox), and what I say here only applies to me... blah blah blah... obligatory service message finished. :D

Pretty much. The way I see it is this: Netjer (God) is soooooo huge and so beyond anything that we could ever comprehend and encompasses all kinds of stuff (and that's a technical term). But Netjer's nice enough to give us views of Itself that we can actually interact with, thus the Names were created to serve Netjer and Ma'at.
The individual Names are both truly Individual and part of the whole. Yet sometimes they blend in certain ways that can be a bit... unexpected - like with Bast-Mut.
(Other Kemetic Groups see the Names differently - some are polytheistic)

Bast-Mut is syncretized Bast and Mut are pushed together into one Being. This is Bast as the Queen of the Gods. :D Even so, they still are individuals and some of the Names don't blend at all.

Others... like Wepwawet-Yinepu are aspected. Wepwawet is a title or a job that Yinepu does when He needs to.

I tend to look at this part of the Names as "Who am I to say what the Gods can and can't do?"


do you believe that other gods are also like that like Zeus, Yahweh, etc all work for the same 'company'.

I have no idea what the Gods of other cultures are doing. I walk two paths right now - I'm a Wiccan-influenced Pagan and Kemetic, and I've not been told by either side that they have the same goals. *shrugs*


Also i heard that the Kemetic gods stand up for and keep Ma'at(sp) to make sure order stays in the universe, what would happen if they didn't and also are there any gods in egyptian belief or your own personal belief that may try and overthrow the Ma'at(sp)/order.


Ma'at is a dynamic balance in the universe. She's what allows the universe to continue to be. All the Names uphold Ma'at: If They didn't, They wouldn't be Gods. Ma'at is a complex thing that doesn't translate well into English.

There is one thing that does oppose Ma'at, isfet. *spits* this force has been compared to the Nothing from the Neverending Story - if you've seen the movie. it is not a God, and is unnamed, though we call it's servant apep - that's not the worm's name either.
If apep and isfet took the world, we would be facing utter oblivion.


And finally another question, if i wanted to maybe try and get closer to some of the gods, how could i do it, like if i wanted to see if Isis or Anubis would have anything to do with me, could i maybe try and meditate on them?. Are there any specific meditations you do, also do rituals or offerings have to have a lot of stuff since i'm only 19 and a student and still live at home so i can't really have/afford lots of things like statues, would maybe drawing or painting a picture of them be good or, for an offering, making food since i think i'm good at those types of things.


Those are good ways of doing it. I also suggest reading up on Them, preferably from more scholarly sources.
We have a daily rite before our home shrines that we try to do, which involves offering incense, cool water, prayers, and special offerings that vary from practitioner to practitioner and Name to Name.
Art, song, dance, food, or anything else that you want to offer is a good start. :)

The House of Netjer (http://www.netjer.org http://www. kemet.org ) offers an introductory class online for free which gives a good introduction to many of the concepts listed here. :) You'll also find better answers to your questions there than I could ever manage.

I hope that this helps. Feel free to search around in here, there's a loooong thread somewhere here that discusses all kinds of stuff about the House.
Whether you find what you are looking for with the House or elsewhere, I wish you luck and health, wealth and prosperity in your Path.

Senebty (Health to you)
Neheti

[Ahautenites]

I'm interested in Kemetic Peopleism but there's one thing i'm a bit confused about. I've seen some people call the Egyptian gods 'Names of Netjer' and i was wondering, do you see the Egyptian gods/names as individual beings or just as different facets(sp), of seeing an ultimate god, for example do you believe that Horus, Isis, Set, Osiris, etc all independent thoughts and feelings to each other, and that some may not get on like Set and Horus.

I perceive Them mainly as individuals, but I understand Them to be part of a larger conglomeration, too. Netjer (or Neter, for those of you who insist that I'm spelling it wrong, even though it's a lot easier to write the "j" to demonstrate in typing how the word is pronounced) is considered to be too all-encompassing to be fully understood by people. So, the ocean became a drop, so that it's easier to understand a small, individual bit of ocean, rather than the vast, world-spanning expanse of ocean water. It's all still ocean water, yes? But each individual drop of ocean water in your hands is still a unique drop. (This is really the best explanation, but to fully understand it, you need to watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, seasons 5, 6 and 7, paying close attention to The Founders, who are Odo's people.)

I've heard that Kemetic belief is that the gods are individual beings but they all represent a specific thing/being, kind of like a group of lawyers will be individual beings but also representing the law firm (that's probably a bad or wrong example but i can't think of anything else) and if that's true, do you believe that other gods are also like that like Zeus, Yahweh, etc all work for the same 'company'.

I can't speak for other groups, but Kemetic Orthodoxy teaches that what happens outside our own group of gods and goddesses is not our concern. If I had to conjecture, from a liberal Kemetic Orthodox perspective, then the ancient Egyptian gods would be Netjer, the Ancient Egyptian Division, and the Greek gods would be Netjer's Greek Division, and Yahweh would be Netjer's Judeo-Christian Division. And just like the divisions of an actual company, I don't think those divisions really care what goes on in another region's division any more than I as an employee of US Foodservice-Peabody care what goes on in US Foodservice-Manassas or US Foodservice-Sacramento. To further that thought, the US Foodservice divisions all provide similar functions, but they go about it in very different ways, on different computer systems, and with different regional goals in mind. I think that these pantheons of gods would operate in the same way.

However...... I do not know this for certain, as I've never asked a deity this question or been given this answer from any deities. It is strictly my own personal conjecture and NOT to be taken as official Kemetic Orthodox beliefs, because as I said above: as far as Kemetic Orthodoxy goes, they just don't think about it, so they have no official teachings about it, other than to say that there are no teachings about it.

Also i heard that the Kemetic gods stand up for and keep ma'at(sp) to make sure order stays in the universe, what would happen if they didn't and also are there any gods in egyptian belief or your own personal belief that may try and overthrow the ma'at(sp)/order.

Anything that goes against ma'at is not a god. What makes a Kemetic god a Kemetic god is that They uphold ma'at. It's just what They do. Apep/Apophis (the Chaos/Isfet serpent/worm/wyrm... lots of slashes there, sorry) is frequently listed in books about the ancient Egyptian gods, but Apep is not a god. It's just listed in the encyclopedia of gods and goddesses because it's a convenient place to put a listing about it, because the gods' struggle against Apep (and isfet or chaos) is an important part of the religious beliefs.

And finally another question, if i wanted to maybe try and get closer to some of the gods, how could i do it, like if i wanted to see if Isis or Anubis would have anything to do with me, could i maybe try and meditate on them?. Are there any specific meditations you do, also do rituals or offerings have to have a lot of stuff since i'm only 19 and a student and still live at home so i can't really have/afford lots of things like statues, would maybe drawing or painting a picture of them be good or, for an offering, making food since i think i'm good at those types of things.

Aset/Isis likes it when you give Her rich or high-quality things. And She likes bagels with cream cheese and tomato slices. She loves gold (only real gold). Heh... They ALL love gold, actually. She loves good-smelling things, and fresh flowers and blue things. (She didn't like the red gerbera daisies I got Her once, so don't do that.)

Yinepu/Anubis likes toys and gizmos (puzzle rings, Rubix cubes, hackey sacks shaped like internal organs, weird stuff like that). He really loves rum, but you're too young to be giving Him that. He does like fruit punch. Hi-C, in particular. And candy! Oh, He adores candy... but make sure you take off the wrapper first.

Honestly, the best way to get to know any god of any pantheon is to sit in a quiet place, light a candle, open your heart, and hold a conversation with Whoever Is Listening. Pour a glass of something nice to drink for the gods and say it's for Them. Then just keep talking about anything and everything you want. If you want to get to know Them better, tell Them you want to get to know Them better. (But don't be picky. Let Them decide which of Them will take an interest in you. That way, you won't be disappointed if, say, Khepera or Meretseger shows up instead of Yinepu or Aset. A god is a god... it's an honor to get visited by any of Them. ;) ) If you want to invite Them to visit you in dreams, tell Them so, with all your heart. Thank Them for taking the time to listen to you, and then let whatever happens happen. You may get a dream visit or you may not. But They will have heard you, regardless of whether you dream of Them. And as long as you keep cultivating the relationship, They'll continue listening. Sooner or later, you'll probably find that you get little hints here and there that Someone is helping you with various things. (They love getting recognized for helping out, so They tend to leave all kinds of visual and auditory clues so you can see for yourself exactly Who is your new special friend.)

The only other thing I can tell you is, They love it when you take the time to learn all you can about Them. It honors Them that you are devoting time to learning about Their people, Their customs, and Their stories. They want to be remembered. It's been so long since They had a large following. It's extremely flattering to Them to see that people are interested in remembering Them and loving Them.

[Temwa]

I'll try to keep my answer short, since NeferSesemet and Neheti have been extremely thorough in their replies. :)

I believe the Names to be individuals, but, as you've said, they "work for the same company" - their origin, to me, is the same massive and mind-boggling energy, Netjer/God. So they're both individuals and all part of the same entity, to me.

How you view other gods is highly personal, but I think of all the gods from all cultures and times in history to be part of Netjer (as the source of the divine). I'm pretty liberal there. To me, all gods are aspects of Netjer. It all comes down to the same entity, in my world.

[Ahautenites]

Who, me? Long-winded? Naaaaaaaaah. :D

[Zephyrstorm]

:nonono:
Who, me?
Long-Winded? a Daughter of the Hidden Wind? *ducks cosmic 2x4 from her Dad* :floating: