Kemetic Reading list

[David19]

Does anyone have any books they would recommend about Kemetic paganism. I've looked in several book shops like Borders and Waterstones but can't see any, are there any books on Kemetic reconstructionism and also are they easy to get in countries like England (as i can't seem to find any of the books that people talk about).

Thanks.

[Zebi]

There are a number of reading lists that you'll find online; here are a few of the more popular:

House of Netjer
http://www.kemet.org/booklist

Kemet OnLine!
http://www.kemetonline.com/recommendreading.html

The Cauldron
http://ecauldron.com/reconegypt.php

I would suggest that you first look into the books that are mentioned on all of the reading lists as it would seem that they all agree those books are good to start with. You may also wish to first read books on religion and theology, and then later move onto books about Egypt's history and other topics.

I've looked in several book shops like Borders and Waterstones but can't see any

I've never been able to find the books I wanted in the local bookstore. You may try seeing if you can order books through your local shop (I do that through Chapters all the time) or order from online bookstores.

[Ishtara]

Oh yes, Kemeticism is definitely too marginal in terms of numbers for mainstream shops to carry books on it. I have had good luck finding interesting books through my local metaphysical shop, but obviously they were more on the mystical side of things and were intended for intermediary to advanced students of Kemeticism.

Have you tried your library? Their books may not be the most recent but you may well find some interesting reads there.

What kind of subjects are you particularly interested in? Do you want a dictionary of the various Names of Netjer, a book that explains the principles and concepts of the religion of Ancient Egypt, something on myths and legends?

It is such a complex subject that most books that try to give a general introduction to the religion of Ancient Egypt are likely to be rather superficial and, for some, not have their facts checked very thoroughly. Reading several more specialized books and connecting the dots myself worked well for me, but of course it is a more demanding and time-consuming approach.

Also, if you do online searches for books (on Amazon for instance), you may want to search for "Ancient Egypt - religion" rather than Kemeticism. Since this is the modern name of a modern reconstructionist religion, that would only net you books about the present-day recon temples and houses.

[David19]

Specifically, i'm looking for books on the gods, like their personalities, power, etc and the Kemetic cosmology such as how other gods can fit (like whether they were thought of as individual beings who may not or may have gotten on with the Egyptian gods).

But thanks for the suggestions :)

[Zephyrstorm]

Bumping this for Harmony.

But also - there's a book that's right up your alley, David... it's _Daily Life of the Egyptian Gods_ by Dimitri Meeks and Christine Favard-Meeks - my copy was translated by GM Goshgarian, and printed by Cornell University Press. 1996

It goes into the personalities of the Gods, their eating habits, and the like.
It is however, very academic. Most of the books that we use are.

If you're wanting something that's less so, there's the Tameran Wiccan book:
_Circle_of_Isis_ by Ellen Cannon Reed.
I, and some other Kemetics, understand the descriptions she gives of the Names. which is more than can be said about some other sources.

For the idea of whether they were individuals or not: Erik Hornung's _Conceptions of God: the many and the One_ is the book.

Hope that helps.

[Harmony Aurore]

THANK YOU!!!! I was looking for a thread (did a search) but there were too many threads and not what i was looking for. This is very helpful! thanks so much!

[David19]

Thanks, Zephyrstorm, those books are exactly what i need.

[amunakht]

A book i'd like to reccomend is Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt by Rosemary Clark, as it stays true to the original practices. It's also very thick, plenty of information

Does anyone have any books they would recommend about Kemetic paganism. I've looked in several book shops like Borders and Waterstones but can't see any, are there any books on Kemetic reconstructionism and also are they easy to get in countries like England (as i can't seem to find any of the books that people talk about).

David19, I would look for online shopping like on www.amazon.com or perhaps www.azuregreen.com. If youre looking for something free look at your biggest library in the area and you'll probably find something. Here in Chicago, I can find nearly anything, the Harold Washington Library is HUGE. I find Kemetic books there, I bet theres probably books on such rare subjects as Diabolatry (worship of Christian demons). Ishtara is right about Big book stores being too mainstreem. Christians tend to supress others because they are zealous bigots.

[sonofthemummy]

Y'all have mentioned some excellent books. To this list I would add _The Ancient Gods Speak_, edited by Donald Redford. And, for those serious about discovering how the Egyptians viewed the gods, Miriam Lichtheim's _Ancient Egyptian Literature_ (3 vols.).