Thoughts at the beginning of the year

When 2013 started I made a decision of not involving myself in heated debates. No time, no energy, no desire nor inclination to do so. For me at this point in time, it’s a waste. I could use the time and energy to serve the Gods, to help others and be with the ones I love. In my opinion there’s little (if anything) to gain from engaging in heated arguments over ‘who’s right and who’s not’. On the contrary – people get upset, take things personally, the name-calling starts and it all turns into this childish ‘I’m not playing with you any more!’ [I'm not talking about calling people out on complete bullshit, that's a completely different story and subject of discussion, which I'm not even inclined to touch on any time soon]. I promised myself I won’t get angry any more. I used to get upset over a lot of things. Now… not so much. My general way of thinking is now ‘heh, okay, if they see it that way then… fine. Now to find something else to read.’

Where is all this coming from you ask? Well, over the past couple of weeks I’ve witnessed quite a handful of these debates which have turned into arguments and name-calling. I personally think it’s senseless. And the worst is when it all starts from really innocent stuff, like someone writing a general opinion blog, out of personal experiences, observations and beliefs. Then someone else reads it and feel personally attacked, although the author of the blog itself doesn’t even know them. I wonder why this happens. Why is it that some feel threatened by someone’s opinion badly enough to lash out in name-calling, cussing and generally unpleasant words and behaviour?

I have people disagreeing with me all the time, just recently I put up the Reading List from here on tumblr. only to see some expressing their dislike (can’t find another word right now) for Budge. Did I feel threatened? Did I argue? No. I gave a polite response and left it at that. People can take from all of that what they want. [Incidentally I will make note of this now: I personally dislike Budge immensely, not only for his outdated ideas but also for other reasons. However I will still recommend people read some of his stuff. Even if it's just to see a different perspective or as an idea of what Egyptology was dealing with at his time].

Not everyone needs to agree all the time. Heck, I don’t agree with myself sometimes, it’s all part of learning. I’ve changed my mind numerous times, I’ve totally read stuff that now I consider to be real ‘brain rotting’ stuff, I’ve come to conclusions I later changed my opinion on, etc.

We all change, we all have our opinions and sometimes those change too. We can’t help it, it’s only human. But whatever happened to disagreeing politely? I swear some times I think there are some who find a sense of personal failure if they don’t convince others of their point.

I will tell you now, I’ve taken about a week to decide if I should keep this blog or not. The overall online atmosphere has been unpleasant to say the least. I’ve always hoped that by reading my humble attempts at blogging someone might find an interesting idea or two, even if it’s just a book they might like to read. In view of that hope, I’ll be keeping the blog.

By writing on here and interacting with other bloggers I’ve come across some brilliant resources and have had the pleasure of finding some remarkable folks with brilliant minds and ideas. I’ll always be grateful for that. (and let me tell you, I don’t always agree with them either! Which is absolutely fine. People can disagree and still have respect for one another)

I don’t consider myself an expert on anything, most of the times I feel I don’t know enough and I have to keep learning. I always want to find more resources, more books, more sites. I never have enough pencils, pens or notebooks. Or even scraps of paper to write down stuff. If you’d only see my desk right now! Maybe this is why I don’t have the time or energy for arguing. I want to learn, I want to get better at my calligraphy, at drawing ( I don’t consider my drawings anything other than humble doodling, most of the times inspired by stuff I find online or in books. I don’t lack inspiration, I lack skill so that’s why I need to exercise with other people’s designs!), I want to commune with the Gods more and be in the spiritual side of things even more, I want to improve my magical techniques, work with ingredients and such I haven’t worked with before. Experiment, try, learn and get better. And personally, I don’t think I can achieve any of that if I sit around and argue.

Why can’t we all just…. get along?

On to the other order of business – stuff I’m working on for the blog:

Post on medicine and magic, post on knot magic, post on sacred scents (another big addendum to the previous, this one more in detail of what works for Who, from personal experience mostly), post on random interesting bits I’ve found (including interesting ideas about the relationship between Anubis and Seth) and more devotional posts. And of course, adding up to the ever-growing post on ritual purity. Also adding up to the Reading List and Resources. pages. And that’s not even half of what I have planned out but enough spoilers already

2012 in review – Thank you everyone! Have a Happy New Year!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 5,400 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 9 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

 

First year on WordPress has been amazing, thank you all for the support and feedback!

 

I hope the New Year brings you countless blessings and happiness!

 

 

Growth and Change

Hello my lovelies, I hope you all are well and in good health.

As you may have noticed, I took a bit of a break from writing on here. We’re still in mourning but things are gradually shifting towards better things. There’s been sorrow, anger and quite the strong release (which actually coincided with the Solstice – I cannot think of a better time for release and renewal).

As for myself, I have turned to introspection and Silence. Silence is good for me especially after hardships, a time when I turn to the Within and re-visit moments and experiences, analyse feeling, words and circumstances and then meditate on the lessons which spring from there. And there have been many in the past few weeks. I have discovered both weaknesses and strengths I had no idea I possessed, I’ve pinned down problems and worked on solving them, I’ve communed with the Spirits in my dreams and cleansed and purged. This is an ongoing process, there is much to do before the New Year comes. I’d like to be able to enter the New Year with fresh strength and a clear mind and spirit.

All I seem to want to do for now is set lights. And then set some more lights. And cleanse through the smoke of incense and herbs. And meditate.

I’ve found that I have no more energy nor inclination to get involved into debates or vigorous exchange of opinions. At this point of time it seems to be a waste. I can’t seem to be able to find it within myself to start explaining certain things or to make a point about them, especially when so many others have explained or made a point so many times and it’s all in vain.  I’m actually at a point where I’ll read or hear something, start typing (or saying) back and stop mid-phrase and think to myself ‘meh… it’s not that important. Or at least not now.’ So I just witness and draw my own conclusions which I keep to myself.

It may be just as well. For now my energy and time are required elsewhere, I cannot be in two places at once. It’s all about prioritizing. And Silence can be such a powerful teacher. At the moment even my magic is done in Silence. It’s a empowering experience. And after all this crap (sorry, there’s no polite way of saying it!) it was and still is much needed.

Blessings to you all, may you enjoy a happy Winter Holidays season!

Setting lights. For the Gods, the Spirits and the People.

 

Skeleton Keys

This is an old blog post of mine which I think deserves re-posting. It has also been turned into an Youtube video by a friend of mine, CricketSong from Lunar Wisdom (with my permission, of course). 

Let’s analyse this often over-looked magical ingredient for a bit.

A ‘skeleton key’ according to the dictionaries is a key with a portion of the bit (the serrated edge) filed away to enable it to unlock multiple locks, a master key, a key that can open any door in a home, also called a ‘passkey’.

The skeleton key has very deep symbolism attached to it, the basic ideas being ‘unlocking’ and ‘opening doorways’ – of any kind. Unlocking new solutions, ‘finding the key to the problem’ sort to speak, opening doors both physically and spiritually.

Just think of all the phrases like ‘the key of life’, ‘the key to my heart’, ‘key phrase’, ‘the key of wisdom’ and others such as these. If having ONE key opens a whole new possibility, imagine what having a skeleton key can do.

The skeleton key has been found in ancient lore as well– the Greeks associated it with Hecate (She held the key to all magic) and the Romans attributed it protective properties (securing the doors of the home and keeping evil from entering).

A skeleton key can be used in any rituals aimed at opening doorways, finding new possibilities, finding ‘hidden treasures’ of information and knowledge (physically, spiritually, mentally), breaking mental blocks, breaking magical blocks, etc.

A skeleton key can also be infused with talismanic attributes – especially during times in your life when you feel you can’t pass through a certain situation, you find yourself stuck and without hope or ideas, when you lose inspiration, when you go through periods of intense change in your life. Thusly, you will basically hold the keys of unlocking new prospects and finding solutions.

You can also use a skeleton key as a home protection amulet, perhaps tie one to a bundle of protective herbs or to a charm bag of protective herbs and salt and hang it above the front door (and back door if you have it).

Skeleton keys are also  associated with psychopomp Deities such as Anubis, Deities that guide a soul through the Underworld or Afterlife. They possess the means of unlocking safe havens, corridors’ doors, hidden places and judgement chambers, etc. (‘The Keys to Paradise’ – this is something that can also be found in Christianity – St. Peter is said to hold the keys to Heaven).

They are powerful instruments to lock and unlock doors at will, of finding that which is hidden, breaking barriers and finding safe passage, and breaking free.

The skeleton keys are also strongly associated with the magic of crossroads. Just by bringing your key at a crossroads (especially during the witching hour or on specific days) you would be opening to doors to anything your heart desires – be it new projects, solutions, wisdom, love, success, financial prosperity, etc.

Sacred Scents – Addendum (I)

‘ Burning and offering incense was a means of communication between the earthly and divine spheres. Thus it would also serve as a link between the deceased king and the deities in whose company he was believed to travel across the sky every night in eternity, when he himself became part of  cosmos.

This was an idea established at the very beginning of Egyptian civilisation nearly 5000 years ago. We first encounter it in the so-called Pyramid Texts [...]

Again we find incense, offered by priests in the mortuary temple, playing a vital part as an intermediary between the dead king and the gods in the sky:

The fire is laid,

The fire is lit.

The incense is placed on the fire.

The incense glows.

Your scent comes to the dead King Unas, oh incense.

The scent of King Unas comes to you, oh incense.

Your scent comes to King Unas, you gods.

King Unas is with you, oh gods.

You are with King Unas, oh God.

You live with King Unas, oh gods.

You love him, oh gods.

Scent was similarly efficient when brought forward in the form of an unguent. By having his body anointed the deceased king would absorb the very body fragrance of the sun god Re, so far removed from the foul odour of death and decay. The unguent had healing properties, for it would restore his body just as the eye of Horus had been healed and restored and made to see again.

I come to you king so-and-so

To anoint you with the unguent which sprang from the eye of Horus.

Anoint yourself with it.

[...] 

Take its scent that your scent

May become sweet like the scent of Re

 when he rises to the horizon

And the gods of the horizon rejoice with him.‘

- from Sacred Luxuries: Fragrance, Aromatherapy and Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt, Lise Manniche (pg. 35-36)

Quote posted as addendum to Sacred Scents: on the alchemy of scent in Heka and worshipping the Gods.

Relevant post: Words of Power for offering incense

Understanding Egyptian Mythology

At first glance, Egyptian mythology seems almost impossible to tackle. There’s a myriad of creation myths, legends and tales – some which complement or contradict each other. Then there’s the various mythology of different periods (for example Old Kingdom vs. New Kingdom literature) – some traits, characters, Deities, symbolism, etc. are preserved, others completely changed or interchanged, transformed, given new meaning and sometimes completely left out.

This is quite intimidating at time, although it need not be. First, step out of the ‘logic – the  comfort zone’.

Myth, like logic, is a word derived from the Greek world. The Egyptians had no equivalent word or concept, and they did not feel the need to separate their thoughts into ‘fact’ and ‘fiction’. Nor, for that matter, did they have the words for ‘religion’ or ‘philosophy’. (1)

There is also to consider the various social, economical and political changes Egypt has undergone since pre-dynastic times up to Roman occupation. This is where the importance of knowing a bit about Egypt’s history comes into play.  There are of course various aspects to consider, such as:

-different Pharaohs (even from the same dynasty) have had various Deities as patrons  so it made sense that the cult of that particular Deity had priority.

- different nomes had different governing Deities, with different mythology, at times even clashing with Deities/mythology of neighbouring nomes.

- along Egypt’s history mythology has gone through various changes such as: the same Deity being given attributes of another Deity, sometimes Deities were merged together to form a Deity which would have attributes of both Deities merged (for example like Atum-Re or the later graeco-egyptian Serapis). This basically meant seeing a Deity under different forms or manifestations, governing different aspects or domains. This particularly poses difficulty when trying to figure out Deities like Hathor/Sekhmet/Bast – especially when different myths either fuses one with the other or presents them as completely different Goddesses, at times even with little in common, other than titles and attributes such as ‘Great Healer’ or ‘Solar Eye’. And another note – consider the changes through which Aset/Isis has gone through from pre-dynastic times all the way to graeco-roman times.

As for creation myths, there were three main creation mythologies:

The Helipolitan Scheme – the creation mythology of Heliopolis – where Atum is the Creator Deity, self created and self creating – he rises from the primeval waters of Nun and creates other Gods and Goddesses through self copulation or spittle. (note the symbolical importance of bodily fluids, pertinent to performing certain magical acts)

The Hermopolitan Scheme – the creation mythology of Hermopolis – where Thoth is the primary Creator Deity, he creates through speech, through the Divine Word / and where the Sun God is ‘born’ either from an egg or a lotus blossom which sprouts forth from the waters of Nun.

The Memphite Scheme – the creation mythology of Memphis – where Ptah is One, and who creates through thought (‘speech of the mind’)

These aren’t the only creation mythologies, just the main ones. Another well known example is Elephantine with the creator God Khnum.

(2)

And when we look at the various other myths there is much diversity in attributes and roles given to any particular Deity. The important thing is to get familiarized with as many of them as possible, doing a bit of serious reading on the history of ancient Egypt (the longer back the better – all the way to pre-dynastic times) and always keeping in mind the symbolism and ‘reading between the lines’ and recognizing/understanding metaphors and allegories.

For example I don’t take the *ahem* dealings of Horus and Seth ad literam. Instead I read and understand the whole thing as a way of proving power and dominion over the other. I understand Seth’s virility not channelled into fertility and procreation but rather as showing power and dominion (or rather the quest for dominion). Or Isis’ cunning trickery of gaining Ra’s secret name in order to acquire (even more) magical powers as a feat of intelligence and resourcefulness. I don’t judge these events as ‘a puny mortal’ because Gods don’t adhere to our ethics (in fact many times it’s the other way around, and of course what They allow Themselves to do will not be allowed for us ).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Footnotes and recommended reading:

(1) The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt – Joyce Tyldesley (pg.2)

(2) for more insight on this topic (and much much more, check this site)

Prayer to Lord Thoth

This is something I stumbled upon during my readings (currently into The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt, which I must say is a really good book) and which has been posted on my Tumblr; however I feel it should have its own place on my blog as I’m not quite into Tumblr (I got used to it quite easily but there’s something about the atmosphere there which doesn’t sit well with me at all).

“Come to me, Thoth, O noble Ibis…
Come to me and give me counsel,
Make me skilful in your calling;
Better is your calling than all callings,
It makes [men] great…”

New Kingdom prayer addressed to Thoth.

Found in ‘The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of ancient Egypt’ by Joyce Tyldesley

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Thoth.svg&page=1