Egyptian Neopaganism
From Citizendium - Reading time: 3 min
Egyptian neopaganism, which is a modern religious revival, is an attempt to reconstruct the beliefs and practices of ancient Egypt. The faith is often referred to as the Kemetic tradition because the ancient word for Egypt was "Kemet".
Modern Egyptian neopagans believe that the Kemetic gods are real entities that are worthy of worship. The Kemetic "other world," a place called Duat or Tuat, also is a real place.
Basic Beliefs[edit]
The Gods[edit]
As in Ancient Egyptian (belief, modern Kemetic Reconstructionists honor a wide variety of Gods. These include, but are not limited to:
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Also known as - Het-heru, Het-hert, or Hwt-hru.
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- Horus
Also known as - Hor or Heru.
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- Isis
Also known as - Aset, Iset, Ast, or Auset.
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- Khonsu
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Also known as - Ausar, Asar, or Wesir.
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- Ra
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Creation of the World[edit]
The Ancient Egyptians had a variety of different myths to describe Earth's creation. Modern Kemetics are likely to have a scientific view of creation, but do not feel science contradicts their religion.
Ethics[edit]
The ethical system of Kemetic paganism is based on Ancient Egyptian texts. The most commonly used of these include the Declaration of Innocence (also called the "Negative Confessions"), which contain a list of forty-two sins a deceased person claims not to have committed, and the Wisdom Texts, which are pieces of advice written by Ancient Egyptians.
To do good is seen as doing Ma'at, or what is right, just, and orderly.
Afterlife[edit]
The Ancient Egyptians viewed the afterlife as a journey through several "tests," the climax of which is the Weighing of the Heart. The deceased has his or her heart (ib, yib, ieb) weighed against an ostrich feather (Feather of Ma'at). If his or her heart is too heavy with sin, it is fed to Ammit, a monster/Goddess, and the person is destroyed forever.
Those who pass this test become Akhu, or Blessed Ancestors. They reside in Duat, the land of Osiris, and can be communicated with by humans on Earth.
If a person flees judgement or gets lost on the way, he or she may become a Muet, or angry dead person, terrorizing living descendants.
For a person to survive death indefinitely, he or she must be remembered. The person's name and/or image must be remembered past death, which is the reason mummification was used.
Views of the afterlife amongst modern Kemetics may be much different. For example, many believe in Reincarnation, whether continuous or until all lessons are learned. Most deny the necessity of mummification to keep the soul alive, and instead rely on photographs and family memories instead of physical preservation of the body.
Practices and Rites of Passage[edit]
Festivals and holidays[edit]
There are several festival days every month, and in some months, there is almost one festival for every day. (Even in ancient times, worshipers chose which festivals to celebrate and which ones were still working days). This is perfectly in line with Ancient Egyptian religion, as festivals depended on where you lived and what God(s) you worshiped. There are a few major holidays that Kemetics are most likely to celebrate regardless of their temple affiliation (most temples have official calendars) or independent status. These include:
- Wep Ronpet, the Kemetic New Year
- Feast of Opet
- Feast of the Beautiful Valley
- Solstice Celebrations and Equinox Celebrations (sacred to Hathor, Eye of Ra)
- Feast of the Beautiful Reunion
- Full and New Moon Celebrations (sacred to various moon gods depending on the season)
- the birthdays and festival days of various gods and goddesses
The use of Pagan Egyptian symbolism in occultism[edit]
Mention tarot cards that use Egyptian symbolism, mention the debunked theory that tarot cards are ancient Egyptian in origin. Mention occult schools that use (pseudo-)Egyptian symbolism and imagery; freemasonry, theosophy and thelema.
External links[edit]
Temples and organizations[edit]
- Kemetic Orthodox House of Netjer
- Church of the Eternal Source
- Per-Ankh
- Akhet Hwt-Hrw
- Nuhati-am-Nutjeru
- International Network of Kemetics
- Nikhtah Ma'eyah Kimata - The Black Nation
- Ta Noutri french kemetic group
- Kamitic - french group
- Temple Harakhte by author Rosemary Clark
- Per-Heh
FAQs[edit]
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