KEMET THIS WEEK – PODCAST 11

Hello everybody and welcome to “Kemet this Week.”

A few days ago one of our newer members asked me a question about vocations; becoming a priest. How do you know if you're called to become a priest? I have this conversation a lot, and I thought it would be good to take a few minutes and talk about this whole vocation thing and what it really means.

We are not a religion of priests. This is not a faith where priesthood is considered the natural evolution of initiation, the end goal for all members. No. As a Shemsu or Remetj, you're not in any way less spiritually advanced than the priests, nor are you missing out on some magical transformative experience you'd never be able to get without taking up the mantle of the clergy.

In antiquity, priesthood was often a seasonal job. You'd spend a few months down on the family farm raising your crops just like everybody else, then spend a few months serving in the temple. It's sometimes hard for modern folks to adjust to the uniquely Kemetic paradigm of priesthood, so laden are we with conceptions and misconceptions from other faiths. Here's the biggest misconception of all; the idea that a Kemetic Orthodox Priest serves the gods. That's not correct. A Kemetic Orthodox Priest does not exist to serve the gods; a Kemetic Orthodox Priest exists to serve the people. While the W'ab (purity priests) do carry out a daily Rite and maintain state shrines, where do you see them most? At our rituals. What are they doing there? Ensuring purity, seeing to the needs of the attendees, and working to create a pious and contemplative environment for all of us. If you remember nothing else today, remember this; the W'ab priest who greets you at the door to the temple is the last person to come inside. And the Imakhu? Please. As your Heri Tep, my job is 10% spirituality and 90% paperwork-ality. We Imakhu take care of the nuts and bolts, the practical concerns of running a church, attending to every day emergencies, and dealing with the very, very unglamorous details that have to be taken care of every day so that everyone can enjoy the benefit from this wonderful faith. When I'm done recording, mixing and uploading this podcast, I'm going to go work on a membership spreadsheet for a new beginners' class. It's going to take me about 2 hours. It will not be a holy 2 hours.

So, who does dedicate themselves to serving the gods? You do. I could say this a million times, and still not stress it strongly enough; when you become a Shemsu or a Remetj, you're acknowledging the glory of Netjer and opening yourself to that glory. We are, all of us, from the King Herself, to someone who has just joined the House yesterday, called to the service of God. It's in your daily shrine rite; it's study and reflection, and fellowship with your brothers and sisters in the faith. You are a servant of God and a child of God with all the rights and all the responsibilities that come along with it. Look yourself in the mirror and say that out loud, and say it with confidence, and know that it is true. There's no title you must earn before working to promote the will of the gods, before striving to manifest Ma'at in your life, and in the lives of others.

So here's a homework assignment for you. In your spiritual practice, and in your everyday life, how do you serve the gods? Think about it. Brainstorm. See what you come up with, and we'll talk about it next week.

For now, this has been “Kemet this Week” for October 16th, 2009. Be safe, and we’ll see you next week.

Very nice. No typos here.

What kinds of things DO serve them? Aside from upholding Ma'at?

I would say that everything we do is an act of service. I've taken up the mantra of "all of this for God", which I repeat to myself as I'm doing any sort of work. Living our lives well serves Netjer, because it serves what Netjer has made.

Gotcha.

Beautifully put, Sobeqsenu!

Agreed, KI Neferu.

Also, just wanted to point out that the "speaker" is actually Antybast, not me. (heh)