The 42 Purifications

[Rev. Tjesi]

Beautiful. Thank you.


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[Yinepuemsaes]

"Nefertem, Lily of the Sun,
Take all that disguises my true self and wash it clean from my face.
Wash my eyes O Beautiful Youth with your healing hands and help me to see myself as You see me.
For I am pure, my ka is pure, and I am a child of Netjer." 

Beautiful.

[Tatuayinepu]

Purification #33
Hail Nefertem, coming forth from Huwt-ka-Ptah, I do not wrong myself; I do not do evil (things).

What does it mean by wronging oneself? Earlier in purification #13, we discussed not eating out hearts, but this purification is different. We have just went through a litany of misdeeds and now we come to this one. What do we make of it? How does it affect us at this point in the purifications?

I do not wrong myself….

How many times have we done something we regretted? How many times have we done something that has harmed us physically, psychologically, and emotionally? Harm can leave scars, some very visible and others more difficult to see. How can we recover from these?

I believe this purification could possibly give an answer in the form of Ptah and Sekhmet’s son, Nefertem. Nefertem is more than the god of perfumes and flowers. He is an embodiment of the Tem, the Self-Created One. He emerges from the lotus which represents something very beautiful. Lotuses are born in the murk and mud. They begin life in very nasty surroundings, covered in filth. But as they grow, they reach for the light until finally bursting forth from the murky waters they reside in. They emerge as a beautiful pristine flower, fragrant and stunning.

How often have I saw myself like this? Sometimes I feel bombarded with all my past mistakes. But Nerferum reveals to me that no matter what filth and dirt I have to crawl through, I can wah it away. I can feel his purification envelop me. I too am something beautiful that is filled with the moment of Zep-tepi. I can begin anew.

"Nefertem, Lily of the Sun,
Take all that disguises my true self and wash it clean from my face.
Wash my eyes O Beautiful Youth with your healing hands and help me to see myself as You see me.
For I am pure, my ka is pure, and I am a child of Netjer."

Em hotep Raheri!

This is beautiful heka, and a wonderful topic.

"I do not wrong myself"

I read this, and think upon a few things that I've read in Karenga's "Ma'at: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt".

The first is a reference to human dignity in the Instructions for Merikare, "snn ntr" or imago dei conception, specifically, "snnw.f pw pri.w m h'w.f, or "they are his images and come from his body". From that, I would consider committing wrong against one's self as any thoughts or actions that are against one's human dignity. Lying, speaking out of turn, speaking hastily, speaking in a way that hurts others, and any number of behaviors that harm the self with or without harming others.

I am continuously working on recognizing my own human dignity and self worth, from a lifetime of feeling like I didn't have much of either. I have made bad decisions and many mistakes in my life, due in part to not recognizing these. I used to think that I had to somehow "earn" basic human dignity and "achieve" self worth. If I am reading the above correctly, though, I believe it suggests an inherent sense of human dignity, because we are children of Netjer. That isn't an achievement, it is a state of being, something that we didn't ask for. It is a precious gift. It reflects love, and causes me to ponder the love They have for us. I further believe there's a connection to our awareness of inherent human dignity within ourselves, and the concepts of self worth and self love.

Which leads me to another favorite topic within Karenga's book: A discussion on the essential goodness of human nature, which describes in detail the differences between the moral offenses in Kemetic ethical literature, and the Judeo Christian concept of "sin". The Augustinian concept of sin as a "disease of the soul", or a soiled and wounded soul does not have its roots in Kemetic ethical principles, instead, it is moral failure. According to Frankfort, it is foolishness and aberration which brings unhappiness because of the resulting disturbance with the harmonious integration with the existing world. Frankfort further states that it is lack of insight or lack of self restraint being at the root of man's misfortunes, not a basic corruption. One is capable of self transcendence by self understanding in community and self transformation rather than by grace. It is not by grace, but by following Ma'at, that is posed as the key to moral grounding and human flourishing (Karenga)

Karenga further elaborates on this by describing Ma'at as the grounds for the ontological unity between Creator and humans, and what is required is to recognize one's true nature and to act accordingly, as Ra. If Ma'at is the spiritual/ethical dimension of humans, the critical constitutive element of being human, then Ma'at must be cultivated by righteous thought, emotion, speech, and conduct in order for each human to realize his or her potential fully(Karenga).

He further states that learning Ma'at requires an openness of self to both instruction and change and involves hearing, acting, attentiveness, and putting into practice.

For me, this means a lot. This means I'm not inherently flawed as a human being, and that when I make mistakes it is due to ignorance of what the correct behavior is. That flies in the face of Judeo Christian tenets which refer to "original sin", which states that Man is "fallen", "prone to sin", and damaged beyond recall. I can work to perfect my understanding and I can act in ways that reflect a better understanding. Through right thoughts and right action, I can unlearn teachings that I interpreted to mean that something was inherently wrong with me that I couldn't fix.

I always have a chance to do better, and the heka of Nefertum does not have a time limit, or tell us that anyone that has made more than say, 2000, mistakes is un redeemable.

Through learning and practice, I can grow in awareness of my true nature, its inherent divinity, and its inherent worth. The more I am aware of it, the less likely I am to do something that is counter to it; thusly, I am less likely to commit a wrong against myself.

Thank you Raheri for the post, and for helping me to take another look inside one of my favorite books about Ma'at.

Tatuayinepu

[Tjemsy]

Thank you so much for posting this. Nefertum(-Imhotep) is a newly-divined Beloved of mine, so I am always glad to hear about him. <3

[Senuwierneheh]

Thank you for those beautiful thoughts, Raheri and Tatua!  They are so needed!

Senebty,
Neheh...

[Rev. Sema'a]

Em hotep Raheri! I am so glad to see these postings resume. Thank you for this beautiful reflection.

[Rev. Raheri]

Thank you Raheri for the post, and for helping me to take another look inside one of my favorite books about Ma'at.

Tatuayinepu

Thank you for your insightful commentary!

[Asetmehheri]

Em hotep and thank you for resuming these posts! #33 is especially timely. <3

[Tatuayinepu]

Em hotep all,

Further thoughts on this Purification came to me after talking with a few other people about this.

"I do not wrong myself, I do not do isfet"

We've already discussed making mistakes as wronging ourselves, and that Nefertum heka which is so beautiful  

I also wondered about negative self talk counting as a wrong against ourselves, and the "disguises" referred to in the Nefertum heka that prevent us from seeing ourselves as Netjer see us, are to a greater or lesser extent, created by our own self talk?

I know that my earliest memories of myself as a child, had the beginnings of negative self talk. This continued throughout my life, although I am aware enough these days to be able to spot and to change that self talk.

At least for me, the habit and the content of negative self talk was learned behavior; behavior habits that were formed before I realized what they were and how damaging they could be.

Fortunately, even though those years of negative self talk did create "disguises" in how I learned to see myself, I am not a "damaged soul". Like the lotus that emerges from the muck, I can emerge from the particular yuck of negative self talk and the disguises it has created, and the mental habits from years of repetition.

One thing that I do, is the practice of being present in the moment. This practice is not necessarily KO, I learned it from the study of Tibetan Buddhism. Basically what it is, is focusing on just this present moment in time, which according to the Tibetan Buddhists, is all we have; not the past or the future (although our future is determined to a greater or lesser extent on what we do in the present).

I can, however, make a comparison to the Zep Tepi, which we have available to us in Kemetic Orthodox. We can, every day, recreate ourselves. If we break down a day to a number of hours, and an hour to minutes, we can similarly have "mini" Zep Tepy's.

This is applicable to being present in the moment, if I am able to slow myself down enough, if I am able to cultivate the habit of being present and able to catch the negative talk springing up and use this "gap" to reframe the negativity in words that are less caustic/untrue/nasty.

I am nowhere near 100% successful with this, but knowing I have the potentiality available and that what I tell myself can, and does, change how I see myself to something that is more in line with how Netjer see me, is very powerful.

Knowing that I am loved by Them, that this isn't conditional, and that I am like the lotus, makes all the difference. Knowing that I can recreate myself, any time, whether that means several times in an hour for bad days, or a few times on a good day, is really awesome. I'm no longer stuck in the idea that, because I've made mistakes I'm destined to continue to make them.

Destiny, to me, is variable.

Hope this made sense!

Tatuayinepu

[Rev. Raheri]

"I do not wrong myself, I do not do isfet"

Em hotep Tatuatinepu!

Actually the word here is not isfet but iry bin. According to Hemet's notes, bin is an evil action or thought which can be translated as bad or negative. Isfet is actually a state of being opposed to Ma'at. A quite different concept indeed! Bin could lead to isfet which according to Hemet is what this purification may be trying to prevent.

Mindfulness is an excellent practice as is used in many psychotherapies for the treatment of depression and anxiety. A very predominant practice in Mahayana forms of Buddhism, but seems to be crossing over into mainstream society as well.

[Tatuayinepu]

"I do not wrong myself, I do not do isfet"

Em hotep Tatuatinepu!

Actually the word here is not isfet but iry bin. According to Hemet's notes, bin is an evil action or thought which can be translated as bad or negative. Isfet is actually a state of being opposed to Ma'at. A quite different concept indeed! Bin could lead to isfet which according to Hemet is what this purification may be trying to prevent.

Mindfulness is an excellent practice as is used in many psychotherapies for the treatment of depression and anxiety. A very predominant practice in Mahayana forms of Buddhism, but seems to be crossing over into mainstream society as well.

Thank you for the distinction in the terms, I was working from the Ancient Egyptian Prayer book and a few other translations...that did not make that.

Always better to define the terms, instead of assuming or categorizing things into one.

Tatuayinepu

[Gleb]

Hi guys!

Recently I was thinking. How do the Netjeru view white lies?

[Rev. Raheri]

Hi guys!

Recently I was thinking. How do the Netjeru view white lies?

Em hotep Gleb! We touched on this a little back in Purification #8.

Purification #8

Hail Fiery One, coming forth backwards, I do not speak lies.

In this purification, we call on the Eye of Ra, the cobra. The cobra protects Kemet, the gods, and our Nisut Hekatawy I (AUS). It does this by spitting out its fiery venom.
 
The one who wears the cobra can act as Ma’at herself, thus seeing through lies. This specific cobra is the one which sits on the head of Wesir Himself. Thus we are stating to the one who sees through lies at our own judgment. At that judgment we will not be able to hide behind our own lies when questioned by the Great God.

So the question is, are we ready? Can we “honestly” say we speak no lies? Can we stand before the one who sees us as we are and make this proclamation? I know that at this point I my life, I cannot. This is a flaw which requires me to act. I am not perfect, but do I tell lies to those I love to save them form the harsh reality of the truth that I think I see? DO I tell my friends that juicy gossip I heard when I have no way to back up if it is true? Or do I let those little white lies slowly build up. I see myself as an honest man, but I still feel very uncomfortable walking up to my Father, the Foremost of the Westerners, and saying, “I do not speak lies.”
Senebty,

Raheri

[Tatuayinepu]

Em hotep *henu*

For me, this is an ongoing process. I grow in awareness, especially in this year of Sekhmet and Ma'at, and make myself open to Their teachings. Sometimes this seems to come from both ends, but I do learn and grow

In my experience, there is no middle ground. If it is untrue, it is untrue; and I need to ask myself why I might be tempted to say it.

Tatuayinepu

Tatuayinepu

[Gleb]

Hi guys!

Recently I was thinking. How do the Netjeru view white lies?

Em hotep Gleb! We touched on this a little back in Purification #8.

Purification #8

Hail Fiery One, coming forth backwards, I do not speak lies.

In this purification, we call on the Eye of Ra, the cobra. The cobra protects Kemet, the gods, and our Nisut Hekatawy I (AUS). It does this by spitting out its fiery venom.
 
The one who wears the cobra can act as Ma’at herself, thus seeing through lies. This specific cobra is the one which sits on the head of Wesir Himself. Thus we are stating to the one who sees through lies at our own judgment. At that judgment we will not be able to hide behind our own lies when questioned by the Great God.

So the question is, are we ready? Can we “honestly” say we speak no lies? Can we stand before the one who sees us as we are and make this proclamation? I know that at this point I my life, I cannot. This is a flaw which requires me to act. I am not perfect, but do I tell lies to those I love to save them form the harsh reality of the truth that I think I see? DO I tell my friends that juicy gossip I heard when I have no way to back up if it is true? Or do I let those little white lies slowly build up. I see myself as an honest man, but I still feel very uncomfortable walking up to my Father, the Foremost of the Westerners, and saying, “I do not speak lies.”
Senebty,

Raheri

Thanks