Hemu Assignment for March 08th 2023
Pgs. 146 to 152
Udja all, in the pages prescribed for my assignment, these were the main topics that were covered. Daily Temple Ritual from the Temple of Edfu; Ritual of carrying the boat; Ritual of the Dawn of the New Year at the Temple of Hetheru; The wisdom teachings learned by the clergy and maintaining the Neterian Library.
In the sequence, there is a focus on the Temple of Edfu where the priests are depicted (pictographically) taking part in the daily temple ritual of “Bringing the Divinity” to life. Where each Temple deity is accorded forty-five invocations for the divine organs that are born everyday. A partial wording goes …. “May you wake peacefully…and spread gold dust over the earth”.
The Ritual of Carrying the Divine Boat-the portable shrine {Kniu} was another common ritual performed by the Priests and Priestesses and is considered one of the more important rituals of Neterian Spirituality. Several temples incorporated this ritual, mainly because; most divinities, male and female had Divine boats. This annual ritual entailed a metaphysical reenactment of the movement of the first boat that created the forms that gave rise to objects in creation. An image of the Divinity was placed inside of the boat and carried from one temple to the next and reflected the ideal that creation has been renewed and the order of the cosmos has been sustained. It was considered propitious to be considered as a pallbearer. The procession would have also included, included incense bearers, musicians, hesians and dancers.
The ritual of the Dawn of the New Year at the Hetheru Temple was another annual ritual, the procession this time is within its own temple walls and not with another temple. Following a procession with chant, libation and offerings, the divine image would be brought to the roof of the temple before dawn to embrace the first light of the sun of the new year and be impregnated by the Life Force(Heru) and this constituted the continual of life for the ensuing year.
The Wisdom Disciplines for the Priest and Priestesses was very extensive as even compared to modern day theological institutions. The following disciplines were a part of not just studies of, but mastery of Art, Architecture, Agriculture, Devotion, Economics, History, Geometry, Government, Mathematics, Maat-cosmic law, Maat Ethics-law, Metaphor, Ship building, Symbolism and of course Theology-the traditions among other things.
Another responsibility of the clergy was the maintenance of the Neterian library, the passing on to future generation the teachings, unchanged and complete. Transcribing, collecting, studying and passing on the tradition are honorable contributions to the priesthood and should be held in high esteem as service to the Divine and community. Other aspect of scribal responsibility, was recording new texts from the Sebaiu and Sebai Kheriau, maintaining the language, the language carries the feeling of the teaching. A personal library for usage as historical records, consultative precedents and more importantly resources for the right performance of ritual as well as any other go to need for materials or procedures.
As can be noted from the above, the life of an a priest/priestess in Ancient Kemet was a “Full One”(Mehurt)!!
Dua Sebaiu!
Dua Hemu!
