Level 1, Leson 6, Video Assignment: Great Truths of Shetaut Neter.
Important themes:
• Devotional Worship – Prostration before the altar, uncovering the altar, lighting the candle (symbolizes the light of the divine self, aku, lighting the spirit in self), incense (fragrance is symbolic of the personality (burn the personality up through righteousness, truth), pouring libation (symbolizes the continuing practice of mental thought in the direction of the divine), food or astral offering.
• Hekau (chant) – the spoken offering, words of power transforms the mind, creation, and the personality when uttered with understanding and feeling, offered four times NSEW, symbolizes creation.
• Offering Hekau (1,000 beef and 1,000 geese): Astral offering table: rolled up map, loaf of bread, haunch of beef (male), and a goose (female), The libation is poured on the Hotep slab and the water of the two sides mixes and comes down the center (symbolizes the unity from duality, giving up the opposites).
• Shetaut Neter : Ancient African for the term religion, the hidden way of the divine self, how to know the divine self.
• Temple 3 parts: 1st room symbolizes aspiration/mortals, initial teaching; 2nd room high philosophy is taught/initiates; 3rd room those who have received the light.
• Entering the first level indicates you have a certain level of attainment and the Spiritual forces have allowed you to enter, maturity allows you to enter.
• Nothing in the world is permanent, put your energy into pursuing something that is enduring, Nehast.
• True is defined as that which is unchanging.
• Paut: primeval energy, the energy everything is composed of.
• Spirit is the constant.
• 4 Great Truths:
1) Supreme is one, there is one divinity behind all creation, energy, there oneness behind all;
2) Unrighteousness leads to ignorance and delusion (speech, actions and thoughts that are not in alignment with Maat/laws of nature);
3) Devotion to the divine in your life causes freedom from ignorance;
4) Practice the disciplines (listening to the teachings, devotion to the divine, Maat, meditation.
• Three basic realms of existence: physical (waking); astral (subconscious); and causal (unconscious).
• Anrutef is in the unconscious mind, transcendence, Nehast.
• 3 stages of religion must be practiced: Myth (gives insight into origins, culture, relates you to that culture, insight into the purpose of life), ritual , mysticism.
• Myth: Khepri – creator brought the teaching to the world; Djehuty – codified the teaching; Asar – instituted Shetaut Neter (teachings, ritual, etc.)
• Ritual supports the myth, rituals of resurrection, offering the eye of inner vision.
• If myth is understood and ritual is practiced correctly wisdom emerges (mysticism).
• If all aspects of religion are not followed and practiced diligently and correctly, conflict develops in the person as well as the culture.
What impressed me most in this presentation?
That every “motion” we make (speech, thoughts, actions, meditation, listening to the teachings, reflection, what we eat, the hours that we sleep, etc.) is like a ripple effect and creates our lives and what we experience. Whether we are conscious or ignorant, it makes no difference; we are creating at all times. Shetaut Neter is a discipline that brings those “motions” into alignment with Maat by healing the mind. It is a practice that covers all aspects of the mind, therefore, it is a practice that affects all aspects of our lives.
