VIDEO LECTURE: LEVEL 2 –PART 7: SEBAI MAA
2007 NETERIAN CONFERENCCE: TEACHINGS OF THE TEMPLE OF ASET – HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ASARIAN RESURRECTION
“In the beginning there was a Primordial Ocean.” So goes the quote by Sebai Maa from his written text “The Story of Asar, Aset, and Heru.” A slide image of Creation is presented where Nun lifts the boat of Khepri from unformed matter (Nu Nu). The rising of the boat creates waves that represent elements of the planet; fire, air, water, etc., to form the Cosmos. Ra shines His Sun rays creating other Divinities; Maat, Geb, Nut, Shu, Tefnut, etc. Shu separates Heaven and Earth creating the physical world. Asar, Aset, Set and Nebethet were created by Ra as a result of the union between Nut and Geb. Ra cried tears to create Human beings and appointed as King and Queen of Kemet (Egypt), Asar and Aset to rule the people. As people tried to civilize, Asar taught religion while Aset taught agriculture—planting the seeds of Wisdom speaking metaphorically. This allowed civilization to flourish in ancient Kemet. Asar then traveled around the world bringing about civilization to people of foreign lands and gained their adoration.
Set was jealous and killed Asar, throwing His body adrift in the river. Once it landed ashore, Asar’s body grew into a tree and became the Djed pillar. Aset retrieved the tree and chanted to Resurrect Asar. When Set discovered Asar’s Resurrected body while hunting, Set tore it apart and scattered the pieces. Aset and Nebethet, with Wepwat (Anpu), searched for and gathered the pieces of Asar’s body and revived Asar into a Spiritual being—King of the Netherworld, Seker-Asar. Thus, His Spiritual body went to Heaven. Aset gave birth to Heru through posthumous, Spiritual union with Asar. The Seven scorpion helpers of Selket are assigned to assist in the protection of Heru (one for each life force energy center). As Aset nurses Heru She imparts Divine Wisdom symbolically through Her breast milk. Heru also meets with Seker-Asar who teaches Him to do battle with Set. Ultimately, Set pushes Aset into exile.
Sebai Maa turns the lecture towards the epic battle of Heru and Set and the Temple of Heru in Upper Kemet. Depicted on the walls of the Temple is the image of Heru harpooning Set who has transformed into a hippo under His boat. This is symbolic of taking aim and striking at the ego. Set, however, eventually injures the eyes of Heru and blinds Him. Hetheru helped to heal Heru’s right eye, and Djehuti healed the left eye, replacing His worldly vision with Spiritual vision. Heru appealed to the Court of Justice of Gods and Goddesses, claiming that He was the rightful ruler. However, Set said Heru was too young to rule and, ultimately, the Neteru were undecided. Net, the matrix—who weaves the garment of creation from the Nu—stated that Heru should rightfully rule. It was then that Asar weighed in and said to do right by Heru or “I will release the demons and you will be sorry,” (for any soul without the presence of Asar will be tormented by its own demons). Upon this the Gods and Goddesses made the decision in favor of Heru but allowed Him to prove Himself.
*As a side note in the lecture Sebai Maa explained that a scorpion of Set bit the baby Heru and killed him while Aset was away. Sebai further explains “without Aset there is no Resurrection of Asar or Heru” as Aset has a central context in the Matnu. It is for this reason that Set put Aset into exile. This power of Aset is why She has been revered in other lands, in some places more popular than any other Divinity. Therefore, it is important to keep Aset close to one’s heart and consciousness.
Set is ego consciousness and Heru is higher consciousness. Together they become Smai Heru-Set (union of upper and lower consciousness). Symbolically this is represented in the image of Heru and Set tying the Sema knot (lotus and papyrus) of Upper and Lower Kemet. Upon the victory of Heru, Set becomes Nebi Ra—protector of the boat of Ra. As pointed out in the lecture by Sebai Set is not evil, therefore, no devil exists in Kemetic Spirtuality, only truth and error. Set (the ego) can be a force of good if controlled as symbolized in protecting the boat of Ra. Waves try to stop the boat of Ra and Set counters the waves. Set is not just ego, but also power and force according to Sebai Maa. He is as strong as Heru and, thus, cannot be defeated on an equal footing. Heru must expand to defeat Set, and this is the struggle of Human life.
Here, once again, we have the re-telling of the Asarian Mysteries as it was told many thousands of years ago. What struck me in this lecture was, not so much the finer points of the Matnu but the Matnu as a whole, that was nearly lost to Humankind. Having returned from the pilgrimage in Kemet, and having gone numerous times before the pilgrimage, I have witnessed the deliberate attempts to obliterate these teachings from the face of the earth by chisel-in-hand defacing of Gods and Goddesses, dismantling of entire sacred structures to use as building materials and, worst of all, destroying the Medu Neter by killing and torturing the priests and priestesses as a warning to anyone who dared to speak words of power.
Then it dawned on me that the Matnu of Asar, Aset and Heru was like a prophecy of what was to come in Kemet. Like Asar, Kemet was torn into pieces by foreign invaders who scattered it across the four corners of the earth and left it for dead. But with time, patience and persistence bits and pieces were collected throughout the centuries and early scholars,( such as Champollion who with a fragment from the ruins) re-membered the pieces and brought back the language of Kemet. Now under the instruction of Sebai Maa, an authentic Kemetic Spiritual Preceptor—well versed in the ancient Kemetic language—I can listen to a lecture on the Asarian Mysteries.
Like Heru, I am a shems that vindicates Asar through the teachings that live on. For the Matnu of Asar, Aset and Heru is the story of our own fragmented Soul, torn to pieces by the ego (Set, i.e. ignorance) We must take up arms, through the teachings of Shetaut Neter, and gather the ruins of our fragmented Soul to re-member our true Higher selves. In this way the Soul is vindicated and Asar, through Aset and Heru, becomes King of Eternity.
Dua Asar Unefer Neterah
Dua Asar Her Abdu
Dua Asar Neb Djeta
Dua Asar Suten Heh
Htp,
Shems Heryt
