LEVEL 2, LESSON 1—VIDEO LECTURE 9
The lecture begins with the four fold invocation of Htp, followed by the hekau: Omm Asar, Aset, Heru (The Divine Self manifesting in the Trinity of Father, Mother and Child). Sebai Maa is addressing the participants at the 2000 Winter Conference with the final lecture of the Goddess program entitled: “Culmination of the Goddess through the Asarian Resurrection,” in a line by line discussion of the Mystical teachings of the Asarian Resurrection.
Sebai admits that the feminine aspects of the teachings are not always exemplified and goes on to make the familiar quote: “Behind every great man there is a woman.” In the case of the Asarian Resurrection he is, of course, referring to Aset. He mentions that he considers himself to be a Devotee of Aset and whilst writing a screen play on the Mysteries of Asar came to realize he was actually writing about Aset.
Next, the lecture is directed to an image of the inner shrine with Asar seated on His throne. At this time it is explained that iconography in the temples, while similar, often differ. This is confusing to many aspirants who adopt the concept that truth is consistency. In mythical iconography this concept does not apply. It is the left brain, an ego based standard, that tries to find fault, but true mystics look for the hidden truth in the iconography.
The myth of the Asarian Resurrection is compared to the equivalent of the ancient Kemetic Bible in that it contains myth, history, events and a plot in a specific coded language. If one believes myth is primitive then the mysticism will be lost. If the myth of the Asarian Resurrection is the “Bible” then, by comparison, the Per em Heru is a book of Ritual. Ritual is the higher experience of the mystical–the key word being “experience.” Therefore, it is explained, the initiate must “practice” Maat Philosophy to become virtuous and gain the lucidity of mind to reflect the truth. Sebai emphasized that talking to a person with a dull mind was like talking to a tree, thus, there is no point in proselytizing the teachings to the masses, as that is not the true path of an authentic religion.
The focus in the lecture then turns to a diagram of the Tree of Life (Hierarchy of Creation in Anunian Theology). The upper half of the diagram features the Gods and Goddesses that are Divinities of Creation, while the lower half of the diagram features Gods and Goddesses that are Divinities representing human consciousness (mind). Creation forms the Cosmos– both physical and subtle aspects of Creation, and the human existence constitutes humanity with Asar representing the Soul, Aset the mind (Divine Wisdom), Set the ego, Nebethet, whose name means “Lady of the House,” representing physicality, and Heru Ur the perfect combination of the physical and spiritual. Temples devoted to the Divine Neteru were sponsored, on the worldly level, by Kings and Queens. Sebai Maa reminds us that on the Mystical level every human being is a King and Queen.
The points that sum up this wonderful lecture for me are, first, the iconography and the subtle differences that can be confusing in the beginning for an aspirant. After years of studying the teachings, I am now beginning to understand and appreciate these subtle differences, what they mean and how they correlate within the various Neterian Theologies. As Sebai Maa points out the left brain applies to an “ego based” standard and tries to “find fault.” In my early stages of aspiration it was sometimes a source of frustration that there were, for example, several depictions of Ra and I couldn’t always say which was which. I suspect this is why those who begin their spiritual aspiration on the authentic Kemetic path sometimes do not continue.
It requires a great deal of thought discipline to follow Kemetic Spirituality and I believe that this is no accident. I would submit that this is intentional and necessary as it serves to move the left brain ego thinking towards the right brain thinking to bring about a balance. This in turn is supported by Meditation (Uaa), Serpent power (Arat Sekhem), Right Action (Maat), and Devotional Love (Ushet). These are daily disciplines and require practice (experience) to realize progress. What appeals to me about Tjef Neteru postures is that it allows one to identify with the Gods and Goddesses by moving as they would move. Each of these disciplines are not easy to master, however, I have found that it gradually gets easier over time. If I wanted easy I would go to church once a week and be done with it. I find that Shetaut Neter is more rewarding in the Higher sense. I also most appreciate the mentoring aspect of the Spiritual Preceptor in the Neterian Tradition because it allows me to ask questions, rather than remain frustrated about the things that I don’t know.
Likewise, I have learned over time to keep what I do know to myself or among those who are like minded. Because of the complexity of Shetaut Neter and my own not yet fully realized understanding of the teachings, I found Sebai Maa’s comments on not discussing Neterianism with a dull minded person to be a valid point. Finally, the power-point message that brought it all home was that “everyone is a King or Queen in the Mystical sense”, meaning that we have the potential to raise Temples in the mind through the study, reflection and practice of the Sheti Disciplines.
Dua, Htp,
Shems Heryt
