Level 1 Lesson 17, Kemetic Diet 4,5&6, 55:14, 46:33, 1:00
1.Important themes
We now will look at specific parts of the Kemetic Diet book that should be given particular attention. Page 46 “The soul belongs to heaven, the body belongs to earth” from the pyramid text period. This teaching was reflected on all subsequent periods of Kemetic history and is an important teaching. This relates to the teaching on our true self and the nature of the soul and the body. This immaterial part of our nature which is the true life, cannot be found in any part of the body. Conventionally we identify with our body as “who I Am” and this is reflected in society and the mass consciousness and is what a spiritual aspirant is striving to purify. Pg 76, “twain are the forms of food; one for the soul and one for the body. Some are nourished by the two fold form while others with the single.” A late period proverb. The food for the body is gross body (physical body) and subtle body (mind.) The one food is the food for the soul, foods that lead to the spirit. This is the foundation of the Kemetic Diet, this simple practice of moving towards increasing purity by working from where we are currently at. Page 51, image of the cosmos (star) coming into the third eye of the initiate as well as the breath of life imparted through the nostril by the goddess.
Ancient Egyptian relief’s show two different kinds of foods; offerings and foods of festivities. Nobles had their tombs decorated with festivities and royalty had their tombs decorated also with Prt M Hru texts. The foods of the ordinary egyptians was varied, largely plant-based and reliefs mostly show vegetables, fish, poultry. Contrary to this, the Prt M Hru and other texts from AE show clearly that initiates are taught not to eat meat including fish, poultry, intoxicants.
Hotep offering slab represents the merging of the opposites as well as materialism-individuality into the one. The leg chepesh used in the Hotep offering slab is also used in Prt M Hru rituals including the opening of the mouth ceremony. This was the symbolic form of the “Stars that do not rest.” The purpose of this symbology is to encourage and teach the aspirant to become like that of the unmoving stars – this is the food of the cosmos talked about. Pg 62, health really involves a balanced process of taking in physiological foods, psychologica foods and spirituality-soul. These are the foundations of the Kemetic Diet ( this understanding is largely missing from mainstream as well as alternative health movements especially when they lack a spiritual aim.)
Ukheddu and mucus. Two causes of mucus-excretion. Cleansing mucusless foods produce the elimination of mucus if much is present, and eating mucus-forming foods produce mucus to deal with the acids of the foods ate. These are two different things. Mucusless foods lead to less mucus in the body whereas acid forming foods produce more mucus in the body. Ukheddu should not be directly translated to mucus but is in fact the “disease process” of acid-waste that produces mucus and other forms of obstructions in the vascular system.
Ankh is the life process that allows the clay(body) to be vivified, and this produces Oodja(fire) that enlivens the clay and the subtle energies of the body-mind-spine. This fire burning in a dynamic way represents health (Seneb.) Learning how to work with the vitality-fire of the body is essential to maintain health and vitality.
Pg 138 ailments of the mind. Anger, greed, lust, etc should be considered as subte illnesses. For remedy the opposite virtue to the vice should be pursued. Ailments of the soul 174, practice meditation to develop will power, which cannot be developed intellectually.
Discussion on supplementation, antioxodiants, free-radicals, enzymes, healthy bacterial, and EFA Essential Fatty Acids.
Placebo effect is real and has been shown in both drug and surgery studies.
Medical industry good for tests and trauma as in cases of testing blood or reattaching a limb.
Gloss on the myth of Heteru and Djehuti. Heteru in the form of Sekhmet destroys unrighteousness, she is also connected to doctors because of her ability to destroy disease-Ukheddu. In the myth the goddess was enlightened and when sent into the world she fell into the grip of the world. The spiritual teaching is designed to allow a being to come out of the grip of the world. When caught in the world, even when a person stops having fun doing the unrighteous things they are doing, they can lash out at people or experiences that force them to change. Djehuti came to the goddess in a very particular way to bring about the change, to start he gave her the sedative which is similar to the external features of a spiritual environment ( silence, incense, cleanliness, meditative music, etc.) Then he began to distract her and submit to her to reduce her aggressiveness and reactivity, he began to tell her the parables to allow her energy to flow toward more righteous principles. Distraction and mental activity create an opaqueness and muddled nature in the mind that is opposite of enlightened consciousness. Then Djehuti gave Heteru the Arit- the divine eye. This was the divine soul food that allowed Heteru to be awakened and this was the food represented in the Heteru ritual, it is a plant food. The arit allowed her to be truly calmed, to listen to djehuti, and be led back to Ra. To the best of our ability an initiate should live on divine foods, offering foods.
Clothing. Transition to clothes made of naturally occurring substances versus unnatural fabrics.
Sunbathing and other cosmic rays.
Cleansing breath.
Dental problems. Increased in AE overtime as the culture being more influenced by outside cultures and the AE culture began to be polluted, degraded, and forgotten.
Search for immortality, this would be detrimental esp in the current state of the world and would stunt the process of reincarnation, etc. The natural order has been set up in a certain way to produce growth in people and should be respected.
Issues of over working. It’s beneficial to find a time for rest during the day.
Health means harmonizing the energies of the body which will move the Ukheddu and excrete waste through the vascular systems. Righteous living does this in a healthy way along with the yogic disciplines, including Tjef Neteru. Tjef Neteru also allows devotional feeling to be developed as well as understanding about their nature.
2.Explain what impressed you the most
One part that stood out to me was at 12:00 in Kemetic Diet 4 on the topic of yogic techniques that can allow a person to live for longer periods without breathing as well as other yogic-spiritual abilities. What stood out to me was when Sebai Maa said that this is “another thing” it does not necessarily mean enlightenment which is the true goal. This is an important point because there are a lot of people who show their advanced abilities, sometimes positive to encourage others to transform and other times egoistic, and its easy to become infatuated with these thing, desire them, maybe pursue them; but whether amazing things like that are revealed to a person or not they are not the true purpose of spiritual life and our aim must remain pure and persistent in the higher path. Many people who do gain seemingly super human abilities often become distracted themselves by the attention they are given or they never sufficiently meditated or were taught about the transcendent nature and therefore their spiritual pursuit can be stunted even when it appears they are very advanced – this is the danger of these things when misunderstood or misapplied. Doing feats that either more or less egoistic, more egoistic being like a yogi eating a car, these are not the true purpose.
The discussion on AIDs beings used to distract focus on Africa from unhygienic conditions, poor diet, lack of opportunities, pollution, etc was an important point.
The discussion on the placebo effect
Impressed by the discussion of Unas consuming the gods and goddesses representing a reuniting of the principle of creation. Simmering the parts in the cauldron represents meditation on it with the serpent power-fire in order to consume their hekau-power-spirit
Seba Dja makes good points about everyone’s dietary process being a bit differently tuned and so its not sufficient to just find out what someone eats and copy them. Its always a work in progress. I enjoyed her statements about Aris Latham as well. Also her discussions about different concepts and systems and how they can be understood within a context of ones personal journey. Knowing what is the safe basis as well as knowledge of deficiencies is a helpful basis to pursue one’s journey.
The proverb on the Stelae of Djehuti is very important and “when understood can open up all the doors of Kemetic spirituality.” It represents a way of living, thinking, and acting in righteousness that will dissolve all the problems of life.
Anything you put into your body, the body responds to it as a poison including foods, sexual fluids from a partner, pregnancy, intoxicants, etc. Therefore life is a balance between purity/perfection and poison, spiritualized diet and lifestyle then is a movement toward purity.
Another point of interest to me was in the discussion on pregnancy which led to some statements about the problems of the community and current world condition and the efforts of some to create more righteous communities. This stuck out to me because this is something I have thought about many times, how to live in a better community, a more spiritual community, something more supportive not only of regular practice but also less individual burden financially etc by living minimally as well as other means that would allow someone to work less for example by pooling resources etc. This would allow for more time spent on the teachings and more separation from unrighteous society. But this is often obstructed also by the ways of society and its reflection in individuals and ariu state, and if there is inflexibility and lots of expectations and demands and not enough spiritual focus and guidance etc that it would be stifling and lead to resentments. So I enjoyed the discussion about how an aspirant can go beyond all these needs through preceptorship, authentic teaching, and elevate oneself.
On the topic of Mariah Carey, Cindy Crawford, etc I appreciated the comment on that the worldly mind sees infatuation and desirability whereas a sage sees the truth of the body (excrement) as well as the nature of the mind (chaotic), spirituality (not present) etc. So the situation seems desirable but in the end there is great pain to get into an ignorant-unrighteous partnership as well as any partnership when based on ignorance, and is also caused by desiring these things and lacking true understanding. One night with the desires becomes like a dream that in the end leaves one with pain.
It was also very telling at the end on the question of nudity. How the view of the body was different in ancient times and even now even when I visited Jamaica for example to volunteer the youth I would say were a bit less discreet than American youth when it came to things like changing for swimming in clothes that may not cover up the whole body – although the imbalance is present all over the world esp because of the spread of American culture. On the flip side how people will try and dress as if they are naked but true nudity actually doesn’t fit their view of physical desirability. These types of issues are interesting because, like the question of community in today’s current world condition, they create a quagmire where it’s not possible to revert back to the ancient condition for example women walking around topless without harassment or issue but the present condition is also obstructive to the ability to live free or have certain health experiences like more nude sunbathing. These types of issues for me really make human life and worldly life more undesirable because there is really very little freedom or potential for the joys of life wether one is pursuing a more pleasurable earthly life in line with righteousness or a pleasurable earthly life more based in unrighteousness – both are finite and carry limitations because of the saturation of ignorance and ignorant culture. Eight hour work day, high rents, difficulties to live naturally on the land, etc. Even though a beautiful field is right across the street for example it may have a sign on it saying “for sale” and you know it will be thousands of dollars so it sits empty, cant be nurtured, cant squat on it with security, etc. Even the potential for a truly joyous life is obstructed even when it seems so close. This reminds me of many good hearted people who try and create the world they desire, and it may be a positive natural vision, but the obstructions of society and ignorance either internally or externally obstruct that process. In reflection even living a more idealic life would create more issues of attachment, increased socialization, distraction, etc that although the situation may be more ideal or healthy would have its own hindrances to true spiritual pursuits beyond the material and sensual…so in the end Ra’s justice is perfect. The Ancient Egyptian aspirants and aspirants today have to question physical life, have to become detached, have to become awakened to the spiritual reality and to pursue that even if our limited senses constantly bring us back to the 1% reality of materialism and the human earthly senses.
