An elaboration on Lesson 1 WK 6 Reading assignment Pg. 59-68
This assignment was submitted September 3rd but I forgot to label which assignment it was for. I would now like to elaborate on what I previously submitted by saying a bit more with regard to the Four Great Truths of Neterianism.
1) The Neter ua ua Neberdjer m neteru”–“The Neter, the supreme being is One and alone and as Neberdjer, manifesting everywhere and in all things in the form of Gods and Goddesses.”
“Cosmological myths have in common the belief in the “perfection of the beginnings”, a time and place when all things existed in a state of perfection characterized by an essential unity and grounded in a universal love. This state of perfection ws made possible by the existence of universal laws–“Maat”–ethical principles that embodied all which was righteous and just, and where truth, order, balance, and divine will reigned supreme. Underlying such a state of perfection was a divine peace that pervaded all there was and which served as the foundation for harmonious relations that existed among and between all things.
Within the Neterian worldview, the time and place where such a state of perfection may have existed was in ancient Kemet, the origins of civilization. It is here in Kemet that we approximated or came close, more than any other time in recorded history to manifesting the state of perfection described in the various cosmological myths. For the Kemetic people, all life centered on realizing the existence of the Supreme Being as the cardinal principle around which everything revolved. This first great truth has been passed down through the ages, woven into the basic fabric of the Kemetic religion and in its most pure form revealed to us through the divine revelation of mystics and sages. At the heart of the first great truth is the belief that the Divine–that which represents the essential unity in all things, manifest in the form of Gods and Goddesses. And so it is that this truth reminds us of our divine essence and that each of us shares in the universal soul of creation. having the potential to realize, remember, resurrect our true identity as the divine beings that we are. Each of us has contained deep within, cosmic principles which when realized, Yoga helps us with connecting with and realizing within ourselves such cosmic principles, and in so doing, allowing us to unite with the higher and lower dimensions of self leading ultimately to the recovery, remembrance, and reinstatement of the state of perfection that had once characterized our beginnings. Cosmological myths embody a mystical dimension in which it is believed that by retelling the story of the beginnings we are then able to relive or bring to life the consciousness underlying it. Neterian mythology provides the template or conceptual guide for allowing us to make this psycho-spiritual journey of self discovery and recovery.
2) “an-Maat swy Set s-Khemn”–“Lack of righteousness brings fetters to the personality and these fetters leads to ignorance of the divine”
Within cosmological myths there are stories of the events and state of affairs that lead to loss of perfection of the beginnings or “mans” fall from grace. Within the Neterian cosmology it is lack of righteousness which leads to the individual’s estrangement from their divine nature and from the rest of creation. According to the Neterian worldview, when we act in ways that contradicts the universal laws of creation, we then become subjected to the afflictions of Set, the Neteru of Egoism and selfishness. These afflictions include the unregulated emotions of the lower self such as anger, hatred greed, lust, gluttony, envy, jealousy, and dishonesty the effects of which ultimately leads to ignorance of the divine. When the world and individuals in it loose sight of the divine essence, they become disconnected from what is most real, giving meaning to their lives through the futile search of illusionary ideals which ultimately ends in suffering and a deep sense of unfulfillment and incompletion. We need to be cognizant of the fact that we are in control of our own destiny based on the choices we make. We may either pursue a path of redemption whereby we come to know and realize the divine dimensions of ourselves or the path that takes us further and further away from our true and divine identity. What is worth noting here is that the redemptive path is at odds with the prevailing culture and consciousness of the modern world. Modernity brings with it a culture and consciousness that affirms the material existence as the one and only reality while denying the existence of that which is within and which remains unseen.–the soul. This means therefore that to succeed on our spiritual path we must be able to utilize and make manifest the cosmic principles that will allow us to discern the real from the unreal, truth from untruth; we must possess the strength and courage allowing us to subdue the ego-centered dimensions of self and the unwelcomed emotions associated with it; we must ground ourselves in the laws of Maat and immerse ourselves in the universal love of creation.
3) “S-Uashu s-Nafu n saiu Set”–“Devotion to the divine leads to freedom from the fetters of Set”
To be liberated from the egocentric constraints of our lower nature, we must devote ourselves to the divine. We must commit ourselves towards living a redemptive lifestyle directed at the resurrection and remembrance of the soul, placing it as the cardinal principle that governs ur existence. A redemptive lifestyle is one in which one derives meaning mostly from self inquiry and self reflection. these being methods by which we gain knowledge of the world within. A redemptive lifestyle is also one in which we aspire towards unifying the various dimensions of self while recognizing their integral connectedness. A redemptive lifestyle also involves purifying the mind, the body and the soul through the practice of the Shedy disciplines—listening to the teachings, acting righteously, strengthening one’s will through meditationand purifying one’s emotions through devotion. Most important, a redemptive lifestyle means being committed to the laws of Maat—living our lives in an ordered, balanced, and righteous manner. Also included in the practice of Shedy is the system of Tjef Neteru Sema Paut, the movement of the divine ones this being an essential component of the practice contributing greatly to the process of self transformation and self renewal.
4) “Ari Shedy Rekh ab m Maakheru”–“The practice of the Shedy disciplines leads to knowing oneself and the divine. This is called being True of Speech.”
The ancient Kemetic people had developed and put in place a scientifically based redemptive tool known as Shetaut Neter (Hidden Divinity). the practice of which is multidimensional and integral in nature being geared towardsthe purification of the body, the mind and the soul. To do Shedy means to penetrate the mysteries of the divine through a multidimensional system that included SEDJM REKH Shedy–Listening to the wisdom of the Neterian tradition; ARI-Maat Shedy—Engaging in Righteous Action which purifies the gross impurities of the heart; UASHU (USHET) Shedy–Devotion to the divine which purifies the emotional impurities of the heart and UAA Shedy–Meditation allowing for a transcendence of self through the development of divine will. Through the practice of Shetaut Nete, one is then able to experience a rebirth where we are able to recover and reconnect to the divine dimensions of who we are–the universal soul. The lifestyle associated with such a practice is designed to achieve this singular objective and takes on an all consuming purposefulness and urgency. The spiritual path that we find ourselves on is usually based on the nature of our Ari (karma) and those of us whose Ari has placed us on the path of Neterian spirituality, will find that they will have embarked upon a psycho-spiritual journey of self discovery and soul recovery.
