Level 1, Lesson 6, Reading Assignment , Pages 59-68
The world did not come from nothing, nor is it sustained by nothing.
Those who follow the path may be referred to as Neterians.
Write out the Four Great Truths.
1. “Pa 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.
2. “an-Maat swy Saui Set s-Khemn” – Lack of righteousness brings fetters to the personality and these fetters leads to ignorance to the Divine.
3. “s-Uashu s-Nafu n saui Set” – Devotion to the Divine leads to freedom from the fetters of Set.
4. “ari Shedy Rekh ab m Maakheru” – The practice of the Shedy desciplines leads to knowing oneself and the Divine. This is called being True of Speech.
What are the afflictions of Set?
The afflictions of Set include: anger, hate, greed, lust, jealousy, envy, greed, gluttony, dishonesty, hypocrisy, etc.
What is the meaning of the term “Nafu”?
Freedom – to breath
The four disciplines of Shedy are:
1. Rekh Shedy (Wisdom) Listening to the Wisdom of the Neterian Traditions
2. Ari Shedy (Righteous Action and Selfless Service) Purifies the Gross impurities of the Heart
3. Uashu (Ushet) Shedy (Devotion) Purifies the Emotional impurities of the Heart
4. Uaa Shedy (Meditation) Experience the Transcendental Supreme Self
How should a spiritual aspirant think about their prospects to achieve the “Great Awakening”?
A spiritual aspirant should always think positive and with focused determination about their prospects to achieve the “Great Awakening”.
What teaching(s) of the Neterian creed do you believe in currently, are working on believing, find hard to believe? Why?
Believe: The entire Neterian Creed. (the Supreme Being; Maat, the laws of nature; Ari and it defining the quality of my life and what happens in my life; following the Shedy disciplines, etc.
Working on believing: I understand the Egyptian words intellectually. However, as I read the English words I have a true understanding. I am learning the Egyptian terms so that when I read or speak them their true meaning is understood at a deeper level.
Find hard to believe: There is nothing in the Neterian creed that I do not believe in.
Why: What I am learning by studying Neterianism is something I have “known” my entire life. It has always been a knowing I could not put into words or explain. The discipline and structure of the practice makes me feel safe and secure. When I take a deep breath and reflect on what I am learning or examine what I am feeling when practicing devotional worship or practice the hekau, I feel I am finally home. I am no longer wandering lost in the forest. I have found a path I can follow that will lead me out of the darkness. For the first time in this lifetime, I can reflect, analyze and look at the teachings from different perspectives and still see the truth in them. Believing the Neterian creed is not difficult, practicing what I believe is the challenge.
