Living Kemeticism
It is easy to feel close to the Neteru when one is standing before their naos performing senut or when one is observing heb, the festival of a Neter. But even the most pious individual occasionally misses senut, the hebu are often too far apart, and few of us have access to our altars throughout our busy day. How do we maintain this God-saturated mentality the rest of the time?
One way to do this is to become more aware of the Neteru who are always with us. Pause and reflect on the fact that the whole of creation is filled with a divine spirit. When we look up at the night sky, we see Nuit stretched out over us. When we feel the hot rays of the mid-day Sun, we know ourselves to be in the presence of the majestic Ra. The enigmatic face of the Moon shining down on us is that of Djehuty. The earth beneath our feet is the body of Geb. The green growth of plants and trees speaks of Asar's power of renewal. A refreshing breeze on a warm day is the wings of Heru, fanning us. Everything is filled with Neteru and Spirits: one has but to, in the words of the English poet William Blake, cleanse the doors of perception and "everything will appear as it is: Infinite." Even our own Ka has something of this infinity within it, for it was fashioned by Ptah and shall be hailed as Asar when we journey to the West.
The Neteru can speak to us in many ways. The most obvious of these, of course, are dreams and visions, such as when Isis appeared to answer Lucius' prayer for redemption (Apuleius' Metamorphoses Book XI) or when Ptah appeared before Pharaoh Merneptah the night before a great battle and advised him to "banish thou the fearful heart from thee." The ancient Egyptians practiced dream incubation in a number of their temples, providing chambers where people could come and sleep in order to seek an oracle from the God of the temple. Upon arising, they would share the details of these dreams with the Priest, the shesh per Ankh or Scribe in the House of Life, who would interpret them for the suppliant. We possess a number of papyri which record interpretations of dreams, such as "If you dream of copulating with a pig, the prophecy is bad, for it means being deprived of your possessions." The Greek Magical Papyri are full of operations for inducing dream oracles. Whether you choose to use these methods or not, it can be a very rewarding practice to keep a note-book by your bedside to record your dreams upon waking. The act of writing them down helps keep them clearer in your mind, and enables you to determine patterns in your dreaming.
Another way that the Neteru speak with us is through oracles. One of the most famous oracle centers in the ancient world was that of Amun in the Oases at Siwa. Alexander the Great, after conquering Egypt, made the pilgrimage to Siwa to consult Amun concerning his own divine status. Thuthmose erected a stela at Karnak after visiting the Oases. But there were numerous other oracle centers throughout Egypt, many of which gave their prophecies through statues who would speak, turn their heads, raise their hands, or otherwise indicate the will of the Neteru. These days few statues are so mobile, but the Neteru continue to give oracles through a number of different methods. For instance, after praying to Heru for guidance I immediately saw a hawk alight in the sky. Hawks aren't too common here, so that was clearly an answer from him. Another time, I asked whether I should perform a certain task, and the candles on my altar guttered out. A pretty obvious no, if you ask me. Oracles can be anything from an overheard snatch of conversation, a meaningful song suddenly coming on the radio, natural phenomena such as the sun breaking through the clouds or wind rustling leaves on a tree, numbers, colors, scents, or animals associated with a particular Neter, or anything that is personally meaningful to you. One should also pay attention to what Christian mystics often refer to as the "still, quiet inner voice" which is often a reflection of the voice of the divine speaking to you.
Another way to keep ourselves focused on the Neteru is to speak to them. One can memorize certain prayers or poems and recite them at any time throughout the day. An even simpler form of this is to recite the various epithets of a Neter while meditating on the qualities associated with each particular name. This forms an important part of the daily senut but can be a very effective practice on its own. I have found that chanting Asar's names, particularly Un-nefer and Khenti-Amentiu serves to fill me with a spiritual stillness and dispel feelings of frustration and anger, much as a Buddhist reciting his mantras.
Composing hymns and poems of one's own is an excellent way to honor the Neteru. These are gifts of the heart and don't need to be masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination. It's the feeling and that you are communicating it that matters, not any kind of technical skill. Of course, with more practice you'll find the words coming to you easier and the quality improving - but the Neter only ask for our personal best, whatever that might be.
Another way to keep the Neteru close to us is to wear items that are sacred to them. This can be the all-purpose ankh or udjat symbols which one has consecrated to a particular Neter, or something more personal to them. Each of the Neteru has a particular symbol, which often distinguishes them in artwork from the other Neteru. For instance, Aset and Nebt-Het are virtually identical - until one notes the bowl and house symbol atop Nebt-Het's head, or the Lunar Horns that adorn Aset. Each Neter usually has its own particular animal as well, the ibis for Djehuty, the cat for Bast or Sekhmet, the cow for Hwt-Hrw, the falcon for Heru, the crocodile for Sobek, etc. One can often find beautiful pieces of jewelry with these animals on them, whether they are intended to be worn as religious items or not. Similarly, one can choose to wear clothing of a color associated with the Neter - red for Set, green for Asar, blue for Hwt-Hrw, grey for Nebt-Het, and so forth - or fragrances which belong to the Neter. One can find many of these associations listed in Kerry Wisner's Song of Hathor or Rosemary Clark's The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt - not to mention the numerous sites online which offer suggestions with varying degrees of authenticity. For a solid list of associations, based on Qabalistic symbolism, Aleister Crowley's 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings is an indispensable resource.
Finally, one can cultivate activities that draw one deeper into the sphere of influence presided over by one's Neter. For instance, Hwt-Hrw delights in song and dance, so to honor her one might play music, sing a song, go out to a club, or similar activities. Djehuty is the Neter of speech, writing, and wisdom. To honor him, one might pick up a new book, take a class at the local college, write a poem or short story. Ma'at is truth, justice, cosmic order, and rightness. To honor her, one may strive to live righteously, give charitably, and honor those who fight for human rights worldwide. In closing, remember that the ways to honor the Neteru are as manifold as the Neteru themselves.
