~flow~

Kemetic and Lokean - This blog is now an archive only. Come see me on my active blog: aflowingroad

[firechildk]

Changing my tumblr name

When I originally signed up, I couldn't come up with a name that I was happy with, so I just typed in a temporary name, and then got stuck with it because I didn't want to break links or confuse people. But I do want a name that fits, and now I have one:

A Flowing Road

Yep, I made a whole new blog, it seemed like the best thing to do. That way, this blog can stay as-is, no broken links, and I'll leave this as my last post here so people can find me.

The one downside is that I'll have to re-follow everyone, but that’s fairly simple. Anyhow, I just wanted to let ppl know that if you see aflowingroad, that's me!

[bigbadjackal]

The meaning of Egyptian religion lay in sustaining the cosmos by means of offerings, communion, and veneration, “with a pious heart, unremitting devotion, and sacred address”; the world has need of such unremitting devotion if it is to be a fit habitation for humankind.

Jan Assmann, “The Mind of Egypt” p.388 (via bigbadjackal)

[ask-a-kemetic]

Some days ago I dreamed with a small egyptian temple, it felt very welcoming and in the dream I felt the urge to enter to that temple and pray to the gods. I've dreamed with egyptian deities before, but this particular dream made me feel so peacful. After that, all these days I can't take out of my mind the image of Horus, and everytime I think of him I feel floaty, very happy, and even kind of moved to the point I start crying a little. What should I do? I feel so confused, yet so happy.

.

[firechildk]

If you felt comfortable and happy in the dream, I think chances are good you would feel that way irl too. I would try taking to Horus, since he stood out to you. In my experience they’re pretty relaxed and welcoming.

[dusky-phantom]

Do you know of any alternatives to a dream catcher? I had no idea that it was a part of someone's culture, I just thought people had them because they were neat.

i was going to have nice links and stuff but i was so depressed, however i didn’t just want to leave this!

so alternatives to dream catchers!

witches ladders. they are knot magic with added trinkets, usually feathers! while braiding or knotting just think of the intention of what you want out of it. an added bonus is the fact you can add things you associate with a goods nights sleep, or gems that offer magical properties of sleeping well, good dreams, nightmare reflection ect.

my favorite is satchels that can be made cheaply, filled with herbs and stones of your choice. when completed, put the satchel under a pillow or your bed!

similar to satchels are poppets, or a teddy bear works great for this if you have sewign skills. if you can make a small incision on the bottom of the bear (or stuffed animal/poppet) and while thinking on your intent put charged herbs and gems inside. then just close them right up adn sleep with the bear with you or near you.

if you like the looks of dream catchers to aid in helping you get better dreams i would suggest wreathes, you can add what ever decorations that match your aesthetic and practice, and it won’t be appropriation because its not from a closed religion

and this is a good sight that talks about a few stones that work well

source

[blackbearmagic]

Oooh, I like this post. This is a Good Post.

I actually (shamefully) have a dream catcher that I’m only holding onto because I like the look of it (and because it was a gift from my older sister, who I love dearly). 

I’ve wanted to take it down, because appropriation is Not Okay, but I wanted to put something in its place and didn’t know what. And now I know what.

I’m going to make myself a nice alternative and retire the dream catcher to storage (because I can’t bear to completely part with it, because treasured gift). So glad I found this post!

[fuzzyfishesandscaleymice-deacti]

Hey ok speaking as someone who has grown up in Cree culture and has spoken to elders about this- dream catchers are 100% ok for non-natives to use. They sell them to non-natives for the very reason they are ok with it and it’s not appropriation. That said you should aim to buy actual native made ones, not mass produced Chinese ones, but according to every elder I have asked, dream catchers are ok. Also re non natives making dream catchers for personal use- I have been told by elders this is fine. I was taught directly by elders myself who showed me how to cut willow and weave the sinew. I was teased by the younger natives for going to the work of doing it the hard traditional way when I could buy a hoop. Things like eagle feathers which are sacred obviously are a huge no, but dream catchers themselves are frequently given to outsiders and not considered by natives themselves to be part of a closed religion. I appreciate what you are trying to do here, but it’s probably better to let actual natives speak instead of talking over them about what is and isn’t appropriation to them. My family is a whole mix of cultures thanks to adoptions and even though I’m not Cree, half my family is, so it kind of bugs me seeing non natives making judgements without actually consulting anyone.

[blackbearmagic]

Oh, that’s a neat perspective! I’m glad you replied! Thank you. :3

(I still plan to retire this particular dream catcher to storage because I’m almost positive it’s one of the cheapo Chinese sweatshop ones…)

[paganchurchlady]

Sometimes when I am making offerings, especially to Gods, I wonder if I’m being like a cat when they drop a dead bird in their owner’s shoe or on their pillow.  “Awww, that’s so sweet!  It’s just her way of showing that she loves you.”  “I know, but it’s still gross!”

[thepaperwitch]

[firechildk]

I love this.

[intaier]

This image, for me, represents the Kemetic religion as a whole, in its most high sense. * Photo (mine) taken in Ramesses II temple in Abydos; loving handshake of human and Netjer

[thebookofmirth]

Stop telling people not to curse

Let witches say fuck

[thetwistedrope]

There is a story I was reminded of today.

Once I was working on something in the kitchen with my mother. My step-father was sitting within ear shot, in the living room. My mom had done something probably stupid or whatever, and I told her playfully to stop being such a dumbass.

My step-father’s head practically snapped off from turning his head so damned fast. He started to raise his voice at me “don’t talk to your mother like that”

Problem was that my mother didn’t care. She told him to pull the stick out of his ass and be quiet.

My mother and I had a mutual understanding of what I was getting at, the tone I was taking, and the overall intent of my statement. She didn’t care at all about what I had said because she knew I wasn’t being malicious. My step-father was getting offended for her, and ended up speaking over her in an attempt to protect her. Which in turn, took away her autonomy and pissed her off.

You see, this reminds me of people policing how others talk to their gods. What sometimes appears as offensive or out of line to one person may be completely fine btwn the two people/entities having the conversation/interaction. The same way that I know that some people could never call their mothers a dumbass and live to tell the tale, but yet I can because that’s how our relationship is. The same way that my step-father was trying to white-knight his way into our conversation, but instead ended up looking like a jackass.

Just because a relationship doesn’t look how you expect it to, or the way you think it should doesn’t necessarily make it wrong or improper. And if no one is getting hurt in the relationship, then sometimes it’s better to just live and let live. Just because I call my mom a dumbass from time to time doesn’t mean you have to call your mother a dumbass. Just because my mom let’s me doesn’t mean you have to let your kids do so. Conversely, just because my father assumes I shouldn’t call my mother a dumbass (because he would never call his mother that, or tolerate it coming from me) doesn’t mean that my father is automatically right, either–my mother has a say in how she relates to people and interacts with them.

Relationships take all forms. If the people involved in the relationship are happy, then what outsider has the right to tell them they’re doing it wrong. If it doesn’t involve you, move on. Let it go.

I don’t understand why this concept is so hard–in the case of my step-father and in the case of polytheists.

[amntenofre]

detail of one of the statues of the Goddess Sekhmet (lioness-headed) dedicated by King Amenhotep III in the Precinct of the Goddess Mut at ‘Uaset’-Thebes; the Goddess wears a modius ringed by Uraei

[amntenofre]

the God Seth; detail from a relief in the Precinct of the God Amon-Ra at ‘Uaset’-Thebes (‘Ipet-sut’); Open Air Museum of Karnak

[thepaperwitch]

Hey, Kemetics!

So, I’ve been practicing calligraphy as a devotion for Seshat, and now that I’ve finally learn a full alphabet, I can start transcribing real texts.  Of course, I can pick just about anything to copy, but because this is meant as a devotional activity, I’d like to do something Kemetic-related.

Therefore, if you give me a short piece of text (e.g. something that makes you think of one of the Netjeru, or a favourite hymn/prayer), I’ll transcribe it and post it for you to see. :)

(I’m only a beginner, so it’s not going to be super fancy letter-art or anything, but I thought this might be a fun way of doing things, and you get to see some of your favourite passages in prettier-than-normal writing.)

[thepaperwitch]

At a higher social level, Egyptianized foreigners would often adopt an Egyptian name to underscore their (partial?) assimilation, as did W3h-jb-Re-m-3ht in the 26th Dynasty, who was of Greek descent (cf. Vittmann 2003: 203 with pls. 21 - 22a). Such visible examples are somewhat rare; unless there is clear genealogical or iconographical evidence, it is practically impossible to recognize an individual’s ethnic background. This is, however, in keeping with the Egyptian concept that an assimilated foreigner had (more or less) ceased to be a foreigner and was considered an Egyptian.

Personal Names: Function and Significance, Vittmann, 2013

Possibly relevant to the cultural appropriation discussion that pops up every once in a while in regards to Kemeticism, some scholarly evidence that ancient Egypt was an open culture.

(via birbreligion)

Do you happen to have a page number for this quote?

(via thetwistedrope)

It’s on pg 6 of this PDF copy.

(via thepaperwitch)

[obsidianhalo]

Anup with Flowers

Thanks to @obsidianservant for planty recommendations. 

I honestly really love stylized jackals- so I tried to do a realistic version based off a golden jackal. It was very difficult, and why did I choose front view? Also, getting a dark-supposed-to-be-black-but-still-shadey-with-color was a challenge. Other than all of that, I guess it came out pretty okay. 

[obsidianhalo]

Ra with Sunflowers

Gettin’ on the bandwagon (If 3 people can be considered a bandwagon.) I just needed to do something for fun tonight and didn’t feel like writing. 

I originally tried to do it with a limited color palette, then changed my mind. 

[shezep]

Reflections on Ma’at

She offered the cup to me. It was silver colored, two curling feathers back to back. I was mildly grateful that it was a cup. I’ve seen many pictures of full grown Pharaohs drinking right from a goddess’s breast. I’ve done worse things in my time over there, but I didn’t need the extra questions concerning modern modesty right then. It was milk, and hers. I was honored. 

To know is to digest. I took a sip. I swallowed. I let it flow down to my stomach. I felt her peace radiate outward. This is what home feels like? It’s been so long, so very very long. She is beauty and bliss and pain and sorrow. I know what home feels like, and I know how far away it is from where I’m standing. 

She would not offer you the cup if she thought you’d only torture yourself with it. She would not offer it if you didn’t need it. But if you do, she is there, and she is generous. 

I was thinking of her today and wondering if the rubber duck might be one of her modern symbols. Programmers use them to help debug their code. Explain to the duck exactly how it’s supposed to work. The duck says nothing. It just stares at you with those expectant bright eyes until you finally come around and answer your own question. 

You can’t fool her, and she holds up a mirror so that you can’t fool yourself either. If her voice starts sounding like the weasels in your head, well, that’s not her. Try again. Note that I said “try again” not “go away.” She is eternally patient. She’s not like the Others. She’s the one They go to to find Their way again. 

She doesn’t say much, hardly anything at all, but somehow if you pay attention, you walk away calmer and with a new perspective on your problem. 

[shezep]

A recent post has given me the urge to publicly declare that Heru-sa-Aset is a mother fucking emo boy. 

Because my respect doesn’t look the same as everyone else’s.

Ka mutef, Bull of his Mother, mother fucker, does have historical and heka background. Patriarchal much? Well, yeah, there’s Lord of the Patricians there too. But you can’t really be king and stay king if the Throne won’t accept you. There’s also some rejuvenation magic involved in there.  

Emo? What’s wrong with showing emotion? How is that manly? There’s no need to put on a show of manliness. Since when is hiding emotion a good thing?

Boy? Damn straight. I’m proud that he didn’t just pop into existence. He went through the process. He grew and learned and made mistakes along the way. 

None of these terms are disrespectful. 

That means that anything goes, right? I can call him any name I darn well please? No, not at all. I just have a different definition of what disrespect looks like. 

I wouldn’t dare call him Slaughterer unless I was really trying to hurt him. It’s a true epithet, but you don’t just walk up to a combat vet and call him a murderer and expect him to be all proud about it. It’s a dirty job that sometimes has to be done. I don’t think it’s how he wants me to think of him. He’ll take the silly names over that one any day. If I ever do have a need to call him by that Name, then it is a very bad day. 

In other words, I do have respect. I do have rules and protocols for interacting with my deities, but my context and my meanings may be different than yours. 

(Added: My entire point is that this is context sensitive. I would not get offended if someone else referred to Heru, or any other deity, as “Slaughterer” because I don’t know the full context of their relationship. Maybe they’re doing shadow work relating to that title. I do believe that you have to earn the right to use some language by having a stable relationship. I’d rather not hear of someone who only met the deity yesterday using the same kind of language I use. But being the internet, I don’t have access to the inside of anyone’s head. I can’t know what context they do or do not have. Assuming that the context does not exist just because I can’t see it IS disrespectful.) 

[firechildk]

Context is important.