sandsunandseajourney

[sandsunandseajourney]

@jewishvoiceforpeace

"Today marks one year since the death of the People’s Bubbie Shatzi Weisberger. Before she passed, she said, “I’ll fight like hell for a free Palestine until the day I die. Then I’ll keep fighting. Your queer ancestor is with you.”

If you’ve been rising up in solidarity with Palestine these past two months, your queer ancestor is indeed with you, along with countless other antizionist Jewish ancestors. For many, family and community rifts may be especially painful right now. No matter what, you are not alone. Remember that you have a long lineage of elders and ancestors at your back.

Last night, Israel resumed its brutal bombing of Gaza and has already killed dozens of people. Shatzi would encourage all of us to do everything we can right now for a permanent, lasting ceasefire. To mourn the dead and fight like hell for the living.

Shatzi died on World AIDS Day, which was b’sheret ("destined”) because in addition to being a lifelong organizer, she was a nurse for 47 years who cared for people living and dying with AIDS.

From ACT UP’s organizing to end AIDS to the movement for Palestinian freedom, we honor the ancestors and movements who made us possible."

We will be forever grateful to the ancestors who paved the path before us. May their memories fuel us to work towards freedom for all people — no exceptions."

[sandsunandseajourney]

can you dona poem for Mahees and Sekhmet please?

Mother and Son,

Eye of Re and Fighter of Isfet,

together you guide my heart.

You plant my feet firmly upon the sands,

you strength my back to hold strong.

Sekhmet,

you guide my arrows,

sailing like your seven.

Maahes,

you strengthen my shield arm,

steadying me for further blows.

Mother and Son,

Dua upon both of you!

[sandsunandseajourney]

‘Thoth and the Chief Magician’, 1925. Evelyn Pau

[sandsunandseajourney]

commission prints :)

[sandsunandseajourney]

Small rant

Converting is so hard that it's difficult not to get discouraged when starting out. There's just so much information that I try to start reading, and I try to educate myself, and I end up getting really overwhelmed and frustrated. I'm autistic and trying to make big changes is so hard for me. And then I see other Kemetics who are so immersed in their worship and have all this knowledge, and it is just so discouraging. I want to be like that, but I can barely sit down and read some blog posts before I get overwhelmed and have to put it down. And then I stop praying because I convince myself that I'm not doing it right because I'm not formal enough or whatever, and I feel like I'm disappointed the Netjeru, so then I feel to ashamed to pray. It's such a vicious cycle. And then it just feels so lonely, and it sucks. If I was Christian and was struggling and had questions, I could go to any of the millions of churches around here and get support and community, but I can't do that. And don't get me wrong, I understand most converts go through periods of feeling like this, so I'm not giving up. It's just hard. Rant over.

#egyptian paganism #kemeticism #kemetism #pagan #paganism

[sandsunandseajourney]

I'm crying over the fact that I'm actually an extremely religious person, but I'm just so bad at it that nobody knows.

#kemeticism #pagan #paganism

[sandsunandseajourney]

Kemetic Gods

Regional forms (Southwest US/Arizona)

(Names in the alt text)

Part 2

Part 3

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Uncommon offerings: doing activities dedicated to your Deities.

I'm physically disabled and struggle with long walks, but I love hiking. Today, I went on a hike that I normally would have skipped and dedicated it to Sekhmet. She is the embodiment of strength and courage, and she encourages me every day to push myself and do things that make me happy and to go out of my comfort zone and really do as much as I possibly can. Obviously, she would never want me to do something that would genuinely hurt myself, but she really does push me to my limits. And I am so thankful for that. I kept her in my mind the entire time, and I completed the hike and was so happy about it. I know she was incredibly proud of me, and I know she appreciated the fact that I was doing something like that for myself AND for her. I have so much strength in me, and she sees it. I can do hard things, and doing hard things in her honour is one of the best offerings I can give her.

#egyptian paganism #kemetic #kemeticism #kemetism #netjeru #ancient egypt #pagan #paganism #ancient kemet #sekhmet #offerings #deity

[sandsunandseajourney]

One thing I absolutely adore is our creation story. In the beginning, there were only the primordial waters. There existed nothing, but in that nothingness, a potential for everything. And from that nothingness, Ptah became. He rose into existence and brought forth other Netjeru, eventually leading to humanity and our world as we know it.

One of the most popular and well accepted theories about how the universe came to be begins with a nothingness, and then from that nothingness, life came forth after the biggest event in all of space and time to ever exist.

I find this story so beautiful because it was one of the things that first drew me to Kemetism. I grew up hearing of a God that had no beginning and no end, one who the universe had never existed without. Which is fine, and I support anyone who believes that, but personally, I struggled with it. I thought about what the most scientifically accepted theories were, and I had a hard time combining the two.

In Kemetism, I find so many similarities between our creation story, and science. Our ideas of nothingness, and then that life was created after a huge, inconceivable event, are similar. Obviously they are not exactly the same, but I find so much reassurance in it.

I am not saying Kemetism can be proven through our current scientific knowledge. I have no one thing I would point to for an outsider looking in, that would make me say, "This. This is absolute proof." Because I don't believe we have any. But I do find so much comfort seeing the ways my spirituality and scientific knowledge can coexist.

#egyptian paganism #kemetic #kemeticism #kemetism #netjeru #ancient egypt #pagan #paganism #ancient kemet

[sandsunandseajourney]

what is a/p/e/p? why is it such a big deal?

I will explain to you, how my Lord, Ptah, explains it to me. 

a/p/e/p is a fire, that generates no heat, no light, no warmth. It consumes, consumes, consumes, anything and everything.

a/p/e/p is Nonexistence and Uncreation, undoing the Rising of the Sun, undoing the Inundation of the Nile, undoing the Forces of Ma’at, undoing Life.

a/p/e/p is Untamed and Uncontrollable, Invasive and Intrusive, it cannot be Leashed, it cannot be Controlled, it cannot be Reasoned with.

a/p/e/p is Unthinking and Unfeeling, it does not Reason, it cannot Reason, it cannot Feel, it does not Feel.

a/p/e/p is not a manifestation, it is not Death (Wesir), it is not Chaos (Set), it is not the Abyss (Nun), it is not the Void (Kekiu). It is beyond all this. 

a/p/e/p is not a God, is not a Deity, is not a Spirit, it is not a Soul, it is a Thing. A thing that is actively undoing all and everything. 

[sandsunandseajourney]

Journal entry #5

Blind faith

I've spoken about it before, but Sekhmet came to me in a dream a while ago. I was at a very low point in my life, I had walked to a park near my home and sat there and looked at the stars. I cried, and I begged my deities to show themselves to me. I was so scared and so alone, I just needed to know that someone, anyone, was listening.

I grew up as a queer, trans, mentally ill child in the Mormon church. I spent countless nights praying, sobbing, and begging God to help me, to let me know that I was not alone. The church almost killed me. I was stuck in a society that shamed who I was, and I was told that if I just prayed harder, if I just believed more, God would save me. I was blamed over and over again for not trying hard enough, told that it was my fault I didn't have proper faith. That I just needed to work harder for God to speak to me. I prayed and cried and begged and screamed, and not once did I receive so much as a warm feeling. I became convinced I was broken. I believed God had abandoned me.

As I grew up, I left the church. I learned to love myself and embrace who I was, and it saved my life. I explored multiple faiths and religions, and I desperately wanted one to stick. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't force myself to believe in something. I stumbled upon Kemetism completely on accident, but it was like a switch flipped. Everything made sense. I felt like I was home.

As I struggled that night in the park, I ended up wiping my tears away and coming home. I waited for a sign but resigned myself to the bitter fact that nobody was going to reach out to me, because that's what I had been taught and experienced my whole life.

I had been interested in Horus and Set, and even Ra. I felt an affinity for Nut. A couple of weeks went by, and I had started to forget about the whole thing. I went to bed one night and was confronted with a near life changing dream. I had never experienced lucid dreaming before, but I can only describe this one as such. Either that or my soul had traveled somewhere new. I met Sekhmet there, I found a statue of her, and I knelt before it and prayed. And I felt her hands on me, I heard her voice and I felt her power. And I knew that she was there for me. I felt her power and her love weigh down on my soul, and she welcomed me to worship. She called me child and placed a piece of herself into my heart. And I knew for a fact that she was there for me. She was answering my prayers. For the first time in my life, I prayed and received an answer.

I knew very little about her, and she admittedly hadn't even been on my radar, but the more I researched and the more I learned, I came to the conclusion that she was everything I didn't know I needed.

Faith does not have to be blind. The God's or Goddesses that are right for you will answer you when you need them most. You are not alone. And it is well within our rights to hold our deities accountable as well. Connection must go both ways. The right one at the right time will let you know.

#egyptian paganism #kemetic #kemeticism #kemetism #ancient egypt #netjeru #pagan #paganism #sekhmet

[sandsunandseajourney]

Hymn to Sekhmet

O Luminous Queen of heaven,

You whose Father fashioned you in the image of Ma’at,

Whose heart is of faultless justice, embodying righteousness,

I offer you my praise, O Sekhmet.

All glory is yours, O Lady of the Knives,

Whose reckoning is swift and sure;

The stroke of Thy weapon sunders all evil

Which you cast underfoot for all perpetuity –

All things Thou destroy shall never again rise up.

Most venerable daughter of the One Most High,

All evil trembles before Thy name,

Knowing its day soon approaches.

Exact is your justice, O Fire embodying the holy wrath of your Father,

Thou Retributor most righteous and mighty,

Repaying evil sixfold.

O Thou One Most Terrible,

I prostrate myself before you,

Knowing my iniquity goes not unseen.

O Mother Sekhmet, Lady of Plague and Healing,

Empower me to cast all wickedness within and without underfoot,

And let me never compromise with isft.

Purge within me by Thy holy flame all evil,

That I might serve you most faithfully in Ma’at.

Dua Sekhmet, O Lady who is without match or rival!

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Sekhmet, She who slays the enemies of Amun-Re

I request your vigor and zeal as I confront my difficulties that I've been faced with.

If my voice trembles, shift it into a mighty roar.

If my feet shake, steady them so I shall stand tall and proud.

May your belly be filled with the blood of your enemies, great lady of war.

And may I overcome this obstacle with fiery dynamism and unshatterable courage.

Dua Sekhmet!

[sandsunandseajourney]

I love our abundant use of epithets when talking about our deities. I find it so beautiful, using such emotional descriptors. Our worship is wonderful

#egyptian paganism #kemetic #kemeticism #kemetism #netjeru #pagan #paganism

[sandsunandseajourney]

Favorite Epithets of Sekhmet

A combination of epithets from modern day and antiquity that I like.

Lady of Flame Beautiful Face, Image most Beloved by Art Protectress of Divine Justice Lady of Rage Great One of Healing Destroyer by Fire Sekhmet, Who Rouseth the People The Beautiful Light Golden One Mistress of the Two Lands She Who Dances on Blood The One Who Wields the Knife The Splendid One She who protects the Two Lands
 Queen of Lions She who turns to the one who calls Her name Lady of Jubilation Mistress of Righteous Slaughter

[sandsunandseajourney]

Oh Sekhmet, Lady Lioness of Light, may you guide me on my path, and help me have the strength to uphold Ma’at at every opportunity I receive.

My love to you, Lioness of Light, fighter of Isfet and destroyer of evil. I admire your will and your strength, and the fire that burns behind your passion and your love.

May your fur never thin, may your sword never dull, may your cup be forever full of the most wonderful beer and wine.

[sandsunandseajourney]

Dua Sekhmet

Eye of Ra, keeper of Ma'at.

The One who destroys, who brings plagues and fire.

Who drinks the blood of Ra's enemy's.

Patroness of the healers, the physicians.

Who heals the sick, tends to the wounded.

Lady of pain and strength and determination.

The One who holds your righteous anger, who kisses away your tears of pain.

Dua Sekhmet

#New figuring for my alter #its funny she picked out a cup a few weeks ago and this figure matches it really well #i didnt do that intentionally and i leaned towards getting things i felt drawn to from her #egyptian paganism #kemetic #kemeticism #kemetism #ancient egypt #netjeru #pagan #paganism #sekhmet