The Daily Rite
In Ancient Egypt, the priests of the temples performed daily rituals to the statues of the Netjer.
These rituals were elaborate, and the daily ones were held in the morning, noon, and night.
In the morning, the ritual was designed to awaken the Netjer, feed it, bathe it, and clothe it,
while the evening ritual was designed to put the Netjer to "bed" (so to speak). Clothes, food, drink,
and incense were staples of the rituals. And each ritual was several hours long with long litanies that were read.
Modern Kemetics do not have the time in their modern lives to complete such exhaustive daily rituals.
We would never leave the temple or shrine!
Consequently, modern Kemetics have developed the daily rite from various sources*
that takes the essence of the rituals of the temple so that we can honor the gods in a similar manner
as the Ancient Egyptians while still maintaining our daily schedules, AND experience and develop
a relationship with Netjer.
There are several versions of the daily rite, but all are similar in many ways, which include:
-- the ritual washing
-- the wearing of white ritual clothes
-- the offering of incense
-- the offering of water, food, and drink
-- the offerings made to both Netjer, Ma'at, and the akhu (Blessed Dead)
In order to enter the temple / shrine / sacred space, you had to be ritually pure.
In Ancient Egypt, this normally meant, a bath. This bath not only purified you physically,
but was also a cleansing of mind and spirit.
The most widely used purifying element in Ancient Egypt was natron. Natron is a naturally
occuring sodium carbonate / sodium chloride in Ancient Egypt. It is illegal to export natron, but you can make your own
version. The simplest recipe is to combine baking soda and salt.
In preparation for Daily Rite, there were some taboos that prevented you from entering the temple.
The biggest of these taboos is blood. No one may enter the temple with an open bleeding wound. And this
also excluded women while on their menstrual cycle. It was not an exclusionary practice made to
prevent women from entering the temple; there were many women dancers and priests. However, the prohibition
was against any type of blood from entering sacred space.
The Ritual Washing
- Take a bowl filled with water, and say over it:
O Water may you remove all impurities!
- Take another bowl filled with natron, and say over it:
It is Pure. It is Pure. It is Pure.
My natron is the natron of Heru.
My natron is the natron of Set.
My natron is the natron of Tehuty.
My natron is the natron of Geb.
My mouth is the mouth of the milking calf on the day that my mother, Aset, gave birth to me.
- Mix the bowl of water and the bowl of natron together.
- Take some of the mixture and gargle with it, ensuring that your mouth is now clean in order to speak the words to Netjer
- Take the rest of the mixture and pour it into your bath.
(For those of you with only showers, take the mixture and pour it over yourself).
- Bathe
- Wear clean white clothes.1
The Daily Rite
For the daily ritual, you will need:
-- Image or statue of the Netjer with whom you are working
-- Incense or essential oil 2 along with the appropriate incese burner or oil diffuser.
-- Pitcher of water.
-- Two bowls -- one to receive water, one for offerings (you can also use a plate).
-- Candles
Lightening the Incense
Light the candles (or dim the lights), then light the incense or oil diffuser.
Say over the incense/oil:
The fire burns; the fire shines
The incense burns; the incense shines
May this sweet smell come to you, O Netjer
As Your sweet smell comes to me.
May I be with You, O Netjer,
As You are with me.
May I live with You, O Netjer
As You live with me.
May You Love me, O Netjer
As much as I love you.
Making the Offerings
Take the pitcher of water, and as you recite each stanza, pour water into the bowl.
I pour cool water for the akhu*,
Shining like gold in the vault of Nut.
I pour cool water for Wepawet
Who opens The Way for us.
I pour cool water for my Sebau**
Who guides us on The Way.
I pour cool water for Ma'at
who is The Way.
*akhu = The Blessed Dead
**Sebau = teachers
Offer any additional offerings you might have by placing them in the offering bowl, and placing it before Netjer.
You may say something like:
I offer bread to stave hunger.
I offer honey for its sweetness.
I offer .....
Showing Respect: The Henu
Show the Netjer the sign of respect by performing a full henu* to the image.
*Henu is where you hold your hands up to Netjer, about head height with palms forward.
Full henu is where you perform the henu gesture, on your knees, and then touch your head to the ground.
Completing the Offerings
Say to the Netjer:
May these Offerings please You, O Netjer
May Your Ka be fed!
Invocations
At this point, you can choose to recite any invocations, litanies,
or works you feel is appropriate to call upon Netjer.
Personal Time
It is at this stage, where you might want to take some personal time with Netjer
for meditation, quiet introspection, conversation, or whatever you need to help build and foster
your relationship with Netjer
The important part of this stage is to open your heart to Netjer, and enjoy their presence.
Removing the Foot -- The Closing
Typically, after an Ancient Egyptian ritual, the attending priests would back out of the temple,
and erase their presence from that sacred shrine by removing the offerings, cleaning up, and sweeping
away their footsteps as they left the temple. This act was referred to as Removing the Foot
When you are ready to close, perform a full henu to the Netjer, and thank Netjer.
-- Close the shrine, if you have an enclosed shrine.
-- Blow out the candles.
-- Remove the food stuff3; you may leave the water
-- Back out of the temple. (Do not turn your back to the image of the Netjer.)
*Rosalie David's Guide to Religious Ritual in Abydos
*Barbara Watterson's The House of Horus at Edfu: Ritual in an Ancient Egyptian Temple
1. White is the color of purity in Ancient Egypt. Wearing white shows that you are ritually pure.
2. For those who cannot burn incense, use essential oil. The "pleasing smell" is what is needed.
In terms of candles, if you cannot burn, then find an appropriate substitute, such as a low-light candle lamp or dimmed lights.
3. In Ancient Egyptian culture, nothing was wasted. Once food had been offered up to Netjer, the spirit of that
food had been given. The physical portion of the food was then consumed by the priests of the temple, or in the case of festivals,
given to the populace gathered. Ensure that any food offered is consumed afterwards. If not by you, then by another
(animal or person).
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