Ra-Khepri
Creative god in Heliopolis incarnating the rising sun Principal place of worship: Heliopolis (lower Egypt) Representation: a beetle or man with the head of a beetle
Khepri is the form the sun adopts at dawn. In hieroglyphic writing, his name has just one sign, the beetle, which belongs to the group of triliteral signs. This term is used for a sign representing three consonants, or semi-consonants: here hpr, or kheper if the vowels are pronounced. The precise translation of the word is still difficult to give. Literally, one could translate it by "coming to existence," to "become," or to "be." Whatever its real signification, it expresses an. idea of birth, transformation and becoming. By deduction, the god Khepri shall be understood as "the one who came into existence by himself." And the cosmogony of Heliopolis relates very precisely the origins of this solar god: he emerged from the primeval ocean, Nun, and fashioned a physical body for himself. He has neither father nor mother: he is his own creator. He is at the same time Khepri, Re' and Alum: the sun at dawn, the sun at its zenith, and the setting sun. Thus Khepri is always pictured as a beetle. Sometimes he is depicted as a man holding a beetle over his head, or more rarely, a man with the head of a beetle.
It seems quite obvious that the representation of Khepri is an analogy between the behaviour of the beetle and that of the sun. According to Plutarch, these animals have no female representative; they "put their semen into a kind of matter that they turn into a ball which they roll by pushing it with their hind leg." Then they hide it in long underground galleries so that the little coleopter can be born protected from exterior aggressions. The ball they push describes, in a figurative fashion, the course of the sun in the sky; the burying of the eggs and the birth of the young beetle, coming out of hiding, symbolize the daily rejuvenation of the sun after its nightly journey.
In the tombs of the Valley of the Kings there are many scenes that recall the voyages of the sun. These illustrated texts, called "cosmographies," describe the nightly journey of Re' in the infernal regions of the Under World in very detailed manner. The most astonishing, as well as the oldest, of all these compositions about Tuat, the world below, is called the "Book of What is in the Tuat". The twelve hours of the night are organized as regions crossed by a river, the underground Nile. The sun boat floats on this river, with the god Re', his attendants and the deceased king on board.
On its banks, hundreds of deceased inhabitants of the That stand by to acclaim the sun god. The retinue crosses the twelve subterranean regions, where obstacles or cosmic enemies are there to constantly impede its long journey. In particular, Apophis, the giant malignant snake, constantly attacks the divine bark with the intention of overturning it. But each time he is sent back to chaos. At last, at dawn, the god Re' appears triumphantly in the shape of Khepri, the sun reborn. He can then start his diurnal trip.
Extract from Egyptian Mysteries volume 1: Shetaut Neter
Written by Sebai Muata Ashby
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Who Was the Founder of Neterianism?
One of the most important questions in life for followers of any religion is who started it? In order to understand who founded Neterianism, the leaching of Shetaut Neter,we must understand the origins of creation. In the sacred scriptures of Shetaut Neter we are told that Creation is a cycle. That is, that Creation occurs cyclically. God brings creation into existence and then dissolves it again.
The current cycle of Creation began around the year 36,000 B.C.E. In the beginning there was nothing more than a watery mass, a primeval ocean, called Nun. Nun is the body of Khepri. Prior to the creation, Khepri remained in a recumbent posture. He rested on the back of the great serpent Asha-hrau ("many faces"). From that Nun the Divine Spirit arose by stimulating Asha-hrau to move and chum the ocean. Then he named himself Khepri, Creator.
Khepri called out his own name and dchn-vibrations were infused in the ocean and waves were formed. Just as there are many waves in the ocean with many shapes and sizes, the objects of the world came into being in the form of elements, Ra (fire), Shu (air-space), Tefnut (water), Geb (eanh), Nut (ether). Everything in creation emanates from the Nun or primordial ocean, and expresses in the form of elements in succeeding levels of denseness. These elements also manifest in the form of the opposites of Creation (man-woman, up-down. white-black) which appear to be exclusive and separate from each other, but which are in reality complements to each other.
Khepri and the Creation Myth
Khepri then bought forth Creation by emerging in a boat. The Nun waters lifted him and his boat up with his great arms. He brought nine divinities with him in that boat, lesser gods and goddesses, to help him sustain the Creation and lead human beings on the righteous path to life and spiritual enlightenment.
Having created Creation, Khepri now sails the ocean, which has now become Creation itself, with his divinities, on the divine boat. Khepri-Ra and the pauti, Company of Khepri congealed the Nun, his own body, into all the forms of Creation. The first spot that was congealed from the Nun is called Benben, the first place, the Ben-Ben dot, ., of Creation. That dot is the center point in the symbol of Khepr-Ra. That dot is the very point at the top of the Pyramid (mr-) the Obelisk,(tekhnu-). The pyramid-obelisk symbolizes the mound that formed from that initial spot. Khepri sat atop the hill of Creation and all solid ground look form underneath him.
The Boat of creation
Gods and goddesses, travels in the Boat of Millions of us, which traverses the heavens, and thereby sustains creation through the wake of the boat that sends ripples vibrations throughout Creation.
The act of "Sailing" signifies the motion in creation. Motion implies that events occur in the realm of time and space relative to each other, thus, the phenomenal universe comes into existence as a mass of moving essence we call elements. Prior to this motion, there was the primeval state of being without any form and without existence in e or space. The gods and goddesses of the boat form the court of Kheper-Ra. As Ra, the Supreme Being governed the earth for many thousands of years. He created the, world, the planets, the stars and the galaxies; he also created animals, as well as men and women. In the beginning, men and women revered the Divine, but after living for a very long time, they began to take Ra for granted. They became arrogant and vain. Ra sent his daughter, Hetheru, to punish them, but she forgot her way (as Sekhmet) and became lost in the world. Then He left for his abode in heaven and gave the earthly throne to his son Shu, and daughter, Tefnut. After a long period of time, they turned over the throne to their children, Geb and Nut. After some again, Geb and Nut gave the throne to their children, Asar and Aset, and so on in a line of succession throughout history, down to the Pharaohs of Kamit.
Teachings of Lord Khepri
Lord Khepri manifests as Neberdjer, "All-encompassing Divinity." Aspirants are to say:
tu-a m shems n Neberdjer
"I am afollower ofNeberdjer'
er sesh n Kheperu
“ in accordance with the writings of Lord Kheperu"
So, the Shetaut Neter "Mystery teachings" were originally given by the Creator, Khepri. In this capacity he is known as Shetaut Kheperu, "hidden Creator of forms." Lord Djehuti codified these Mystery teachings into the hieroglyphic texts, and these teachings were passed down to succeeding generations of divinities, sages and priests and priestesses throughout history. So Lord Khepri imparted his knowledge to the divinities, and especially to his son Djehuti. Thus, Lord Khepri, the self Created Divinity, is the founder of Shetaut Neter. The codifier was his first main disciple, Djehuti. Djehuti has the body of a man and the head of an Ibis bird. He also has another form as a baboon. The teaching that Lord Khepri gave to Djehuti became known a Shetitu and it was conveyed through the Medu Neter (hieroglyphic texts).
The teachings of the Neterian Traditions are conveyed in the scriptures of the Neterian Traditions. The Medu Neter was used through all periods by priests and priestesses - mostly in monumental inscriptions such as the Pyramid texts, Obelisks, temple inscriptions, etc. since Pre-Dynastic times. It is the earliest form of writing in known history.
Thus, these Shetaut (mysteries-, rituals, wisdom, philosophy) about the Neter (Supreme Being) are related in the writings of the hidden teaching. And those writings are referred to as Medu Nerer or "Divine Speech," the writings of the god Djehuti (Ancient Egyptian god of the divine word). Medu Neter also generally refers to any Kamitan hieroglyphic texts or inscriptions. The term Medu Neter makes use of a special hieroglyph, which means "medu" or "staff - walking stick-speech." This means that speech is the support for the Divine. Thus, just as the staff supports an elderly person, the hieroglyphic writing (the word) is a prop or support (staff) which sustains the Divine in the realm of time and space. That is, these Divine writings (Medu Neier) contain the wisdom which enlightens us about the Divine, Shetaut Neter. If Shetitu is mastered through the study of the Medu Neter then the spiritual aspirant becomes Maakheru or true of thought, word and deed, that is, purified in body, mind and soul. The symbol medu is static while the symbol of Kheru is dynamic.
The term Maakheru uses the glyph kheru, which is a rudder - oar (rowing), and a symbol of voice, meaning that purification occurs through the righteous movement of the word, when it is used (rowing-movement) to promote Maat (virtue, order, peace, harmony and truth). So Medu Neter is the potential word and Maa kheru is the perfected word.
The hieroglyphic texts (Medu Neter) become useful (Maakheru) in the process of religion when they are used as hekau - the Ancient Egyptian "Words of Power." They are to be Hesi, chanted and Shmai- sung, and thereby one performs Dua or adoration of the Divine. The divine word allows the speaker to control the gods and goddesses, who actually are the cosmic forces in Creation. Human beings are a higher order beings, and they can attain this higher state of consciousness if they learn about the nature of the universe and elevate themselves through virtue and wisdom.
Aset and Asar
Lord Khep-Ra knew that human beings needed guidance, so he sent his great grandchildren, Asar and Aset, to be teachers and role models for human beings on earth. Lord Djehuti also imparted the hidden knowledge of life to Aset and Asar, so that they would lead people on earth in a righteous manner, showing them the path of peace, prosperity and spiritual enlightenment. Asar and Aset established the Shetaut Neter, "Divine Mysteries," ritual worship and Ancient Egyptian religion. When human beings become too involved in the world they forget their true nature, and so the Temple, Het Neter ( House of the Divinity - God(dess)-Temple), was created, where the pressure of the world can be relieved, and an association with something other than the worldly perspective (i.e., with Divinity) can occur.
Such a place and its teaching are needed so that the mind can become aware of higher possibilities and turn away from umt-ab-"mental dullness” due to Khemn - "ignorance," and be led to Nehast -"Resurrection, spiritual awakening”, Akhu – “enlightenment” and so that human beings may become Sheps - "nobility, honor, venerable-ness, honore ances ors.”
So, Aset learned the Mystery teachings from Lord Djehuti. Aset is the ancient African prototype of the mother and child which is popular all over Africa, and also in Christian and Indian iconography with the birth of Jesus and Krishna, respectively. The mother is the first teacher. Aset not only raised Heru, but also initiated him into the mysteries of life and creation, with the teaching she learned from Djehuti and Khepri, in order to enlighten him and make him strong for the battle of life.
The redeemer Heru
Heru is the redeemer, the challenger, the one who stands up for his father, Asar, and liberates him from the imprisonment of death. Heru represents spiritual aspiration and success in the spiritual path. Heru re-establishes order after defeating the evil Set, and takes the throne of Kamit. In his form as Heru Behdet, Heru is a warrior. He fights for truth, justice and freedom for all.
Heru, the redeemer, the warrior, the greatest advocate of Asar (the soul) and triumphant aspirant is the one who leads the aspirant to the initiation hall. Heru is often the one shown leading the aspirant by the hand, into the inner shrine. In rituals, the priest wears a Heru mask in the context of a ritual theatrical ceremony of the temple that is meant to awaken the glory of the Neterian teaching in the heart of the aspirant.
Neter classifications
Transcendental
Divinities: Neberdjer, Heru - beyond the cosmos, beyond time and space
Cosmic
Divinities: Ex. Asar, Aset, Amun, Ra, Net, etc.-universal worship
Natural
Divinities: Geb, Nut, Shu, Tefnut, etc.divinities symbolizing the cosmic forces of nature
Local (worldly)
Divinities: worshipped at the particular nome (city-town) but not nationally throughout Egypt
Legendary
Divinities: - original divinities of thc ancient period that gave rise to the ones worshipped in the later forms
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Want to know more:
http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/khepri.html
http://www.mysteries-in-stone.co.uk/khepri.htm
http://eclipsology.blogspot.com/2009/09/khepri-total-solar-eclipse-scarab-god.html
http://www.egyptiandreams.co.uk/khepri.php
http://www.egyptartsite.com/khepri.html
http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/ancientegyptiangodskhepri.html
http://www.philae.nu/akhet/NetjeruK.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/khepri.html
A Variety of books written by Sebai Muata Ashby
