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Author Topic: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons  (Read 2086 times)

Koudelka

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Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« on: September 06, 2016, 10:06:43 pm »
How do you incorporate Egyptian deities into your Wiccan beliefs what with the tales of the goddess and god throughout the seasons? Do you combine these gods and goddesses with the Sabbats, and Esbats? Or do seperate reflections of them along with the Sabbats/Esbats?
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Darkhawk

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2016, 02:03:13 pm »
Quote from: Koudelka;195901
How do you incorporate Egyptian deities into your Wiccan beliefs what with the tales of the goddess and god throughout the seasons? Do you combine these gods and goddesses with the Sabbats, and Esbats? Or do seperate reflections of them along with the Sabbats/Esbats?

 
If you're looking specifically for Wicca-formatted material, I recommend Ellen Cannon Reed's Circle of Isis as a book about Tameran practices which is clearly still focused on the same gods that I, as a reconstructionist, am concerned with.  Her practice, from what I remember, notes the similarities between the standard public-access Wiccan mythology and the Osirian cycle, though of course Osiris is not reborn in the same way as the Wiccan god.

If you're looking for a more reconstructionist-oriented revisioning of the Wheelyear, I have one of those, and can dig it out of my notes.  I believe we have someone kicking around occasionally who has done a different one.

For those people who are more interested in the Egyptian calendar as part of their religious practice, of course, the wheelyear is irrelevant.  They follow the liturgical year of the Egyptians.

So which are you interested in? ;)
as the water grinds the stone
we rise and fall
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we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

Koudelka

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2016, 07:11:08 pm »
Quote from: Darkhawk;195925
If you're looking specifically for Wicca-formatted material, I recommend Ellen Cannon Reed's Circle of Isis as a book about Tameran practices which is clearly still focused on the same gods that I, as a reconstructionist, am concerned with.  Her practice, from what I remember, notes the similarities between the standard public-access Wiccan mythology and the Osirian cycle, though of course Osiris is not reborn in the same way as the Wiccan god.

If you're looking for a more reconstructionist-oriented revisioning of the Wheelyear, I have one of those, and can dig it out of my notes.  I believe we have someone kicking around occasionally who has done a different one.

For those people who are more interested in the Egyptian calendar as part of their religious practice, of course, the wheelyear is irrelevant.  They follow the liturgical year of the Egyptians.

So which are you interested in? ;)

Well I feel like Bast, and Anubis are very important as well as Hathor, and Horus. I read an earlier post you made saying that Bast and Anubis are the "doorkeepers". I found that very fascinating, and would love it if you had any material on that, or anything else that might be important.

But ya, I thought on the Sabbats and Esbats, and realized I should keep different beliefs seperate from eachother to avoid confusion, but I do find the reconstructionist version of the wheel of the year interesting. Maybe I can learn something from it. Does it only revolve around Isis and Osiris, or does it include other deities? I am not drawn to Osiris and Isis at all, and feel no call to them despite Horus showing himself here and there.
« Last Edit: September 07, 2016, 07:19:53 pm by Koudelka »
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Sobekemiti

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2016, 02:57:22 am »
Quote from: Koudelka;195901
How do you incorporate Egyptian deities into your Wiccan beliefs what with the tales of the goddess and god throughout the seasons? Do you combine these gods and goddesses with the Sabbats, and Esbats? Or do seperate reflections of them along with the Sabbats/Esbats?


I'm not Wiccan, but I work with a recon-ish Kemetic Wheel of the Year because I can't with more than one calendar as I'm a Druid as well as Hellenic(ish), and it's easier to just use the Wheel for everything, ngl. So there's a caveat that this is mostly my unique weird thing and may not be entirely Kemetic even for recons and isn't really Wiccish, either. At the very least, I hope this provides some sort of inspiration for crafting your own cycle.

So, I sort of use the Osirian cycles, but my practice mostly revolves around Sobek and Heru/Horus, so that's the driving force behind my Wheel festivals. Sobek and Heru have this shifting oscillation that really works for me, so that's why I use it. They are also the primary gods I worship, so ymmv on that front. I mean, in Egyptian thought, you can make pretty much any god into Ra if you syncretise enough, so it's not hard to make your own cycle based on the gods that mean the most to you if you want to go down that path. I also wanted to have more major festivals for Sobek, since there really aren't any that have survived, and the flow of equinoxes and solstices really hit that need for me. But if you're working with other gods, that may not be as much of a problem.

So in my calendar, Sobek rules between the autumn and spring equinoxes (dark half of the year, Heru between spring and autumn (light half of the year). Those equinoxes are that point of transition, that liminal period when light and dark is in balance. In its own microcosmic way, it's that transition at dawn and dusk, when the night boat and the day boat meet, when the sun first rises, and when it first sets at that moment of creation. That repetition is really important in Egyptian cosmology, that constant cycling and the renewal of the first moment of creation.

So, I'm in the Southern hemisphere, so this calendar is suited to that, so my seasons are six months out, but I'm sure you can transition between the two. This is really very much tied to my own place and seasons, so some of this may not resonate with you, but this is, mostly, how I see my year cycling around in a mythic sense.

February - Wep Ronpet, the Opening of the Year. This comes off the end of January (when I have my Epagomenal days), and the end of the summer holidays for us, so it's a good energy to have at this time of year.

March Equinox - Heru and Sobek are in balance, and Sobek prepares to take the reins while Heru is busy with His father. Our winters here are generally wet and cold, no snow, so it's a very fertile growing season, which Sobek excels at. He brings the rain and the storms and causes the plants to grow.

May - The Mysteries of Wesir/Osiris - This is the festival of Wesir's death, and the point at which, for me, the dark winter really begins to set in. It's a festival of the ancestors as much as anything else. I mark this as an eight day festival, the practices of which I borrowed from back when I was Kemetic Orthodox because old habits die hard. This is also the point at which the gods are usually more quiet than anything else, and they don't really pipe up again until, well. Until about now, around the equinox. It's not quite a fallow time, more an introspective reflective time.

June Solstice - Conceptually, this is the most distant point of the year for the gods and I. I celebrate the longest night, and the hope that Heru brings as He is brought into life. I don't necessarily hold this strictly as Heru's day of conception and/or birth, but more the days will get longer from here as we move back towards summer.

August - Feast of Zep Tepi - another festival I picked up from my Kemetic Orthodox days, this is one for Kheper-Ra, and is basically Wep Ronpet six months on, so there's a lot of renewing the year and that sort of energy. The scrags of winter are beginning to fade and spring is on its way. It's a dawning more than anything else. This could also be used as a date for Heru's birth.

September Equinox - When Heru and Sobek are together in balance again. Heru is growing strong enough to bring some heat back into the land, and the winter is well and truly over. This is where Heru begins to rise, and Sobek begins to descend underneath the earth to preserve the water and fertility of the land.

October/November - Coronation of Heru - this isn't one I mark much anymore, since I have other celebrations that work better here (because NaNoWriMo and Hermes took over), but as I was putting my Wheel together, I wanted a pair for the Mysteries of Wesir, and so this was what I came up with. In a seasonal/mythological cycle, this, to me, is where Heru truly comes into His power as King, taking the throne from Set to rule the Two Lands.

December Solstice - Heru at His highest, His intense solar power bringing fire and heat to the earth. This is a day of dualities. Heat is lovely, but this is also a time of bushfires in Australia. And yet, from the fire, comes life. A lot of Australian plant seeds won't germinate without fire, so as much as it can feel like Heru's rage against Set, it also brings life and renewal. Also, it is near Christmas, so there's a lot of good happy family funtimes here as well as Heru's bright fire.

Rinse and repeat, and you have yourself a seasonal cycle.

Honestly, the biggest piece of advice I can offer is to go and find your gods in the seasons, and work from there. Go and find them in the place where you live, and see how their power changes over the year, and the more you do that, the more you will be able to find a place for them in the Wheel of the Year.

What your seasons look like will be very different to what my seasons look like, so don't try to fit things in that don't fit. Like, it never snows here, so a lot of that Yule stuff doesn't work here, and neither does a lot of Christmas stuff (because summer!). So you find other things that work and express the seasons to you and reflect the gods in the landscape. This naturally takes time, but it's well worth the trouble if you want a Wheel that really follows the seasons as you experience them where you live.
Sobekemiti | Hekatean Witch, Kemetic Orthodox Shemsu, Sobek Devotee | My pronouns are they/she

Darkhawk

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2016, 11:27:32 am »
Quote from: Koudelka;195930
Well I feel like Bast, and Anubis are very important as well as Hathor, and Horus. I read an earlier post you made saying that Bast and Anubis are the "doorkeepers". I found that very fascinating, and would love it if you had any material on that, or anything else that might be important.


There's no material on it; it's just a common Kemetic-community belief.

Quote
But ya, I thought on the Sabbats and Esbats, and realized I should keep different beliefs seperate from eachother to avoid confusion, but I do find the reconstructionist version of the wheel of the year interesting. Maybe I can learn something from it. Does it only revolve around Isis and Osiris, or does it include other deities? I am not drawn to Osiris and Isis at all, and feel no call to them despite Horus showing himself here and there.

 
My reconish WOTY is mostly but not entirely the progression of the development of Horus.  I don't use it myself, it's something that I worked through for the book I'm writing that is designed for pagans who don't want to follow a reconstructionist calendar but would like a year cycle that is based on ancient practices that can be timed with the schedule that they're familiar with.

(Obviously, set for Northern Hemisphere.)

1 August:  New Year's Festivals (based on Closing of the Year, the Birthdays of the Children of Nut (Osiris, Horus the Elder, Set, Isis, Nephthys), and the Opening of the Year)

Fall Equinox: Wagy (an ancestor festival, bringing out illumination as a counter to the declining light; there are two in the ancient calendar, one in mid to late August, and one set by the moon in September)

31 October: Mysteries of Osiris (in a reconstructionist structure, the Mysteries fall in mid to late November, depending on timing; the parallel with a standard pagan Samhain is strong but imperfect.  It is important to remember for the Mysteries that while they are the funeral of Osiris, they are also his interring as a seed; he is a Green Man category god)

Winter Solstice:  Coronation of Heru (in an ancient calendar, this would not be separated from the Mysteries at all; traditionally, the festival is held immediately at the conclusion of the Mysteries, but linking it to the solstice works out reasonably well in symbolism, and I would suspect someone non-recon would not be as worried by the amount of time between reigns of kings there)

2 February: Feast of Lifting the Sky (with the reign of the new king, things are put in order, the world is well-established, the heavens are maintained, and all that good stuff)

Spring Equinox:  Festival of Zep Tepi (anniversary of the First Time, celebration of creation; from this moment all things emerge, shining and glorious; every light lit in ritual is the rekindling of the first light)

1 May: Beautiful Festival of the Western Valley (cross Samhain with Mardi Gras!  The veil is thin, the dead walk among us, have a flower garland, drink the good intoxicating drink!  This is the festival when the ancestors share the blessing of the flow of life, in return for the care they have been given)

Summer Solstice:  Harvest Festival of Min (historically the lead festival of the harvest season and thus located earlier in the year; rearranged substantially to suit the Wheel year)


So the progression goes: the year opens, settling out the disruptions of the last one's conclusion, lights are lit for the ancestors, the funeral of Osiris is held, Horus comes to the kingship, established all things in good order, ensuring the harvest.  Repeat.
as the water grinds the stone
we rise and fall
as our ashes turn to dust
we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

Darkhawk

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2016, 11:29:12 am »
Quote from: Sobekemiti;195953


 
Oh, I was hoping you'd weigh in with yours, I knew you had one.
as the water grinds the stone
we rise and fall
as our ashes turn to dust
we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

Koudelka

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #6 on: September 08, 2016, 01:27:28 pm »
Quote from: Sobekemiti;195953

Honestly, the biggest piece of advice I can offer is to go and find your gods in the seasons, and work from there. Go and find them in the place where you live, and see how their power changes over the year, and the more you do that, the more you will be able to find a place for them in the Wheel of the Year.

 
Ah, well that's interesting to me. How would I see how their power changes?

Quote from: Darkhawk

There's no material on it; it's just a common Kemetic-community belief.


I wonder how others in the Kemetic community figured out their beliefs, but I won't pry there. I wound up stuck with a busy life, and didn't have much room to discover my pagan beliefs till now. Ugh. Right when I end up smack with a haunted house. Hah. Practically impossible now. Just my luck.

Thanks for both of your input it's helped some.
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Sobekemiti

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #7 on: September 08, 2016, 10:13:58 pm »
Quote from: Koudelka;195967
Ah, well that's interesting to me. How would I see how their power changes?

 
Well, it's about translating their Egyptian associations into the place where you live. Its very much less a visual thing and more knowing the landscape for what it is, and how your gods fit into that. Know what the traditional symbols and associations of your gods are, know them well, and then go out into your place and look for them. Look for plants, for weather events, for animals, for habitats that speak of your gods. They may be traditional, they may be new, but be open to them, and see them for what they are. Think of it as finding the local face of your gods, and how they express themselves in the place where you live.  

For me, Sobek is my storm god, not Set, because I see Sobek in our winter storms. I see Heru in the hot summer easterly winds. Heru is birds of prey and the bright sunshine, Sobek is the water and the green, growing things, and the sigh of relief of the land when the first rains appear. Heru is also the shady paperbacks on the side of the rivers, where He hid with His mother from Set. Sobek is the wetlands and marshes, and the coastal grasses. Sobek is the cool sea breeze in summer that blows the heat away. It's Heru's anger that brings the summer storms, and their dry heat that sometimes sets the bush on fire.

You may not have a pair of gods that cycle like this, but maybe you do. It's finding those associations and seeing who is more prominent at particular points of the year. When it's hot and dry, which gods do you find that you don't find when it's wet and cold? Who appears when it's the growing season? Do you have a growing season? Do you have more than one? Are there any gods you feel around when the harvest is happening? Is there a stormy season that brings a particular god to the land?

These are the sort of things you should be looking for in terms of trying to see how the powers of the gods change throughout the year. I can't say what that is for you, because I don't live where you do. Maybe you'll end up with a pair of cycling/oscillating gods, maybe it'll be four gods who shift with each other throughout the year, or one who waxes and wanes. That'll be up to you to figure out.

It's being aware of when the seasons change, and what changes make that shift apparent to you. What plants or animals are around? What do you see in one season that you don't in another? What do you see in your hot season, in your dry season, in your growing season, in your wet, stormy season, etc. If you're at a loss, start with the actual climate data for the place you live, and see how that fits in with your experiences of living there, and where you think the seasons are.

If you're inclined to a Wiccan elemental/directional view of things, try to figure out where they all fit best. I live on the west coast, so water is in the west with Sobek. Our hot easterly winds come over the rest of the continent, and that's Heru's place. The southern part of my state is a very fertile land, with black soil and cool enough temperatures to still be productive, and so that is Earth, Kemet, the black land, Wesir's land. Up north, the land is red (literally) and hot and arid, and that is where Set is. This may be easier or harder depending on where you live, but being aware of where these things are can help you with the seasons, and make you more aware of the geology and geography that affects the climate you experience. It also gives you a cosmic geography that you can relate to the Egyptian landscape, and may also affect how you see your gods in the place where you are.

None of this is a fast process. I know, because I've done all of this for perhaps six years or so to get to the point now where I'm confident about my Wheel and its seasonality. Maybe you don't take that long, but either way, be prepared to observe things for at least a year, perhaps longer, and keep notes and observations as you go. Go out and meditate in nature. Bring in seasonal vegetation and flowers to decorate your altar. Do journalling about what the seasons mean to you, and what you notice about them; this was something I did as part of my ADF Dedicant's Program work for my year of High Days/Sabbats, and I was surprised at how well I could delineate the seasons and the lead up to the High Days.

If you do a similar exercise and keep track of the seasonal changes throughout the year, you may be surprised by how much you know already, and this will help shape your Wheel and fit it to your seasons. Also, don't be afraid to break the eight holiday mold if your seasons don't fit that model. If you want it to be truly seasonal, make the Wheel fit your seasons, not the other way around.

I know this sounds like a lot of work to do, and in many ways it is, but it's worth it if what you want is a seasonal Wheel that really expresses the seasons as you know them. So much of this comes from experience, and just practising keeping the holidays, and the longer you work with it, the more you'll get out of it. That's my advice from someone who's done this before.
Sobekemiti | Hekatean Witch, Kemetic Orthodox Shemsu, Sobek Devotee | My pronouns are they/she

Sobekemiti

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2016, 10:18:44 pm »
Quote from: Darkhawk;195962
Oh, I was hoping you'd weigh in with yours, I knew you had one.


I am attracted to Kemetic Wheel of the Year threads like a moth to a flame. :D

That said, figuring out a seasonal Kemetic Wheel is nowhere near as frustrating as figuring out a Hellenic one, so there's that. *bangs head against wall*
Sobekemiti | Hekatean Witch, Kemetic Orthodox Shemsu, Sobek Devotee | My pronouns are they/she

Koudelka

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #9 on: September 08, 2016, 11:11:03 pm »
Quote from: Sobekemiti;195983
Well, it's about translating their Egyptian associations into the place where you live...

Hm. Well, keeping at the holidays is good advice, and I always smile every time I see one of the many cats that live around my new home. Seriously, it's cat city over here! I'll keep researching, and observing. I'm sure things will come to me in time. Thanks for the boost of ideas though, it got me thinking!
« Last Edit: September 08, 2016, 11:11:43 pm by Koudelka »
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Sobekemiti

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Re: Egyptian Deities and the Seasons
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2016, 11:25:14 pm »
Quote from: Koudelka;195987
Hm. Well, keeping at the holidays is good advice, and I always smile every time I see one of the many cats that live around my new home. Seriously, it's cat city over here! I'll keep researching, and observing. I'm sure things will come to me in time. Thanks for the boost of ideas though, it got me thinking!


Not a problem, I'm always happy to help. Glad I could get you thinking. The traditional Wheel is fine in and of itself, but it doesn't work for my climate because we don't get snow, and winter isn't a barren season here. So taking the time to make one that does fit has made my practice so much better. Good luck with your own Wheel, and feel free to share it with us when you've got a draft you like. I'd love to see how your Wheel is different from mine. :)
Sobekemiti | Hekatean Witch, Kemetic Orthodox Shemsu, Sobek Devotee | My pronouns are they/she

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