The Sacred Abstract

shower. not a bath, a shower. use water as hot or cold as u like. u dont even need to wash. just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. sit on the floor if you gotta.

moisturize everything. use whatever lotion u like. unscented? dollar store lotion? fancy ass 48 hour lotion that makes u smell like a field of wildflowers? use whatever you want, and use it all over. 

put on clean, comfortable clothes. 

put on ur favorite underwear. cute black lacy panties? those ridiculous boxers u bought last christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? put em on.

drink cold water. use ice. if u want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.

clean something. doesn’t have to be anything big. organize one drawer of ur desk. wash five dirty dishes. do a load of laundry. scrub the bathroom sink. 

blast music. listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

make food. don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. take the time and make food. even if it’s ramen. add something special to it, like a hard boiled egg or some veggies. prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something. 

make something. write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. even if you don’t think you’re good at it.

go outside. take a walk. sit in the grass. look at the clouds. smell flowers. put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

call someone. call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. talk to a stranger on the street. have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. if you can’t, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. even if you don’t say much, listen to them.

Dua Sekhmet! Dua Sachmis!

Child, a single drop of dew fell upon your face.

It is fragrant with the scent of flowers.

The sun glitters above the body of Hapi while you play.

In your eyes are the light of youth, the perfection of the world for someone in their morn. How new, how exciting.

But even gods grow up: You become the lion in the borders where no flowers grow.

This is seriously a huge compliment. Researching netjeri is a pet project of mine, and while I’m far from an expert, I’d love to share what I have!

NB: I’m gonna go pretty basic with this, for anyone reading who doesn’t have much experience with netjeri. Basically making this a quick intro guide :D

Part of the reason I love netjeri is because they are the truly grey area of Kemetic divinity. Netjeri range from something like malevolent dead that cause illness and trouble, to helper-spirits of “major” deities, to apotropaic deities in and of themselves. They are often called “demons” because we don’t have a good English theological term for netjeri. Lucarelli writes, “…the ancient Egyptian demons possess supernatural powers like the gods, but, in general, they have rather specific tasks and often their action is the consequence of the gods’ will.” Bes and Taweret, by and away the most popular household deities in ancient Egypt, can both be considered netjeri; if you are reading secular scholarly works, Bes and Taweret will almost certainly be considered netjeri instead of regular Netjeru. They are composite entities - Bes a leonine dwarf figure, Taweret an upright hippo (sometimes lioness) with lion paws and crocodilian tail. Composites are very popular in depictions of netjeri, because they are designed to be frightening - either to mortals, or to other netjeri (see Wilkinson, Complete Gods and Goddesses, pp 28).

Interestingly, akhu may become netjeri! Grey area!

Let’s talk about the function of netjeri. In the Book of the Dead, netjeri function as guardians of “sacred liminal space;” they guard the gates and portals of the afterlife, overseeing the transitional areas mortal souls will pass through. BOTD spells 144-146 specifically refer to these “door-guardian” netjeri, listed so that mortals can properly face them in their travels through the Duat. In Lucarelli’s work (link listed previously), door-guardian deities come as doorkeepers, watchers, and herald; other netjeri help pharaohs win battles and legitimize kingship, protect physical mummies, and serve as local guardians.

Lucarelli includes a great table of netjeri names/epithets that really helps explain the dangerous supernatural nature of netjeri. My favourites include “jnktt tA khb.w xrw, ‘One who grasps  the bread, with violent voice’“ and “mds Hr jr.y p.t, ‘Violent of face,  who belongs to the sky’.”

There is also some kind of avenging “cavern deity” netjeri that work for Re; I need to research these. See Wilkinson and TourEgypt below.

TourEgypt has a good page on the door-guardians, netjeri epithets, cavern netjeri, etc. (Wilkinson also has info on “cavern deities”.) [Somewhat a copy of Wilkinson’s book]

The Bourghouts Magical texts includes info on netjeri, if you know what you’re reading for - I am still going through this! Pg. 17, spell 20 seems to be towards Sekhmet’s genii/netjeri.

Wilkinson’s Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt on pg. 26, 80-82 has an excellent discussion of netjeri.

Important netjeri: Bes, Taweret, and Twtw (also Netjeru), Ammit, the Sons of Heru

Now, Twtw. I love Twtw. I want to mention niankhbast, who knows much more about Twtw and Bast’s Arrows than me! Twtw (Tutu, Greek Tithoes) is a wonderful netjeri/Netjeru who generally appears in the form of a sphinx, espcially with a snake tail. Wilkinson writes that he can also appears as a lion. Twtw is generally accepted as the son of Neith, but we’re going to explore his link with Sekhmet!

The single best source for Twtw is Kaper’s The Egyptian God Tutu. I have not read much of this yet, but it is incredibly comprehensive. (I recommend searching “Sekhmet” and reading the neat stuff that comes up!)

Twtw’s worship seems to have been largest relatively late in ancient Egypt’s history, well into the Roman AD period. His main cult was at Coptos, due to a very weird and controversial link with Aset: supposedly, Aset cut off a lock of her hair in mourning for Wesir, and the lock became Twtw (this may be a Hellenistic myth). Interstingly, at Coptos, Twtw was depicted as a human instead of a sphinx (Dimitrova and Clinton). My favourite local cult of Twtw is in Kellis, within Dakhla Oasis, where his only known temple is located. During the restoration of this temple to Twtw, archaeologists uncovered an unparalleled mammisi - a birth temple. Mammisi were built alongside main temples, and were used for ritualizing the birth of a child god - so, ritualizing the birth of Twtw. Twtw’s mammisi is a really fascinating artisitic mix of Roman and Egyptian art, and includes over 100 depictions of gods. (PDF of Twtw’s mammisi; PDF of general mammisi info)

The link between Twtw and Sekhmet stems from Twtw’s role as a master/controller of netjeri - specifically, Sekhmet’s genii, or “arrows.” He had the same role with Neith. As you know, digging up info on the genii of Sekhmet is incredibly frustrating. For those unfamiliar, Sekhmet’s genii were a group of netjeri/minor deities that She controlled for their netjeri fighting prowess - pestilence and plague, that kind of stuff. (NB: Genii is a term usually used to refer to monstrous entities who are not quite gods - Taweret as a protective demon in Crete became the Minoan Genius.) Kaper explains that Twtw “was known at Esna as the “Master of the ḫ3tyw demon of Sekhmet (pp 68).” This link at Esna is the main connection between Twtw and Sekhmet. Sekhmet also occasionally stood in for Neith with Twtw, like in stela S-66 (Kaper 115). Another link I found was in this thing called “The Book(s) of Bad Things” (lol), which relates to Twtw’s job as reckoner of lifespans and master of demons. Twtw is also “lord of the book.” Sekhmet plays a role in these books as well, because She “apportions the Books of Bad Things in the annual pestilence;” there seems to be a cycle to the chaos of netjeri! Check out Kaper 3.5 The saviour god (pg. 63) for this stuff.

According to Dimitrova and Clinton, there is also some sort of association between Wesir, Twtw, and Amun. I haven’t yet gotten to really research this, but Twtw was found in some temple rooms - or even called upon in the same insciption - as Wesir and/or Amun. The link is particularly strong with Amun. (This Amun link is explained by Kaper as well.)

David Frankfurter’s Religion in Roman Egypt: Assimilation and Resistance supposedly has great resources on Twtw, but I cannot access the relevant pages online.

Don’t make religious oaths until the decision making part of your brain is fully formed (~25 years old). 

Don’t make religious oaths until you’ve seriously looked at all sides and possibilities. 

Don’t make religious oaths if what a love interest says will make you break it. 

Don’t make religious oaths if you’re not ready to feel uncomfortable.

You don’t swear your life to a king or queen, a god or goddess, or a group or coven without seriously considering the consequences. Unless, of course, you’d rather experience those consequences.

Many people have asked me publicly and privately about how to develop a relationship with the gods. I cannot speak for everyone, but I can certainly give you tips that worked for me. 

1. Learn how the gods communicate. There are many ways the gods can communicate with us, and developing the “ear” to hear them is both difficult and important. Some examples are:

Divination - runes, Tarot cards, etc.

Animals - if the gods are associated with an animal (like Anansi with spiders or Ishtar with lions), you might start to see them (or images of them). Pay attention to what they’re doing, but don’t be convinced that every bird or everystray cat is trying to tell you something. Use your discernment.

Weather - like animals, if the gods are associated with a particular kind of weather (Thor with thunderstorms, for example), those might be a good time to reach out to them.

New cravings/interests - you’ve never liked cinnamon before, but now you really want it… but you don’t want to eat it either. What gives? Put it on an altar and see who responds.

Other people - Sometimes the gods use us as mouthpieces, so listen up for when someone says something profound that you don’t expect. Maybe they aren’t the one holding the strings just then.

2. Listen. Once you start paying attention to these things, the gods will communicate more. But you can’t just hear what you want to hear; just because you really want a relationship with Freyja doesn’t mean that she’s going to talk to you just yet. This is okay. Don’t judge what you hear, just hear it.

3. Show that you’re listening. When you realize you suddenly love Mr. Ibis from American Gods and can’t figure out why, reread that part of the story. Or look him up, do some research. Show them that you hear them. In the “godphone” metaphor, it’s you picking up the phone when they call so you can start a dialogue.

4. Ask for help if you need it. So some of this stuff isn’t working for you and you’re frustrated–ask for help. It’s okay to say you don’t have an intuition for this stuff right away. I spent the first three years of my practice praying specifically for the ears to hear their messages, even when I got pretty good at it. 

5. Give them gifts. There are so many ways to thank a god for their attention, or ask for it, and just like any human, they really love it! You can:

Offer them food they like

Light incense with a scent they like

Light a candle with their colors

Wear a piece of jewelry to honor them

Write to them (especially true for wordy gods and tricksters)

Do divination

Make projects for them (I’ve made key rings, calligraphy, and illumination projects, while my friends have done devotional embroidery or even research papers for their gods).

Collect jokes (if they enjoy jokes of course)

Wear their colors

Talk about them to others 

Share tea/alcohol/water with them

Research them and talk about the results of that research

6. Go back to step 1. Go back to listening. Did they like the jewelry you wore today? It’s okay if they didn’t, just ask them what they’d prefer instead. You develop these relationships like any other.

Trust that they’ll tell you what they want.

Trust that you’ll be able to hear them.

Innes Keeper's Formula For Fantastic Grilled Cheeses (for nearly no extra spoons!)

Are you hungry? Do you have a hankering for grilled cheese sandwiches like, way more than a normal person maybe? Great news! I am about to give you the secret knowledge I stole, like Prometheus himself, from the Akashic Records—to bring back to Prudencia! And I’m even doing it without a ten hour long lecture about how the Akashic Records makes me think of idfk, 9/11, and how that relates to sandwiches.

I will, however, briefly say this: You gotta trust me when I say cooking grilled cheeses via this formula WILL grant you Bloodborne Insight. There is no fucking reason that making a grilled cheese this fucking delicious should be this fucking easy. I feel like I’m cheating God every time I do it because it takes (nearly) no extra spoons. And here’s where I show you why.

Scientifically Proven Perfect Extremely Easy Grilled Cheese

INGREDIENTS — SEASONINGS -butter, i usually use 2 or 3 tablespoons per sandwich -garlic cloves, I use 3 usually -a source of heat, like red pepper flakes, or szechuan peppers -a source of spice OR a source of sweetness, such as dijon mustard or honey. slather that motherfucker on a slice of your bread. -a source of herbiness, such as oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, etc in any combination that goes well together or on its own. if someone tries to tell you that you need it fresh, they’re fucking lying, the 2$ crushed powdered sage is fucking great. experiment with other spices such as ground turmeric if you're spicy

INGREDIENTS - THE METAPHORICAL MEAT OF THE SANDWICH -two slices of bread per sandwich. this is actually a massive influence on your sandwich taste and texture as a whole. a basic white or wheat will still be fucking delicious because like I said, I stole this from the Akashic Records cookbook section and found it under “fucking perfect grilled cheeses forever”. However, if you CAN—getting bread like brioche, texas toast, brown bread, rye, or sourdough will make a sandwich already being elevated super easily to “pay 23 dollars at a fancy restaurant” level of elevation.

-one to three types of cheese per sandwich. you can get away with one type but really try for two or three if you can swing it. this is also one of those massive influences over the sandwich—listen, i know, that’s obvious, but stay with me—what matters isn’t the SPECIES of cheese, it’s the TYPE of cheese. getting the deli at your local Safeway or Walmart or whatever and asking for the cheese they gotta cut (or just in general the fancier, better-quality cheeses) is literally the only major requirement that I ask of you. If you are on SNAP/EBT programs, me too, and I promise you: Please do this. Please trust me when I say do not get the cheap Kraft-type cheese because it’s less money. I know it’s a bit extra but it’s only a bit to get like 1/4 or 1/3lb and you have no idea how much I’m actually getting a little emotional about this, because the “rice with butter and beans or top ramen every single day” life is soulsucking and sickening and it is genuinely one of the greatest sources of suffering to human beings I can imagine, I’m serious. Following this formula will genuinely change your life/mental health just a bit because you know that you have one meal that is super delicious, super filling, pretty damn cheap when it comes to how much you get, and super easy to make on days where the idea of doing more than just 15 minutes MAX is gonna make you wanna die.

super sorry for that paragraph btw i just really cannot overstate how this is a lifechanger especially when youre poor/low spoons/depressed. delicious food makes me not be as depressed. this is that.

METHOD

Take garlic cloves and crush them either with the meat of your palm or the flat of a knife or literally anything that would crush good. Take bread slices and put a source of spice or sweetness if you are using one. take a pan and put it on the stove on low-medium heat (aka a 2 out of 10).

Place the butter in the pan, as well as the garlic cloves, the source of heat, and the source of herbiness. Congratulations you have now literally done ALL the extra effort that you need to make a grilled cheese like this. That’s it. No extra dishes. No fussing with amounts or chopping or whatever. That’s it.

The butter will melt in the pan and soak up the delicious ingredients that you also put into the pan. Take each slice of bread and place it in the pan to butter it, OR just take one slice, place the cheese on it, and then put the other bread on. It’s really just a matter of extra effort.

When the bread is in the pan, turn it up to medium heat (5 out of 10) and just sorta let it sit for a bit. When you can see the cheese start to get visibly melty—or when you vibecheck it—flip it once and just do the same thing.

When you’ve grilled your cheese on both sides, take it out of the pan and put it on a plate (or just a paper towel to save on dish spoons. btw paper plates and plastic utensils are a fucking godsend if you hate dishes and/or can’t do them very easily/takes a lot of effort.)

This is by far the BEST grilled cheese I have ever had, and didn’t require any more effort than regular grilled cheese. I used red pepper flakes for heat, honey for the sweet, and oregano & rosemary for my herby. Texas toast for bread and Colby jack & sharp white cheddar.

But it's so niche no one would ever understand what it means so I just go by the generic "nonbinary" :)

~Em