7 Steps to Maat

Spiritual enlightenment and imorality
-- discovering Ma'at is all

Outer Harmony (peace w/nature)
Inner Harmony (Fuffilment)
Mental Balance (equanimity)
Expansion of the Heart through Selfless Service to Humanity
Sublimation of the Ego
Self control, sex sublimation and non violence
Livin in accordance w/ma'at

Hekau, Maat and wisdom text

Hekau
Words. Djehuti gave mankind speach, and language. Ma'at gave us order. Therefore speach is sacred. In looking at the Negitive confession and various wisedom text we are showered with the impact of this as quite a bit deals with apropriate speach. It is very simalar to the differances between english and vedic. As english words and symbols (ie the alphabet) impose on us a definitive idea. Hyroglyphs provide us with the symbol and it is up to our spiritual evolution to determine its essance. As vedic is vibrational (symbolic) so is Hekau. (rowan : expound) For a deeper understanding I sudgest reading the symbol and the symbolic by de lubicz.

Ma'at and the Wisedom Text
The priests were the servents to the Ntr. They performed ritual celebratory of Ntr. In order to do this the preasts must be pure in spirit, mind and body. There were cleansing rituals for the body including specific kinds of fasting. Three days before their particular temple rotation (the priests were allowed to mary and have families) they performed a three day fast. No meat or dairy, usually raw foods. They drank a certain mixture that had a two part ........... it detoxed the system and provided daily nutrients. As for the soul, my first Kemit teacher informed me that the priests of her denomination still practice the recitation of the Tenants of Ma'at. Apon rising and before retiering one should recite the 42 tennants of Ma'at. Also the priests were expected to engage in appropriate behavior and I, as did they hand copied not only the 42 tennants but various wisedom text as well. In closing, in order to perform ritual/ magic and glorifications of the Ntr one must understand how to behave in a way pleasing to the Ntr.

"Do not rais your voice in the god's house, he abhors loud speach.
Pray alone with a loving heart, safeguard your words.
he will grant your needs, he will accept your offerings.
Offer to your deity, do not offend his presence.
Do not question his forms, do not make demands when he appears,
Do not become disorderly in his procession or interupt theoracles.
He gives power in a million forms.
The one who magnifies him is magnified.
The god of this earth is the Sun in the sky,
While his images are on Earth.
Offer them daily incesnse as food,
And the lord of risings will be satisfied
---Instruction of Ani, Dynasty 18"

Nubti

Kinda looks like Set is peeking out from behind Heru's back and oover his sholder doesnt it? This is a composite symbol with many ramificactions. First we have Heru as being prominant, but what does that mean exactally? Heru is 'vicoriuos' he is 'with in the laws of Ma'at ' he is an incarnation of Ra, he is the light of the sun.

Who is this Set guy? The perception of Set changed a bit depending on the redion and the dynasty. Even now, among those hard core Reconstructionalists of Kmt Traditons to those who fancy themselves as such you will get a few differant answers.

ohhh citing sources
The Book of Doors
by Anthon Veggi and Alison Davidson

The Egyptian Book of the Dead
by Budge

The Sacred Tradition of Ancient Egypt
by Rosemary Clark

Various Writings by Petrie

His name, shown in a plethera of spellings and ways from Sutekh to Seth basically means 'throne', 'to cut' 'tail' and 'stone'.

The myth according to Plurtarch (and any egyptologist will warn you that greeks are known for thier fabrications while citing them in the next paragraph...) is that Set was born of the Third day, neither at night nor at the right place or the right time, apparently he bore his way out of a wound he infliced in Nut.

Of courser this will bring anyone to the question regarding the right day and time, and what is this third day?

Aparenty shu said that Nut and geb were NOT to have children. EVER. Not durring the year, nor the day or night. or something like that. So, Djehuti interviened and baught an extra five days from the moon. Im not entirely sure I get all that, since Djehuti one of the Ntr associated with the moon, but more on that later. The Ntr born to Nut and Geb were as folows: Wsr (Osirus), Wst (Isis) Set, Nebt-Het (Nephthys) and according to some myths... Heru the elder. He was thus 'born' out of order and durring the New Moon. From kmt Tradition to Celtic, the new moon is a time for reflection and meditation. (see the do not do any kind of crafworking clause most traditions teach as well)

Not to be confused with the son of Wst and Wsr. That Heru was an incarnation of Ra. (the one in the pic above)

Wsr decided to go a roving and teach. He left his brother Set in charge of Kmt/Tamery.

As far as old kingdom myth goes Set was a rather descent guy. He was worshiped in the Southern Lands and in predynastic times, and the Lybian deaserts as benevolant, yes he is the Ntr of storms, but those storms braught water to the land.

Keep in mind, the rulers of the Southern lands held the title of Sa Set, or Sutekh. His crown was silver whitek, representing the harsh white deasert heat.

In early myths Set assisted the dead in climing the ladder to heaven, there are hymns in this regard. Also in the older versions of funery text of the journy throught the Dudat (underworld) Set is the one who kills Apep every night, it is said that he is the only one strong enough.

Now on to Set and his relation to Heru the Elder (not to be confused w/the guy in the above pic)
[Im redundant with this because many authors, good renoun egyptologists dont seem to notice that heru the elder born of Geb and Nut is not the same Heru born of Wst and Wsr]
Set and Heru the elder were regared as equal, opposite forces working in congunction for balance and unity of the material world. Some authors go so far as to say they are twin ntr.

Heru the Elder was Ntr of the day sky,personifying Light
Set was the Ntr of of the night sky, personifying darkness and death.

(actually both Heru's are viewed this way...probably why things get so confusing)

heru and set of course represent the completeness of day followed by night, wakefullness and restfullness.

When Wsr comes back from his walkabout, Set is rather testey, to say the least. So he kills off Wsr and then engages in a very long back and forth battle with Heru, son of Wsr.

Niether won. Some of those battles were pretty messey too. Heru lost an eye, Set lost his left nutsack.... among other things.... intestines and body parts flew... Heru was alwys defeating Sets compatiots in the form of The Sun disk (now you know what the sun and winges thingie represents -- the smiter !)

In the end they are braught to arbitration before the rest of the Ntr. It is Geb who decides what is what. At first he decides that Heru gets the Northlands whial Set gets all the deasert, and then Geb goes back on it and decides that Heru will in fact rule the two kingdoms of kmt/Tamery. That is the end of that, you would think Set would rais a fuss, but he didnt. Ma'at /Law, order/jusctice was very much respected by the Ntr.

So what all does Set represent?
He 'govorns' the forces of choas, so he is like the great devider of order which leads us into disorder.... seperation, isolation. He is NOT the ntr of 'evil' that woudl be apep.
His, is a cosmic state ... order must be broken down in order for creation to occure. With out the struggle through adversity, what would we conqure? How would we become stronger? I have met a few Kemetic Orthadox practitioners who believe it is Set that assists us through adversity and teaches us how to become strong both mentally and physically.
On the flip side
Evilllllllllllllllllllllllllll may use 'chaos' at great leangths, of course, but that doesnt mean that chaos is itself evil.
and of course weirdo psudo satanic groupies calling themselves the house of set.

Nubti
The figure of Heru and Set represents the over comming of the base chakra
the conquering of the lower/fixated self in order to advance toward a more spiritual exsistance.


Then Set, the strong one, the son of Nut, said "As for me, I am Set, the strongest of the Divine Company. Every day I slay the enemy of Ra when I stand at the helm of the Barque of Millions of Years, which no other god dare do."