Hetepu (Peace) Family,
In past articles I have talked about the uniqueness of Kemetic/Kamitic spirituality. I have indicated in previous post that Kemetic/Kamitic spirituality means something different to many people because the Kemetic/Kamitic philosophers and sages didn’t leave any detailed instructions on how to practice their spiritual tradition, thus resulting in it being interpreted in a number of ways. Consequently, there are several Kemetic/Kamtic paths that can be practice as it was in the days of Ancient Egypt (Kamitic/Kemetic), but as one reader reminded me. What I failed to explain is what these paths are and how they differ from each other, which I will do in this post.
First, in order to understand these paths, we must first understand that Kamitic spirituality is different from Westerns spiritual traditions because the latter is based upon the concept of good versus evil. From the Western perspective, everything that is considered to be good is associated with godliness, whereas everything else is considered ungodly or evil. Thus we have good versus evil, white versus black, male versus female, spiritual versus secular and vice versa. So we have it that if a philosophy, music, poem, lifestyle, career, etc. does not in any way talk about God or is not somehow relate to it. It is not considered to be good, godly or spiritual, and therefore it is deemed according to Western thought to be secular, ungodly and hence evil. When an individual in the west has unpleasant experiences, it is commonly seen as being the work of evil forces. To remove this evil one simply has to do good works. Doing good works regardless if one is teaching, speaking, making money, etc. is seen as doing godly acts, regardless if the individual is religious or not because from the Western perspective one has to be saved from evil. Anything that is considered good in nature, is seen as being godly and classified as being a part of a ministry, a part of the white practice, a light path, etc. The same holds true for non-Western traditions that have been adapted and modified to address Western needs as well.
Kamitic spirituality differs from the start because it does not necessarily believe in good versus evil per se. Good and evil from the Kamitic perspective are seen as subjective manmade concepts used to measure. Meaning what one person sees as being good may be bad for another. This can best be seen in the proverbial question, “Who do you think God favors in the web, the spider or the fly?”
This is because from the Kamitic perspective good and evil are seen as polar opposites of each other. In other words, both are needed because one cannot exist without the other like right and left, light and dark, hot and cold, fire and water, etc. This is because evil from the Kamitic perspective is seen as anything that is extreme, while good is more like anything that is perfect. This state of perfection is called Maa. In short, Western traditions can be said to be based upon opposition and conflict between good and evil, God and the devil, etc. But the Kamitic traditions are based upon affinity, harmony, understanding the interconnectedness between these forces, thus requiring one to be patient and still.
Maa is commonly translated to mean, order, law, justice, righteousness, karma, etc. but it refers to Absolute Truth, which extends beyond rational thinking and experimentation and is obtained by trusting your intuition. To understand Maa we must recognize that everything in nature such as our ecological system, the seasons, etc. is all composed of dualities. With night comes day. With hot comes cold and so on. One cannot exist without the other because everything is cyclical and interdependent upon the other. For instance, the sun does not shine in the same place all the time because it would be extremely hot and plant life would not be able to grow and sustain life. Hot days are therefore balanced with cool days and vice versa, which is Maa.
The vagueness about Maa exists because Maa exist throughout nature, between people and even within oneself, which is why Maa translates to mean order, law, justice, righteousness, karma, truth, etc. Coincidentally, we all are given a chance to practice Maa on a daily basis, but most of the time we are not aware of it. For instance, whenever we are in a heated argument with a loved one or close friend. When we sense that the other party is becoming agitated, it is quite normal to continue to argue and run the risk of jeopardizing our relationship. But, instead of continuing with the argument, if we were to agree to disagree or do something else to quell the argument from preceding any further, even if it means apologizing or staying silent and refusing to rebuttal. We would notice that it would neutralize the heat generated in the argument, thus creating a balance situation. When we cease to follow the normal path during an argument and take what some would refer to, as the higher road. We have just created a balanced or Maa situation, because we were still, which restored harmony.
As you can see, from the Kamitic perspective, evil is anything that is done to the extreme, while good is balance or Maa. Therefore, when ill befalls one under the Kamitic belief such as an illness, loss of fortune, etc. Instead of seeing it as punishment from God, a curse, etc., it is interpreted from the Kamitic perspective as an imbalance. An illness for instance could be due to excessive amounts of stress, worries over money, too much fatty foods, etc. The loss of a job could be due to excessive idleness from an employee or employer, and so on. Never is any kind of ill credited to an outside force, as is the case in Western thinking. Blame is always placed on the individual(s), so that they can take responsibility for their actions and therefore make amends to restore Maa. In a nutshell, whenever anything occurs on the natural or human plane to the extreme, the remedy is to do the complete opposite, which will restore balance or Maa because everything is cyclical.
The Maa concept is the basis of the Kamitic legend of Osar (Ausar, Asar or Osiris in Greek) and those involved in the Kamitic tradition can be classified as being either on a religious, mystical and/or shamanic path, and each explains and practices Maa differently.
For instance, those on the Kamitic religious path choose to see Osiris somewhat as a savior similar to Jesus Christ, focusing on the part of the legend that after Set was defeated by Horus (Heru, Hru). He resurrected his father Osar (Ausar, Asar, Osiris), hence his goodness, mercy, prosperity, etc. returned to the world. It should be noted that this path incorporates a lot of syncretism and mysticism in it because most of the Christian stories regarding the birth and death of Jesus were borrowed directly from the Kamitic tradition. For example, the announcement of the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary can be seen as Thoth’s (Tehuti, Djahuti) informing Isis (Auset, Aset, Oset) on how to conceive a child. The Immaculate Conception is Isis’ Virgin birth. The Star of Bethlehem can be seen as Osar. King Herod obviously is Set the jealous brother trying to kill Osar’s rightful heir. The infant Jesus of course is Hru, and the Holy Family (Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus) fleeing into Egypt is Npu (Anpu, Anubis), Oset and the Infant Hru fleeing from Set. The syncretism in this path is so strong that nativity scenes are sometimes purchased and the icons to reflect Npu, Oset and Hru.
The Kamitic mystics like most mystics focus upon spiritual enlightenment and they practice Maa by focusing on becoming more like Osar (Ausar, Asar) seeing Osar as being the perfect role model of Maa, as indicated by his balanced crook and flail. This path usually consists of a lot of metaphysics and other esoteric sciences. For instance, most individuals following this path are familiar with all of the sciences regarding the winter solstice, which was a major celebration in ancient times as it related to the dog-star Sirius.
The Kamitic shamans, which is the path I have succumb to after spending a number of years in the previous paths, focuses upon practicing Maa by harmonizing with oneself, others and nature. It is basically a healing path that focuses upon establishing and maintaining Maa in one’s health, relationships, career, finances, etc. In the shamanic path, particularly Kamta – an Afro-American shamanic tradition, Osar and Set are both seen as being polar opposites of one another. Consequently, Osar (Ausar, Asar, Osiris) is seen as being an example of an individual that was too spiritual, seeing the spiritual realm as being superior over the physical (ultimately resulting in his death); while his youngest brother Set is seen as being an example of an individual that is too materialistic and engrossed in the physical world (resulting in the destruction of planet). The heir of Osar, Hru (Heru, Horus) standing on the edge of both lands (the spiritual and material world), is seen as being an example of what it means to live according to Maa as indicated by his dual red and white crown.
In the shamanic path, since most of the work regarding Maa occurs within the mind, those on this path are free to adopt, adapt, borrow, modify and change anything according to their desire, because they are focused more on healing (spiritually, mentally, physically, etc.), which means obtaining physical results. Maa from the shamanic perspective is not concerned with beliefs, dogma and theory, but what works. For instance, those on the shamanic path may easily set up a nativity scene but deliberately not place the infant in the manger, to express the idea that they are awaiting the arrival of their divinity. At the same time, they may take the infant Jesus icon and tie petitions on it for money, better relationships, better career, improved health, etc., because they recognize the symbolic truth and how it relates to Osar, Oset and Hru. A Kamitic shaman may also use the 23rd Psalms, seeing the “Lord” in the scripture as a reference to Osar. The options are limitless, because the boundaries are determined by the individual’s thinking. As you can see, a Kamitic shaman, is more like adventurist that explores the various avenues of both realities (spiritual and physical realms) in order to establish and maintain Maa by simply focusing on what works in order to help humanity.
In each of these paths, Maa is the basis and if you are interested in learning more about Maa, I would highly recommend that you first learn how to meditate because it is fastest way to discovering the Maa within yourself, but, be prepared for a serious paradigm shift. As I mentioned earlier, Kamitic spirituality is nothing like Western spiritual traditions, because there is no savior or someone to cast blame upon. Maa is about Absolute Truth and as the saying goes, sometimes “the truth hurts,” but rest assure, “the Truth will set you free” from all of the illusion preventing you from reaching your full potential by coaxing you to take responsibility for your actions and behaviors.
Hope that helps.
Hetep (Peace)