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Kemetic Orthodoxy is a branch of Kemetism, a neopagan revival of Egyptian polytheism, founded in 1988 by Tamara Siuda.[1] As such, it does not follow a particular scripture or dogma. As of 2004, it was the largest of the catalogued Egyptian revival religions.[2] Members of the faith call themselves either “Remetj” or “Shemsu” depending on their commitment to the faith.[3]

The main temple, Tawy House, is in Joliet, Illinois, with a variety of state shrines maintained by priests throughout the world.[4]

Worship and Beliefs

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The Ankh is a Kemetic symbol of eternal life in both antiquity and modern times.

Kemetic Orthodoxy is based on the religious practices of Ancient Egypt. Members draw on material regarding the beliefs of ancient people to inform their own beliefs. Three important aspects of worship incorporated from antiquity are personal worship, ancestor veneration, and state liturgy.[5]

Members worship the deities of ancient Egypt, which they call “Names of Netjer”. The word Netjer refers to a supreme divine force from which all the deities are believed to emanate.[6] They use a principle known as Ma’at (also a goddess), similar to the Tao of Taoism, to guide their actions.[7] In antiquity, this principle was believed to be the cosmic balance that preserved the natural order of the created world. Kings were expected to act according to Ma'at, by ruling with fairness and justice.[8] Instructive texts now classified as Wisdom Texts served as guides for the literate to live righteously, thus upholding this principle.[9]

On the internet, priests of the temple may lead group rituals in celebration of festivals or in honor of one or more of these deities while a small group celebrates in person.[10][5] Such rites are part of the foundation of the faith but are not the sole means of worship; the self-stated aim of Kemetic Orthodoxy is not to be a “virtual community”, but to use the Internet as a tool to build a community offline.[11] Personal daily worship takes place at a household shrine, in the form of a meditative ritual known as Senut.[10] The Senut ritual was written by Rev. Siuda for members of the faith and is intended to provide a formal liturgy in an ancient style for individual practitioners.[12] Ancestor veneration takes place in a similarly personal form, with Kemetic Orthodox faithful leaving offerings of things their deceased ancestors would have enjoyed. Both of these acts take place at shrines and altars assembled in the homes of worshippers.[5] Occasionally, small groups of worshipers may gather in person for small informal celebrations. Formally, the faith hosts a number of celebrations, with a large scale week long retreat occurring annually in August to celebrate the Kemetic New Year.[13]

History

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Kemetic Orthodoxy grew out of the personal teachings of Rev. Tamara Siuda. The temple began in 1988, when Rev. Siuda experienced a series of visions during her initiation as a Wiccan priestess.[14] She started a small study and worship group at that time, which gradually got more attention. In 1993, the group was federally recognized as a religious entity and changed its name from the House of Bast to the House of Netjer. The temple was granted tax-exempt status in 1999.[1]

In 2002 the House of Netjer opened a Retreat Center in Michigan. In 2003, the group purchased a building to be the permanent home of the Temple in Joliet, Illinois.[1] The building contains the main state shrine for followers of Kemetic Orthodoxy (The Truth and the Mother Shrine). It also includes the offices of some members of the priesthood, and the living quarters and office of Rev. Tamara Siuda[4]

Organization and Membership

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Members

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Membership within the faith can be broken into two groups, Remetj and Shemsu The two terms refer to different forms of membership available.[3]

Members may elect to undergo certain rites of passage as part of the conversion process. One such ritual is a is a geomantic divination that is performed on the member's behalf by Rev. Tamara Siuda in order to determine their "Parent" and "Beloved" gods. In this ritual, Rev. Siuda divines this information and passes it on to the inquiring member either in a face-to-face meeting or via telephone and internet.[15] Another such rite is a public declaration of service to the deities determined in the aforementioned divination.[16]

The Kemetic Orthodox religion does not ask its members to seek converts, but welcomes inquirers and hold free introductory classes to the faith for those who wish to learn more. The attitude is that those who are called to the faith will find it.[17]

Priesthood and Leadership

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Priesthood in Kemetic Orthodoxy is divided into two categories: priests who serve as assistants in ritual and liturgy, and priests with pastoral and administrative responsibility.[15] According to faith’s website, these are known as W’ab priests and Imakhu respectively.[18] This is analogous to the different levels of priesthood in antiquity, where there were both full-time, ordained priests with administrative duties in their respective temples, minor ritual assistants known as W’ab priests (from which the modern term is assumably derived), as well as a number of other specializations.[19]

The founder of Kemetic Orthodoxy, Rev. Tamara Siuda, remains active with the faith as a teacher and leader. Since 1988 she has been instrumental in coordinating its growth, and has educated both herself and others about the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. Her leadership is informed by her educational degrees, which include an MA in Egyptology obtained in 2000. In 1996, through rituals conducted in Egypt, she took on the title of Nisut[1] She is the central authority coordinating the priesthood. She is heavily involved with the membership of the faith as a teacher, conductor of rituals, and pastor for the faith.[15] She provides members of the faith with information about the faith of ancient Egypt, as well as leading both open and oath-bound rituals.[17]

Statistics

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In 1999 the following membership statistics were self-reported by the faith: [20]:

Sex - female - 53%, male - 47%,

Age - 25-34 - 34%, 35-44 - 30%, with the remaining ranging from 16 to over 70
Locality - USA - 90%, other countries (including all continents except Africa and Antarctica) - 10%

Previous religious affiliation - Christianity (various forms) - 56%, Agnostic or Atheist - 10%, Wiccan/Neopagan/etc. - 5%, other world religions - 29%

The Tawy House Retreat Center

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The Tawy House Retreat Center offers opportunities for small groups of interested persons to attend retreats from 1 to 10 days in a variety of religious and study opportunities. Some of these include religious intensive weekends, the week long celebrations of Wep Ronpet or Kemetic New Year's Day (early August), fellowship events, and more.[4]

 
The Truth and the Mother, the main shrine of Kemetic Orthodoxy

The Truth and the Mother Shrine is the main state shrine of the followers of the Kemetic Orthodox Religion. Included and associated with this shrine are a variety of individual and group deity shrines, the Akhu shrine, the Nisut shrine, and more. These shrines often rotate through the year based on current festivals and the needs of the membership. The Truth and the Mother Shrine is also linked to various priest shrines around the world.[4]

The Imhotep Kemetic Orthodox Seminary is, like all seminaries, a school devoted to the theological study of a particular religion, in this case, the Kemetic Orthodox religion. It offers introductory and intermediate classes in the Middle Egyptian language, as well as a course in Kemetic protective magic, known as Sau. These courses are optional for all members of the faith. Other courses may be offered on an irregular basis as well.[21]

The Udjat Foundation is non-profit organization dedicated specifically to children’s causes. The foundation acts primarily as a fund-raising group for other organizations.[22]

Kemetic Orthodoxy and other religions

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Kemetic Orthodoxy does not have any official relationship with any other religions. A number of religious leaders have met with various leaders of the Kemetic Orthodox religion, both formally and informally, since its inception in 1988. Kemetic Orthodoxy was represented at the Parliament of World Religions in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999. There are also some modern Kemetic groups, many of which are now defunct, which have splintered off from Kemetic Orthodoxy[23]

References and Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Krogh & Pillifant 2004, p. 168. Cite error: The named reference "KP168" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ Krogh & Pillifant 2004, p. 174.
  3. ^ a b Kemet.org Terms List.
  4. ^ a b c d Tawy House Website.
  5. ^ a b c Krogh & Pillifant 2004, p. 173.
  6. ^ Krogh & Pillifant 2004, pp. 169-170.
  7. ^ Krogh & Pillifant 2004, p. 170.
  8. ^ David 2002, p. 83.
  9. ^ David 2002, pp. 130-133.
  10. ^ a b Dawson & Cowan 2004, p. 214. Cite error: The named reference "DC214" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ Dawson & Cowan 2004, pp. 206-207.
  12. ^ Siuda 2005, p. 17.
  13. ^ Dawson & Cowan 2004, p. 214-215.
  14. ^ Dawson & Cowan 2004, p.209.
  15. ^ a b c Dawson & Cowan 2004, p.212. Cite error: The named reference "DC212" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  16. ^ Dawson & Cowan 2004, p. 215.
  17. ^ a b Krogh & Pillifant 2004, p. 171.
  18. ^ Kemetic Orthodox Priesthood: Q&A Part 1
  19. ^ David 2002, p. 198-203.
  20. ^ Siuda, Tamara. "Letters from the Nisut - An Impromptu Survey". The House of Netjer. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  21. ^ Imhotep Kemetic Orthodox Seminary
  22. ^ The Udjat Foundation
  23. ^ Dawson & Cowan 2004, p. 216.

Offline References

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Kemetic Orthodoxy

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  • Dawson, Lorne & Cowan, Douglas. Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet. Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0415970210
  • Krogh, Marilyn. & Pillifant, Brooke Ashley. "Kemetic Orthodoxy: Ancient Egyptian Religion on the Internet: A Research Note." Sociology of Religion 65.2(2004): 167-175.
  • Siuda, Tamara L. The Ancient Egyptian Prayerbook. Azrael, 2005. ISBN 1-894981-04-9

Ancient Egyptian Religion

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David, Rosalie. Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt Penguin, 2002.

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Category:Kemetism Category:Modern paganism in the United States

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