The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

1). Control of thoughts

(2). Control of actions

(3). Devotion of purpose

(4). Have faith in the ability of [your] [teacher] to teach [you] the truth.

(5). Have faith in [yourself] to assimilate the truth

(6). Have faith in [themselves] to wield the truth

(7). Be free from resentment under the experience of persecution.

(8). Be free from resentment under the experience of wrong.

(9). Cultivate the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and

(10). Cultivate the ability to distinguish between the real and the unreal







Principles of MAÁT



KWELI (kway-lee) - Truth



The Truth opens the way (Njia) and is the first step in living Maat



HAKI (hah-kee) - Justice



Seek justice for the weak, as well as the strong, for the rich as well as the poor, to do otherwise is not the way of Maat.



ADABU (ah-dah-boo) - Propriety



Strive to do the best that you can at all times, remembering that good works and good deeds go hand in hand..



AMANI (ah-mahn-e) - Harmony



We are all a part of the whole and not apart from from the whole, and at all times we must strive to be at one with our surroundigns, such is the way of Maat



USAWA (oo-sah-wah) - Balance



Strive to maintain a balance, remembering that there are two sides to every story.



MAAGANO (mah-gah-nu) - Reciprocity



What goes around comes around, as we sow so shall we reap. This is Njia, the way of Maat.



KANUNI (kah-nue-nee) - Order



Strive to maintain order in our family, our community, our nation and our race.





(Concepts for Living in Balance)



1

I have not committed sin

2

I have not committed robbery with violence

3

I have not stolen

4

I have not slain men and women

5

I have not stolen food

6

I have not swindled offerings

7

I have not stolen from God

8

I have not told lies

9

I have not carried away food

10

I have not cursed

11

I have not closed my ears to truth

12

I have not committed adultery

13

I have not made anyone cry

14

I have not felt sorrow without reason

15

I have not assaulted anyone

16

I am not deceitful

17

I have not stolen anyone's land

18

I have not been an eavesdropper

19

I have not falsely accused anyone

20

I have not been angry without reason

21

I have not seduced anyone's wife

22

I have not polluted myself

23

I have not terrorized anyone

24

I have not disobeyed the law

25

I have not been excessively angry

26

I have not cursed God

27

I have not behaved with violence

28

I have not caused disruption of peace

29

I have not acted hastily or without thought

30

I have not overstepped my boundaries of concern

31

I have not exaggerated my words when speaking

32

I have not worked evil

33

I have not used evil thoughts, words or deeds

34

I have not polluted the water

35

I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly

36

I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deed

37

I have not placed myself on a pedestal

38

I have not stolen that which belongs to God

39

I have not stolen from or disrespected the deceased

40

I have not taken food from a child

41

I have not acted with insolence

42

I have not destroyed property belonging to God

In Ancient Kemet (what is today referred to Egypt, but the true name is Kemet), the Summer Solstice was the most important day of the year.

IT IS THEIR NEW YEAR. When the sun was highest (this is the quality that marks the ability to allow the sun to shine for the longest amount today), it meant that the Nile River was beginning to rise as well. The rising of the Nile River represented the soon to come floods which would feed and nourish the crops of the Nile Valley and feed a community. This time of the year was also marked as thE time when the solar deity, Heru OR HORUS as some know him, defeated the deity of darkness, Set. This defeat is thought to be linked to rebirth and resurrection, and with this order and fertility, hence the Nile floods come and restore life to the Nile Valley and the life of the crops bring continuous life to the Nile Valley people, and so on. This day is also the day of Ra, the embodiment of the Sun. There were also many rituals and ceremonies performed for Aset (Isis in English), the mother-goddess of the society.

The Story of

Sekhmet's Mid Summer Sun Celebration

by SophiaLinus@hotmail.com



Tonight we celebrate the halfway point between the Summer Solstice and the

Autumn Equinox. I call it ‘Mid Summer’ because the start of summer is the

Summer Solstice and the start of Autumn is the Autumn Equinox and this is

the mid point between the two, hence ‘Mid Summer‘.



In the northern hemisphere the ‘first harvest‘ is celebrated at this

midpoint. It is common ritual to bake special ceremonial breads to honor

the Gods and Goddesses.



The grinding of the grain represents the harvest and death (or transition),

adding sprouted wheat and yeast represents resurrection, and the consumption

of the food represents the cycles of nature and new life.



In Ancient Egypt the harvesting was over and this was the time of the

flooding of the Nile, the inundation, which fertilized the land.



This was also the start of the solar calendar, the Ancient Egyptian New Year

when Wep Renpet, one of the most sacred festivals, was celebrated.



The heliacal rise of Sirius just before dawn was an extremely important

event for the Ancient Egyptians. The heliacal rise of Sirius, which is now

August 1st, coincided with the flooding of the Nile, the inundation, which

fertilized the land. The occasion was seen as the start of the Egyptian

solar calendar.



The birthday of the gods were celebrated the last 5 days of the solar year

before the new year started.



The Ancient Egyptians had both a solar and lunar calendar. The first new

moon after the heliacal rising was the beginning of the lunar year.



The Ancient Egyptian first lunar month from August 5, 2005 to September 2,

2005 is Thoth. Sacred to Thoth, the ibis-headed moon God of truth, writing,

and figuring things.



Isis is the Greek name for the Egyptian Goddess Hathor. On many of the

pyramid and temple walls, Hathor and Sekhmet are referenced as being one and

the same Goddess. Sekhmet is also referenced with the Goddess Bast who is

sometimes portrayed as a black cat. Bast wears a green dress. Sekhmet

wears a red dress. The three Goddesses Sekhmet, Hathor, and Bast are

sometimes considered as different aspects of the same Goddess and all three

Goddesses have been portrayed with the face of a lioness.

The month of Thoth is Holy to Sekhmet/Hathor when the Festival of the Feast

of Lights of Hathor was celebrated.



There is evidence that indicates that this Festival is the true "Festival of

Intoxication." Strong evidence points to the myth recounting the

destruction of mankind as the basis for this festival. According to this

story, in order to end Sekhmet/Hathor's bloody rampage, Re tricked her into

drinking beer laced with mandrake and red ocher. He flooded Egypt with this

drugged beer. Sekhmet/Hathor, thinking it was blood, consumed so much of it

that she became drunk and passed out, and she lost interest in destroying

humanity. The yearly Inundation by the Nile, with its rich, red silt, is the

earthly re-enactment of this flood of beer. This feast of intoxication is

the ancient Egyptian's "October fest."



This Mid Summer ritual will honor three very powerful Ancient Egyptian

deities. The Goddess Sekhmet, her consort the God Ptah, and their son

Nefertem. They will be invited to join us for our ritual. We honor them

because this is near the time for Sekhmet’s celebration.



Other Goddesses invited will be:

North - earth - Goddess Uatchet,

East - fire - Goddess Bast

South - air - Goddess Nekhebet

West - water - Goddess Sekhet



In late dynastic times Sekhet and Bast were regarded as the Goddesses of

the West and the East respectively. Nekhe-bet and Uatchet were the

Goddesses of the South and the North respectively.



Each Goddess has been portrayed or shown as a woman with the face of a

lioness.



In this ritual in honor of Sekhmet we will be using Barley Bread and Red

Beer for Cakes and Ale. Non Alcoholic: The Red Beer consists of a Red Soda

and Root Beer.



Sekhmet is a Sun Goddess shown as a woman with the face of a Lioness. She

is the Eye of Ra. She is a Sun Goddess as well as the Goddess of

destruction, rebirth, and healing. She is called the Lady of the place of

the beginning of time. One who was before the Gods were. She holds an Ankh

in one hand and a Lotus Wand in the other; She wears a red dress.



Sekhmet's name and images can be found on the walls of the pyramids and

temples of Egypt. Her main temples were in the city of Memphis and was part

of the Divine Triad there, which was made up of Sekhmet, Ptah, and

Nefertem. There were also temples for her in Luxor and Abydos. The

creation story of Memphis has Sekhmet creating everything that Ptah thinks

and then speaks. All other Goddesses and Gods are created by Ptah and

Sekhmet as well as the world and everything in it.



Her Name is derived from the Egyptian word 'Sekhem', which means "power" or

"might".

The word 'sekhem' is literally inseparable from Sekhmet and Her worship.



The mantra Sa Sekhem Sahu can be chanted to balance and increase your inner

power.



Sa Sekhem Sahu is pronounced Sa (Sah) Sekhem (Say-Kem) Sahu (Sah-Hoo);



Sa means the breath of life; Sekhem means power or might; Sahu is the

realized human.



She is the Goddess of protection, medicine, child birth, destruction, death,

and rebirth. Sekhmet is also associated with war and divine vengeance.



Sekhmet's action is always the right, or 'appropriate action'. When She

destroys it is an appropriate destruction or vengeance. It is never chaotic

or random. It is always what is needed at the time. She removes threats

and punishes those who do wrong against Ma'at.



As a destroying element she plays the part of a power which protects the

good and annihilates the wicked. She is a protector for those who call on

Her for help.



She is generally depicted in the form of a woman with the head of a lioness

which is surmounted by the solar disk encircled by an uraeus, but sometimes

the disk is omitted, and a uraeus only is seen upon her head.



The God Ptah is the consort of Sekhmet and is shown (like Osiris/Horus) as a

man with a punt beard, wrapped up like a mummy, but with his hands free

which grip a great staff made up of the symbols for life, stability, and

power. Sometimes he wears a skullcap crown and stands on the hieroglyph for

Ma’at. He is the God of the second lunar month Paopi in the season of Akhet

(Inundation)



"Egypt" is a Greek corruption of the phrase "Het-Ka-Ptah," which means:

"House of the Spirit of Ptah.".



Nefertem is the son of Sekhmet and Ptah and is shown being born in a Lotus

Blossom. Sometimes he is shown as a man with the face of a Lion and a

warrior. He is also closely associated with healers and healing.



There is a story that has the God Ra sending forth Sekhmet to punish mankind

for disrespecting Him and repeatedly breaking the laws of the Goddess Ma'at.

Sekhmet is sent because there is no other Goddess or God that can right

the wrong of mankind against Ra and Ma‘at.. Sekhmet's punishment of mankind

becomes lethal and she goes on a feeding frenzy of blood. She is devouring

mankind. The other Goddesses and Gods were unable to stop her so the God

Thoth created a mixture with pomegranate juice, beer, and perhaps some

psychedelic substance that looked like human blood. When Sekhmet goes to

sleep they pour the mixture on the ground all around her. When she wakes

up, thinking that this is blood, she drinks the mixture and falls into a

stupor and passes out. When she awakes she is transformed back into the

peaceful Hathor. Some stories have her transform into the Goddess Bast.



Another tale has Sekhmet becoming angry with the God Ra and discouraged with

the people of Egypt, she goes south to Nubia taking all her abundance with

her. Leaving only the hot scorching sun. Nothing can grow and the heat

starts to devour everything. The God Ra sends the God Thoth to convince

Sekhmet to come back home and when she does things turn back to normal, the

inundation begins and there are again abundant harvests.



Here in the United States there is a Temple in Cactus Springs, Nevada

devoted to the Goddess Sekhmet. It was constructed by Genevieve Vaughn to

fulfill a twenty-seven year-old promise made to the Goddess Sekhmet when she

touched Her statue in a Temple in Egypt. She promised that if she got

pregnant she would build a temple for Her. And so she did.

Nearly every agricultural society has marked the high point of summer in some way, shape or form. On this date – usually around June 21 or 22 – the sun reaches its zenith in the sky. It is the longest day of the year, and the point at which the sun seems to just hang there without moving – in fact, the word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” The travels of the sun were marked and recorded. Stone circles such as Stonehenge were oriented to highlight the rising of the sun on the day of the summer solstice



Traveling the Heavens:

Although few primary sources are available detailing the practices of the ancient Celts, some information can be found in the chronicles kept by early Christian monks. Some of these writings, combined with surviving folklore, indicate that Midsummer was celebrated with hilltop bonfires and that it was a time to honor the space between earth and the heavens.



Fire and Water:

In addition to the polarity between land and sky, Litha is a time to find a balance between fire and water. According to Ceisiwr Serith, in his book The Pagan Family, European traditions celebrated this time of year by setting large wheels on fire and then rolling them down a hill into a body of water. He suggests that this may be because this is when the sun is at its strongest yet also the day at which it begins to weaken. Another possibility is that the water mitigates the heat of the sun, and subordinating the sun wheel to water may prevent drought.



Saxon Traditions:

When they arrived in the British Isles, the Saxon invaders brought with them the tradition of calling the month of June Aerra Litha. They marked Midsummer with huge bonfires that celebrated the power of the sun over darkness. For people in Scandinavian countries and in the farther reaches of the Northern hemisphere, Midsummer was very important. The nearly endless hours of light in June are a happy contrast to the constant darkness found six months later in the middle of winter.



Roman Festivals :

The Romans, who had a festival for anything and everything, celebrated this time as sacred to Juno, the wife of Jupiter and goddess of women and childbirth. She is also called Juno Luna and blesses women with the privilege of menstruation. The month of June was named for her, and because Juno was the patroness of marriage, her month remains an ever-popular time for weddings. This time of year was also sacred to Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The matrons of Rome entered her temple on Midsummer and made offerings of salted meal for eight days, in hopes that she would confer her blessings upon their homes.





Midsummer for Modern Pagans:

Litha has often been a source of contention among modern Pagan and Wiccan groups, because there's always been a question about whether or not Midsummer was truly celebrated by the ancients. While there's scholarly evidence to indicate that it was indeed observed, there were suggestions made by Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, that the solar festivals (the solstices and equinoxes) were actually added later and imported from the Middle East. Regardless of the origins, many modern Wiccans and Pagans do choose to celebrate Litha every year in June.



In some traditions, Litha is a time at which there is a battle between light and dark. The Oak King is seen as the ruler of the year between winter solstice and summer solstice, and the Holly King from summer to winter. At each solstice they battle for power, and while the Oak King may be in charge of things at the beginning of June, by the end of Midsummer he is defeated by the Holly King.



This is a time of year of brightness and warmth. Crops are growing in their fields with the heat of the sun, but may require water to keep them alive. The power of the sun at Midsummer is at its most potent, and the earth is fertile with the bounty of growing life.



For contemporary Wiccans and Pagans, this is a day of inner power and brightness. Find yourself a quiet spot and meditate on the darkness and the light both in the world and in your personal life. Celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year with fire and water, night and day, and other symbols of the triumph of light over darkness.



Litha is a great time to celebrate outdoors if you have children. Take them swimming or just turn on the sprinkler to run through, and then have a bonfire or barbeque at the end of the day. Let them stay up late to say goodnight to the sun, and celebrate nightfall with sparklers, storytelling, and music. This is also an ideal Sabbat to do some love magic or celebrate a handfasting, since June is the month of marriages and family.





http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/lithathesummersolstice/p/Litha_History.htm

"I will serve the Great Goddess, & give reverence to the Great God, I am a Pagan, A stone in the ancient circle, Standing firmly, Balanced on the earth, yet open to the winds of heaven, & enduring through time, May the old gods withness my words."







"Hearken as the witch's word calls to all, a gulf to ford. Bridge the vast realities. As ot harm none, do as ye please. Elements, protect and guard this book, from wandering eyes and prying looks. Fill it with thine ancient powers, in this right and ready hour. Powers of the north, the East below, help me to live, to learn, to grow. Lend your strngth and stability, to practice the Craft and with love be free. Powers of East, the winds, the sky, watch over these pages with thine eye. Your wisdom and knowledge, for these I do ask, that this book be worthy of the craft and its task. Powers of South, Fire, and hearth, help these Shadows to prove their worth. Infuse them with all yourhealing and passion, so only good comes from the work that is fashioned. Powers of West, the water and sea, change and growth are granted by thee. Bless these pages with all that see, confusing words and sophistry, lend them from these sacred pages, and bless their passage through the ages. For free will of all, and harm to none, as I have willed it, it is now done. So mote it be!".







Wraith of the house, take heart and live, to every chamber, this light I give, to every corner this breath I send, Approve and favor my willing hand."