This is the last of the big liturgies that I am writing for Bast and Sekhmet as I wrap up my work for them, my oaths fulfilled. I’ve said before that I’m being released from their service, and while I will probably still post on tumblr for Wep Ronpet and reblog the occasional post, I expect this to be the last Kemetic blog post here.
I’ve done the sailing holiday a couple of different ways in the past, but after really digging into The Ancient Egyptian Daybook, a volume of research by Tamara L. Suida (of Kemetic Orthodoxy/House of Netjer) which includes information from a ton of ancient sources all gathered into one place, I decided to use a set of festivals with spring timing, and sort of condense them into four nights/four days (which ends up being five calendar days) in the early spring. Or, in the Kemetic calendar, IV month of Peret, days 1-5. Since the Kemetic calendar starts with the heliacal rise of Sirius heralding the new year, IV Peret generally starts the first week of March around here. On IV Peret 1 (March 7th) I celebrated the Feast of Ra and the Presentation of the Boat, and I wrote a prayer for the occasion:
FEAST-PRAYER TO RA FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE BOAT
Ra, Lord of the Sun!
Guardian of the Heavens, Ruler of the Netjeru!
Ra, Lord of the Horizon!
We call upon you,
Mighty in your glory as the sun sets!
Magnificent in your splendor as the sky fills with fire!
Each evening you descend to do battle with the forces of isfet,
And each morning you rise again, triumphant!Ra, your powerful Daughters,
Bast and Sekhmet: your Avenging Eyes,
They join you in the barque this night,
They join you sailing into the Duat.
We have prepared this boat for your going,
We have prepared this food and drink
For a feast before you embark.
We will revel as the sun sets!Great Ra, you will triumph during the night,
And in the morning we will search for your boat on the horizon,
As you and your Eye-Daughters sail in your boat to other places
As you three are honored and feasted again and again!Most Glorious Ra, in three days’ time
When you return on the boat with your Eye-Daughters
When you come back to this Temple with Bast and Sekhmet
We will welcome you back with more feasting and revels!
The “boat” I presented was a red origami boat, a votive offering, though the bread for the feast I baked from scratch! I offered that with a cup of red wine for the Feast of the Presentation of the Boat, and my family then ate the bread with dinner to revert the offering and receive the blessings.
My shrine, with a bread loaf that was tasty and gluten free but not very pretty, a cup of red wine, the statues of Bast and Sekhmet, and the Red Paper Boat.
After the feast, I covered my statues, to represent the goddesses leaving on the boat. For the next four mornings, I moved the boat to a new location in my shrine room, moving sunwise as it left the shrine and then on the last day, came closer. I’m posting this today in the morning, but tonight I’ll move the boat all the way back to the shrine, and remove the covering from my statues, to represent their return.
As I’ve also incorporated the historical holidays “Chewing Onions for Bast” and “Chewing Cucumbers for Sekhmet” into the return feast, tonight with dinner I’ll be making a cucumber salad with onions, goat cheese, fresh herbs, and a homemade vinaigrette dressing, and I’ll offer that along with more wine and the following prayer I wrote:
PRAYER FOR THE RETURN FEAST OF CUCUMBERS AND ONIONS
Eyes of Ra, Daughters of the Sun!
Great Ladies of the East and West!
We welcome you home to your temple,
Triumphantly returning as the sun sets!For four nights you have travelled on the solar barque
You have sailed with Ra into the Duat
At his side, as his Avengers and Protectors
You have fought isfet and you have been victorious!For four days you have sailed to other lands
To be welcomed and feasted by others
And now you return to your temple
And we will feast and revel this night!We have prepared food and drink for you;
We feast to celebrate your returning
Vegetables and cheese, herbs and vinegar,
We have made a special meal for this occasion.Bast, we chew onions for you!
Sekhmet we chew cucumbers for you!
Please feel free to use these prayers in your own practice! I just ask that you give me credit if you’re using them for a group ritual, and please don’t reproduce them elsewhere without a link. If you want to show your appreciation by tipping me, you can always Buy Me a Coffee!