Slightly delayed this month, sorry. Apparently I’m highly allergic to some kind of plant pollen I encountered on Saturday. Earlier today I finally managed to do my ritual, and here is this moon’s message from Bast and Sekhmet:
Pay attention to the edges. To your boundaries, to political borders, to people at the margins. Defend and strengthen those boundary areas. In doing so, stay true to your own ethics; follow your heart’s pathway through ma’at. You may be tempted to take a short cut, and to choose the way that seems quickest and easiest, but that will not give you the best outcome. You feel frayed but you are not broken; you are much stronger than you believe. There will be more conflict along the way, more obstacles to surmount, but you can trust your inner resilience and knowledge to guide you. Reject the negative structures that bind you; claim your personal power and move forward.
The next Bright Moon is 11/12/19, so check back then! If you have a question you’d like me to ask Bast and Sekhmet, I take a limited number of personal requests each month. Send them via email (eyes.of.ra.oracle AT gmail DOT com). If you’d like to support the work I do and the shrine upkeep, you can do so on Ko-fi. Thanks for reading!
I’m still just completely in love with my new oil lamp, because I really feel like I get deeper into trance with the larger flame. That, combined with a few other small tweaks to my ritual, seem to be making the entire process easier for me, and I’m excited to see how this (Kemetic) year plays out. But without further ado, here’s this month’s message from Bast and Sekhmet!
As you embark on this new stage of your journey, you need to pay attention and keep your footing so you do not stumble and fall. There is chaos around you and behind you, but do not turn your head to look at battles that are not your own – their smoke will dissipate before it reaches you. We stand guard beside you. Gather your power and reach for your goals. Join in striving with others – you are brighter and stronger together. There is strength to be found in the shape of the Great Pyramid, and you will build your own monuments if you take the time to plan them properly. Keep the flame in your chest brightly burning! Indulge your passions and they will keep you warm.
I hope that helps, dear readers, and I hope you all manage to follow the advice as best you can. The next Bright Moon is October 13th!
I had some difficulties setting up the new oil lamp – the first attempted wick did not work as planned, but once I finally got it right and settled in, I felt their presence wash over me, their vessel. “Welcome back, child,” they greeted me, in reference to the renewal of my contract, completed as per my usual in a sacred bath.
Their message for us all on this, the first Bright Moon of the New Kemetic Year, is as follows:
You are free to abandon projects from last year that did not bear fruit. Try a new way, or try something completely new. But fore-planning will save you much grief. We Lionesses walk beside you, and even the Snake of Isfet fears our teeth, but A/p/e/p must be destroyed every year, every month, every day. Be guided by ma’at. Return to it in times of confusion and let it guide your actions. Start first by bringing your private life into balance with ma’at. Wepwawet is opening the ways for greater actions to come.
Left: Swirly bath bomb suds. I think this was a Tadaima Okaeri, from Lush? Right: My new oil lamp!!! With braided cotton wick. This was right as it started up, before I used fire scrying as my entryway to possessory trance.
Next Kemetic Bright Moon Ritual is: 9/ 14.
As a reminder, I take questions and requests for heka, blessings, and execrations. Those can be submitted through the tumblr e-shrine, or email them to: eyes.of.ra.oracle@ gmail.com. If you appreciate the work I do and want to support it continuing, I have a Ko-fi for donations!
So, I decided to stick to the dates I’ve been using since they hadn’t changed the last few years, and instead I’ll just be adjusting by looking up Sirius’s rising time every leap year. It’s much easier that way, since I use other dates in the Kemetic calendar (really, amalgamation of plural calendars) for other celebrations now, and there’s evidence that some of those plural calendars used leap days just like we do, tacked on to the beginning of the Epagomenal Days. It’s a good way for me to keep the secular calendar and my Kemetic calendar aligned.
The Wep Ronpet date, therefore, was August 7th, and my Epagomenal Days started on August 2nd, with Wesir (Osiris). As in previous years, I set up digital votive offerings on my tumblr e-shrine, and I also offered a glass of cool water. I then pulled a tarot card for a message from each of the deities.
Wesir (Osiris)’s message on Aug 2 was: 8 of Wands. Figure out what your goals are, and then go get them! The Netjeru have your back. Decide what you want to bring into being, and use this new year energy to make it happen!
Heru-Wer (Horus the Elder)’s message on Aug 3 was: 6 of Swords. Take advantage of this time of transition. Use it as a rite of passage. Leave things in the past that no longer serve you – you don’t need to take all your baggage forward with you.
Set (Seth)’s message on Aug 4 was: 6 of Cups. Reflect on your happy memories of the past year, and give some thought to your mom harmonious relationships. See if you can turn over a new leaf at Wep Ronpet.
Aset (Isis)’s message on Aug 5 was: Queen of Swords. Do not shy away from sharpness, when it serves you. Communicate clear expectations and boundaries, and hold them. Separate the truth from illusion, and uphold ma’at (justice/right living).
Nebthet (Nephthys)’s message on Aug 6 was: 2 of Pentacles, reversed. Take this new year as a chance to restructure your life, to reorganize your priorities, and to take stock of places you may be overcommitted. Too many commitments will lead to burnout. Find balance.
On Wep Ronpet, I did a red paper execration, where I wrote things I wished to be rid of on a piece of red paper, folded it into an origami snake, declared it to be A/p/e/p/, and then ritual destroyed it with blades and fire. (Scissor blades, if you must know, haha.)
After that, I offered a shot of chocolate dark beer to the Netjeru (all the gods) and opened the package that was waiting for me!
My shrine upgrade this year is this ancient-style ceramic oil lamp with red glaze that I commissioned from a friend-of-a-friend. It’s going to take the place of the (tiny) candle I’d been using in my Bright Moon rituals, and I’m so excited to use it later this month!
I’ve also set up a separate Ko-Fi for donations to my Shrine to Bast and Sekhmet, so I can more easily earmark funds and keep them separate from my business income. If you appreciate my Bright Moon Omens, or just want to help, check it out here!
As in previous months, I have done my oracular ritual and received a short message from Bast and Sekhmet. Here is what they said:
There is conflict coming, and you must prepare for it. You are not yet ready, and without preparation you may not achieve your objectives. So: train. Follow your passions to find the way you can join the fight. If you succeed, you will create abundance in your life and in the society around you.
This is the last Bright Moon until after Wep Ronpet 2019, so it sort of wraps up the Kemetic year. I’m using the same dates this year again (I’ve decided I’ll recalculate and adjust if necessary each secular leap year), so the Epagomenal Days start August 2nd, and continue in the following order:
Aug 2: Wesir (Osiris)
Aug 3: Heru-Wer (Horus the Elder)
Aug 4: Set (Seth)
Aug 5: Aset (Isis)
Aug 6: Nebthet (Nephthys)
Aug 7: Sopdet (Sothis) and WEP RONPET!!!
I’ll be doing my tumblr follow-along again, so wander over there if you’re interested, otherwise I’ll be blogging about the holiday after wards!
This Bright Moon’s message from Bast and Sekhmet, channeled as usual in my monthly ritual, is as follows:
“It is time to retreat, to turn inward. Find a place of respite or take what refuge you can, and be still for a moment. Rely on your support network for a time, and cultivate better self-respect and self-confidence. You are worthwhile. Your work is worthwhile. You may be over-committed, however – it is time to see which plans best serve you, which are in best alignment with your values and talents. Get your life back in order as best you can. Create order anew. You may need to delegate, or to hand off projects to others who are better suited to finish them. There is no shame in this. Do what needs to be done.”
For those of us who do yearly planning or yearly goals, June is usually a good time to reflect on the year so far, and adjust things as necessary. I’ll be doing so mid-year planning adjustment for sure. Hopefully this message is seen by those who need it.
The next Bright Moon is July 16, so look for another omen on or around then!
Yesterday was the full moon in Scorpio, and today I performed my oracular ritual to Bast and Sekhmet as I do every Bright Moon (or the days surrounding it). This time I also renewed a long-term spell jar that I created with their help, and I performed a small execration, asking for help overturning unjust laws. After those were complete, I asked for this month’s message, and received the following:
“Your current environment may seem a bit dangerous and bleak. Wealth and Power support each other and injustice seems to prevail – for now. There will come a turning point soon, and you must find a role that suits you and play your part. There is still much work to be done. We will strive together for satisfaction and well-being, and a positive resolution.”
As always, the closer your situation to my own, the more that message is likely to apply. But perhaps others will find a seed of inspiration in there as well.
Today for the full moon, as I have for the past few years, I performed my oracular ritual to Bast and Sekhmet, and came back with a message from Them, recounted below:
“This is a difficult point in time, but we are here beside you. Before order can be recreated, things must be upended. Chaos heals what slow progress cannot. There is not much you can do at the moment, in the microcosm, so take the time to rest and retreat to your place of safety and comfort. The chaos may bewilder you and cause you alarm, but it is still necessary. The balance will be restored in time, when accounts have been tallied and brought into accord.”
The past week has certainly felt chaotic to me, and I’ll be taking that advice as best I can. Bright Moon Blessings to all of you!
[If you are interested in supporting this specific part of my work, I accept shrine donations (to cover the cost of offerings, shrine box upgrades, and the like) on Ko-fi! My current goal is to get a small scented oil lamp, to use instead of the small candle I am currently using!]
This month we had a Supermoon on the full moon, and it was also the Spring Equinox here. The energy was running so high I had a hard time sleeping! Despite that I felt well enough the next day to do my ritual, though a family visit prevented me from writing it up right away. So here you are! This month’s message from Bast and Sekhmet is below.
You are seeking, and working towards, your heart’s desire, but you have not yet attained it. Do not doubt your worth because of your long struggle; it is part of the journey. The struggle is not who you are, but where you are. You are a being of unlimited potential, and you can find the freedom you crave to create the life you want if you continue forward down your path of discovery. Do not limit yourself – your circumstances are already doing that, but you can grow beyond that if you plant seeds now so that they will flower later. You are exhausted and overwhelmed and you may feel like giving up, but we are with you, and this spring is a new chance to rise to the challenges of your circumstances, and overcome them.
Hopefully this message will find those who need the encouragement. Keep going, friends. It will be worth it when you get there. Happy Spring!
Here’s this moon’s message from Bast and Sekhmet, Eyes of Ra:
A new cycle is beginning; you must prepare to sprout and then to bloom. You’ve been steadfastly waiting and praying for guidance, but you must make the decision alone. Any decision would be better than continuing to wait, but it is best to lean into your passions and go with the option that makes your heart-soul burn brightly. This may mean setting yourself apart from others, retreating into solitude for a time, as you stare into the gaping maw of your deepest Self. Things will come full circle.
As usual, the closer you are to me both physically and in practice, the more accurate this will be for you, but hopefully there’s a kernel of truth in there for everyone who reads it.
