Now, I know religion can be a touchy subject for some, and for those who are Pagan of some sort, it can be a subject they are unwilling to talk about due to a fear of harrassment. I get it. However, I don’t think that can really justify the notion that all these little pagan groups need to cut themselves off from anyone who doesn’t agree with them, as if somehow an alternative experience or view point might be the cause of the apocalypse.

‘They’re just a troll, ignore them’. I find this excuse somewhat pathetic. Sure, some might be genuine trolls, and fair enough, if they’re genuine trolls, so be it. But if it’s more of an issue of someone saying something you don’t like, or maybe expressing a belief that’s not necessarily one you hold, I am not inclined to call troll. I don’t think cutting yourself off from alternative perspectives helps anyone, and I think it gives the perception of a closed community, one that is conformist and not accepting of differing views.

This is something that irritates the shit out of me. Just because they don’t see your God in the same way doesn’t mean their experience is any less valid. It just causes animosity and frustration and the sort of energy that says ‘you should conform to the way we see the Gods’.

As an example, one argument I remember seeing over and over again on a certain pagan forum was the whole Aset/Isis debate about whether They were separate Gods or not. (Don’t get me started on it; I am sick of these kinds of arguments.) I could also lump into this all the other threads about experiences with varying Gods and who It might be and such. There were times when people were told it can’t be X because X doesn’t appear/behave/talk/etc that way (with or without ín my opinion’ disclaimer).

I just… Gods are not so simple. We experience Them in ways that we will understand. It’s a very personal and individual relationship. The face They show me might not be the same face They show another. Who are we to say whose experience is invalid because their experience with a certain God doesn’t add up to the way you see Them? They’re not characters from a TV show. They’re Gods, ffs. Get some perspective. >.<

I also think it’s rather dangerous to immediately dismiss someone who’s had a different experience than you. It can lead to isolationism and a definite fear of Others who think differently. You can say you’re protecting yourself from abuse, but it’s a hollow excuse and I don’t buy it.

Djehuty once told me that wisdom can be found anywhere. I agree with Him, and I appreciate the freedom both He and Sobek have given me to explore my own spirituality wherever I happen to wander to.

Learning about another faith, or even talking to someone who believes different things to you, can teach you shitloads about your own faith, and I think that’s far better than running away or outright ignoring someone because someone says something that doesn’t agree with your view of X.

You can’t grow spiritually if you don’t question your own faith and occasionally hear stuff you don’t like. Spirituality is not supposed to be easy. Challenges build you up and strengthen your character, and your own beliefs. Seeing something in a different light can often be what you need to grow, even if it goes against what you currently believe. If it hurts, so be it. Earn your faith, don’t just accept it and expect it to remain unchanged, as if you’re merely babysitting an electronic pet. Take the hits, deal with the consequences, and perhaps there’d be more understanding between differing groups rather than bitching and animosity.

So says me, apparently channeling Set. >.<

There. I’m done now.

Shrine set up for Aset Luminous 2009

Hail to You, Aset, Great of Magic!

Hail to You, Great Mother!

All praise to You now, in Your many Names,

As we light the way for You.

Mistress of Magic,

Embrace Your children,

May our prayers be heard across the world.

May You answer us, Great Mother.

May we serve You, Great Lady.

Light shines across the world,

Bright and shining like You, Aset.

You who makes the world tremble.

Great Lady, Great Mother, Great of Magic.

All Hail to You, Aset Webenut!

- by Your child, 5/7/09

Anyway. A re-intro for everyone, since the last was eaten. I am Sobekemiti, a Kemetic Orthodox Shemu and eclectic Pagan. I’m 25 years old, live in Australia, and adore cats. (And crocodiles, adds Sobek.) I was divined three years ago as a child of Sobek, and a Beloved of Heru-sa-Aset, Aset, Djehuty and Wepwawet. I also have a soft spot for Bast(-Mut), who has taken to guarding my altar. I was named Sobekemiti, which means ‘Sobek is my Daddy.’

I also have another name, IbDjehuty, which was given to me before my divination by Djehuty in a dream. It means ‘Djehuty’s heart’. In Kemetic thought, the heart was the seat of intelligence, the brain, the heart, the imagination, the mind. I am somehow not surprised Djehuty ‘owns’ my heart, and I have often drawn Him with an ib hieroglyph to represent this.

My spirituality is rather diverse. I am not only Kemetic Orthodox, but also eclectic Pagan. I tend to follow my own path and don’t limit myself to one pantheon/religion/spirituality. The sheer diversity of religions and faiths and spiritual practices all across the world fascinate me. They’re all expressions of humans searching for meaning, in all sorts of different contexts.

I think this is why my spirituality is so diverse, and draws from not just Kemetic thought, but from Hinduism, Discordianism, Qaballah, Shinto, and others. I seek wisdom, wherever it might lead or come from. Sobek and Djehuty seem to encourage me in this. After all, it was Djehuty who told me to talk to Ganesha, that I could learn a lot from Him. And so, my altar evolves.

In my room, I have two altars, one formal one I use for formal worship, and a second, higher up, that serves as an informal one and tends to house all the stuff I don’t keep on my formal shrine. So it has the other Kemetic statues I have, and other trinkets and such. Important shrine stuff that doesn’t necessarily need to be on my formal altar. Because I am fastideously minimalist when it comes to altars. I don’t like much clutter; it gets in the way of ritual.

I used to keep my Daddy and Beloveds on my altar, but it’s evolved since then. It more properly represents the diversity of my beliefs and practices. Instead of having icons of Sobek, Heru-sa, Aset, Djehuty and Wepwa, it now has icons of Djehuty, winged Aset, Ganesha and Kwan Yin. Also, at some point, I’m going to make hand prints on there, similar to those found on cave walls and such, because the imprint of a hand, reaching out to touch the Gods, is so incredibly profound for me that I can’t not have such an image on my own altar. When the weather’s warmer, I’ll get it done.

It helps that Sobek and Heru-sa have come to an agreement in which They don’t seem to mind where They are, as long as They’re next to each other. Their closeness is something I knew about from the moment I was divined, and am still figuring out. (Hemet (AUS) wasn’t sure if I was a child of Heru-sa or Sobek and had to argue with the divination, but no, I was a child of Sobek; Heru-sa’s just really close to me, and to Daddy, it seems.) I find it rather touching that They’re so close. When I went to move Them to my informal shrine, there was a strong sense of not wanting to be separated. They didn’t want to be on other sides of the shrine, so now They sit together and seem perfectly content to do so.

It has mainly been Sobek and Djehuty who have allowed my spirituality to branch out the way it has. As Daddy keeps reminding me, He’s always there, watching over me, no matter where I look for wisdom. Truth is everywhere; there is more than one Truth.

A lot of this stems from my intense desire not to be told what to believe. So I tend to look for things myself, rather than just accept what someone or some group tells me. Yes, I have issues with organised religion. But I think I am better off looking myself anyway. I have more fun looking in all sorts of nooks and crannies for something other people might miss. Indeed, there are times when I envy the … certainty, for lack of a better word, of those who only find one religion calling to them. Then again, I wouldn’t swap my spirituality for anything. Everything makes my life complete, from the gentleness of Kwan Yin to the sternness of Aset to the cuddles from Sobek. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Well, I did always say I wanted to reorganise this place. I suppose I have my chance now. XD I might even get that rewriting done, like I’ve been promising for years. XD

Anyway. Uh. Bear with me. I’ll try and get some of the content back as soon as possible, in between work, engagement parties and generally sleeping off my exhaustion.