An offering made Kemetic style

Well sort of Kemetic style anyway 🙂

A week and half ago I pledged an offering to the Egyptian Goddess known as Isis.  The details of why I did this are not important to this blog post. I had a slight problem though in that I had never made any offerings to any of the Egyptian deities and as a polytheist I wanted to do this in a manner fitting to what is known of the reconstructed Egyptian path referred to more properly as Kemetic.

First stage of preparation to fulfill my pledge was to do a bit of internet searching and reading.  I also asked for advice in the Glasgow Pagans facebook group and from a couple of individuals I know that are interested in or practicing a Kemetic path.

Key things I found out were that the ancient Kemetic name of the Goddess I had made this pledge to is Aset and that in the Kemetic path it is normal, and considered more polite, to consume any food or drink offerings you make.  That’s not something I am used to doing.  I’m more familiar with offerings being discarded after a suitable period of time once they have been dedicated.

From my limited general knowledge in Egyptian mythology I believe that the written word, especially when then spoken aloud, has a great deal of power.

Gradually I began to build up an idea of what I would do to fulfill the pledge I had made.  I decided to offer food and drink in the form of a meal using foods known to be important in ancient Egyptian times as well as things I felt would fit a special meal.  I also felt that while it would be fine to use the area I use for other devotions I should use a separate small table.

Today I fulfilled my pledge.  I purchased a couple of particularly nice seeded whole grain rolls and some maple and thyme hot smoked salmon.  I cleared and cleaned a small table to use and moved it to my shrine area and placed a flat pillow I use as a kneeling or meditation pad on the floor in front of it.  I went upstairs and changed into a lovely silk skirt I have and chose a jumper of a similar shade of blue to go with it.  Both items remind me of Lapis Lazuli and again I believe that colour and the gem stone had importance in ancient Egypt.

Before I began my meal preparations I lit a stick on Myrrh incense.  I then sat down and decided on the words I would use and wrote them down.  I placed the page on the small table and got the meal ready.  The meal consisted of the rolls I had purchased with the smoked salmon and five Medjool dates. I also made some peppermint tea in one of those  teapots with a single cup that I have.  I placed the plate, teapot and cup on the small table and knelt down before it.

After a short time in silent contemplation I spoke aloud the words I had chosen.  I then sat in silence for a little while and poured out a cup of the tea.

Mindfully I then began to eat and drink.

This experience of sharing a meal I had offered to a Goddess was something new and special to me.  I found it strangely relaxing.  I got the impression that those beings I usually hold devotions for were also interested in this process, in this different style of doing things and that they might wish to engage with me in this way themselves from time to time.

When I’d finished the meal I thanks Aset for this experience and then cleared everything away and changed back into the clothes I had been wearing before I started preparing.

 

These are the words I used to make the offering with names of those I was doing this for removed for privacy:

Hail Aset, Great of Heka, You who are known in the Redlands as Isis, Queen of Heaven!

I ask that you accept this bread, this fish, these dates and this mint tea as fulfillment of the pledge I made to you.

I offer this food and drink in thanksgiving for your protection over one who I believe holds you close to her heart. I know her as xxxxx,  Priestess, wife, mother, and friend of many.

I pledged an offering to you Mighty Aset and I ask that you accept this meal as fulfillment of that pledge.