For my BA dissertation I’m writing about Meretneith, Queen of Egypt, who you may know better as Sekeeta, heroine of Joan Grant’s “Winged Pharaoh”. I’m interested in how Kemetic folk see the book, maybe as an inspiration (maybe you hate it). Seems to me it’s had a substantial effect on all modern Pagan concepts of reincarnation. Any thoughts or ideas you have would be appreciated below (or message me if you want to write something substantial).
It’s good to see you Rufus.
I haven’t read that book myself.
As well as posting on this forum, you could try asking other Kemetic forums/Facebook pages of you haven’t already. I hope you find someone who has read it and can comment!
Thanks LittleIbis. Do you have any recommendations? (I’m not a member of anything else, desides FoI)
Do Kemetics generally believe in reincarnation? If so, presumably think ancient Egyptians did so too. But on the basis of what texts etc? The ‘scholarly’ view entirely rejects the concept, maintaining what I think is a daft idea that ‘afterlife’ positively required an intact corpse…
You could try Kemetic Reform or Neos Alexandria/ Bibliotheca Alexandrina on Facebook. You could also try finding your local Egyptology Society or the closest one to you by searching on Google. My local one also has a Facebook page.
I don’t believe in reincarnation myself and I haven’t found any original ancient Egyptian sources that do mention this (so far anyway). The only original sources I’ve seen about death point to an afterlife or suffering oblivion depending on a person’s actions in this life.
It may be that Kemetics who do believe in reincarnation combine Kemeticism with other spiritualities or pantheons. Either that or build on ancient Egyptian views of regeneration and cycles in this life and the afterlife.
I did see a recent article about mummification recently, which presented a new scholarly view of ancient Egyptian mummification: Ancient Egyptian mummification was never intended to preserve bodies, new exhibit reveals | Live Science
Ancient Egypt lasted for thousands of years and views about the afterlife did change in some ways. Like everywhere else, I’m sure individuals would have had their own views.
Creation myths differed depending on the temple and location. Perhaps views of the afterlife were similarly different depending on where they originated.
I’ve never read that book but I do believe in the possibility of reincarnation within the Kemetic belief system. It is my personal belief that the many aspects of the soul make it possible for an aspect of a person to live on as a ghost, to have a spark of the self reincarnated, and to enter the duat simultaneously.
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The ‘scholarly’ view entirely rejects the concept, maintaining what I think is a daft idea that ‘afterlife’ positively required an intact corpse…
I think that this ancient Kemetic text has something to say on this…
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/literature/authorspchb.html
(from a ‘scholarly’ source)
Thanks Sem. I also find that idea daft. In fact, wondering whether it might be possible to focus an MA thesis on that and associated themes that standard Egyptology claims as ‘belief’.
The document is helpful too, good to have transliteration. I learnt Middle Egyptian precisely because I don’t trust what the ‘great men’ tell me!
Blessings
Rufus
Sadly the original is rather fragmented, and in need of restoration.