Iāve defo still got a bit of a Christian slant on how I expect a deity/principles to beā¦
A perfect deity and the 10 Commandmentsā¦ Aka perfection and rules!
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Seshat- does anyone have any experiences of this deity?
Even though Iāve spent quite a bit of time with her, she still seems a bit mysterious and the same goes for what we know about her. There are different interpretations of the symbol above her head and her link to 7 horns is a bit mysterious.
She has a strong link with Thoth and a shrine at his temple in Ancient Egypt, but hasnāt had any temples of her own and only one recorded priest we know about from ancient times.
My experience is that she is helpful and listens with a sympathetic ear and she seems pretty laid-back, but maybe thatās just my experience. She doesnāt speak much, but the little she does is very helpful. Iāve found that at times, that Thoth is sometimes silent on a subject and letās Seshat assist me instead.
Sometimes I find what she seems to be saying is clear and other times not so clear. For example, spending time with her I keep seeing a herb garden and a sacred pool, which Iāve mentioned before. I have tried the visualise the space at other times, but I donāt think Iām very good at it! The only clear thing seemed to be in a leopard print top and I can see the texture too. However, I donāt really know how that connects with me!
Iāve been looking her up online, but thereās only so far I can go before I get to āwe donāt knowā. Her role in the Old Kingdom seems to be stronger, but we donāt know much at all from that time.
Well, spending more time with Djehuty and Seshat, I think Iām getting the vibe that another inspiration for learning is the transition through death and perhaps thatās what the leopard skin s hinting at. Both deities have a roles in that transition. Perhaps the āBook of the deadā is a good place to start? I gather The Book of the Dead is better to read in specific parts rather than cover to cover.
I have been avoiding what I see as a not so cheery subject.
Any recommendations on a good translation of The Book of the Dead to add to my growing collection of books? 
I feel dirty recommending Budge but that is the only copy I have. I do have Faulknerās Pyramid Texts and if there was a BoD version of that I would go with that.
Thanks. Iāll give Budge a go! I know online not everyone gets on with that version, but somewhere to start and I imagine cheap!
Whatās BoD?
Coolā¦
You know you will kick yourselfā¦ (B)ook (o)f the (D)eadā¦
Oh! Haha! thanks 
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Praise to Thoth, the son of Amun-Re,
the Moon beautiful in his rising,
lord of bright appearings who illumines the gods.
Hail to thee, Moon, Thoth, Bull of Heliopolis,
who spreads out the seat of the gods,
who knows their mysteries,
who establishes their commands;
he who sifts evidence,
who makes the evil deed rise up against the doer,
who judges all men.
Let us praise Thoth, the exact plummet of the balance,
from whom evil flees,
who accepts him who avoids evil,
the Vizier who gives judgement,
who vanquishes crime,
who recalls all that is forgotten,
the remembrancer of time and eternity,
who proclaims the hours of the night,
whose words abide for ever.
Pharaoh ~Horemheb 18th Dynasty (circa 1300 BCE)
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The High Priest of Thoth Petosiris
This high priest is said to have lived around the first Persian invasion of Egypt.
You can read an autobiography from his tomb here:
This website discusses the dating of his tomb. If you scroll down it also discusses his autobiography mentioned above:
I find it interesting that he was living in a period where he had to rebuild Thothās temple in Hermopolis and would have recruited priests from the lower classes. It is said that he returned from exile while other priests didnāt, so he had to start from scratch as it were.
I was on the water of Khmunās lord since my birth,
I had all his plans in my heart.
[He] chose me to administer his temple,
Knowing I respected him in my heart.
I spent seven years as controller for this god,
Administering his endowment without fault being found, While the Ruler-of-foreign-lands was Protector in Egypt, nothing was in its former place,
Since fighting had started inside Egypt, The South being in turmoil, the North in revolt;
The people walked with [head turned back (?)],
All temples were without their servants,
The priests fled, not knowing what was happening.
When I became controller for Thoth, lord of Khmun,
I put the temple of Thoth in its former condition.
I caused every rite to be as before,
Every priest (to serve) in his proper time.
At this time there were some other priests in Egypt doing the same for the other temples.
Perosiris was also priest for some goddesses and they had spaces in Thothās temple.
I built the house of the goddesses
Inside the house of Khmun,
Having found their house was old.
They dwell in the temple of Thoth, lord of Khmun,
āFestive chapel of the goddesses,ā people call it, Its face is turned east.
I built the house of Nehmetaway, [the one who-made-what-is (?)],
And the house of Hathor, lady of the sycamore of the south,
[The like of (?)] Nehmetaway, the mother of god.
I built them of fine white limestone,
Finished with all kinds of work,
I made these goddesses dwell there.
Thothās temple in Hermopolis
The tomb of Petosiris
Petosirisās tomb is said to include Egyptian, Greek and Persian influence, showing a mix of cultures in itās appearance.
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Food/drink offerings to Thoth.
From my experience so far, Iāve found he likes oranges, apples, figs, grapes, coffee, biscuits, cake, chocolate, Porters ale/other rich ales, orange and lotus flower green tea and usual beer, bread and water that seems to be a basis for all Netjeru (so Iāve read).
Iāve never offered meat though. Has anyone offered meat to Djehuty?
Iāve found that Seshat likes most of the same things. Not sure sheās a fan of porters or ruby ale though. I get the feeling that she likes sweet stuff like fruit yoghurts.
What do you offer Djehuty? Does anyone else offer to Seshat?
I have only offered to Him once (strange considering I am a writer and should be regularly bribing him lol). I was making tea and fancied a Bourbon biscuit. It occurred to me to invite Djehuty to share my afternoon treat. As I was getting the
packet out of the cupboard, a biscuit fell out and broke. I felt a voice in my head say āthat ones yoursā. I then had to get an unbroken biscuit out for Djehuty!
I wonder what sort of meat He would like? Logic says something mature and serious, like a nice bit of lamb or a steak. My gut instinct cries ācheeseburger!ā
EDIT: I just realised I told the biscuit story before so have deleted that post.
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Haha cheeseburger!
Maybe I can see him as a beef kind of deityā¦ 
Hi,
Just a quick message really.
Iāve found the below link about moon phases in the UK interesting. You can type in your postcode.
It also explains the mythology behind the names for certain moon phases. Iām yet to see a reference to Ancient Egyptian mythology, but itās still interesting!
If youāre interested in lunar deities, this could be helpful.
This new discovery just popped up on my news feed. The mummified Ibis even gets its own website!
I recently drew an Ibis using watercolour pencils. Thought it seemed appropriate to share it here today 
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Thatās cool, I also adore the ibis drawing!
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I was searching for Hermopolis on the internet and I came across a website for an eco village called āNew Hermopolisā in Egypt. How intriguing!
Unfortunately, I canāt find much information about the ancient Hermopolis (pronounced āKhemenuā in ancient Egyptian) that housed Djehutyās (Thothās) temple.
Has anyone been to āNew Hermopolisā?
The founder has also published a book, which I havenāt read, but itās on my list. This should provide insight into the reasons behind Dr Mervat Nasserās creation of the village: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Path-New-Hermopolis-History-Philosophy/dp/0995124507
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Looks intriguingā¦ āDo you believe in Thoth? My life with An Aimiable Ancient Egyptian Godā via the Oriental Institute:
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i missed the start, but this is absolutely wonderful.
very educational, at least for me.
referenced in the talk, and i hope some of us might find interesting and useful: https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/saoc54_4th.pdf
my reading for tomorrow morning 
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Thanks! I wasnāt able to watch the talk on the end, but Iām glad you benefited from it. I was hoping to get access to the talk after the live streaming, but I can see that it wasnāt saved on YouTube, which is a shame.
Thanks for sharing that document. Iāve downloaded this before and Iāve read some of it. I didnāt find it an easy read!
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