What is ‘Kemet’?
The word “Kemet” was one word used by the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt to both name and describe their home land, a word that literally means “Black Land”. The name is derived from the rich, black, fertile soil left behind through the annual inundation of the Nile River. This was in contrast to Deshret, or “Red Land”, which spanned either side of the Nile river basin in reference to the vast deserts. Today, we use the term Kemet and its incarnations (Kemetic, Kemeticism, etc.) to reference “Ancient Egypt” as a whole (the land, the culture, the religion).
What is Kemeticism?
The word “Kemeticism” is a term often used as an umbrella for general Kemetic practice, though the word itself was coined in the mid 20th century to refer specifically to a pan-African movement; that being said, it has come to be more and more synonymous with general Kemetic practice hinging deeply on unbroken, ancient tradition, making it a useful and descriptive term.
Sometimes called Kemetic Polytheism, Kemetic Reconstructionism, or Kemetic Revivalism, Kemeticism is a rejuvenation of the spirituality, religion, beliefs, deities, and practices of Ancient Egypt, recreated and practiced today in the modern world. The core aspects of this include living by Ma’at (a moral concept which embodies balance, justice, and truth) and honoring the Gods.
This may emerge as a reconstruction (a direct recreation of all practices with little to no modification, in an attempt to create unbroken and powerful lineages to ancient practices), but may also include a balance linking powerful ancient roots with more modern inspired practice that fits more practically into today’s world. In some cases, some branches of Kemeticism — like Kemetic Orthodoxy — stand as their own, separate religion with their own inspired or invented practices, though still heavily guided by ancient sources and educated Egyptology.
I will reference this later in the document, but “The problem with antiquity, is that it was a very long time ago, and many of our sources are lost, missing, corrupt, damaged, or simply non-existent. As a result, modern-day Kemetic practitioners do our best with the evidence available to align ourselves with the roots of our spirituality, and this can differ as a result of the source material.” We must also keep in mind that quite a bit of the Ancient Egyptian religion in terms of ritual was in fact hidden away from the common people and also may vary wildly between territories. Most people in their day-to-date life would have no access to official temple life or ritual. Much of what survives in various locations comes from official monuments and focuses heavily on things like festivals, processions, and funerary rites, and as modern practitioners we are often needing to reconstruct a ‘Kemetic daily life’ that makes sense for us, people who are y and large common people and not priests.
This results in mixed elements of statehood ritual that is evolved for personal practice in ways you may not have seen during ancient periods; but, this is completely acceptable to most people (hard-reconstructionists aside), as we simply do not live in Ancient Egypt today. The idea that we could ever recreate everything exactly as it once was will logistically and logically always be out-of-reach to some degree.
Ultimately, at it’s heart, Kemeticism remains both in simplicity and complexity the revival in our hearts, minds, souls, our practice, and our very fiber of being, of the ways of the Ancient Egyptian religion as practiced in Antiquity, to the best of our ability, knowledge, and devotion.
What is Ma’at?
Ma’at is a concept found deeply embedded throughout Ancient Egyptian culture and religion. At its core, Ma’at represents a fundamental order and balance which governs all aspects of existence. It encompasses principles of truth, justice, harmony and balance, serving as a guide to maintaining cosmic equilibrium on every scale from personal to universal. In addition to being a concept, Ma’at is personified by the Goddess of the same name, who is often depicted with an ostrich feather on her head.
Ma’at also had practical implications throughout Egyptian society, running threads through levels of government, law, and interpersonal relationships, emphasizing the importance of fairness, honesty, and orderliness throughout society. The Pharaoh, as the earthly representative of the Gods, was tasked with upholding Ma’at to ensure prosperity and stability of the kingdom.
The idea of Ma’at was also firmly embedded in the afterlife process, where even today many people are acquainted with the story called the Weighing of the Heart. In this story and belief, the heart of the deceased was weighed against the feather of Ma’at on the scales of justice in the Hall of Judgment. If one’s heart was found to be lighter than the feather, indicating a life lived in accordance with the principles of Ma’at, the individual would proceed through to the afterlife; however, if the heart was heavier due to imbalance (eg: wrongdoing), it would be devoured by the waiting creature Ammit and condemned to oblivion (the soul would cease to exist).
It’s an interesting story, right? But it is important to remember there is a lot more to it than meets the eye, and it is critical to understand it within a greater context. While it can be quite easy to narrow-focus the story of the Weighing of the Heart itself as being literal and straightforward, you would miss out on the grander idea which speaks to a purification of the soul, because none of us — not a single one of us — is perfect. When one passes on, you will come face-to-face with the things you’ve done in this life, and you will also be faced with taking responsibility and understanding in your soul for what happened during your life, and why some things were out of balance with cosmic order and the principles of Ma’at. This type of acceptance and understanding is a necessary part to one’s journey: you cannot move on until you face your demons, and what that ‘facing of demons’ will look like will probably be different for everyone. While I do believe there is a level that perhaps cannot be purified (there will be those who simply cannot accept the state of what they’ve done) resulting in oblivion, I believe the majority of people would not fit into such a category. It is the exception, not the rule, and not something to be feared in everyday life.
This is not the idea of a Christian Hell, but rather a cautionary tale of taking responsibility for one’s own actions; an essential part of Ma’at.
Is Kemeticism a form of Paganism?
No. And… also yes.
In my opinion, Kemeticism should not be so easily synonymized with modern-day Paganism, though significant debate can follow any discussion of the term, and it is impossible to also ignore the historical transformation of the word over time and how it may (or may not) apply to Kemetic practice. For example, it broadly falls under the older ‘dictionary definition’ of Paganism which is often heavily linked to historical periods dominated by Abrahamic faiths and revolves around one either being Christian (or Jewish or Muslim), or not; for example:
A person who is not religious or whose religion is not Judaism, Islam, or especially Christianity (Myriam-Webster), or a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main or recognized religions (Oxford Languages)
For a long time, this was the primary definition of Paganism, though the roots of the word Pagan are certainly wider than this definition allows. The origin was co-opted heavily by Christianity throughout the years.
Initially, the word Pagan simply referred to someone who was a rural villager or civilian. Later, the word would be synonymous with Polytheistic belief by fourth-century Christians and beyond, used primarily in a derogatory fashion, particularly when entering the Middle Ages where its identification with worshippers of “false” gods continued to be enshrined. The word also became enshrined in the literary world in a less-than-positive light, being used to reference one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : a nonreligious hedonistic person (MW).
Initially, it is easy to see how this word can be a distasteful one, though there are normalizing elements to the word. In the modern-day evolution of the dictionary for example, you may now find expanded definitions, which include a person who practices a contemporary form of paganism (such as Wicca) (MW), or the more benign form of its early-Christian origin: follower of a polytheistic religion (MW) though this definition is less ancient than some people realize, having been more self-applied by practitioners of ancient traditions, starting only from about the 19th century.
Unfortunately, Myriam-Webster goes on to make notes that are somewhat bristling of synonymizing the word Pagan with Neo-Pagan, something which in my opinion should not be done — as as all things are, dictionary definitions should be taken in moderation and understood with additional study.
What is important to take away from the discussion of Paganism though is that the idea of Paganism was created by the Christian Church and that alone makes the word unsuitable for Kemetic practice. The word may have existed prior to that in other contexts, and the word may also have evolved somewhat in modern terms to be more accepting and acceptable; however, one must consider if palatizing the word out of convenience or identity is the correct course of action for every or any Polytheistic religion, Kemetic practice included. Again, I would say no, it is not appropriate in a formal setting, though even I do identify with the term in the broader informal realm of social media because honestly the word is inescapable today in finding like-minded community to associate with.
Kemeticism’s existence is completely independent of any other religions; as a result, it does not do Kemeticism justice to weigh it down with the baggage which comes from religions like Christianity, nor should it be forced into lockstep with modern traditions such as Wicca. Kemeticism is its own, stand-alone practice, with a beautiful, powerful culture and set of practices. It must be studied in-depth on its own to fully understand its spiritual depths.
In some cases, people today may mix Kemetic practice with other forms of spirituality, including more modern ones. Some forms of modern “Kemetic Paganism” may be inspired by ancient traditions, but I would caution in describing it as only “Kemeticism” for fear of confusing those who are interested in reconstruction or revival. As an example, Tameran or Kemetic/Egyptian Wicca is specifically a Wiccan path with Kemetic inspiration. Rituals of Kemetic Wicca are frequently Wiccan in nature, and not Kemetic in terms of history.
Ultimately, there will always be some overlap of elements when people are studying, and adopting the ways of Pharaonic Egypt will have similar roots, but it is important to have distinct terms which can be used to educate, as words have the power to inform, or the power to mislead.
Is Kemeticism witchcraft?
No.
But, we do have magic.
Kemetic practice has its own form of magic however, called Heka; still, Heka is not Witchcraft — Heka is Heka, and the idea of interjecting modern names on ancient concepts to call it a day is one of extreme distaste and disappointment. To be clear, that doesn’t mean anything for Witchcraft in and of itself — there’s nothing wrong with Witchcraft, and if you feel like combining Kemetic practice and Witchcraft, by all means, have at it. What this initial “no” means is simply that authentic Kemetic practice has not a single thing to do with Witchcraft, and vice versa.
To be concise, Heka is a morally-neutral magic streamlined through and within the body of the magician, strengthened through simile with the God of the same name (Heka) and through the God or Gods one chooses to follow, should they decide to support the practitioner’s petition for the use of Heka to begin with. Heka itself is thought to be the very energy by which the Cosmos is stitched together and sustained, channeled through a practitioner’s use in ritual to effect an eventual goal. As a result of the source, Heka can actually be seen as working the very energy of the Gods (as the highest forms of Creation we know of) and is extremely powerful by definition alone. Truly, even the Gods themselves were thought to be subject to Heka.
Please note the above definition is extremely rudimentary in its scope, as this is not an article on Heka itself. It’s important to understand that Heka is not a toy: it is a deep, serious religious topic rooted with rich cultural heritage that should necessitate at the very least some level of study and understanding of its practice.
While both modern and to some degree historical ideas of “witchcraft” may generate similarities to all magical practice (both non-Kemetic and Kemetic alike) due to core nature itself, it still remains true that not all magical practice is witchcraft.
I have come that I might take my seat, that I might receive my dignity, for to me belonged the universe before you gods had yet come into being. Descend, you who have come in the end! I am Heka. (Coffin Texts, Spell 261)
Polytheism
Polytheism is thankfully a much easier definition than Paganism, and that is simply the worship of more than one God. It can in its simplest form be compared and contrasted against any of the Big Three religions in their monotheistic (single-god) states.
There are two umbrella-term forms of Polytheism, both of which apply to Kemetic practice we will see in the world today: One is hard polytheism, and the other soft polytheism, with various words to describe each (there are in fact at least 3 dozen different ways to ‘be Polytheist’ which is beyond the scope of this introduction).
For myself, I come from a soft-polytheism path, with a Divinity structure being manifest in a concept of “The One and The Many”: One overarching force or Divinity (called Netjer [singular]) that is knowable to us through a multiplicity of forms, more commonly known as the Gods and Goddesses of ancient Egypt but referred to here as Netjeru [plural], or “Names of Netjer”. Historically, there is supporting evidence of this type of structure: the ancient Egyptians understood a concept of a Divinity as a whole which was represented by parts of that whole; however hard-polytheism — where the Netjeru (Gods/Goddesses) are entirely separate entities — is also practiced today, and as with much of ancient practice, there is also evidence of this in antiquity as well.
As quoted above, the problem with antiquity, is that it was a very long time ago, and many of our sources are lost, missing, corrupt, damaged, or simply non-existent. As a result, modern-day Kemetic practitioners do our best with the evidence available to align ourselves with the roots of our spirituality, and this can differ as a result of the source material. This does not make Hard and Soft polytheism incongruent with each other, nor does it make one ‘better’ than the other or one ‘invalid’ over the other; indeed, both are valid forms of worship today and were valid forms of worship in the ancient world.
Patron Gods: Yes or no?
Similarly, there may be distinctions between people who work with Patron Gods — a concept supported in antiquity — vs. those who do not. The God of one’s Nome in Ancient Egypt was a common structure, with a Nome being a certain area of land, such as a district or territory. Often in antiquity, these Nomes would have a specific God or Gods to which the local population would pray, offer, and worship; as well, individual households may also have their own Netjeru of importance.
In the modern world, we sometimes refer to this as Patron Gods, though the definition itself is much wider than it suggests. In general, a Patron God is deity who is the guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, person, territory, or space. States, cities, Nomes, temples, individual homes, and individual people can have a God who “owns their head”, as it were, and is the focus of daily ritual life. In modern Kemetic practice, it is quite common in fact for individual people to devote themselves to individual Netjeru, and the practice does have support throughout antiquity.
Unfortunately again in Kemetic practice you will find some level of infighting over the exact terminology and practice of Patronage, and again with specific branches of Kemeticism such as Kemetic Orthodoxy (which is its own religion, as previously stated), they may have their own system of implementation and support for the idea of Patron Gods.
The manner in which one ‘obtains’ a Patron deity can differ wildly. In many cases of modern practice, solo Kemetic practitioners will choose their own Patron God, and this can happen in many different ways. Others will state they have sensed a calling to one particular deity and will begin exploration through various methods of meditation, prayer, and ritual to flesh out that relationship. Finally, in what could be considered less-common cases, your Patron deity may be decided by the Netjeru themselves and communicated via a formalized process of either divination, ritual, Priesthood, or a combination of all the above. For my practice, and the purpose of this website, my spiritual life and the products of it are dedicated to my Patron God– the God Wepwawet — which was divined for me well over 2 decades ago.
While it is not uncommon to see those devoting themselves to one God, it is similarly not uncommon to see those who work with every Netjeru, given the season or reason for it. Much of the time, you will in fact find practitioners doing both.
Worshipping the God of your own person and space is certainly and easily congruent with calling upon any or all of the Netjeru for any given occasion.
Is or Was Kemeticism a Closed Practice
This is a common question that comes up a lot throughout our communities, and the answer is very simple: No, it was not. Anyone perpetuating the myth that it was a closed practice has unfortunately been misinformed.
Aside from some very specific initiation-only items, Kemetic practice was entirely open to anyone who wanted to honor those Gods. It was never culturally-closed, nor did it exclude individuals based on skin color, cultural background, social status, or other factors.
Egypt was in fact multicultural and open for thousands of years. As a result there is no reasonable way for people who know historical Egypt to say someone is prohibited from honoring those Gods themselves.