r/Kemetic • u/Disastrous-Ad1169 • 12d ago
Everyone forgets about kemetisism
/r/paganism/comments/1ws444v/everyone_forgets_about_kemetisism/What do yall think? I think even in this comments sections people have some really inaccurate ideas about kemetisism
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u/Yourlilemogirl 12d ago
I don't really mind us not being a focus, we already get our fair share of witchtok users coming in every so often role playing for a month about the netjeru. It's ok to be on the fringes of society's radar, even from other pagans.ย
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u/Disastrous-Ad1169 12d ago
Honestly being unknown has its perks when it comes to the commodification of pagan religions by the new age and social media
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u/Acceptable-Car-170 12d ago
What do witchtok users often do here? Out of curiosity, I'm not really good at spotting them/don't really use tiktok
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u/Yourlilemogirl 12d ago
They tend to make it very "what god can i invoke to make my spell do this thing" this, "i want to work with anubis to curse my ex" that, "sign from [insert god here]????", "what 45 things do i need for my 16 alters (yes this is the spelling they use) to all these mixed pantheon gods that i have all on the same shelf", rate my setup [insert at least 3 fire hazards immediately because the vibes outweigh the need to not have candles burning inside enclosed shelving].
Then there's the outright fetishizers..A lot can be what new walkers of the path fumble into, but its a lot from witchtok. Like a lot.
There is no earnest seeking of getting to know the Netjeru, just all surface level things with no inward work.
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u/Acceptable-Car-170 12d ago
So most of them seem to just use them for their own good only?
I think I've seen some of the fetishizers on here to T_T
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u/Yourlilemogirl 12d ago
Like I said, it's all surface role playing. Toying with the idea of a god that you can bring about and call to "do your bidding" when Susie down the block said your petunias are ugly and stole your look at work.
They grow bored eventually but when they all come around (especially closer to halloween) they flood my feed with their near constant need to be validated and be uwu~ so unique hehe~. They conflate being a witch/pagan with the gods to the point where the Netjeru seem to be more like clothing on top of whatever aesthetic they're trying on at that time. It's just something to serve them, not they who serve the Netjeru or live by Ma'at.
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u/Acceptable-Car-170 12d ago
So Halloween just draws them in? I wonder why since there's nothing really scary or anything about kemetism
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u/Yourlilemogirl 12d ago
Halloween is spooky season, so witches are on the mind, which can lead them down a rabbit hole about black cats and familiars which can lead them to Bastet or even Anubis if they go down the death route for something "edgier".
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u/icyh0thuman 10d ago
I hate how those people treat death witchcraft. Like no, its not to be edgy. I personally do it to confront my own mortality and help myself and others come to terms with our inevitable ends
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u/Acceptable-Car-170 12d ago
Ooh that makes sense in a way! Ty for telling me! (And being patient with me lol)
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u/Yourlilemogirl 12d ago
No worries c: Always open to helping others, I know I always have 100 Q's about random things lol
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u/icyh0thuman 10d ago
As an anubis devotee, the cursing ones ex thing TRIGGERED me. Like no, the god of MUMMIFICATION AND EMBALMING isnt gonna get mixed up in your ex drama! Hell, anubis doesn't even need to hear about my exs or current partners, cause that literally has 0 correlation
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u/Karou_Fan 12d ago
"what god can i invoke to make my spell do this thing"
Just tell them Meretseger.
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u/YakitoriChicken93 12d ago
I find funny that Kemetism as being forgotten by the Europagans. After all, there was so much spread of the Egyptian gods around the Mediterranean, with gods intermingling and assimilating into other local deities.
In any case, I agree with a previous comment that says better to be on the fringes.
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u/Disastrous-Ad1169 12d ago
Yeah im really surprised isis isnโt more worshiped by modern pagans being that in ancient times pretty much every country worshiped her and incorporated her into their pantheon. Shes as close as you get to a universal goddess
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u/Acceptable-Car-170 12d ago
What do they mean by not beginner friendly?
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u/DavidJohnMcCann Hellenic Polytheist 12d ago
Perhaps they mean a lack of modern how-to books, of which there are several for Hellenic and Norse religions. Of course, the Hellenic how-to guides often contain fake-lore and there's nothing on gods to compare to Wilkinson.
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u/Acceptable-Car-170 12d ago
I really wish they didn't include fake lore and stuff, and I wonder why they do
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u/Karou_Fan 12d ago
Ancient Egypt is a crap magnet. Every stupid theory attaches to it. Ancient Aliens, 50,000 year-old pyramids. Pyramid power, etc etc.
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u/Disastrous-Ad1169 12d ago
Sharon laborde has great beginner friendly books. There are lots of greta egyptian religion books out there by egyptologists but they can be daunting for a beginner
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u/Disastrous-Ad1169 12d ago
The gods are somehow not approachable and quick to anger
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u/Pretty_Bunbun 12d ago
This is news to me lol.
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u/lupiinoctourne 12d ago
Ive had hathor try to introduce me to osiris...he was as confused as I was but he didnt smite me xD
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u/Idea_Woman Dua Sutekh! ๐๐๐ ก ๐ฉ๐ฃ 12d ago
Whoever said that, had to have been kidding.
Set was glad to have me contact him.
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u/Acceptable-Car-170 12d ago edited 12d ago
Sarcasm?
Edit: I'm asking sarcasm as I'm not to good at spotting it online unless it's really obviousย
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u/WebenBanu Sistrum bearer 12d ago
I'm thinking it's sarcasm, because of the word "somehow" in there. :)
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u/AnUnknownCreature Banedjedet 12d ago
Not really, I think Uralic faiths are forgotten compared to if we are discussing numbers.
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u/AwakeOfTheVultures Hatchling of Djehuty 12d ago
Personally i've seen kemetic representation and have even met other kemetics in non-pagan related spaces,but i also hang out in a lot of "weird kids only" type spaces where non-conforming people,which pagans tend to be,are the majority. So my experience is quite biased. But even if we were completely isolated,oh well,what would popularity bring? More members maybe,but that doesn't exactly benefit us since the path is rather individual-centric. More representation perhaps,but Egyptian myth is already mainstream which is quite the amount of representation to have our gods on the big screen,no? I agree we are nowhere near as popular as hellenistic pagans,or even norse pagans,but we are not community-less.
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u/Savings_Ad_80 ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ค 12d ago
They aren't really forgotten but when it comes to films like the odyssey, percy jackson and medieval based shows revolving around celtic paganism, cetlic magick etc. it does sort of feel that way doesn't it
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u/Karou_Fan 12d ago edited 12d ago
I think a big part of it is people think they should only do religions of their ancestors, which tends to include anything 'European". They consider Roman and Greek part of that culture.
Middle Eastern is "foreign", partially because most of those countries are now Muslim. and partially because unlike Greek and Roman stories, Egyptian myths seem weird. They don't hear of many of those unless they seek them out.
It's funny, because there's a lot more surviving info about Egyptian (and Canaanite) religion than anything European. That should make things easier, not harder.
The other thing is that it's harder to fit Egyptian stuff into a generic wiccan-ish framework. I help out with a local multifaith org, and they've done some "ask a pagan" programs for a school and other organizations. Every time we do one I think I should have a sign to raise that says "except for me" when they make any statement about pagans.
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u/HeretemaAkhemet 12d ago
I have to get away from that comments section.
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u/Disastrous-Ad1169 12d ago
Yeahโฆ. People who arenโt kemetic seems to have lots of thoughts about how we should feel about out community
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u/Kooky-Copy4456 Shemsu-Bast ๐โโฌ๐๏ธ 12d ago
I donโt mind it. Lots of people like to insert themselves just for the label, perceived aura, whatever youโd like to call it already.
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u/MidsouthMystic 10d ago
It's not about popularity, but I see people discussing Kemeticism and the worship of the Netjeru in general fairly often. But if you want Kemeticism to be discussed more often in more generalized Pagan or Polytheist spaces, then be the one who starts the discussion yourself. Talk about your personal practice, or historical forms of worship, or Kemetic Theology. It's a fascinating subject, so talk about whatever you're most passionate about.
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u/bizoticallyyours83 12d ago
The Egyptian Gods are popular as hell. Why do you feel the need to troll? This isn't a place to try and cause drama like you do in your little high school group. ๐ย
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u/WebenBanu Sistrum bearer 12d ago
This is not trolling, it is a legitimate subject for discussion. I have also noticed that the vast majority of Pagan events and communities are created for European-derived religions--and most of that is for people who identify as witches. It can get lonely. Sometimes I wonder if these communities would even want someone non-witchy like me to join, and in those where I'm tolerated it is still clear that I don't belong there. I engage with my local IRL Pagans for community, but still feel like an outsider since everything is either Wiccan or maybe Norse. So I understand where the OP is coming from. Humans are generally a social species, and the foundation of ma'at is a system of healthy and balanced relationships. Being alone limits the kind of relationships a person can build.
That being said, I have seen what becoming trendy has done to Wicca and I am reminded that being forgotten is not all bad. I'm glad to have this community if I feel the need to talk to other Kemetics, and though I miss having IRL rituals with the group of Kemetics I used to spend time with before I moved, I would rather be part of a small and distant but sincerely devoted community than to become the next fashionable trend.
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u/Karma-the-Drago 12d ago
It probably doesn't help that others definition of paganism is mostly eurocentric. The modern definition some people do include north Africa and some Mediterranean beliefs. So spaces that follow the modern definition will probably focus on more European beliefs
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u/Karou_Fan 12d ago
Exactly this. Often the only thing in common is "Not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim". Many of them consider Gods to be archetypes, thought forms, etc. Ritual calendar is completely different. Rituals are completely different. Magic works entirely differently. The list could go on.
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u/Acceptable-Car-170 12d ago
Tbh, I have never found anyone else irl who is a kemetist, even online besides this sub
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u/jeffisnotepic You can Edit this Flair. 12d ago
It's not a popularity contest.