Hello everyone, this is the Priest(tess) mentioned in Prince’s Kemetic guide about Set, here to compile my ideas for getting isfet and ma’at in some semblance of proper balance, at least in your immediate area, because it looks like the next couple months at least are going to be a riot.
Disclaimer: I’m neither a scholar nor a formal authority on the topic, and properly worship only one of the gods, which will color my perceptions, but I felt the need to share my thoughts on the matter nonetheless, due to circumstances that have cropped up in a lot of places, including my interactions with people and my own faith.
So, without further ado:
Welcome to Chess’ guide to adopting Ma’at into your daily life.
~!~
Part One: Ma’at is not peace.
Ma’at is usually translated as order, harmony, truth, and balance. That doesn’t mean it’s peace and quiet, though those can be side-effects.
Keep in mind:
The goal of Ma’at is to keep the world functioning as it should
Ma’at is objective
Ma’at counters Isfet, in every place that Isfet occurs
To practice Ma’at is to counter Isfet at its core, by every means you can. Means will be different from person to person, but the next part will cover common ways.
Part Two: Countering Isfet
Commonly perceived as doing things in old ways or rituals, but countering Isfet isn’t so simple as waving a candle and praying.
However, prayer does help a lot; sincere prayer, sans formality, sans pretention, is at its core one of the best ways to foster Ma’at in your life. Through prayer you can learn to speak freely and directly, which won’t always make things nice but if you’re true then you’re doing what needs to be done.
Directly, even, because fostering Ma’at in yourself and for the gods will directly affect their nature. The gods fight Isfet at every turn; to foster Ma’at is to aid the gods themselves, doing your part to keep the world turning.
However, prayer won’t be enough.
Here are other ways you can foster Ma’at through yourself and others.:
Bring others to an understanding
Bring others to an understanding
Draw out the truth of the matter before you
Practice emotional maturity and sincerity
Practice understanding when you or a situation needs help
Be fair and just even when (especially when) it’s inconvenient or someone is noisy about it
You don’t have to do all of them, but if you see the opportunity within your means, take it. Many of these will be difficult and frustrating, but in the end it will ease the pressure off your immediate area.
Everyone has a different way of doing things. More concrete examples would be like mediating or even facilitating an argument to draw out the grievances within and thus result in proper harmony, or advocating for reforms that will benefit those in need.
Part Three: Take care of yourself
I understand that these things can be dangerous to a lot of people. I understand that every one of these things can put your life on the line, in an abusive home or relationship, or a misguided community. Bear in mind: You cannot work Ma’at if you’re already dead, and the above are not absolutes.
Keep in mind:
Know when to stop and regroup; if you burn out that day, Ma’at will prosper later if you will yourself to keep a level head and fix the problem from inside.
Don’t sell yourself short; you have worth and to believe it will help you.
Understand people but separate your self from that of others; one of the fastest ways to burn out is to put yourself in every situation that you see Isfet in.
Cleanliness, organization, and proper nutrition all foster Ma’at; if you can’t do it for yourself that day, keep in mind that your gods need you to be in top form, and to do it for them or yourself is the same result.
Monitor yourself closely; unnecessary destruction of any kind, including of yourself through abuse or mishandling your capabilities, not only causes you trouble but also fosters Isfet in a lot of sometimes unnoticeable but later significant ways.
Don’t forget the little things; not everyone has the means to go out there and fight Isfet in big, flashy ways, and it’s equally important to keep your internal harmony and balance.
This isn’t to say to shy away from pain, but to know that you shouldn’t kill yourself over the work. If it hurts, understand why, and address it as positively as you can, by what means are available and in-line with Ma’at.
If you know it’s necessary, even if you’re afraid of it, voice your thoughts and do what must be done.
Part Four: Ma’at for the gods
The above covers Ma’at among people, and the below will cover Ma’at in your communication and interactions with your gods, whether scholarly or mystical.
Some of these were covered in the above, but here they are doubly emphasized:
Speak truly, clearly, and respectfully
Offer from the heart
Feel sincerely, but don’t let yourself be overwhelmed
Know when to draw the line, for yourself and for them
Let yourself believe you have influence, whether it sounds crazy or not
Be willing to listen and discern the truth from anything, direct or indirect
Be willing to consider both the negatives and positives of the gods, and reconcile them
Respect that some people will have unusual beliefs and interactions with their faith, differing from yours
FOR MYSTICAL KEMETICS: Be empathetic, but know your limits; be careful with what they ask of you, and whether or not it will be good for both of you, and whether or not you yourself are influencing what you might hear; understand that some people don’t believe the way you believe and that’s fine, the gods have accounted for such.
FOR SCHOLARLY KEMETICS: Respect that some kemetics believe in the gods in a more direct fashion, that others will have differing interpretations of the gods and their stories, and that the truth of Ma’at is in the core of the stories and not the details, timeless and universal.
Part 5: Devotional activities
A word of notice first of all: This is a difficult faith to practice openly, but it’s one that shouldn’t be hidden away. If you can’t practice openly, this might not be the faith for you, at least at the current time.
That said, if you can devote only a small amount of time to the gods, do so as regularly as you can. Any activity can be a devotional if you offer it up to the gods you want to give it to, though some of them may have preferences.
Miscellaneous acts you can offer the gods:
Making a playlist
Cooking
Cleaning the house
Eating, as if you were sharing a meal off the same plate (pray over the food, say you’re offering it, ask them to share with you in the moment, that kind of thing)
Art or writing of any kind
Magic and rituals, if that’s your thing
Taking care of pets
Taking care of people
Talking to them (basically prayer, though with the express purpose of just talking; tell them about your day)
Exercise (yoga, aerobics, tai-chi, zumba; if you feel the burn you can offer it)
Playing music or singing
Playing games, whether videogames, puzzles, visual novels, or physical activities
Going places (museums and parks are a good choice, movies are also good)
Defending the truth
Calling for justice
Advocating for the proper treatment of those in need
Basically any projects or activities that take time and make you meditate on the gods or the activity in question, especially if you do it by yourself or can get a group moving in harmony.
You can also offer:
Things you find (cool pebbles, flowers, a nice purchase)
Things you own (jewelry, books, old things you’ve made)
Things you experience (a memory, a story, your feelings)
Significant moments in your life (celebrations, upheavals, opportunities)
With the above, remember: Offering doesn’t mean something is given up, but that it’s shared.
(Quick tip: I offer food off my plate because I can’t always make a shrine, and I do it by murmuring over it, “[god’s form of address], I offer you this [food, named as if you’re describing it to the judge of a cooking show], please enjoy this offering with me/eat together with me.” Modify as you please, but the basic idea is there.
This is specifically a devotional act if you eat slowly, enjoy the food, and have dinner conversation, so you might want to either save it for special meals or do it a lot and very quietly. When you’re done, thank them for sharing with you.)
Closing Remarks:
In the end, this is only a guide. Each of us fight Isfet and devote ourselves differently, personally, and most of all, with Ma’at, which might not always be fun but should always bring about something better than what came before.
Always keep in mind that what you do, what Ma’at is, is to make things better than they were before, as the world should be.
Thank you for reading!
If you have other questions about this guide or just want to talk about this kind of thing, please direct asks or messages to
male filmmaker: *finding every possible gratuitous way to feature skinny naked women in his work* it’s a social commentary on how females are objectified all the time in real life
white, male filmmaker: *finding every possible gratuitous way to feature skinny, white naked women in his work* it’s a social commentary on how females are objectified all the time in real life.
sis life is too short to act like moc aren’t also complicit w sexism
Meanwhile, over in the MCU;
The MCU has more manservice than fanservice.
Speaking of men of color….
Let’s talk about how after Black Panther came out Winston Duke, the man playing M’Baku, was hit with sexualized tweets and messages from women.
But every time there is a butt shot of a woman in the MCU we get a fresh flood of two bit gender thinkers writing articles about how women are sexualized as if it only happens to them.
“if goofy is a dog and pluto is a dog why is one a pet” is the cartoon equivalent of “if man evolved from monkeys why are there still monkeys”
The implication that Goofy is just a more advanced stage in canine evolution is oddly terrifying somehow
theres no such thing as ‘more advance’ in evolution. a dogman isnt more evolved than a dog, just as you are no more evolved than an seagull or coral, they are just fitted for different environments and have evolved as such
Goofy is not more evolved the Pluto, Goofy just fills a different ecological niche. While Pluto is just a scavenger and Goofy is an apex predator both play important roles in the ecosystem.
Goofy’s a domestic dog, Pluto is a real one.
“Why me? I’m domesticated!” is the deepest rabbit hole of a line in the entire disney canon
1. Are you a white person descended from other white people?
Yes? Well then they owned slaves. Shut up about your G-pa being a civil rights activist.
Test Over
wow my Irish ancestors who didn’t come over until after the civil war and who were poor as fuck sure did own slaves,,,,, and my Ukranian ancestors,,,,,, my v v poor Ukrainian ancestors,,,,, -CR
oh man my peasant jewish ukranian ancestors are going to be so pissed about these slaves they didnt know they had goddamn
My Russian peasant ancestors who legally lived like slaves under the Tsars would like a word.
At the height of slavery, only 2% of Americans owned slaves (and not all of them were white). Might wanna actually use that organ inside of your skull – it’s called a brain and it can do stuff like think so you don’t act like a brainless idiot.
I’m more impressed with the fact that this person seems to think that the 1.6% of white slave owners managed to father all of the white children so that every white person today is somehow descended from .008% (or so) of the entire world population… I mean, that’s some crazy feat right there.
Well that backfired magnificently
Whyte folks aint special.
Slavery was a human phenomenon for thousands of years
To think that all the rest of the white people died around the world and they all came from 0.01% of early America doesn’t seem to make any sense at all.
Meanwhile, slavery still exists in other countries and people like the OP doesn’t give one shit about THOSE black folk.
I think I like Mulaney because he tells stories like how I tell stories:
Repeats things for emphasis.
Comments on parts of the story while telling the story, “You know, like how you talk to an 8 year old.”
Adds unnecessary details because I need to be fully immersed in the story I’m telling you. They hold no weight at all to the story but are purely for my own satisfaction.
Inserts random pop culture reference because my mind is basically the Wheel of Fortune and things just seemingly are linked (when they probably really aren’t ).
Goldnwulf 