Firstly, what is a community? For the purpose of this brief discussion community means “a group who share a common belief.” This belief of course translates into certain communal actions. This is called ritual. Those beliefs and actions based on those beliefs should lead to a shared (communal) experience. In a nutshell the definition of religion is- myth (belief system), ritual (communal actions affirming the belief) and mysticism (metaphysics-enlightenment). However, if the religion does not have this perspective or if its program is disjointed, based on ignorance or is not understood, it will not have that outcome of promoting spiritual enlightenment and spiritual evolution. So this issue is the first in a series that examines and establishes the parameters for what it means to have a community of Shetaut Neter, and what it means to be part of such a community.

 

The Community of Shetaut Neter should be concerned with two issues. First, those who follow the Neterian path need to come together and acknowledge their common faith. This means worshipping together as well as studying the teachings together. Secondly, they must act on their faith. This means building temples and living in accordance with the teachings. If the actions are not there to support the faith, the faith will wither away. In the Rekh Medu Neter (Ancient Egyptian Wisdom Texts) there is a term, Sedjm. It means to hearken. The Djaasu (Sages) said that an aspirant should Sedjm the teachings. Many hear the teachings but then do not ACT in accordance with them. They continue the past behaviors, past thoughts, past actions. This is not truly part of the Neterian community. A community is a group of people who share a common vision, a common ideal and who work together to support and nurture the goals of the community. The term sedjm means to “listen and obey,” not “hear and do whatever you want to do” or “hear and do nothing.” A human being always has a choice in action: maatian (virtuous) or setian (demoniac). If you choose to sedjm you are not being controlled, you are choosing to follow a path. Until you surrender your egoism, your personal desires, your ignorance and doubts and offer yourself to the teaching, you will not be truly part of the Neterian community. If you choose this path do so because you recognize the truth in it; you realize that the path you have been on has led you to suffering and pain. Do so because you want a better way of life, that is good and true, a path that leads to higher consciousness and self-discovery, the way to discover God within. The community needs your support but in turn it supports you in a way that the world cannot. So do not allow others to work while you sit back and watch, and then point to their failure. You have no right to do that.

 

So community is coming together and acting for the common good, shouldering the burdens, sharing the loads. When this occurs, the individual contributes to the universal and the ego becomes humble, and the heart becomes pure. When people come together there is no task too great; there is more than the sum of the parts, and thus there is more power, more capacity to follow the Neterian path and this enhances one’s capacity to handle the lower nature, to control the vices and egoistic desires and thereby attain the higher goals of life. The duty of every aspirant is to reflect on how to join and make the community of Neter viable, sustainable and effective for their own sake, and that of posterity.

 

Coming together occurs on many levels. First there is a coming together of speech. When you hear someone talking about the teachings, the Neterian Path, that is the communion of speech. You may talk about it, discuss it, etc. Next there is a communion of thought. You may discuss ideas, share your impressions about it, is this for me, how would it be if I were to follow this path, etc. If the thoughts progress then you may consider “this is the path I want to follow, how can I join this and help it to grow and flourish, how can we all come together, contribute to a project that will help us all to follow it more effectively and serve humanity?” Next should come the actions. Having discussed, having thought, the first action is decision, decide on what is to be done (goal), then on how to do it (objectives) and then set out to work. All actions towards the teachings promote positive evolution and thus have some value. The aspirant should understand that the most effective actions are sustained, not intermittent. Following the teaching for a day, a moth or a year and then going back to the world, or saying you are part of the community but going to class or worship sessions seldom, these are not effective actions. To be effective, the actions need to be sustained indefinitely, giving enough time for the personality to change and for the actions to bear their fruit in time and space. The objectives being worked towards should be attainable and the work must be honest, committed and faithful. Following the Neterian path is not about you and your individual desires. Yet if you do follow it, you will discover that your personal misgivings, failures and faults will be resolved, cleansed and transcended in a mysterious and wonderful way. But you must be relentless, faithful and regular, consistent with your practice, and if you fail in this you must forgive yourself and try again and again until you succeed. There is no room for egoism, vanity, personalities, selfishness, etc. Those are the qualities of Set, that which is demoniac, ignorant, arrogant in life, and which has led you to where you are. If that is what you want then the Neterian Path is not for you- it cannot help you. Rather it will be a source of misery because you will constantly be faced with guilt at not practicing what you know is true. Following the Neterian path is about following the Neter. Following the Neterian path is about discovering the virtue within you, the shining reflection of Heru (the Divine light) within you. Everything that enhances that ability to follow is positive for followers and the community of Shetaut Neter.

 

The creation of a place of worship and the coming together to worship, listen to and study the teachings, and meditation on the teachings are the foundation of the Neterian Community. The skeleton of the community are those who disseminate the teaching and lead the worship and meditations. The leaders should be respected but also assisted. All must contribute to the success of the community.

 

Those who believe in the teachings of Shetaut Neter are referred to as Shemsu {followers}. If a person seeks out others on the Neterian Path, worship, meditate, study the teachings at the appointed times, and then as a group openly and publicly affirm and uphold the teachings of Shetaut Neter, then they can consider themselves as part of the Neterian community. Wherever they may be, in jail, in another country, etc., they are part of the Neterian community. If the disciplines are practiced at the appointed hour there is a coordination of ritual action, a subtle connection of mind, a synchronicity of souls with others around the world and this adds to the power of the practice. Each individual community may have a leader, a coordinator, a person who is advancing and who has studied for a longer period than others. Naturally, the smaller, scattered communities are part of one whole community being led by the high priest who in turn is led by God.

 

Firstly, what do we believe? Shetaut Neter is the belief in the Supreme Being as it was handed down from ancient times from God to the priests and priestesses of ancient Kamit. Shetaut means “secret” and Neter means “Divine.” The Secret Divine is the existence and manifestation of God. God exists in all things, in all nature and in human beings as well. These “things” are called Neteru, divinities or “gods and goddesses.” So all is essentially Divine. Shetaut Neter is not polytheistic in the western sense. It is a highly advanced science of mystical spirituality. However, the forgetfulness of that Divinity has let to ignorance, and ignorance by some who have forgotten has led them to greed, anger, hatred and violence. This ignorance is called {khmn- ignorant} and that ignorance is the source of all human problems. The entire teaching of Shetaut Neter is contained in the Medu Neter– “writings of Lord Djehuti – the hieroglyphic texts or inscriptions.” In a condensed form they are contained in the four Great Truths (below) handed down by Sebai Maa, the leader of the Temple of Shetaut Neter.

What does it mean to follow something? Why should some things be followed and others not? What should be followed in life and why? These are certainly some of the most important questions in life because if serious thought is put to them, they involve the crucial questions of life, Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Which are or should be the most important concerns in life? Etc.

 

Firstly, being a follower of Shetaut Neter means believing in and acting in accordance with the teachings of Shetaut Neter. One should act in accordance with all the precepts of Maat contained in the Medu Neter. This means keeping the regulations and injunctions, and also keeping the rituals and traditions of Shetaut Neter. It means following the example of the sages, priests and priestesses, who in turn follow the Neteru, who in turn Follow the Neter (Supreme Being). Secondly, the follower should be part of a group dedicated to the practice of rituals and traditions of Shetaut Neter.

 

Membership knumt-nefer} in the Shemsu (following) of Shetaut Neter implies an understanding that one may not be a perfected sage, but at least wise enough to recognize the failure of individualism as a rheumatic aspect of the ego, whose only cure is humility, service to humanity and intensive study of the teaching. For those who are advancing, therein lies their chance to excel further, to humble themselves and serve humanity through the temple and in so doing, elevate themselves that much more through the mystic art of teaching others under the supervision of their own teachers, until they are certified to teach and instruct others on their own, and yet still in association with the other clergy of the tradition. So the association does not end with a few classes, a certificate or a degree attained. The idea that one will gain a certification and go off on one’s own is a westernized ideal of modern culture and is not inherent in the Shetaut Neter tradition. In our tradition the teachers, priests and sages form a family who through their synchronicity of ritual-metaphysical action maintain the balance of the universe to promote peace, harmony and prosperity on earth and also they minister to the Rekhyt– “common people-sentient beings,” to relieve their suffering and engender in them the spark of spiritual aspiration. The rewards of this work are innumerable and immeasurable. Yet this opportunity is missed daily by those who, while possessing some knowledge of the spiritual teaching, are still in the grips of their own egoistic notions, misgivings, and shortcomings. Instead of remaining as examples for others, assisting the program of the temple as active parts of the spiritual congregation, they often give way to tjeza – “pride” and cannot cooperate or collaborate with others on their level or above. This haphazard way leads to distortion of the teaching because then they come to believe that they are practicing the teachings in this chaotic paradigm, the idea of the nuclear families, with everyone scattered, diffusing their resources instead of pooling them. Instead of sharing their knowledge and gaining from the least in the group as well as the highest, they stay to themselves, inbreeding their knowledge instead of commingling it with the waters of the membership and with the teacher, like a swimmer who after learning how to swim never jumps in the water when others are around but only visits the beach occasionally, looking out into the ocean with wonder, but is unwilling to take off the clothes and get wet again, to allow themselves to be seen as they are, unveiled, and will never be in contact with the denizens of the ocean or with that special divinity who lies deep within, waiting to emerge with the dawn of enlightened acumen .

 

The level of Nafu {ability to breath, freedom-success-victory} over the worldly fetters and ignorance (absence of knowledge of the Self) attained by an aspirant on the spiritual path depends on the quality and quantity of Shemsu udja {intensity} in the practice of Shedy {Spiritual disciplines}.

 

It is a very rare thing that a person is truly interested in the teachings in a serious way; even rarer is to find a person who is ready to devote their life to the attainment of the goals enjoined by the teaching. This is the first main obstacle to spiritual realization, unqualified, ill-equipped aspiration. Unless a person is prepared to give all to the teaching there will be only partial success. If that high aspiration is present and the guidelines above have been met, the obstacles to spiritual evolution can be overcome.

 

The neophyte aspirant must resolve to follow the regulations of Shetaut Neter and not commingle the practices with those of other traditions. Otherwise there will be confusion and ineffectiveness. The aspirant must resolve to keep the weekly, monthly and annual) traditions and disciplines (study of the teachings, meditation, diet, devotional exercises-daily) of Shetaut Neter. A true follower of Shetaut Neter must attempt to the best of their ability to uphold the principles of Shetaut Neter.

 

A member of the Neterian Community is one who strives to keep the traditions, ritual and precepts of Shetaut Neter. This means that their actions are governed by the teachings, the belief system. Why? Because when the actions of a person are brought into line with the Neterian Faith that person is led to the highest good, the opening up of higher consciousness. As long as the actions continue to be guided by worldly concerns, egoism, greed, anger and hatred, so long that person will not benefit from the teaching. So one’s actions must become virtuous and then one’s heart becomes pure ready to open the ways wep-wat to Neterian spiritual enlightenment.

 

Many aspirants have the misconception that they will attain enlightenment easily and quickly if they only hear some special word or teaching. So they attend classes with apparent enthusiasm but become disillusioned and quit. That is immature aspiration. Peace cannot be found in quick fixes or fanaticism by someone slapping you on the head and saying you are reborn. Undoing years of ignorance does not occur overnight. Peace is the satisfaction of living by truth. If you resolve to live by truth, you will discover peace and self-knowledge. It is not always an easy road but it is the road that leads to Supreme Blessedness. Therefore, an aspirant should affirm the teaching day by day, not just when adversity strikes; seek balance in life, not overeating, yet not starving, not being too emotional nor too unfeeling, doing their duty yet taking time for recreation, working to pay the bills but also taking time to practice the spiritual disciplines.

 

The desired goal of life is to attain higher consciousness, to Know Yourself, to discover the transcendental essence of life, BEFORE, you die. The various spiritual path exist for this purpose although some religions have lost their way for many reasons. The authentic tradition will lead to peace, purity and higher consciousness. Paths that promote excitement, much ritual and little philosophy, introspectiveness and forgiveness lead to strife, confusion, hatred, greed, etc; those are not authentic paths and an aspirant should shun those paths and not seek company with those who espouse them. Do not make the mistake of thinking that peace can be found in money, companionship by others, worldly pleasures, titles, etc. Peace is found when one lives by truth and elevates one’s consciousness.

 

Shetaut Neter is the oldest known authentic religion, handed down by God and inscribed in the Medu Neter (hieroglyphic texts). While Shetaut Neter is not the only authentic spiritual tradition it is the oldest and no other tradition can show ancient recorded texts which were inscribed in stone at the dawn of civilization such as those found in ancient Africa (the dawn of humanity and civilization in the known world history).

The belief and ritual of Shetaut Neter lead to the experience of that ancient but ever-present Divine Consciousness that is available to all aspirants who truly desire to follow the path of Neterian Spirituality. That experience is called Nehast, the spiritual awakening, or “Spiritual Enlightenment.”