Sobekemiti
Em hotep, I am Sobekemiti, a Kemetic Orthodox Shemsu, and this is a small overview of my RPD gods and how I experience Them.
I was divined in 2006 as a child of Sobek, and beloved of Heru-sa-Aset, Aset, Djehuty, and Wepwawet. I left the House of Netjer in 2010 at Sobek's behest, and returned in 2020.
A lot of how I relate to my RPD gods is as regional cultus. I take a lot of my mythos and gods from the Faiyum region. I see my personal shrine as being like a small temple in the Faiyum, with Sobek Shedety as my primary god, and my Beloveds as the gods who occupy the side chapels in my temple. I may have other shrines too, to other gods, but my Sobek temple is my primary focus and my nome.
This is the culmination of a decade's worth of devotional polytheistic work, to find myself in a position where I can conceive of my gods and my practice in this way.
My blog, Per Sebek, will eventually reflect this too, as I come to transition my blog from what it is now into something much more organised and sacred in devotion to all of Them. It will, in time, become a living devotional space for Them and my work within and without the House of Netjer.
Sobek
There's so much I could write about Sobek. After Aset, He was the second Netjer to make Himself known to me. I've always loved crocodiles, and ancient Egypt, and He introduced Himself to me in His own way. I first saw Him, without realising it, in the eyes of a 5m saltwater crocodile at the zoo back in 2000, and it was only looking through a book on ancient Egypt later on, and realised there was a crocodile god, that He made His entrance.
He's a beautiful, wonderful presence. Patient, kind, big on cuddles, soft, loving, just the most wonderful god. Big Dad Energy, if I'm honest. Protective, too. He saves His teeth for those who deserve it, and gives me all His softness instead. It's how I feel about my shemsu name too, that it bears both Sobek's fierceness, and His softness. The perfect mix of warmth and harshness.
I could write a lengthy essay on how I found Sobek Shedety. In fact, I have done that on my blog, a long time ago. But suffice it to say that I wouldn't have wanted to know about Sobek Shedety at my RPD, because the journey to find and meet Him has been so worth it I wouldn't want it any other way. Sobek Shedety is my Sobek, and I love Him so very much.
He is my Daddy in so many ways, some I share publicly, others I keep to myself. He lifts me up and gives me strength when I need it most, and He's there to comfort and cuddle me in those times when I need His comfort. I could not ask for a better Dad, companion, or god than Sobek.
Heru-sa-Aset
Heru-sa-Aset is my first Beloved, and not an easy Netjer for me to grasp. He's always been just out of reach, and the way He blends into my Dad makes Him harder to grok. It's like He's both Dad and Beloved, both and neither, and because He's so stretched, there's not enough solid Heru-sa to focus on.
He does turn up every now and then, of course. I meet Him most often in meditation, where I see Him mostly as a big brown eagle, and we fly together, with me as a smaller version of His bird.
Once, I met Him as Heru-pa-khered, Heru the Child, climbing the biggest sycamore tree in my astral landscape, trying in vain to reach His father, Wesir. He was human then, a small maybe 10 year old boy, with dark skin and black shoulder length hair, dressed very simply, but focused solely on trying to reach the unreachable. It is very humbling to witness the grief of a god, especially a child god, who can't understand why Wesir is so far away.
He is still very much a Netjer just out of reach, but one I love very much, when He lets me get close, of course. Flying is what helps me connect with Him. He seems most like Himself when He's in the air, just soaring through the skies, watching everything, either with me flying beside Him, or clinging to His back. That's where we connect. Perhaps in time I will understand Him a lot better than I do now.
Aset
I will spare you a 5k word essay on my second beloved, Aset. She has been in my life the longest, 20+ years now. She was the first goddess I ever prayed to, and the first Netjer who ever answered me. She proved to me that the Netjeru are real, and I will always love Her for it.
She has indeed been the Goddess of Ten Thousand Names over the years. I have called on Her under many faces and guises and names, including Isis. She is so complex and beautiful to me, a Netjer who has always been, and will continue to be, whatever face I need Her to be.
She is Isis-Hekate, Great of Magic, Serpentine Goddess who crosses liminal spaces, and protects the dead with Her wings. Fierce Eye of Ra, Spitting Goddess, Lady of Flame, who works Her magic on the margins as She protects Her child Heru until He can avenge His father.
She is Aset-Renenutet, mother of Heru-sa-Aset, Lady of the Grain, Eye of Ra, who watches over the harvest. Consort of Sobek Shedety, He Who Makes The Herbage Green.
She is also simply Aset, who protects me with Her wings, who is there for me when I need Her, who is always happy to see me, and who knows what I need, even if it means She needs to be a little sterner with me to make it happen. Who I prayed to right at the beginning, when I didn't know what on earth I was doing, and had only a morning prayer to say to Her as I lit some lotus incense before I left for school back when I was in year 12. A goddess who has always been there for me, and whom I love more than I can ever say. She is whoever I need Her to be, and in return, I try to be the best I can be.
Djehuty
Djehuty has been in and out of my life, even though I find Him to be a constant presence. I've shared so many nerdy things with Him, and also a lot of my writing. Enjoying His curiosity in some of my uni science classes, because it was all new to Him, and He wanted me to explain everything to Him. Writing all sorts of things for Him because writing is one of my biggest pleasures in spite of how hard it is sometimes.
He does not have a temple in my little astral landscape where I come to meet the Netjeru. Instead, He has a dense fog that He has to guide me through to wherever we end up next. He is a god you cannot outsmart, but you wouldn't want to. He is skillful, and precise, and patient, giving me space to learn and grow.
Quiet, too, but when He does speak, He's worth listening to. After all, He was the one Who led me to start figuring out Sobek-Heru, and He gifted me a name that still means so, so much to me even now.
Wepwawet
Wepwawet is a tricky Netjer for me, because I didn't really have any experiences with Him until I began my Sau apprenticeship, and as such, I can't really discuss much of that because it's oathbound.
What is interesting, though, is that well before my RPD, I'd bought this 40cm statue of Yinepu at the local shops. I'd found it in some homewares store because, well, there was still an Egyptian decor Thing around in the early 2000s. This Yinepu was only $20, so I bought Him. He'd hung around since then, but I'd never made the connection that a jackal wanted to get in touch, so Wepwawet appearing in my lineup as my last Beloved was not what I was expecting.
Indeed, it was only last year when I was finally allowed to paint that large Yinepu statue silver to make a proper statue for Wepwawet. But at least I finally have a proper statue for Him now. I find Him very comforting, the sort of Netjer I can sit and chat with and know He'll be patient and listen and offer what guidance He can. I'm excited to deepen our relationship and get to know Him a lot better.