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Guardian of the West

Guardian of the West, Overseer of Souls, Shining Staff of Balance! Praise to the great God , Anubis. May your name be hailed among the brightest stars in the heavens and the deepest caverns of the Duat!

Glory, Praise and Honour upon you and may your hearts desires be fulfilled.

He who guides the dead, finds the lost, and shelters the needy. He whose deeds are great and many, whose heart is noble and pure.

Worship and love and all good things surround you and enemies shall fall to your left and to your right. For none can stand before your power and majesty !

May your skin be embraced in the finest of silk and linens , may your tongue know the most savory of meats and sweetest of fruits.

May all you oversee prosper and flourish!

Fierce yet fair. Kind, yet powerful. The great Lord of the Duat reigns in Ma'at forever and ever!

(I can feel you rolling your eyes dad.... Love you :3 )

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reblog this if you are a lokean, I really need to follow more blogs

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Having all the answers just means you’ve been asking boring questions.

Loki, probably. (via incorrectedda)

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Are there any daily tasks/self care type of things that is associated with Loki specifically?

When I challenge assumptions and try to see things from every angle, that’s Loki.

When I take the things that isolate me and transform them into tools that make me powerful, that’s Loki.

When, as a trans person, I alter my appearance to help people see my true self, that’s Loki.

When I discover beauty in unlikely places, that’s Loki.

When I find a way to make a sad person laugh, that’s Loki.

When I’m wounded by the things that are binding me and find the will to keep going anyway, that’s Loki.

But, um, you probably meant less abstract things. Unfortunately, there’s not much that’s attested historically. There’s a bit of evidence based on the Snaptun Stone and medieval folklore that Loki might have been associated with the hearth, but it’s kind of iffy. But if you buy into that (or just see Loki as the parental sort, a facet of his character that often gets overlooked) then you could extrapolate the hearth thing to cooking, cleaning the kitchen, etc. 

Things don’t have to be historical to be valid, though. Our technology and daily lives are way different from the way things would have been in the Viking Age. If you associate a particular activity with Loki, or want to dedicate an activity to him just because, then go for it! If Heathens didn’t adapt our practices to modern times and fill in the blanks for things we don’t have any record of, then we wouldn’t have much of a religion to begin with.

-Mod E

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little paintings for my altar! i… hope he likes them. sutekh has done so much for me and i never want to stop creating for him.

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A Poem for Loki

Loki the fire that springs forth from the birch wand scarred lips mocking the hypocrites bringing the mighty to humbleness with a dagger tongue the dancing flame that changes shape from moment to moment the hungry flame seeking new sensations passion and love and vengeance creating, destroying, transforming seeing the potential in all things to become the flirt, the clown the father, the mother poison and antidote silly, strange, and ancient awful and deranged beautiful like lightning that splits the tree leaving black scars otter-slayer the fool and the sharp-witted trickster the net to catch the unwary the slippery salmon of words the flea that creeps in undetected the fly that bites and distracts handmaiden of the thunderer creator of monstrous offspring the serpent, wolf, and corpse-queen all beloved by thee the roaring wildfire that sweeps like phoenix wings and drives all before it turning the field and forest to ashes turning the ashes to field and forest the maddening smoke and the twisting geometry of visions playing with my mind let your fire burn away my self-deceptions let the heat of you fill me and move me to create myself anew warm my blood to greater passions and let me live a life of laughter and curiosity and surprise        

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Horg

“þeir er hǫrg ok hof hátimbroðo” “Shrines and temples they timbered high” - Völuspá

A horg (Old Norse “hǫrgr”) is a sacrificial site or a form of altar in pre-Christian times in the Nordic countries and which roughly refers to a "stone pile".

In the poem Hyndluljóð, the goddess Frøya (Freyja) speaks favorably of Ottar (Óttar) for having worshiped her so faithfully by using a horg. Frøya details that the horg is constructed of a heap of stones and that Ottar often reddened these stones with sacrificial blood in dedication to her. Snorre Sturlason states that the horg is used in the veneration of the Åsynjene (female gods).

In the poem Vafþrúðnismál, it is also stated that many a horg and hov were dedicated to Njord (Njörðr).

A horg is considered different to a hov (from the Old Norse hof), commonly called a “temple”. A rough simplification is that horg were for outdoor rituals and hov for indoors worship.

Many modern heathens within Scandinavia use a stone set as a focal point for rituals conducted outdoors to this day.

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The Weighing of the Heart Ceremony

The Two Ma'at in the Judgment Hall weigh the heart of the deceased against a statue of Ma'at.

Ma'at was the symbol of the cosmic order and it was believed that there were two of them: one for the living and one for the dead. Vignette from a papyrus depicting the Weighing the Heart of the deceased in a balance.

The baboon is one form of Thoth, inventor of writing and secretary to the gods, whose other form is as an ibis-headed man. He is usually associated with this scene in order to register the outcome of the weigh in. Above the balance is a block of written hieroglyphs extract from the spell 125 of the Book of the Dead.

Detail from a funerary papyrus dates to the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt, ca. 1550-1292 BC. Now in the Louvre.

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Three precautions to take while communicating with the Gods

Although Skadi is my primary deity of worship, I’ve been drawn to Loki a lot these days. That’s why visited a few Lokean websites in order to learn more about his worship. After some time, I finally decided to try and communicate with him, or at least give him an offering. As a lot of you might know, trying to connect with a god can be quite draining at times, and it has come to me that Loki worship is especially tiring. That’s why I wanted to list a few handy tips and precautions to take while trying to communicate with a deity. Of course, this is all based on my personnal experience, so feel free to add on in the comments!

1st precaution: Leave an opening for air. I think it’s important to have some way to take a break if need be. Leave a window or door open in order to ground yourself and come back from transe whenever needed. Especially if you’re in a circle of candles, which can quickly burn the oxygen of a closed room. Try to always keep a grip on reality, especially if you tend to get lost in transe easily. (I also don’t reccommend communication when you’re feeling anxious or stressed, it sometimes makes it worse!)

2nd precaution: Know how to talk to the deity. Every god has preferences, and each are worshipped in different ways. Doing a small research on how to communicate with them can never hurt, wether it be through offerings, prayer and so on. I always try to incorporate cristals, plants or runes specific to the god I’m praying to in order to feel more connected to them.

3rd precaution: Be prepared to talk alone. Communicating with the gods consists a lot of the time of one way convesations. That’s especially the case if you’re only just starting to worship. Having a connection always takes time, so don’t give up on the first try. Just tell the deity about how they inspire you, and make a few offerings if you have the time. Showing devotion is sure to please the god you’re trying to reach. Patience!

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Voici ma participation au character design challenge du mois de juin !

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Relief of a Honeybee

In ancient Egyptian mythology, honeybees were believed to be born from the tears of the Sun God, Ra. Bees are a hieroglyph that occurs as parts of titles of state, but most frequently as part of the title of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, rendered nswt-bjtj (interpreted as “He of the Sedge and the Bee”).

Detail of a carving in the Karnak Temple Complex.

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Table for Libations or Offerings

Sculpted from an alabaster block, this altar was used either as a sacrificial altar or a libation table. It is decorated with the forms of two lions, whose front and back paws are beautifully defined. The altar slopes downward towards a circular basin, around which the tails of the lions are curled.

Magical offering formulas and prayers were recited when libations like water, milk, beer or wine were poured over the altar. The liquids were then collected in the basin and presented to the gods or to the ka of the deceased. The same magical and sacred formulas were required during sacrificial rites performed on the altar, and in this case, the blood of the sacrificial animal was collected in the basin.

The use of lion heads and paws, as decorative elements on thrones, chairs and beds, was a popular theme in ancient Egypt. The lion was associated with the horizon, where the sun god rose, and these features imbued the item of furniture with an air of strength and protection. Funerary beds matching the style of this altar were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, as well as in the funeral procession scenes in the Tombs of the Nobles in Thebes from the New Kingdom Period.

The alabaster stone, often referred to as calcite by Egyptologists, was called shes by the ancient Egyptians, and quarried at Hatnub near Minya, 250 km south of Cairo.

Old Kingdom, end of 2nd Dynasty, around 2690 BC. From the Mortuary Temple of Djoser, Saqqara. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. CG 1321

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Photographer: Sandip Choudhary

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Commission for a friend of mine. I was requested to depict one of the Egyptian deity, Anubis in an art illustration. Visible hieroglyphs, attributes, and was-scepter are based on historical reference.

Watercolor. 2018

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Second piece of my character design for five egyptian gods. This is Anubis with the head of a jackal. He is the god of death and measures the weight of your heart against the feather of truth.

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A stunning depiction of 𓅊𓈌𓏏𓏯𓏰 ‘Ra-Horakhty’ & 𓌷𓂝𓏏𓁦 ‘Maat’ standing behind a 𓊯 ‘table with offerings’.

From the tomb (KV14) of Queen 𓏏𓄿𓄊𓂋𓏏𓂝𓅐𓋔𓌸 ‘Tausert’, and later reused and extended by King 𓇳𓁩𓁣𓈘𓏏𓂝𓂋𓂋 ‘Setnakht’ at the 𓄿𓏏𓊨𓏏𓉐𓉻𓏏 ‘Valley of the Kings.

(Around 1186 BC)

The god 𓇳𓏤 ‘Ra’ merged with the state god 𓉡 ‘Horus’ into 𓅊𓈌𓏏𓏯𓏰 ‘Ra-Horakhty’ (“Ra, who is Horus of the two Horizons”) the supreme personification of the sun.

𓌷𓂝𓏏𓁦 ‘Maat’ was a goddess who personified the concepts of: truth, balance, harmony, order, law and morality.

But she also regulated the stars and seasons.

‘Maat’ represented the ethical and moral principle that every Egyptian citizen was expected to follow throughout their daily lives.

#valleyofthekings #tomb #luxor #egypt #egyptian #egyptology #ancientegypt #thisisegypt #instaegypt #amazingegypt #egipto #egipt #egypte #ägypten #madeinegypt #ancient #history #hieroglyphics #africa #travel #mythology #traveling #photography #travelphotography #ancientart #arthistory #hieroglyphs #pharaoh #ancientarchitecture #egyptshots

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Prayer to Khepri

Lord of the Dawn, Lord of the Great Waking

Giver of Ra’s strength, Bestower of life, I honor you in the East

Great Scarab, Bringer of Day, you are the mighty breath of kings, powerful shaker and vivifier

Keeper of the heart, purifier of spirit

Khepri, who ignites the sky with a youthful Ra

He who turns death into life

He who brings light into darkness

He who draws forth and who guides

Master of creation, rejuvenator of the tired

Let your hand touch us, let your presence be our mover

Great transformer, inciter of change, praise be to you

Hail Lord Khepri, hail mighty Dawn