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are some personal experiences from people in regards to Hrw.
From Weben
Banu
On wings of
Falcons
Of
all the ntjrw,
and all the wild and wacky things that have happened to me in my
time with the Kemetic Community, I think Hrw ("hair-OO,"
or "hor-OO") simply showing up was the most
surprising. I have come to associate Hrw with that feeling of
soaring determination which comes to me while working on a
project I well and truly love, and when facing the future with
confidence and expectation rather than uncertainty. Hrw has
become a part of me which renews my faith in myself, and
by extension the benevolence and attentiveness of the ntjrw.
He has begun to teach me how to manage the "falconry of the
soul"- how to summon up this strength and courage when my
situation demands it, and slip
it on my chosen goal. But it took me a long time to accept Him,
much less the training He had to offer.
Somehow, to me, the trio of Ast, Wsyr, and Hrw (in this case,
actually Isis, Osiris, and Horus) had been unavoidably
associated with a certain type of Pagan who annoys me to no end.
I'm sure you've met a few- "Don't know much about Egypt,
but I really like ankhs so that must mean I was a priest/ess of
Isis/Osiris/Horus in a past life! Let's all hate Set really
hard to show everyone how dedicated we are to our
gods!!!" I don't know why they always focus on the Triad of
Hrw and His parents, but except for the few who attach
themselves to Stkh, they almost invariably do.
And so, long after I had made the switch from Greek-ized names
to Egyptian names for the gods, I still thought and said the
word "Horus" whenever seeing a statue of His in a shop
window. "Horus," with the accompanying strong desire
to tuck my head in a book and change direction very quickly-
that was pretty much a Pavlovian response to anything associated
with Him by then.
I had no idea how much I was missing.
The past four years in particular for me had been close-packed
with traumatic, life-altering events. In the river of my life,
these were the swamps- foul smelling, rife with snakes and
crocodiles, the place where everything gets broken down and
processed before moving on to the next stage of development. I
must have wandered into the land of Wadjt (Buto), because on my
journey through the marshes I discovered Hrw, and we got to
talking.
For a long time I had recognized the hand of Stkh in the
challenges I encountered in life- had recognised them as His
blessings, and opportunities in disguise. But slowly I began
also to recognize Hrw's spirit in the way that I could react to
them. They're much more than just adversaries, those Two, and
even there I'm beginning to see a subtle difference between an
"adversary" and an "enemy." But at present I
understand both of Them primarily in the way that They play off
of one another.
If Stkh is a hand striking against you, then Hrw's wings ride
the air currents of the blow to even greater heights.
Hrw is a ntjr
of kingship, leadership, and community. So naturally, much of
His attention centers on His people- the Kemetic Community. When
we talk, the subject frequently centers on the community,
stepping up my involvement with it, or developing myself in some
way. For now, I'm working on the theory that anything He wants
from me can be accomplished through the journal- and so far that
seems to be working well.
"Hrw" is a name shared by many ntjrw,
most of Whom gradually combined over the years to form the being
known simply as "Hrw." Many modern Kemetics relate to
a specific name among the many Hrw, but so far my Hrw seems
rather generic- or I haven't yet determined which one He is.
Some of the more well known of those names of Hrw include Hrw-Wr
(Hrw the Elder), Hrw bHdty (Hrw of Edfu), Hrw-Sa-Ast (Hrw,
Son of Ast), Hr-Akhty (Hrw of the Horizon), and Hrw pa Sd
(Hrw the Savior/Enchanter).
Regardless of name, Hrw almost always shows up as a hawk, or a
man with a hawk's head. In my experience, He prefers to dress in
a white kilt- sometimes with gold borders and a golden belt
inlaid with blue and/or red precious stones. He usually has gold
arm bands and bracelets, and deeply bronzed skin.
Which Hrw you are speaking with can sometimes be determined by
which crown He's wearing, but unfortunately I do not have a
complete list of these. Hrw-Wr favors the double
plumes which are commonly worn by Amn, but He will sometimes
wear the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt- as will Hrw Sa
Ast. Hr-Akhty commonly wears the solar disk and protective wadjt
cobra. Any of these ntjrw,
however, can and will occasionally go bare-headed.
Hrw most commonly carries a wAs scepter and an ankh, as
symbols of His power and vitality. From time to time, however,
Hrw Sa Ast will be shown holding the harpoon with which He
avenged His father, or grasping various dangerous animals-
thereby showing the power with which He renders them harmless.
Hrw is variously the son of Ast, Wsyr, Hwt-Hrw, Geb, Nwt, Bast,
and/or Skhmt.
Hrw bHdty is husband to Hwt-Hrw. Hrw has fathered Qbsnwf,
Imsty, Hapi, and Duamwtf- the four sons Who guard the most
precious of the internal organs of the dead- and Djhwty.
In ancient times, Hrw was embodied in the king who became the
link between mortal humans (as the king was one of them) and the
ntjrw
(since the king was one of Them, as well). Through the king, the
ka of Hrw filled and revitalized the Two Lands and the people of
Kemet, and it was his kinship with Hrw which allowed the king to
approach the ntjrw
in ritual. Fortunately, by virtue of the way this "kingly
ka" was directed toward the community, the priesthood was
enabled to approach the ntjrw
in the name of the king. The actual king was usually far too
busy with other matters of state to perform all the everyday
religious rituals which were necessary for the successful
functioning of the community.
Modern Kemeticism is kind of an extension of that. There are a
few groups who claim to have their own living king, but as for
me, I claim none of them. The divine ka is still being directed
to us by the royal akhw,
and Hrw is fathered by those Who now bear the title of Wsyr. He
dwells in the hearts of all those who go before the gods, and we
now perform the Daily Rites necessary to sustain the link
between the ntjrw
and the people. This may be the reason why so much of Kemetic
life- living with the ntjrw
even as They live with us- centers on the improvement of
ourselves and our community. On a level of pure and simple
ritual technology, Hrw is the foundation for our relationship
with Them all.
Click
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