KEMETIC SCIENCE

KEMETIC SCIENCE
Positive Progress Through The Benevolent Use Of Knowledge

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Kmt Self Knowledge and Cosmic Wisdom.- Quotes

Below are some of the teachings, proverbs, and maxims gleaned from the works of Isha Schwaller de Lubicz who, under the direction of her husband and teacher, R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz, lived for fifteen years among the temples and tombs of Luxor and Karnak, in order to try and "penetrate the secret symbolism of the hieroglyphs."


Isha has written a two volume work of a fictionalized account, based on her research, of an Egyptian initiate progressing through the stages of initiation to attain "self knowledge and cosmic wisdom."



She explains in her works that if one were to focus on the principles underlying the concepts of the gods, i.e. the Neters (Neter is often translated as "god," but it actually refers to something more like a fundamental principle of nature, or a sort of causal agent.), of ancient Egypt, then one would readily see the commonality of the concepts running throughout the differing expressions of their cosmology. Many of these teachings, proverbs, and maxims relate directly to these concepts, and are reflections others.
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From the Outer Temple
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The best and shortest road towards knowledge of truth [is] Nature.
For every joy there is a price to be paid.
If his heart rules him, his conscience will soon take the place of the rod.
What you are doing does not matter so much as what you are learning from doing it. ·


It is better not to know and to know that one does not know,than presumptuously to attribute some random meaning to symbols.
If you search for the laws of harmony, you will find knowledge.
If you are searching for a Neter, observe Nature!
Exuberance is a good stimulus towards action, but the inner light grows in silence and concentration.

Not the greatest Master can go even one step for his disciple; in himself he must experience each stage of developing consciousness. Therefore he will know nothing for which he is not ripe.


The body is the house of God. That is why it is said, "Man know thyself."
True teaching is not an accumulation of knowledge; it is an awaking of consciousness which goes through successive stages.
The man who knows how to lead one of his brothers towards what he has known may one day be saved by that very brother.


People bring about their own undoing through their tongues.
If one tries to navigate unknown waters one runs the risk of shipwreck.
Leave him in error who loves his error.
Every man is rich in excuses to safeguard his prejudices, his instincts, and his opinions.

To know means to record in one's memory; but to understand means to blend with the thing and to assimilate it oneself.



There are two kinds of error: blind credulity and piecemeal criticism. Never believe a word without putting its truth to the test; discernment does not grow in laziness; and this faculty of discernment is indispensable to the Seeker. Sound skepticism is the necessary condition for good discernment; but piecemeal criticism is an error.


Love is one thing, knowledge is another.
True sages are those who give what they have, without meanness and without secret!
An answer brings no illumination unless the question has matured to a point where it gives rise to this answer which thus becomes its fruit. Therefore learn how to put a question.



What reveals itself to me ceases to be mysterious—for me alone: if I unveil it to anyone else, he hears mere words which betray the living sense: Profanation, but never revelation.


The first concerning the 'secrets': all cognition comes from inside; we are therefore initiated only by ourselves, but the Master gives the keys.
The second concerning the 'way': the seeker has need of a Master to guide him and lift him up when he falls, to lead him back to the right way when he strays.
Understanding develops by degrees.


As to deserving, know that the gift of Heaven is free; this gift of Knowledge is so great that no effort whatever could hope to 'deserve' it.
If the Master teaches what is error, the disciple's submission is slavery; if he teaches truth, this submission is ennoblement.
There grows no wheat where there is no grain.
The only thing that is humiliating is helplessness.














From the Inner Temple
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An answer if profitable in proportion to the intensity of the quest.
Listen to your conviction, even if they seem absurd to your reason.
Know the world in yourself. Never look for yourself in the world, for this would be to project your illusion

To teach one must know the nature of those whom one is teaching.
In every vital activity it is the path that matters.
The way of knowledge is narrow.
Each truth you learn will be, for you, as new as if it had never been written.
The only active force that arises out of possession is fear of losing the object of possession.


If you defy an enemy by doubting his courage you double it.
The nut doesn't reveal the tree it contains.
For knowledge ... you should know that peace is an indispensable condition of getting it.

The first thing necessary in teaching is a master; the second is a pupil capable of carrying on the tradition.
Peace is the fruit of activity, not of sleep.


Envious greed must govern to possess and ambition must possess to govern.
When the governing class isn't chosen for quality it is chosen for material wealth: this always means decadence, the lowest stage a society can reach.


Two tendencies govern human choice and effort, the search after quantity and the search after quality. They classify mankind. Some follow Maat, others seek the way of animal instinct.

Qualities of a moral order are measured by deeds.
One foot isn't enough to walk with.
Our senses serve to affirm, not to know.


We mustn't confuse mastery with mimicry, knowledge with superstitious ignorance.
Physical consciousness is indispensable for the achievement of knowledge.
A man can't be judge of his neighbor' intelligence. His own vital experience is never his neighbor's.


No discussion can throw light if it wanders from the real point.
Your body is the temple of knowledge.
Experience will show you, a Master can only point the way.
A house has the character of the man who lives in it.
All organs work together in the functioning of the whole.

A man's heart is his own Neter.
A pupil may show you by his own efforts how much he deserves to learn from you.
Routine and prejudice distort vision. Each man thinks his own horizon is the limit of the world.


You will free yourself when you learn to be neutral and follow the instructions of your heart without letting things perturb you. This is the way of Maat.
Judge by cause, not by effect.
Growth in consciousness doesn't depend on the will of the intellect or its possibilities but on the intensity of the inner urge.


Every man must act in the rhythm of his time ... such is wisdom.
Men need images. Lacking them they invent idols. Better then to found the images on realities that lead the true seeker to the source.
Maat, who links universal to terrestrial, the divine with the human is incomprehensible to the cerebral intelligence.



Have the wisdom to abandon the values of a time that has passed and pick out the constituents of the future. An environment must be suited to the age and men to their environment.
Everyone finds himself in the world where he belongs. The essential thing is to have a fixed point from which to check its reality now and then.


Always watch and follow nature.
A phenomenon always arises from the interaction of complementary. If you want something look for the complement that will elicit it. Set causes Horus. Horus redeems Set.
All seed answer light, but the color is different.
The plant reveals what is in the seed.
Popular beliefs on essential matters must be examined in order to discover the original thought.


It is the passive resistance from the helm that steers the boat.
The key to all problems is the problem of consciousness.
Man must learn to increase his sense of responsibility and of the fact that everything he does will have its consequences.
If you would build something solid, don't work with wind: always look for a fixed point, something you know that is stable ... yourself.
If you would know yourself, take yourself as starting point and go back to its source; your beginning will disclose your end.


Images are nearer reality than cold definitions.
Seek peacefully, you will find.
Organization is impossible unless those who know the laws of harmony lay the foundation.


It is no use whatever preaching Wisdom to men: you must inject it into their blood.
Knowledge is consciousness of reality. Reality is the sum of the laws that govern nature and of the causes from which they flow.
Social good is what brings peace to family and society.
Knowledge is not necessarily wisdom.
By knowing one reaches belief. By doing one gains conviction. When you know, dare.


Altruism is the mark of a superior being.
All is within yourself. Know your most inward self and look for what corresponds with it in nature.
The seed cannot sprout upwards without simultaneously sending roots into the ground.
The seed includes all the possibilities of the tree.

The seed will develop these possibilities, however, only if it receives corresponding energies from the sky.

Grain must return to the earth, die, and decompose for new growth to begin.
Man, know thyself ... and thou shalt know the gods.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Pharaoh Shoshenq I Invaded The Holyland

Shishak or Sesac (Hebrew: שישק, Tiberian: [ʃiʃaq]) or Shishaq is the biblical Hebrew form of the first ancient Egyptian name of a pharaoh mentioned in the Bible.

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Origins and family
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Shoshenq I was the son of Nimlot A and Tentsepeh A. His paternal grandparents were the Chief of the MA Shoshenk (A) and his wife Mehytenweskhet A. Prior to his reign, Shoshenq I had been the Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Army, and chief advisor to his predecessor Psusennes II, as well as the father-in-law of Psusennes' daughter Maatkare.


He also held his father's title of Great Chief of the Ma or Meshwesh, which is an Egyptian word for Berbers of Libya. His ancestors were Libyans who had settled in Egypt during the late New Kingdom, probably at Herakleopolis Magna, though Manetho claims Shoshenq himself came from Bubastis, a claim for which no supporting physical evidence has yet been discovered.



Significantly, his Libyan uncle Osorkon the Elder had already served on the throne for at least six years in the preceding 21st Dynasty; hence, Shoshenq I's rise to power was not wholly unexpected. As king, Shoshenq chose his eldest son, Osorkon I, as his successor and consolidated his authority over Egypt through marriage alliances and appointments.



He assigned his second son, Iuput A, the prominent position of High Priest of Amun at Thebes as well as the title of Governor of Upper Egypt and Commander of the Army to consolidate his authority over the The baid. Finally, Shoshenq I designated his third son, Nimlot B, as the "Leader of the Army" at Herakleopolis in Middle Egypt.


Shishak's Reign
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This Karnak temple wall depicts a list of city states conquered by Shoshenq I in his Near Eastern military campaigns.
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Shishak is best known for his campaign through Israel and Judah, as recorded in the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 14:25;2 Chronicles 12:1-12).



Shishak had provided refuge to Jeroboam during the later years of Solomon's reign, and upon Solomon's death, Jeroboam became king of the tribes in the north, which became the Kingdom of Israel. In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign (commonly dated between 926 and 917 BC), Shishak swept through the kingdom of Judah with a powerful army, in support of his ally.
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Pharaoh Shoshenq I -RECORDED IN THE BIBLE AROUND DAVID AND GOLIATH TIME-1020 B.C. Shishak - sacked the Temple of Solomon, and brought 'THE ARK OF THE COVENANT BACK TO EGYPT' IN 950 B.C.

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Karnak relief depicting Shoshenq I and his second son, the High Priest Iuput A
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The fragment of a stela bearing his cartouche from Megiddo has been interpreted as a monument Shoshenq erected there to commemorate his victory.
Some of these conquered cities include Ancient Israelite fortresses such as Megiddo, Taanach and Shechem.
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Portal showing the cartouches of Sheshonq I.
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According to 2 Chronicles 12:3, he was supported by the Lubim (Libyans), the Sukkiim, and the Kushites" ("Ethiopians" in the Septuagint).


According to the biblical story Shishak carried off many of the treasures of the temple and the royal palace in Jerusalem, including the "shields of gold" that Solomon had made.

The story is not specific about the means by which he acquired these treasures, though it is most likely that he received them as a tribute from Rehoboam to secure peace.




Shishak's name
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Texts written in various ancient languages seem to indicate that the first vowel was both long and round, and the final vowel was short. For example, the name is written in the Hebrew Bible as שישק [ʃiːʃaq].


The variant readings in Hebrew, which are due to confusion between the letters < י > Yod and < ו > Vav that are particularly common in the Masoretic Text, indicate that the first vowel was long and received emphasis in pronunciation.



The Septuagintuses Σουσακιμ [susakim], derived from the marginal reading שושק [ʃuːʃaq] of Hebrew. This indicates during the 2nd century BC Hebrew-speakers or Alexandrian Greek-speakers pronounced the name with an initial long close back rounded vowel.











Shishak identified as Pharaoh Shoshenq I
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In the very early years after the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs, on chronological, historical, and linguistic grounds, nearly all Egyptologists identified Shishak with Shoshenq I.



This position was maintained by most scholars ever since, and is still the majority position. The fact that Shoshenq I left behind "explicit records of a campaign into Canaan (scenes; a long list of Canaanite place-names from the Negev to Galilee; stelae), including a stela [found] at Megiddo" supports the traditional interpretation.

Monday, May 9, 2011

PSUSENNES I, THE SILVER PHAROAH

One of Egypt’s forgotten pharaohs. The tomb of Psusennes I was found intact by Pierre Montet in 1940. The pharaoh’s mummy was encased in an extraordinary silver casket, unique in the history of Ancient Egypt. However, the discovery was overshadowed by World War II.






Psusennes I
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Who was this little-known king?
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Now historians take a fresh look at Psusennes’s remains in a bid to learn more about this powerful ruler and shed light on a murky period of Egyptian history.



The royal tomb of Pharaoh Psusennes I is said to be one of the most spectacular discoveries ever made in Egypt. So, why hasn't the world heard about it? And what does it reveal about Ancient Egypt? Find out in 'Secrets of the Dead: The Silver Pharoah'.





Tanis, Egypt, circa 1939. An excavation team led by French archaeologist Pierre Montet unearthed an intact royal burial chamber (NRT III), which contained treasures that (almost) rivals the riches found in Tutankhamun’s tomb almost two decades before.




One of the most spectacular discoveries inside the crypt was the exquisite silver sarcophagus of Pharaoh Psusennes I, an, up till now, obscure ruler who governed Egypt more than 3000 years ago during one of its most difficult periods.









Psusennes actually moved a whole city piece by piece, he made this decision to make the city come alive. Pi-Ramesses became unlivable when the Nile became too silted at this location.


Around the same time, Psusennes took the throne – and ordered part of the city be moved stone by stone to Tanis. Moving the city insured his ticket to eternity.
The intermediate period is considered to be the dark age of Kmt's history.

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Silver bones of the Gods
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Silver was scarce in Kmt, and precious in earlier dynasties.

Egypt was the home of Free Masonry and Sacred Geometry. They may have taught it to the Sumerians.


Fascinated by Psusenes' portrait:
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Secrets of the Dead: The Silver Pharaoh
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Psusennes ruled at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, about 300 years after King Tut.


At that time, Egypt was a fractured kingdom divided between rival rulers of north and south. High priests seized power to command the southern region from Thebes while deposed pharaohs were exiled north to Tanis.



From Tanis, Psusennes ruled for an impressive 46 years;, around 1000 B.C. the study of Psusennes’ skeleton showed a hard-working man who suffered a debilitating rheumatic disease but lived well into his eighties.




'Cumul des mandats'
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The pharaoh's cartouche offered the archaeologists clues as to how Psusennes amassed his fortune.










The first one was found on an ordinary silver dish, marked with Psusennes’ signature along with a series of hieroglyphic inscriptions citing his titles – the king was not only a pharaoh but also a high priest.




Additional investigation showed that he had his daughter marry his brother, a high priest in the south. In doing so, he cemented his family power and united the country.



Ursurping Merenptah's Sarcophagus
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Psusennes' sarcophagus held another clue to Third Intermediate Period Egyptian politics. On it, the egyptologists found a cartouche belonging to Merenptah, son of Ramesses the Great. Merenptah died 150 years before Psusennes came into power.



Research showed Psusennes was given Merenptah’s sarcophagus as a gift and had his signature added on it. This strategic act solidified his family’s association with historical greats for eternity








Over time, the Libyans power had grown such that soon after the death of Pharaoh Ramesses III, some of his successors were apparently compelled to share power with a Libyan general named Sheshong, who apparently was Lord of Bubastis and also titled Great Chief of Meshwesh.

He seems to have been related by marriage to the Ramesside dynasty (either his grandmother was also mother of a king, or his aunt had married a king).

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Moving Pi-Ramesses to Tanis
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The team also discovered more about the relocation of the metropolis of Pi-Ramesses, the riverside capital built by Ramesses II, to Tanis. Montet discovered its ruins in Tanis, however, archaeologists began questioning Montet’s assumption since the river Nile often changed course.



Using radar scans along a previously discounted delta settlement 12 miles from Tanis, they discovered the foundation of Ramesses’ lost city.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GLASS MAKING RECREATED

A team led by a Cardiff University archaeologist has reconstructed a 3,000-year-old glass furnace, showing that Ancient Egyptian glass making methods were much more advanced than previously thought.






The reconstructed kiln built by Dr. Paul Nicholson of Cardiff University and Dr. Caroline Jackson of Sheffield University. (Credit: Cardiff University)



Dr Paul Nicholson, of the University's School of History and Archaeology, is leader of an Egypt Exploration Society team working on the earliest fully excavated glassmaking site in the world.


The site, at Amarna, on the banks of the Nile, dates back to the reign of Akhanaten (1352 - 1336 B.C.), just a few years before the rule of Tutankhamun.

It was previously thought that the Ancient Egyptians may have imported their glass from the Near East at around this time. However, the excavation team believes the evidence from Amarna shows they were making it themselves, possibly in a single stage operation.


Dr Nicholson and his colleague Dr Caroline Jackson of Sheffield University demonstrated this was possible, using local sand to produce a glass ingot from their own experimental reconstruction of a furnace near the site.

The team have also discovered that the glass works was part of an industrial complex which involved a number of other high temperature manufacturing processes.

The site also contained a potter's workshop and facilities for making blue pigment and faience - a material used in amulets and architectural inlays.

The site was near one of the main temples at Amarna and may have been used to produce materials in state buildings.

Dr Nicholson, who has been working at Amarna since 1983, said: "It has been argued that the Egyptians imported their glass and worked it into the artifacts that have been discovered from this time.

I believe there is now enough evidence to show that skilled craftsmen could make their own glass and were probably involved in a range of other manufacturing industries as well."

Dr Nicholson has now written a book detailing the discoveries made at Amarna.

Entitled Brilliant Things for Akhenaten, it is published by the Egypt Exploration Society (London) and available through Oxbow Books in the UK and The David Brown Book Company in the USA.