Today, III Peret 7, marks the festival of “The Eye of Ra calls the Shemsu.”

Shemsu is a specific term for some members of Kemetic Orthodoxy; it means that one has joined the House and sworn to uphold one’s divined Kemetic gods above any other path. In antiquity, it meant “follower” and referred to a member of the Kemetic royal court who had sworn to serve the nation by following the royal household. [source]

Whether a member of Kemetic Orthodoxy or not, whether a Shemsu in the House or not, today provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on the call of the Eye. Why do you follow a Kemetic path?

For myself, this is a day to meditate on Sekhmet, my Red Lady, the Eye of Ra Who brought me here. I may have chosen Her deliberately in my youth, but She has since set me on a road that She has designed, and I could not have possibly foreseen where I’d be after eight years in the Lioness’s fiery wake.

Tomorrow marks my first full year as a Kemetic Orthodox Shemsu. (How’s that for good timing?) To be honest, very little is different for me as a sworn Shemsu from how I’d been before, but I can see the spiraling path and how I’ve changed and evolved with every passing season. I am a follower of my gods, Whom I praise and adore; I am a participant in my community, which I support and contribute to.

Today, I offer up my gratitude to Sekhmet for accepting a doormat’s plea for strength and turning it into a Shemsu over the course of years. Today, I offer up my love for my gods, my brethren, and the path I’ve chosen to walk. Today, I sing the song of ritual and offer flame and smoke in joy.