Ceremony of Ma'at

Temple Ankh

Worshiping the ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses through Rituals, Prayers and Spells dedicated and directed to the Old ones who still hold the power of the universe.

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Ceremony of Ma'at

This ceremony begins in a Temple in which no light shines. It celebrates the light of truth, which shines from the dark void of chaos. This should be performed outdoors on the night of a new moon. The Temple is set up with the regular statues placed at the Cardinal Points, but with a black candle replacing the cardinal point candles. The altar should contain a statue of Ma’at, a feather, a scale, and the parchment on which the petitioner has written down the crime or injustice he feels has been done to him. The Altar Candle should be a black candle also.

Once the Temple has been set up, each person should take a piece of parchment or paper and write down what they feel has been done against them personally. These papers should be placed on the altar before beginning this ritual. To begin, extinguish all lights. The HP should stand to the side of the Altar and will be the representation of the Great God Thoth, writing each petitioners concerns down in the Temple book, so that the HPS and HP can ask the member in a few weeks if any further work needs to be done, or if the matter has been concluded.

The HPS shall be the representation of the Great Goddess, and should begin this ritual by kneeling in front of the Altar, until the invocation has been completed and the Goddess Ma’at has descended into her body.

The PS speaks the Invocation in a completely dark Temple.

All praise the Great Goddess Ma’at
Mistress of Truth, Justice, Balance
And the order which springs from Chaos
May your name forever be upon the lips
Of every soul in each generation to come.
Since the dawn of the first day,
When you rose above the primordial waters
In the boat of your Father, you have brought
Order and Justice to all who worship you.
We thank you for those gifts
And for the Blessings you continue to give
With each new dawn of our lives
When our time arrives and we must walk
Your Hall of Judgment, please remember us
As your Children.

The HP lights the black altar candle and assists the HPS to stand, once she has signaled him to do so, by lifting her hand to him. The following words of Ma’at should be spoken by the High Priestess with a strong voice, who is standing before the Altar, facing the center of the Temple.

I am Ma’at, This is my home.
You may never see me,
But you will always feel my power.
I am the breeze that stirs the leaves
Which keeps you cool on a hot day.
I am the ground upon which you walk.
I am the water which nourishes the life around you.
And I am the fire which warms your body
When the nights turn cold.
I am the order which is contained
In every leaf on every tree and
In every grain of dirt beneath your feet.
I am the order from which all things are formed,
Therefore the ground and the
Plants around you are my body.
And the waters that feed them are my Blood.
This is my home.
Priestesses, call to me the elements.

ECPH – I call to the winds of the East, Answer the call of Ma’at. Bring the powers of Air into this Temple to watch, to guard and to guide as the Great Goddess requests.

SCPH – I summon the flames of the South, Answer the call of Ma’at. Bring the fires of passion and courage into our bodies, that our Faith may be strong.

WCPH – Waters of the World, hear the call of Ma’at and answer. Bring the tides of change to usher in new experiences and allow our souls to grow.

NCPH – Powers of the Earth and all within, Answer the call of Ma’at. Bring the strength of stone to support us in our work.

HPS turns to the Temple Guardian and says:

Guardian of this Temple, light the sacred flame of my Justice

Temple Guardian lights the balefire then says - The elements of the Cardinal Points are present, and the flames of Justice now burn within our Temple and within our souls.

HP and HPS says: So it shall always be

Everyone – So let it be.

The CPH’s take seats on the benches, and everyone else may now sit, except for those who have cause to come before the Great Goddess Ma’at. The HPS moves to stand to the side and slightly behind the altar
Each Petitioner(s), one at a time, stands before the Altar and calls his or her personal God And Goddess for witness and protection. Saying:

I call upon the Great God_____ to stand over me and
guard myself in this work.
I call upon the Great Goddess______ to support me and
protect myself in this work.

The petitioners as a group take the black altar candle and walk around the Circle counterclockwise starting and ending at the west and light the other black candles. In between each Cardinal point they say:

This sets the Court of Justice, there within, I make my plea.

Each Petitioner then comes one at a time to stand before the Altar. The HP hands each their parchment, which has been kept folded, with only their Temple name written on the outside. With the parchment in their power hand, they raise it to the sky and say:

Great Goddess Ma’at! Hear my plea for Justice.
Let those who have wronged me
feel the wrath of the righteous.

Take the indictment and light it by the black candle on the Altar, saying:

Let the Spirit of this plea
be heard in the ears
of the Gods and Goddesses,
may they do what is right and just to all concerned.

Each Petitioner then throws the burning parchment into the balefire, and returns to their seat within the Temple.

When all have finished, the HP says:

Rest assured your pleas have been heard
by the Great Gods and Goddesses.
You soon shall receive a sign that Justice has been done.

The HP then escorts the HPS around the Circle, counterclockwise, as she snuffs out each of the black Cardinal Point Candles. They both return to the Altar, bow and snuff out the Altar candle. The HP says:

The energies of the Elements are released
and our circle is closed.

The HPS says:

The Great Goddess has returned to the abode of the Gods,
but she has left a spirit to do her work.
May the Great Goddess Ma’at be praised
And may her name be remembered in the hearts of mankind.

Everyone forms a circle, hand in hand, around the balefire or in the center of the sacred space. HPS stands at the East, HP stands at the West, PS stands at the North, and P stands at the South. All gathered raises their hands to the sky and HPS recites:
We now share our energy and will with
our Mother Nut and with each other.
HPS lowers her hands to shoulder level and all others follow in kind.
HP recites:
We now release our energy and will
to our Father Geb.
HP lowers his hands to waist level and all others follow in kind.
P recites:
Let our energy and fall upon the Earth,
there let it work our will.
P releases his hands and shakes them, all others follow suit.
PS recites:
We give thanks to all of the Gods and Goddesses,
may you receive our energy,
thanks and prayers.
All say together:
So let it be.

The Ritual is ended. Clean up any messes, put out the balefire and any torches you have lit. Always leave the Temple clean. Take the offering foods out to an offering table for the wildlife to feast upon.

News & Upcoming Events

March 16-20 - Spring Equinox celebration. Main ritual will be on the 18th starting at 10:00 a.m. and lasting until we get sleepy.

April 29th - Beltaine celebration beginning at 7:00 p.m.

June 20 - 25 - Second annual Trial of Set game!

June 24 - Midsummer celebration beginning at Noon and lasting until 11:00 p.m. Main ritual begins at 6:00 p.m.

September 22 - 24 - Autumn Equinox Celebration. Main Ritual will be on the 23rd beginning at 7:00 p.m.

October 26 - 29 - Harvest celebration. Main Ritual will be on the 28th, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

For more information on any of these events, please email Nydia. Please put 'Rituals' as the subject line of your email.