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.

 

Home

Store

Rituals

Temple Pictures

Member Pictures, Journals & Blogs

Lessons

Contact Us

Site Search

 

Additional Resources

Ritual Submission Release Form

 

The Trial of Set
A Spiritual Adventure

The purpose of this Ritual is to promote self awareness, self confidence and to illuminate your personal path more clearly. You will be living as close as possible to the manner in which our ancient ancestors lived. Although you will not have to hunt for your food, you will have to spend a good part of each day working to gather the items you need to barter for your food and other supplies.

There are two ways to experience this adventure. You can choose to set up your tent in a Sanctuary or clearing, or you can choose to go completely primitive and use whatever you can find to create a shelter and campsite in a wild place that is as comfortable as possible.

Cost of participation, per person - $20.00 for the entire week

Each person will be living at their secluded campsite for one full week, Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. Each day, they may come to the main campsite to visit the market and barter for foods and other goods. The market will be open from 9:00 am to noon each day, and from 7:00pm to 8:00pm each evening. The currency system is barter, so you must bring something to trade with the merchant. Suggested items to barter are wood, building stones, paving stone, etc.

Each person spends their day caring for their own needs, acquiring items to barter with and working on their own spiritual needs. Evenings should be spent in meditation or on Ritual pursuits. Examine your life in detail and vow to change the parts you don’t like. Make a plan and list the steps needed to achieve your goal.

You will be amazed at how much time is spent just on your own personal needs, such as food, warmth, light and shelter. Your days will be full, and by the time evening will come around, you will be tired and pleased that you were able to totally care for yourself in a wild setting, and to bring order from the Chaos of your life.

Items to Bring

Every person may only bring a few items. The list is as follows:

Tent sleeping bag
Pillow 2 full changes of clothing
Needed medications first aid kit
A backpack enough food for yourself for one meal
matches or a lighter This Booklet
Personal toiletries booze or smokes
Pen and paper insect repellant

Everything except the tent, sleeping bag and pillow must fit into ONE normal size backpack. Keep in mind that you will be carrying your belongings to your campsite, so pack light.

You may NOT use the following items during this adventure:

Flashlights
Your Vehicle to go from one camp to another, or to the market. Vehicles must be parked outside of the woods, in the parking area. The only exception is when playing in a team and you have to go to work. You are then allowed to use your personal vehicle for transport to and from work, but you are not allowed to bring any items into the campsite, other than your normal items. In other words, no fair bringing dinner home for your partner.
Firearms – if you wish to keep a gun at your camp for safety reasons, we can’t stop you, but please be aware that those strange sounds you hear in the woods around you might just be the Merchant, coming to judge a challenge, or another participant, acting as a thief. Neither of whom you should be shooting at. If you fire a gun, it better be because a coyote is within 2 inches of tearing your throat out

Agenda

The First Day

Plan to arrive by noon on the first day. You should plan to have your campsite set up by 3:00 pm. Once you have chosen where you will set up your camp, look around to see what might be available to use for seating, tables, and other items, so that perhaps you can cross those things off of your need to buy list.

If you have time before the organizational meeting, begin planning your system of survival. Make a list of what you want to buy and prioritize it into what is needed and what is wanted, and what to buy first and what can wait till later. You have brought enough food for tonight, so concentrate on the other things you may need, such as lighting, water and cooking and eating utensils.

Also look around and discover what natural resources are close to you. Keep in mind that you will need firewood to cook your food, as well as to barter with, so if your area is low on wood, you might want to choose another item to barter with.

On the first day ONLY, the market will be open from 5:00pm till 8:00pm. Some items shall only be available at this time, and you might find some bargain deals as well. Please keep in mind that you will need food each day of your stay, but will not have a way to store any unused or leftover foods, unless you rent a cooler and purchase blocks of ice

At 3:00pm, there will be a meeting of all participants, the rules shall be gone over, and any questions or issues shall be discussed.

The Other Days

The normal daily agenda is up to you. Just keep in mind the hours that the market is open. Everything else is up to you.

You will need to work hard enough each day to provide yourself with the comforts of a well made campsite and three meals a day, as well as water, cooking utensils, and whatever else you may need.

The Last day

On the last day, Sunday afternoon, everyone shall gather at the main campsite at Noon, where they will be treated to lunch, prepared by the Merchant. Once the meal is finished, all challenge winners shall be announced and the prizes awarded, including the Ultimate Challenge winner.

Once the award ceremony is finished, all participants are free to pack up and go home, or stick around and enjoy more friendship.

The Concept

This is designed to be fun as well as challenging and spiritual uplifting. Can you take care of yourself in the same manner in which our ancient ancestors did? Can you face the same obstacles and work load that they did? Can you make your ancestors proud?

Obviously, during the week that this will take place, you will not have time to grow your own garden or care for animals to barter with, so we have had to come up with easily ‘found’ objects for trades. Is it just a coincidence that these items also benefit our Temple and campsite? NOPE, I planned it that way. Why shouldn't our activities also benefit the Temple, and if we can have fun while gathering the firewood for our balefire, and the stones for our Sacred lake, shrines and other projects, then why not go for it?

This does not mean that you will be spending every moment of your time alone and meditating, although you should plan to spend quite a bit of time doing this. You will be receiving invitations from other participants, and may throw a party yourself and issue invitations, or your Merchant might decide to throw a party.

If you plan to throw a party, you will need to work extra hard and budget your resources carefully in order to afford extra food, drinks and the supplies you will need.

You are expected to live as our ancient forefathers did. You will eat, sleep and work for your bodies nourishment and you will perform Rituals, Quests and Prayers. You will also have a few opportunities to party with your fellow participants, and discuss what elements of this adventure you are enjoying and which elements you are having trouble with. You may wish to form alliances and can even raid another campsite if you wish. You may also be raided, so be careful how you plan your campsite.

Since you are limited in the number of items you are allowed to bring with you, you may find it necessary to purchase items to use for bathing, washing dishes and washing clothes.

Barter System

The following barters can be used as an example of what can be traded for what items. Make sure to carefully plan your purchases and buy the things you think are most important as early as possible, as some items are limited in number, and there are not enough to go around. Plan well, or go without.

The Merchant will have her wares set up within Temple Ankh each day. They are only available for purchase at the times her store is open. The Merchant also deals in black market goods, so be aware of this when planning for this event. Black market items are very expensive and can be purchased with regular items, or with other black market items, which you may have chosen to sneak into your backpack.

Only one person is allowed within the Merchants store at one time, and it is first come, first to buy. Once a person leaves the store with the goods they have purchased, the next person in line shall be admitted.

The Merchant accepts the following items

Pieces of firewood must be at least 3 inches in diameter.
Building stones must weigh at least 8 pounds.
Flat paving rocks must be at least 8 inches across at the widest point.
Anything else you might try to barter with, who knows, if she is in a good mood, she just might accept.

The Merchant has available the following items for sale
More might be available as the mood of the Merchant improves

Canned food
Fresh veggies
Fresh fruit
Packages of meat
Ingredients for a full meal
A full meal cooked and delivered to you
Spices – small bags of salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, oregano, basil, and spearmint
Gallons of water
Cooking oil
Iron skillets
Stew pots
Cushions
Camp Cot
Chairs
Candles
A Lantern filled with fuel
All Ritual items
Boxes of matches
Blocks of ice
Toilet paper
Cleaning items
One Place setting = 1Plate, cup, knife, spoon and fork
Cooking Utensils = 1 sharp knife and 1 wooden spoon
Towels and washcloths
Storage Containers

The Merchant has available the following items for Order

The following items are available by special order only. This means you must order and pay for them the night before in order to pick them up the next morning.

Booze

Personal toiletries

The Merchant has available the following items for rent

These items are available on a first come – first served basis. Several coolers are available, but there is only one wheelbarrow available, and it can only be rented per hour.

Wheelbarrow, per hour – to be used to bring large amounts of items to the market – 5 building stones, 15 pieces of firewood or 8 paving stones per hour.
Coolers, per day – must be paid for each morning or returned – 3 building stones, 10 pieces of firewood or 5 paving stones per day
Shovel or Rake, - per ½ day – 3 building stones, 10 pieces of firewood or 5 paving stones
Wash Basins – per day – 2 building stones, 5 pieces of firewood or 3 paving stones
Washtub – per day - 2 building stones, 5 pieces of firewood or 3 paving stones
Washboard for washing clothes - 2 building stones, 5 pieces of firewood or 3 paving stones

Suggested Barters

The following are just guidelines, and the merchant is under no obligation to accept these trades. As our ancient ancestors were, you also are subject to the mood of the merchant, and I can guarantee you she is a Bitch and tends to raise the prices as she feels led. You don’t even want to know what she will charge if you throw a party and don’t invite her.

FIREWOOD

2 pieces of firewood = 1 can of food, or
1 candle or
1 roll of toilet paper or
matches or
1 block of ice

4 pieces of firewood = 1 gal of water
or spices or
a washbasin or
1 towel and 1 washcloth or
1 place setting or
1 set of cooking utensils or
Rope or
Cleaning items

5 pieces of firewood = use of the wheelbarrow to bring more items to market or
a cooler or
a shovel for the day or
a rake for the day or
use of the washtub and washboard for 1 day
1 small storage container

10 pieces of firewood = 1 lantern filled with fuel or
1 skillet and a small jar of cooking oil
1 large storage container or
1 chair

20 pieces of wood = 1 camp cot or
ingredients for one complete meal

25 pieces of firewood = one hot meal delivered to your campsite or
Use of the tool box for 1 day

 

BUILDING STONE

1 building stone = 2 cans of food or
2 candles or
1 roll of toilet paper or
Matches or
1 block of ice or
rope

2 building stones = spices or
a meat choice or
use of the wheelbarrow for one hour or
use of a shovel or rake for one day or
1 towel and 1 washcloth or
1 small storage container

3 building stones = 1 gallon of water and 1 candle or
1 wash basin or
use of the washtub and washboard for one day or
1 place setting or
Cleaning items

5 building stones = use of the wheelbarrow or
a cooler or
Cooking utensils

6 building stones = a lantern filled with fuel or
a skillet or
a stew pot
use of the tool box for 1 day or
1 large storage container or
1 chair

10 building stones = camp cot or
cushions

15 building stones = one hot meal delivered to your campsite

PAVING ROCKS

2 flat paving rocks = spices for cooking or
1 roll of toilet paper or
Matches or 1 block of ice

3 flat paving rocks = 2 cans of food or
1 candle
1 washbasin or
1 small storage container or
rope

6 flat paving rocks = 1 gallon of water and 1 candle or
1 towel and 1 washcloth or
1 place setting or
Cleaning items or
Cooking Utensils

8 flat paving rocks = 1 meat choice and 1 candle or
the use of the wheelbarrow for one hour or
the use of a shovel or rake for one day or
use of the washtub and washboard for 1 day

9 flat paving rocks = skillet or
stew pot or
lantern with fuel or
use of the tool box for 1 day or
1 chair

12 flat paving rocks = camp cot or
cushions or
1 large storage container or
cooler

20 flat paving rocks = ingredients for a full meal and 3 candles

30 flat paving rocks = hot meal delivered

The Spiritual Side

As our ancient ancestors did, your time not spent on survival and your evenings will be spent on spiritual pursuits. Everyone will be given a journal and an ink pen and are expected to write their feelings and thoughts down in this journal. Please keep in mind that this journal is NOT yours to keep, it is the property of Temple Ankh and shall be used to provide the Elders with input on how to make this experience better for those who come later. Your private journals shall NOT be shared with anyone other than the High Priest and High Priestess, however, things might be discussed based upon your journal entries, but without any names mentioned.

Those of you who have been involved in Rituals using the private journal experience, shall receive your journals back to use during this ritual, while those of you new to this concept shall receive new journals.

During the time when you are not performing the work needed to sustain your life, you should concentrate upon your own spiritual health and welfare. Perform any rituals you feel are needed, and simply sit and meditate and commune with your personal Gods and Goddesses.

To increase the spiritual aspects of this adventure, plan to spend at least 2 evenings on spiritual pursuits. Some excellent rituals to perform are:
The Ceremony of Horus

Trading, Raiding and Making Alliances

You may choose to raid another persons campsite when they are at market, or when they are present, but asleep. However if you do, be warned that they just might raid your campsite in return. If you do choose to raid someone, make sure not to leave any evidence of your raid, or they could bring you up on charges, and if they prove their case against you, you could be stripped of all possessions and shall then become the slave of the Merchant. HINT – for every 5 participants, one person shall be a thief. Will you be able to discover who it is before you are robbed?

Trading among individuals is fully approved. If someone else has something you need, strike a deal with them. You could even form an alliance with them, to share the work load, or for protection. You are asked not to merge campsites, however, as that would not be within the spirit of this adventure, and would not afford you the level of privacy which you need for your spiritual use.

The Thieving Side

If you choose to raid another campsite, there are a few rules you must follow:

1. You may not, for any reason, raid or steal from the Merchant.
2. If you steal from another participant and are not caught doing it. The person you have stolen from, can accuse you and request a trial by Merchant. If they present any true evidence that you did steal from them, then you must surrender your possessions to the person whom you stole from and you shall become the slave of the Merchant for the rest of the adventure, OR you will become the merchant and the merchant will take control of your campsite. This choice is up to the Merchant. Becoming a slave of the Merchant involves the following things:
a. You will obey all orders from the Merchant, which pertain to the adventure and are appropriate to same.
b. You will be responsible for fixing all meals and clean up at the main campsite, for the Merchant.

3. True evidence consists of absolute proof. You can not simply say, well this person must have done it, because they were not present at Market when my stuff was stolen. If your possessions were stolen, you MUST investigate this matter yourself and bring proof of the crime before the Merchant for trial.
4. The decisions of the Merchant are final.
5. You can NOT take any of the original belongings that a person has brought to the campsite. You may only take those things which have been purchased from the Merchant
6. How you are caught. If you are raiding a campsite and the person catches you, they have only to say your name for you to be caught. Once caught, you and the person who caught you must immediately come to the main campground and make this known to the merchant. If you have been honestly caught, you will be immediately found guilty and shall take the punishment.

Challenges

Each morning, the Merchant will give you a challenge that you must face that day. The daily challenges should be decided on ahead of time, and issued to every participant at the market each morning. Each person will be given the same challenges, but on different days. Winners of the daily challenges will be awarded a silver feather to wear on their ritual robe. When you have 5 silver feathers, you may exchange them for one gold feather. Possible challenges include:
1. Making the best meal
2. Most creative altar
3. Hosting the best party. This party should be for all participating and plan to last about 2 hours. Your should plan to serve a snack and a beverage.

Once or Twice during the game, you will be summoned to the main campsite to participate in a reward challenge against your competitors. Possible Challenges include:
1. Solving a puzzle in the shortest amount of time
2. Winning a game tournament
3. Completing a task in the shortest amount of time

The Ultimate challenge is won by whoever has created the most comfortable campsite by the end of the adventure. They will receive a special charm to wear on their ritual robe. There might also be other awards given for whatever the Merchant finds worthy of a special charm.

The thief or thieves shall be awarded a special charm if he/she has successfully spent the entire adventure without being brought up on charges.

 

Helpful Hints

1. Mark all of your belongings in some manner, so you can identify them later, in case they are stolen.
2. Before accusing someone, check out their campsite to make sure your items are there. If you accuse someone falsely, they have the right to go to your campsite and take one item from you for themselves.
3. A thief can’t rob you if they don’t know where your campsite is.
4. Bottles of ice will keep your food cool and you can drink the water or cook with it once it melts.
5. The thief will use all their cunning to locate your campsite and steal your goods. Therefore you should be just as cunning in hiding your campsite and possessions.
a. Camouflage your tent
b. Keep lighting and sound to a minimum at night
c. Investigate any sounds that do not belong
d. Be aware if you are being followed when returning to your camp from the market.

 

Notes for the Merchant

Set your wares up inside the Temple.
Use the tables already there and erect more as you may need.
Separate the meats for sale into individual servings and place them in baggies. Make sure all the lanterns are full of fuel.
For blocks of ice, freeze water in 2 liter bottles.

 

Other Ideas

1.

 

 

How our Temple would Benefit

To make the most comfortable campsite possible, you will need:
115 Pieces of firewood or 17 pieces per day OR

58 Building stones or 9 stones per day OR

108 Paving rocks or 15 per day

If just 5 people participate in this event, and all 5 choose to make the most comfortable campsite possible, our temple would gain:

575 pieces of firewood – enough to keep our Temple, Campsite and at least 4 Sanctuaries supplied for half a year.

OR

406 building stones – enough to complete the Sacred Lake, build altars at 5 Sanctuaries and to place a 2 foot stone wall around our Temple, Meditation area and Seminar area.

OR

756 paving rocks - enough to pave the entire temple and the path from the campsite to the temple.

Most likely we will get a mix of the three, which is even better! And think of how wonderful it would be if 10 people participated!!!!!!!!!!!

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.

 

Privacy Policy & User Agreement

All Pages Copyright 2005 Temple Ankh. All Rights Reserved.
Developed & Maintained by Metro Web Services