Kemetic spirituality, also known as Kemetism, can also be called neterism or Egyptian neopaganism. Practitioners of Kemetism believe they are following religious beliefs and rites from within Egypt itself. Kemetism is a name given to contemporary groups who follow religious beliefs and rituals associated with Ancient Egypt. Kemetic Orthodoxy is a contemporary practice of a religious tradition from ancient Egypt, known as Ancient Egyptian Kemet by its native inhabitants.
Because the pantheon of ancient Egypt had many deities, Kemetic Orthodoxy may vary in practices and beliefs amongst its practitioners. The Kemetic Orthodox religion is a polytheistic religion, meaning it acknowledges a number of deities and goddesses. For others, however, the spirituality of Kemetic takes on the form of a spiritual tradition. Kemetic traditions, however, are strongly focused on moving their adherents out of spiritual disarray and into a state of spiritual revival.
Kemetic spirituality resurrects Egypt’s failed older deities, supports their images, and re-worships them. Several ancient belief systems are once more popular, including the Egyptian religion known as Kemetism. Although Kemetism has seen a dramatic rise in popularity since the 1980s, many historians have questioned how closely the beliefs really resembled the lives and ideas of ancient Egyptians themselves. Regardless of historical accuracy, Kemetists of today are inspired to seek meaning in the world by following the footprints of ancient Egyptian society.
According to historians Marilyn Crogh and Brooke Pillifant, Kemetic Orthodoxy is essentially a religion of recent modernity, not a faithful reflection of ancient Egyptian society. Kemetic reconstructionists recognize there is no intact kemetic tradition, and due to this conviction, a great deal of rigorous research is required in order to truly understand the ancient ways. Kemetic reconstructionists emphasize reconstructing as closely as possible ancient Egyptian religious rituals and practices, drawing upon Egyptian scholarship and archaeological studies. Kemet is the name that Ancient Egypt is known by, and individuals following the cultural and religious practices of ancient Egyptians are called following the Kemetics, or being members of the Kemetic Orthodoxy.
Kemetism (from k.t., the original name for Ancient Egypt) is the term for neopagan revivals of Ancient Egyptian religions, developed in the United States since the 1970s. Kemet (or KMT) is the native name for ancient Egypt, and Kemetic spirituality, or Kemetism, is a neopagan religious movement which aims to revive Ancient Kemetic/Egyptian religious practices. Kemetism (also Kemeticism; both derived from Egyptian KMT, often voweled Kemet, the native name of ancient Egypt), also sometimes called neterism (from ntr (coptic noute) god), or Egyptian neopaganism, is the revival of Ancient Egyptian religions and associated religious expressions in Classical and Late Antiquity, which emerged in the 1970s. Kemetic Orthodoxy is an African traditional religion, and shares similarities with other traditional African religions and African Diaspora religions (such as the West African religions of the Yoruba, Akan, Congo, and Dahomeyan people; and the Afro-Caribbean practices of Voodoo, Candomble, and Lukumi), as well as spiritual practices from northeastern Africa and the ancient Near East.
Generally, these traditions, sometimes called Kemetic Paganism or Kemetic Reconstruction, adhere to the core principles of Egyptian spirituality, such as homage to Neteru, or gods, and to finding a balance between human needs and the natural world. In addition to the Kemetic reconstruction movement, there are many groups following Egyptian deities in the context of neopaganism, using both the Northern European Wheel of the Year and Wiccan Sabbat dates.
Although several other Kemetic cults have differences over specific practices, the majority of Kemetic practitioners share the same basic principles. However, there are a number of Kemetic beliefs that are not agreed on by all practitioners. Other Kemetic traditions utilize a Chakra-like system, which is the equivalent of Yoga.
Many Kemetic practitioners also engage in rituals of ancestor veneration, keeping a shrine in the house of the ancestor, known as the ahu, and seeking his or her guidance. Various practices are used, such as lighting candles, reciting the names of the deities they favor, building altars and shrines, providing food offerings, and socializing with other Kemetic’s followers.
Those practicing Kemetic spirituality and Kemetic meditation, furthermore, show that this ancient spiritual system is still highly beneficial today. Modern Kemetics incorporates aspects from a broad range of ancient religious practices in Africa, India, and the Caribbean, including parts of Yoruba and Vodou religions.
According to the website Kemet.org, the modern practice of Kemetics began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with Hekatawy I, an Egyptian religious leader who was also known as Tamara Siuda. Kemetic revivalism emerged during the 1970s, alongside the growth of Neopaganism in the U.S., the Church of the Eternal Source, which promoted a New Age acceptance of Egyptian spiritualism, was founded in 1970, and the Ausar Auset Society, which promoted Pan-Africanism, was founded in 1973. Kemetic Orthodoxy followed in the late 1980s, followed by Kerry Wisners Akhet Kemetic Reconstructionism, was founded in 1973. Kemetism’s modern revival traces its roots back to the 1970s.
Kemetist revivalism is composed of a mix of New Age, Wicca, and Afrocentrism, the latter within the context of the Afrocentrist Egyptology that emerged in the US during the 1990s, making ancient Egypt Black culture. Kemetic Wicca (also Tameran Wicca, from the T3 mry land of the Two Riverbanks, another indigenous term for Ancient Egypt) is an eclectic approach that blends Ancient Egyptian elements with Wicca, a religion that is based on Pagan practices that makes use of Wicca.
For members of most kemetic groups, the insights are gained from studying academic sources on ancient Egypt, as well as working directly with deities. The Kemetic diet refers to the eating pattern followed by contemporary followers of Kemet, the ancient Egyptian set of religious rules governing all aspects of the lives of its followers, from their spirituality to their medical care to the foods prepared at their daily meals. Kemet, the ancient Egyptian set of religious rules governing all aspects of the lives of its followers, from their spirituality to their medical care to the foods prepared at their daily meals.