Aset, Mistress of Magic—it was she who poked me into making some of the Heka I’ve written and designed available to other Kemetics. I have always resisted doing so, because in some part of me I’ve always wondered if it was any good. Most of my magical training comes from my brief days as a Wiccan and I have very little experience with proper Heka. But after spending some time in Her presence on her day, I was surprised when she insisted I put all of my talismans and amulets out on the altar for her to look upon, and even more surprised when she seemed to want me to share what I had made with others. Thus the birth of this page.
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Kemetic Oracle Deck
Set does not particularly like oracles in my experience. He has a somewhat cranky disposition that divination and oracles encourage people to avoid decision making. Then I had a conversation with him.
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But I like communicating through cards.
You can hear me perfectly well without them. They serve no purpose.
They help when I feel too scattered and biased to simply trust what I hear.
If that’s the case, these cards are a poor choice—you must still interpret the meaning of the cards. It is an excuse.
What if I made a deck which had Kemetic symbolism and was designed to be a tool for communicating when my sight isn’t clear? Something which will have an unavoidable, definitive meaning but still allow for some communication beyond a simple yes or no?
I will not make decisions for you.
But what about a deck that will let you tell me when I’m missing something, a deck that will let you point out things I need to deal with even if I have been avoiding them?
This oracle will be a tool for me to break you from complacency?
Um...sure! *big pleading smile*
We’ll see. Bring it before me when it is finished.
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And so it began. After years of tinkering, I finally have something which seems to work and which he lets me bring before him.
Why it isn’t just Kemetic Tarot:
The deck differs from tarot in many ways: it is based on Kemetic numerology and symbolism, it has 25 standard cards but allows for personalization of those cards and also reserves additional cards (bringing the total to 30) which are personal cards unique to each deck owner. A subset of the cards has reversed meanings, but most cards are interpreted with only upright meanings. The most crucial difference, however, is in the geomantic component. Unlike in normal tarot where the spread typically only gives structure to the answer, my oracle deck uses geomantic indicators and the spread of the cards to give a definitive “yes”/”no” answer which is then commented on by the content of the cards. The last difference is less a matter of the cards themselves and more a matter of how they are used: there are only four predefined questions one can ask of the deck. The reader picks the most relevant of the four to ask and the reading is built around it.
The Structure of the Cards:
There are two different card structures in the deck: 1)Essence cards (example on right in image)—whose meaning is the same regardless of how the card falls, and 2)Two Truths cards (example on left in image)—which have two opposite but intimately related meanings which are read according to which one falls up right.
Every deck has a set of 25 standard cards and 5 additional personal cards which are up to the reader to design. Thus personal cards can be either essence cards or two truths cards or a mix of both kinds. Among the standard cards, only 6 are two truths cards and the rest are essence cards.
The edges of the cards feature a geomantic device—those little moons and suns. These are used to get the yes/no portion of the reading.
The Cards:
The 25 standard cards are further broken into three categories: Polyvalent Truth Cards, Orthodox Cards, and Ennead Cards. There are then the personal cards which bring the deck total to 30.
Polyvalent Truth Cards
These are the 6 two truths style cards in the standard set. They represent a series of double truths and dualities common in Kemetic thought which often work their way into our daily lives. I have them listed here along with key words which will (hopefully) help you understand what I was going for:
1. Sia (divine intuition) | Rehk (recorded Sia / knowledge)
2. Dejet (linear time) | Neheh (cyclical time)
3. Ren (singular name, identity) | Iru (guise, multiplicity, many forms)
4. Nun (before there were two things) | Zep Tepi (the first time)
5. Duat ( "the horizon" unseen world / world of the dead) | Nety Ra Shenu ("that which the sun circles" aka: seen world)
6. Ka (family soul, vital energy, personality) | Ba (individual soul, reincarnate-able soul, inner soul)
Orthodox Cards
These 10 cards represent concepts and features of the Kemetic Orthodox faith (though really, only two of them are specific to Kemetic Orthodoxy—the others are present in most versions of Kemetic religion):
1. Akhu (ancestors)
2. Ma'at
3. Heka
4. Netjeri
5. Senut ( a ritual specific to HoN, but more generally, could stand for both ritual and community)
6. Natron (purity)
7. Nisut (right authority)
8. Sebau (teachers / learning)
9. Wepwawet (opener of the way)
Ennead Cards
These 10 cards (yes 10…I know, Her-wer isn’t normally part of the standard Ennead, but…well, he gets a day during the days upon the year so it didn’t feel right to exclude him) represent one of many core sets of Names which can be used as a lens for viewing the creation myth. I happen to prefer this particular version of the creation myths because it feels more relatable to me. However, one could just as easily use the Ogdoad or a different Ennead (however, changing the number of cards alters deck structure so substitutions have to be handled carefully--see the personal cards section for more about that):
1.Ra
2.Shu
3.Tefunt
4.Geb
5.Nut
6.Wesir
7.Her-wer
8.Set
9.Aset
10.Nebt-het
Personal Cards
In addition to the standard cards, the deck maker/reader adds a number of personal cards to customize the deck to their relevant interests. The subject of the personal cards (and number of them) will vary from practitioner to practitioner. The only rule is that a minimum of 5 cards must be added if any personal cards are added to the deck (thus, you can’t decide to add only 3) and however many cards one adds, the total number of cards in the deck must be divisible by 5.
As for what to include in your personal cards...if you are Orthodox, I recommend you include cards for any of the names in your RPD line-up that are not already included in the deck via one of the other sets. Beyond that (or if you haven’t had an RPD, are not Orthodox, etc...) I would include Names you work closely with, ancestors who speak to you often, personal “double truths” you come across, or "big thought" type concepts which can add to the essence cards in the deck.
Making the Cards
Mine are drawn on colored blank business cards with a “no smear” black pen. I used both images and words to represent concepts, except where I had a space crunch and only had room for words. I also placed the geomantic indicators centered on each of the edges (I just eyeballed it)—just make sure that on two truths cards, you have a sun and moon to each of the two meanings of the card (that’s why I halved them on a diagonal). My final suggestion is to keep it as simple (and inexpensive) as possible and don’t be afraid to redo cards as you need to.
Reading the Deck
This section covers the basics of using a deck once you’ve built it. I’ll start with the predefined questions you can ask and a brief description of each, then cover how to shuffle and lay out the cards, show how the yes/no answer is achieved and then give a few pointers on interpreting the cards themselves.
The Questions
There are only 4 questions to ask of this deck. The reason for that is simple: this is not a divinatory tool in the traditional sense. I’m going to cheat a bit here and quote my own design journal to help explain that statement:
“The deck should be used not when we have concerns or fears (that's what prayer is for) but when we think things are hunky-dory and want to know if we are ignoring deeper issues. It is meant to see that which we do not see--not that which we already know. It is meant to provoke thought, to communicate, to give direction to our attention--not to provide answers, to beg reassurance, or to give direction to our actions. It is meant to deal with niggling unaccounted doubt or to plant the seed of doubt in the bed of complacency: It is deeply important that these two outcomes are equally likely.”
And there you have it. That was the foundation the deck was built upon. The questions which one asks of the deck are intimately tied to that core idea. Limiting the questions one can ask helps define the purpose of this tool. Choose the question which is most relevant to the situation you are asking about. Substitute “X” with whatever your current issue/problem is. When in doubt, or for a general reading, use the first option.
1) Is the wall squared? ( a question of current foundational assessment--are there impending crisis due to one factor or another being unaddressed in the subconscious)--does not guarantee that there is no impending crisis in life, only that one is prepared to deal with it
2) Are my eyes whole in X? (can this important decision be made right now without fear that I am not seeing something) --does not guarantee that the right decision will be made, only that one is prepared to make it
3) Is there water under X? (a question of whether or not a continued search or effort is fruitful) --it does not guarantee that you will find something, nor find it for you, merely let you know if there is something to find.
4) Is X heavy on the scale? ( a question of whether or not there are issues underlying something [a personal problem thought solved or anything that seems "too perfect"])--it does not guarantee that everything is well, or that problems will not develop, merely that such problems will not come from within your own heart.
Shuffling and Laying Out the Cards
I actually think a visual is the best way to understand how this works, so I’ve taken pictures of the steps and captioned them with their symbolic meaning.
First, all the cards are mixed together in a pool of potential, symbolizing Nun. (Mix well)
The creator awakens and becomes within potential, bringing order to disorder. (Gather in one pile)
His children, Shu and Tefunt are born of him. (Cut the deck)
They in turn give rise to their children, Nut and Geb. (Place one pile above the other and flip it upside down to invert the cards in the stack--note how I placed the right stack above the left one just by swinging it up in a counterclockwise motion)
Nut and Geb conceive their children. (Combine the stacks)
The five from which all others come are born. (Deal the cards one at a time into each of the five piles as shown)
When all the cards are dealt flip over the top cards to begin the reading.
The Geomantic Component: Yes/No
The suns represent a “Yes” while the moons represent a “No”. Read the outward facing indicators to determine the answer:
But..If the outer cards are a tie (2 and 2) use the indicator on the center card which is closest to you to break the tie. So hypothetically, if we had needed to, we would have used this indicator:
Interpretation
This is where things get interesting. The position/location of the cards does not matter. Nor does the geomantic significance of the card. Read them purely at face value. None have more weight than any other—they are all of equal importance in the reading. Beyond that, their meaning to you is probably more important than anything. Remember that they are acting as commentary on the question you asked. It is also worth noting, that, in my experience, this deck is ill-suited to “far future” questions. I have always found the readings to speak of things happening either imminently or “now”.
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Linking Talismans
First create two talismans, they do not have to be at all like the ones in the photo above, but both of them should be identical to each other in design but in two color schemes: one in the colors of the sun and earth, the other in the colors of the moon and sky. You will also need to have some way to attach scrolls to the bottom of each. I found those little capsules in a craft store in the beading section, but you might be able to get away with a large locket instead.
Verses to be written on one of two scrolls and then affixed below a talisman in the color of the sun:
"You are the eye that weeps with rage, Eye of Ra
He has taken you to his forehead
He has made you the Uraeus, solar disk
You see all before you
O glorious one, solar eye
You are Heru's might
Wedjat eye, you are the completed one
Unblinking Eye of Ra
You see all before you"
You should call this eye the "solar eye, all-seeing eye" and affix it to the crest of your shrine.
Verses to be written on one of two scrolls and then affixed below a talisman in the color of the moon:
"You are the eye of Ra-Atum
You have gone forth to find his lost children
Wandering morning star, you have found them
The wandering eye shall return
You are the white eye of Heru
Set has buried you
Oh lotus bloom on mountainside
Dejhuty has rescued you
The wandering eye shall return"
You should call this eye the "lunar eye, wandering eye" and take it with you where you must tread alone.
To begin when they are forged, purify the vessels and speak the spell in both parts, anointing them on each line with Natron-Water.
They sleep there after until you speak the words again. Speak the verse of the solar eye upon leaving your home. Speak the verse of the lunar eye to open the way between the twin talismans. Return the wandering eye with its verse at your homecoming and say also:
"United again on the brow of the elder,
Her-wer, you see with your two eyes
And your kingdom is to the horizon you see,
It is a million times true."
It will become.
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