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Atenism in the home
Topic Started: Mar 13 2013, 12:51 PM (2,139 Views)
Ankhesenamun
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Why do you keep framed pictures of Akhenaten and Nefertiti if you don't actually worship them?
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AmarnaGirl
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Because I appreciate the value of art and history,love Egyptian artifacts,and they are nice pictures to look at. Nefertiti is one of my 3 favorite historical queens,and the Amarna Period is one of my favorite historical times,so I enjoy representations of that era. I would prefer just a picture of the Aten for worship purposes,but those are hard to come by without making one yourself,so at this time,the only ones I have of the Aten also happen to have Akhenaten and family in them.
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aper_el
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I don't see a negative on having Akhenaten in the home...I plan on going to the Rosicross church just to see how they work the program. That's where I found the book on Akhenaten. It's a wonderfull book called The 'Son of God'...I'd like to have a few people to read it so we could have a discussion on the book'. Julie do you or have you the above mentioned book?

Aper_El
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AmarnaGirl
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If you mean the book by Savitri Devi,then no,I don't have that one (I know of it,but haven't read it) - I don't read Devi's stuff.
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aper_el
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aper_el
Mar 29 2013, 06:22 PM
I don't see a negative on having Akhenaten in the home...I plan on going to the Rosicross church just to see how they work the program. That's where I found the book on Akhenaten. It's a wonderfull book called The 'Son of God'...I'd like to have a few people to read it so we could have a discussion on the book'. Julie do you or have you the above mentioned book?

Aper_El
I don't see a negative on having Akhenaten in the home...I plan on going to the Rosicross church just to see how they work the program. That's where I found the book on Akhenaten. It's a wonderfull book called The 'Son of God'...I'd like to have a few people to read it so we could have a discussion on the book'. Julie do you or have you the above mentioned book?

Aper_El

Thanks for the response Julie I'm having a little trouble with this site, so please bare with me, I didn't find out till later that she did what she is put down for.(Devi)

Wasn't our fellowship leader on board a few days ago?
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AmarnaGirl
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Not a problem,Aper_el. *nods* Yea, I don't agree with the type of person Savitri Devi was,nor the things she did. (Nothing against those who like her books - I can't speak for her knowledge of Akhenaten,since I've never read her writings,but based on just the copyright alone,her information is pretty outdated by now.

If Meryre was here a few days ago,I don't think he posted anything. (the last time he posted was late February.)
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Lamaku
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I have been a member for a quite a while but adverse personal circumstances prevented me from being active. And now I am back, hoping to find like-minded people here to discuss ideas.

I am totally convinced that the origin of Judaism (my erstwhile religion) can be found in Akhenaten's monotheism. The Jewish religion is nothing more than Atenism perverted and subverted. Turning towards Atenism IS a return to the real thing!

The heart of my practice of Atenism at home is very simple: sun gazing at dawn. Read the literature and you will find more than enough support for the idea that Akhenaten and Nefertiti practised it.

Any body out there doing the same? Let's hear from you, please. Let's discuss it!

I have just posted an article on my blog runnymede1215.wordpress.com called "Zionism Is Our Misfortune" in which I quite openly state that it was followers of Akhenaten's religion that were the original Hebrews. As you can imagine: I am not exactly the darling of the Jewish community.

But the truth will out!

Enough for today. Looking forward to hearing from you.
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AmarnaGirl
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Not really knowing much about Judaism myself (I know some,but not a lot),I can't really say on a connection between Judaism and Atenism (though I know of others who subscribe to this view.) Hopefully,Ankhesenamun might chime in here (she's got a Jewish background as well.)

*nods* I think it's a fairly safe bet to say that Akhenaten and his family practiced morning sun devotions,though much of the actual rituals used are unknown (probably also observed at noon,and other times.) It's only logical that morning would be a good "sun time." (They may also have observed sunsets as well,though I'm not sure about this one. Akhenaten seemed more focused on the daylight and coming of the sun,rather than its' evening retreat.)

We'll probably never know exactly how Akhenaten and his family worshiped the Aten,but observing the sun at dawn does sound like a good way to start the day!
Edited by AmarnaGirl, Apr 22 2013, 10:07 AM.
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Maaritaten
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This is quite an interesting topic.

For my daily worship I practice a morning libation, preferably at sunrise, or else when I wake up. For shorter prayers and interjections during the day I have assembled a prayer book to suit different needs, all drawn from period sources and only slightly changed.

For the evening I have a moment of thanksgiving for what the Aten has provided during the day, and to relax after a long day I like to, if possible, to read and meditate on the Great Hymn.

Before bedtime I say a short prayer directed at the moon - but only as a symbolic extension of the Atens lifegiving light. Its a moment where I give thanks for the solace and comfort the moon gives us, for we know that as long as the moon glows by means of reflecting the Atens rays, we can in it see a sign of hope and assurance that soon Aten will rise again and bring life into the world.


On the subject of more practical details, I keep an elevated shelf as an altar of sorts. There I have on display a clay replica of a scene depicting the royal couple worshipping the Aten, and two porcelain bowls - one for liquid and one for solid offerings. I like to, before breakfast, make an offering of a fruit and some water/coffee/juice/whatever, and after I finished, partake of some of the offerings while leaving some before the Aten during the day.

During shorter prayers I have adopted the custom of muslims when they say du'a/extemporaneous prayers, where they raise their hands in the orans position (arms elevated, somewhat extended and palms up), and after finishing stroking my face with my palms as if washing my face. For me its a signifies how I was myself in the light of Aten!
'Let me be satisfied seeing You, Oh Living Aten!'
- adapted from the Hymn of Tutu, Chamberlain of the Two Lands
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Lamaku
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On Judaism and Atenism
There is no shortage of tantalizing clues which hint at the original religious practices of the Jews. Here is an intriguing one: on a certain day, every 28 years, Jews go out to greet the rising Sun by briefly looking at it and reciting a blessing. This is supposed to be the day when the Sun is in exactly the same position it occupied at the moment of creation. On its own that's no proof of anything, of course, but in conjunction with the many other clues scattered throughout the Tanach, the Jewish Old Testament....

Here is something else and, to me, far more important: the Essenes, a Jewish sect living in the Dead Sea area around Qumran, used a calendar based on the Sun, rather than the moon as everybody else did. And one of the most mysterious books discovered in the caves of Qumran actually contained the name Akhenaten, spelled out in Greek letters. For more on that google Robert Feather + Copper Scroll


On Atenism At Home

AmarnaGirl:
We'll probably never know exactly how Akhenaten and his family worshiped the Aten,but observing the sun at dawn does sound like a good way to start the day!

Yes, unfortunately, we'll never know but having been a non-conformist extraordinaire I'm sure that Akhenaten would fully approve of each of us finding his/her own way to the Aten.


Maaritaten:
During shorter prayers I have adopted the custom of muslims when they say du'a/extemporaneous prayers, where they raise their hands in the orans position (arms elevated, somewhat extended and palms up), and after finishing stroking my face with my palms as if washing my face. For me its a signifies how I was myself in the light of Aten!

I have looked at surya yoga but being 65 years old I cannot practice the asanas that go with the Salutation Of The Sun. The raised hands are a beautiful gesture, also used in Hinduism, and less strenuous for sure.

There is one more part of my practice that I am generally reluctant to bring up with others but I'll do it here. As a professional aromatherapist I have long been familiar with the healing properties of essential oils. We know that Egyptians used frankincense and myrrh liberally, as resins and as oils, not just for mummification but for all sorts of purposes. They were known in the ancient world as master perfumers.

What most people are not aware of of this: frankincense, myrrh, cedarwood, to mention just a few, contain high proportions of sesquiterpenes, a group of chemicals, which directly affect the pineal gland. I find it highly unlikely that Egyptians would have been unaware of this. You don't need to know 21st century chemistry to notice the effects.

Of particular interest here is myrrh. Used by the Hebrews to give to men condemned to death to ease the pain of execution it was also used as an additive to wine by the Romans in order to enhance the effect of the wine. In short: it acts on the mind and the soul if used properly. Enough of that for now but if anybody is interest how this might be of benefit just let me know.
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