This morning I came across this link for The Festival of the Celestial Cow and this humorous version of the story. Both are below for your reading pleasure.
And there were stars: How a time out turned into the nighttime sky
“Have you ever been angry with other people?
I’m not talking about being annoyed with one or two particular people, or general frustration. I’m talking about the kind of seething, frothing misanthropy that makes you furious at the human race in general, the kind of rage and disgust that makes you think, “If I never see another human being again, I could live with that.” This is the kind of all-consuming anger that makes you sick of trying to get along with anybody, that has you cursing everything and everybody and just wanting to be left alone.
This is how angry Ra was with human beings, according to the myth where Sekhmet was born. In His rage – and mind you, as far as the myth goes, He was right to be angry – He sent Hethert down as the Lioness of the Blood Red Garments and told Her to chew up evil. Then She got carried away, and started chewing up everybody, not just the evil ones. Her rage was “pleasant to her heart,” and She would not stop.
So Ra came up with a clever ruse with the help of a small army of priestesses and a large quantity of beer and hematite powder. Transformed into a lake of “blood,” this red-tinted beer was poured out alongside the town where Sekhmet had gone a’slaughtering, and once She found it, She drank it. And once She drank it, She fell asleep. End of angry lion, end of destruction, end of story.
Or was it?
The story of the Destruction of Mankind is only the first half of the Book of the Celestial Cow, inscribed on the funerary shrines of Tutankhamun, the walls of Seti I’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, and alluded to in some other source material. There’s far more to this story once the Lady comes home, once She has transformed from raging feline to joyful bovine. Traditionally, this story gets translated is several different ways. Some of them mimic the other Near Eastern mythologies of a time when a deity got angry at humans and it all ended in some sort of a flood.
This story is different, and not only because the flood is beer and it saves people instead of killing them. In this story, the deity (in this case, Ra) isn’t withdrawing because mankind is evil and doesn’t deserve to live, or because mankind is not perfect enough for the gods to live among.
The reason that Ra withdraws is because He’s still angry, but NOT at humans. If He was, why did He try to call Sekhmet off, and then why would He find a way to stop Her from destroying them all?
Ra’s withdrawal comes after His anger turns inward: at Himself, rather than at the humans who angered Him. Like the process of coming down from our own blind rages, Ra goes through the stomach-churning of guilt – people are dead for the very first time! He also realizes that as long as He lives among mankind, They will not be safe from the consequences of His rage.
Sekhmet as Ra’s Eye embodies His power, and the myth indicates that She cannot be stopped once unleashed. So, to keep creation safe, Ra realizes He must put some distance between Himself and His creations. He mustwithdraw, not to damn mankind….but to save it.
The Eye, Who has become a cow again, called mehet-weret or “great of the flood” to remind Ra (and the reader) exactly what it took to make Her this way again….lets Ra climb on to Her back, and Ra withdraws. He punishes Himself by separating Himself, by permitting Himself to be distant, so that humans and everything else on earth has a chance to live without having to worry about divine retribution lurking around every corner.
He trusts us to not screw it up, and He climbs to the sky.
Several times, the Cow stops, being afraid of the height. This is new territory for Her, too. Maybe She wondered why Ra was leaving, or maybe She hoped He’d change His mind. In any case, each time She stops, Ra encourages Her to keep climbing, up and up and up and up. Eventually She is up so high that She can’t stand without help, so Ra calls the sons of Shu, the “pillars of the sky” and the four winds, to steady Her legs so She can stand without falling, and the two of them find themselves alone at the top of the sky.
Ra looks down. He can still see everything He created, but He knows that from up here, His vengeance is unlikely to find its way back down without intent – and with plenty of time to stop it, if it’s not headed to the right place.
For Her part, the Cow is lonely. Where She was, there were people and gods and things to do, and now She’s up here in the middle of nowhere with Ra, barely able to stand. And Ra notes Her difficulty, and tells Her that She should think of all the good people and creations that She can….
The next line of the text reads, in the original, “and there were stars.”
In Kemetic thought, the stars are symbols of the justified, blessed dead. As this is also the myth where death originates, as a result of defying Ra…these stars are the souls of the people She killed. They represent Her first victims – and Ra’s first consequences.
In creating the Celestial Cow, Ra has both made sure that She will never be lonely – and righted the wrong of killing people in the first place, by making sure that they can have another life after the lives they lost, and another chance at redemption.
From rage to guilt to redemption, the story turns. From cow to lion to starry sky, the Eye turns, and Ra shines in the sky as a reminder that He is always watching, even from the height.” —Rev. Tamara L. Suida, nisut.org.
Teh Ceiling Cat’s Cow
“Note: The following is intentional humor, given that this week’s festival is a lighthearted and joyous occasion. While this blog demonstrates that I am perfectly capable of being Very Serious, I think that of late it’s being forgotten that I also have a sense of humor, and the following is intended to re-establish that, as well as to answer the challenge of a child of a Cat who dared me to do it…
This is the way my cats tell the myth of this week’s festival, the Establishment of the Celestial Cow, to each other….
Cuz teh d00dz r ebil, Ceiling Cat finked 2 leaf Erfs 4 gud.
He wented 2 finds His babeh gurl Nut.
She wuz nah angreh kitteh nomore (She stoppd aftr nomming teh d00dz an drinkin berz) but cow formz. srs.
An Ceiling Cat sed 2 teh kitteh-cow: “Ohai! im on ur bak, lightin ur skiez and stuffs. Nao wut?”
Den w00t! Cow iz skiez!!!1!!
Ceiling Cat sed: “go way from teh d00dz 2 see dem moar good kthx.”
An Ceiling Cat’s cow goed up highs.
Den She sed: “lookit meh an make meh MANEHS!” (Cos goeding up highs r boring.)
An sweet! Stars!!!1!!! srsly.
Den Ceiling Cat teh Graet sed: “i liek it heer. iz nice.” An He namd dat place Sekhet-Hotep cuz it mented “nice heer” in Gyptshun.
But it wuz 2 high ups, an Ceiling Cat’s cow startd 2 shaek cuz She wuz frayed ov teh hights, onoes!
Ceiling Cat sed: “plz 2 halp cow not fall down, godz? kthx.” Den four godz come an holds her feets.”—Rev. Tamara L. Suida, nisut.org
I tend to observe this holiday loosely around various dates and with other holidays. The three dates for this holiday are December 9 for Kemetic Reform, December 25 for Kemetic Orthodox, and December 29 for Kemetic Reconstruction. I use a loose observation date to make it easy because sometimes life doesn’t always add up how one would like.
From December 3-December 31, here are the holidays that I would like to try to have observations for, and the ones that have been bolded are the main focus while the others are there for a whole seasonal feel. I like to see December 9-29, as a 20 day long celebration of the Festival of Establishing the Celestial Cow.
December 3-5—[Kemetic Reform] Sailing of Hathor of Denderah
December 4—[Kemetic Reform] Sailing of Bast, Wadjet
December 9—[Kemetic Reform] Festival of Establishing the Celestial Cow
December 12—[Kemetic Reform] Djehuty Takes a Solem Oath in Khemnu
December 15—[Kemetic Reform] Sailing of Anubis in Djeme
December 19-21 [Kemetic Orthodox] Sailing of Hathor of Denderah
December 20—[Kemetic Orthodox] Sailing of Bast, Wadjet
December 23-25—[Kemetic Reconstructionist] Sailing of Hathor of Denderah
December 24—[Kemetic Reconstructionist] Sailing of Bast, Wadjet
December 25—[Kemetic Orthodox] Festival of Establishing the Celestial Cow (aka “Moomass”)
December 25—[Kemetic Reform] Sobek Goes Forth, Feast of Neith
December 28—[Kemetic Orthodox] Djehuty Takes a Solem Oath in Khemnu
December 29—[Kemetic Reconstructionist] Festival of Establishing of the Celestial Cow
December 31—[Kemetic Orthodox] Sailing of Anubis in Djeme
December 31—[Kemetic Reform] Feast of Anubis
I hope to meld the secular Christmas I grew up on with the Kemetic Orthodox “Moomass.” On Kemetic Reconnaissance I found a little carol to the tune of “Here Comes Santa Clause” and another carol to the tune of “Santa Clause is Coming to Town”
Here Comes Wepwawet!
“Here comes Wepwawet, here comes Wepwawet,
Openin’ the Wepwawet way!
He’s got a sledge pulled by Golden Jackals,
Pullin’ on the reins!
Sistra are shakin’, merry makin’
All is merry and bright!
Light your incense, make your offerings,
‘Cause Wepwawet comes tonight!
Here comes Wepwawet, here comes Wepwawet,
Openin’ the Wepwawet way!
He’s got a sledge that’s filled with toys,
For boys and girls again!
Hear those menats ruslin’, rattlin’,
Oh what a beautiful sight!
So jump in bed and cover your head,
‘Cause Wepwawet comes tonight!
Here comes Wepwawet, here comes Wepwawet,
Openin’ the Wepwawet way!
He doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor,
He loves you just the same!
Wepwawet knows we’re Netjer’s children,
That makes everything right!
So fill your hearts with Moomas cheer
‘Cause Wepwawet comes tonight!
Here comes Wepwawet, here comes Wepwawet,
Openin’ the Wepwawet way!
When the stars align with the Celestial Cow,
It’s Moomas time again!
If we all align with Ma’at,
The world can be happy and bright!
So let’s all sing: Dua! Dua! Dua! Dua!
‘Cause Wepwawet comes tonight!”
Yinepu is Coming to Town!
“Oh… you better not cause
the children to cry.
You better not steal,
I’m tellin’ you why:
Yinepu is coming to town!
He’s adjusting the scales,
with a feather of Ma’at,
He’s gonna find out
if your heart’s good or not.
Yinepu is coming to town!
He’s Master of the Secrets,
He’s Keeper of the Gate.
He’s Lord of the Necropolis,
So be good for Nebt-Het‘s sake!
Don’t stir up strife,
you better not lie,
don’t violate tombs,
I’m tellin’ you why:
Yinepu is coming to town.
Little khepesh,
ushabti that walk,
floating toy barques,
and jackals that talk.
Yinepu is coming to town.
Little menats
that rattle and shake,
Hethert mirrors,
and iron heka snakes.
Yinepu is coming to town.
The kids in Girl and Boy Land have
a jubilee right now.
They’re making Moomas offerings to
Mehet-Weret the Celestial Cow!
Oh… You better not plunder
offering cakes.
You better not mess with
balance scale weights:
Yinepu is comin’
Yinepu is comin’
Yinepu is comin’
To town!”
But this holiday season is going to be rough for my family revolved around going to my grandma Vigil’s, this is something that I realize as the holiday season starts. And I also realize me trying to establish my own holiday traditions is away of dealing with the holiday grief.
Jackals in the Mountains 