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Ancient Egyptian Wisdom ... Daily Practice

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Hurricane Season Intensified by Global Warming, Study Finds

A study released by Kevin Trenberth and Dennis Shea of the National Center for Atmospheric Research reports that global warming is the cause of the massive increase in the number North Atlantic hurricanes. The study is in direct opposition to earlier studies which have posited that the increase was due to natural oceanic cycles of warming and cooling.

The study's detractors retort that scientists haven't been studying hurricanes long enough to make a true assessment, especially as several hurricanes were unreported in earlier periods. However, Trenberth and Shea factored on average 3 missed hurricane per year and still found the same scenario.

I wonder how the displaced citizens of New Orleans fell about the reality that our disharmony with our environment was the backdrop to racist governmental mismanagement of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Or what the families of victims of recent hurricanes in Haiti or the Dominican Republic would insist must be done. The most serious consequences of global irresponsibility are often foisted upon those least able to respond to them. As we continue to look at "nature" as an entity outside of ourselves, we'll continue to suffer. The Ma'atian ideal must be sought for remedy.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Welcome to The Udjat, the blog of the Center for the Restoration of Ma'at

Thanks for reading the first post of the new blog for the Center for the Restoration of Ma'at! I am ecstatic that you've found your way here. We believe that in the creation of our blog, we are attempting to fill a critical void in our public discourse. With so many indications that we have strayed far from our traditional values, it should be clear that we should be grasping for spiritual and ideological paradigms which can yoke us back from the brink of annihilation.

Why are so few looking to the example given to us by over two millennia of Ancient Egyptian civilization, the ideal of Ma'at? Unfortunately these teachings, when not maligned by the very spiritual systems that they spawned (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), remain in the monochromatic domain of "egyptology". The Center for the Restoration of Ma'at seeks to make the spiritual teachings of Kemet live once more. This blog and the accompanying website will continue to provide a practical, contemporary approach to living "The Legacy" as described by Chief Priest of the Shrine of Ptah, Heru Ankh Ra Semahj Se Ptah. Here is today's simple exercise to commence on this rewarding road. They will increase in complexity:

Try to schedule this exercise at precisely the middle of the day (12 noon). Think about how this time is an analogy for the balance and harmony that we must achieve in our lives. Find a quiet space for approximately 10 minutes. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and visualize an ostrich feather (or any other feather that might be easier to visualize). Imagine this feather and picture it's relative weightlessness as it is in free fall in a room without a floor and without definitive colors or boundaries. After 5 minutes of this exercise, clear this image from your mind and attempt to simply sit with a "quiet" mind. Try not to focus on any particular thought and attempt to completely distance yourself from the surrounding environment. Return to the great formless ocean which existed before creation, the Nun (pronounced like "noon" or "no-ooon"). After completing this meditative exercise, consider whether the balance (pun intended) of your day is more serene. More to come very soon! Shem Hetep!