Video Log of our First Day in Egypt!

NOTE (8/11/09): Unfortunately I was unable to post video to blogger from Egypt. I'll be uploading compiled video posts over the course of this week. Let us know what you think! Check back every day for the next week.

I think many of you are aware that Nfr-Ka Ma’at and I have the incredible honor of serving as staff members for the African Genesis Institute. We’ve just completed our first day in Egypt. This is our sixth trip to the site of Africa’s most glorious civilization. The African Genesis Institute is a 2 ½ year rite of passage program for students aged 7 – 14, which culminates in a FREE trip to Egypt for all of the youth and adult mentors who complete the program. This year we have approximately 218 Africans with us. I’m not aware of any other group taking young people to African descent to Africa every year (to find out more click here)! I can think of few other things as important in our lives during the 9 years we’ve been involved with the program. As soon as I'm able to upload video I'll post a video collage of our first day.

Nfr-Ka Ma’at and I are elated, edified, but clearly exhausted. After our 10-hour flight to Cairo, we immediately held a brief orientation and took a dinner cruise on the Nile (Hapi). Today we primarily focused on the cultural flavor of Egypt’s current occupants. Tomorrow we’ll be waking up at 5 AM, grabbing breakfast, holding our first full orientation, and heading to the Giza plateau to train our eyes on the magnificent Great Pyramid of our African ancestor Khufu. We’ll also visit his mysterious Solar Boat Museum, and the complementary pyramids of his son, Khafra, and grandson, Menkaura. We’ll then travel a short distance to one of the world’s most noted statue monuments, Heruemaket; also known as the Sphinx. I’ll continue to post as we travel. Join us as we lead you on a virtual journey through Egypt. Have a question or want to dialogue with our students? Leave a comment. I’ll be sure to respond. Shem em Hetep (Go forth in Peace)!

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!