I have been Kemetic for almost four years and at this point I know and use most of the Kemetic buzz words. Since Kemetic terminology is rarely found outside the modern temples and the Egyptology community, I have decided that it is in the interest of my readers for me to include a glossary of terms. To alert the reader to terms which are in the glossary, I will bold the term on its first use or at the time of its entry into the glossary. (I won’t use bold for any other purpose so as to avoid confusion.) For convenience I have divided this glossary into sections: Gods/Goddesses, Religious Terms, Community Lingo, and Scholarly Terms. I have also included a ‘basic’ section to cover terms which are generally well understood by those who have a casual knowledge of pagan religions but perhaps not by those new to the community.

Basic

Pagan– in this context, used to reference religions which are not mainstream. Generally, religions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and so forth are not included under the term pagan. Likewise, those possessing no belief in a higher power, such as Atheists, are usually not considered pagan.

Reconstructionist (aka Recon)– a term used to describe a pagan who is ‘reconstructing’ or reviving an ancient religion through the use of scholarly resources. Typically these individuals do not respond well to the so called ‘revisionist history’ sometimes practiced by other pagans who value personal inspiration and commercial mythology more than historical accuracy.

Kemetic–typically a term used to define a reconstructionist pagan who focuses his or her efforts on the religion of ancient Egypt. The term literally means ‘of Egypt’ in ancient Egyptian language and is by itself only an adjective. Usually it prefaces a noun which describes the particular religious bent of the individual. Ex. Kemetic Orthodox is used to describe someone who belongs to the Kemetic Orthodox temple House of Netjer, Where as Kemetic Eclectic would indicate a person with no temple allegiance who practiced Kemetic theology in conjunction with other modern religious teachings not necessarily from ancient Egypt.

Gods/Goddesses

Netjer–(plural Netjeru) a term more or less meaning ‘god(s)’ in ancient Egypt. Typically used to denote a member of the Kemetic pantheon.

Set– (also Sutekh, Seth, and Stkh) Ancient Egyptian God of Necessary Chaos, Violent Change, Storms, Outsiders, and Foreigners. Often vilified for his mythological role in the death of Wesir (Osiris) and his violent battles with Heru (Horus) for the throne of Egypt. He has acquired a bad reputation after being equated with Satan by certain satanic pagan sects, which many of his Kemetic followers are actively trying to counter. See the following sites for more detailed information: Per Sutekh , House of Netjer Glossary of Names

Ma’at–(also Mayet) Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Dynamic Order and Truth. Because Ma’at is the name of both a goddess and a theological concept, she was mislabeled as a ‘personification of a concept’ for many years by the Egyptology community. However, newer evidence suggests that she had at least one cult (also called a temple) in ancient Egypt and that she was (and is) an actual goddess. See the following site for additional details: House of Netjer Glossary of Names

Shai–(also Shay) Little is known about Shai. He was viewed to be the god of ‘callings’ and ‘destiny’ often bestowing these gifts to a child at birth. See this post for my personal encounter with him.

Community Lingo

UPG– literally “Unverified Personal Gnosis”, it is an abbreviation used among some reconstructionists to distinguish a practitioners personal feelings or beliefs about an ancient faith from accepted archaeological ‘facts’.

Em Hotep– a common greeting between Kemetic practitioners, usually taken to mean something along the lines of ‘in peace’.

Dua– a term which is placed before a god’s name to give praise, thanks, recognition, or show adoration. Similar in effect to cries of “Praise Allah” or “God Almighty” in mainstream faith.

Names– an abbreviation meaning ‘Names of the Netjer’ or literally ‘Names of God’. Used interchangeably with Netjer and Netjeru in most cases. The terminology makes sense when you consider that to Kemetic’s a god’s ‘name’ is what defines him or her as an individual in the pantheon distinct from the whole of the divine.