Tag: Atum

The Wicca Book of Days for July 21 – Adoring Aten

The Wicca Book of Days for July 21

Adoring Aten

 

In ancient Egyptian belief, July 21 marked the birthday of Aten, the divine disk of the sun, and was also considered the date on which the universe came into being, for it was told that after the Sun God – who was worshiped in various places and periods as Re, or Ra, Atum, Amun, and Amun-Re – had manifested himself, he went on to create the other Gods. Aten was once regarded as an aspect of Re (specifically, as the Sun God’s body), but gained temporary absolute primacy when he was elevated by Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (1372 – 54 BC.) to the unique position of sole divinity.

 

A Golden Egg

To celebrate the Sun, look out for a translation of the ancient Egyptian text called The Hymn to Aten, which Pharaoh Amenhotep is reputed to have composed. Alternatively, boil an egg and savor the sight of its golden yolk, a solar symbol.

Deity of the Day for September 28th is RA

RA

God of the sun; sometimes identified or considered synonomous with Atum. Ra created man from his tears. At one time Ra became so digusted with men that he orderd Hathor to kill them all. This Hathor did with such zeal that Ra took pity on men and ordered Hathor to stop. Crazed with blood, Hathor ignored the order, and Ra resorted to chicanery to save humankind. Ra mixed beer with pomegranate juice and left pots of the concoction about the battlefield. Thinking the mixture was blood, Hathor drank it greedily and got too swacked to carry out her mission.

Deity of the Day for August 10th is ATUM

ATUM

 

The first of the gods, the self-created. By sheer will, Atum formed himself out of the stagnant waters of Nun. Atum was bisexual and was sometimes called “the great He-She.” The Egyptians had two cosmogonies, one taught by the priests at Heliopolis and the other by the priests at Memphis. The priests at Memphis taught that Nun and Atum, together with Atum’s children Shu and Tefnut, were aspects or forms of Ptah.