Em hotep,
It has taken me some time to post an introduction due to personal reasons that are largely unrelated - school, health, and the holidays. My name is Bella, and I use she/her pronouns - I am 21 years old and located in Oregon, though I was born in Montana. My mother had an interest in becoming an anthropologist with a focus on later ancient Egyptian civilization, but it was a dream she never followed through on. I had an interest in ancient Egypt as a young child, but I never followed up on it or had any sort of special interest in the topic or Kemetic religion until later in life.
My journey with the Netjeru began when I was a teenager suffering with various mental illnesses, and a severe lack of direction that weighed heavily on me. I was in a stagnant period of my life, as an on-and-off practitioner of no specific spiritual category, but I knew that there was a place for me somewhere in a spirituality-related corner of the world - I just never thought it would be religious. I was curious about my “soul shapers” as I like to refer to Them as, which was prompted by my sister being a follower of Hades and Persephone at the time. The Name that came through - Horus as it was revealed to me, or Heru these days - was surprising to me. In the beginning, I didn’t know what that meant, and I didn’t create any opportunities for myself to find out. I felt I was unworthy of being a follower, and for around two years, I didn’t do any studying, learning, or work towards forging a relationship with Heru or any other Names. However, the older I become, the more active learning I dedicate myself to. Today, I have a special place in my heart for Heru, and I endeavor to embody what He represents in my everyday life - perspective, leadership, justice, intuition, and connection. I feel that He has a plan for me, and that I’m just barely getting started. I consider Him my Father, and I consider Hethert my Mother - Her being the Netjer that my own mother had an interest in, passive though as it seemed to be. I also aim to embody Her qualities in my life, and though I definitely have more of a challenge with those, connecting with Her brings me a great measure of joy, peace, and gratitude.
In addition, I also have special seats for Djehuty as a teacher of diplomacy, understanding, and communication; Aset as a teacher of discipline and magic, Her being the one who led me here; and Ra as the one who sustains my world and acts as a vessel for the Divine in my life. Though I have not had the opportunity to “formalize” my relationships with these Names so far, I have spent a lot of time forging my own personal relationships with Them. I am incredibly excited to have the blessing to worship Them in a more formal, consistent, and educated way that is true to how They’ve been worshiped in the past - and to connect to and forge relationships with my Anku, which is something I’ve never done before. I don’t have a strong connection to my lineage, and I’m not exactly sure where my family originates from, but I have a feeling there are some blessed Anku who have been watching and waiting for some time now. I’m most definitely still getting my feet under me as far as my spiritual/religious life is concerned (and my life in general, too), and that is exactly what excites me the most about being a part of this community.
Besides my spiritual journey, however, I’m currently a student at the University of Oregon. I study both ceramics and sculpture, though I may be switching my sculpture major soon to drawing and painting because I love writing/drawing comics and want to pursue a career in it. I have a comic in the works that I’m just getting off the ground after years of planning, which I find very exciting! I play music - guitar and drums primarily, but also violin, cello, piano, banjo, and ukulele. Drawing is the art form that is closest to my heart and that I’ve spent the most time doing, but music is definitely a close second for me.
All this to say, thank you for the opportunity to learn alongside everybody here, despite my late start! I’m looking forward to meeting and interfacing with everybody I have the privilege of interacting with.
Senebty,
Bella