2003 NOTE: Kemetic Orthodoxy is a living religion, and the definitions of some of these terms and their applications in our faith may have changed or evolved since this document's original writing in 1998. Please refer to more recent documents for clarification on any information that is unclear. This letter will be updated to reflect changes in our practice as soon as possible.

Priest: (n) One authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between man and God

Priesthood: (n) the office, dignity or character of a priest, or the whole body of priests

Ordination: (n) the act or an instance of ordaining; the state of being ordained

Ordain: (v) to invest officially with ministerial or priestly authority

All definitions from the Merriam-Webster's Third Collegiate Dictionary.

Priests are on my mind.

Since New Year's Day, when I ordained three, elevated two, and reaffirmed my own ordination before Netjer, it's been a priesthood kind of month. Members of the House have been talking animatedly amongst themselves both online and off about what it means to be a priest, what the priests in the House intend to do with their ministry this year, and some are even contemplating ordination themselves. We have also recently been involved in interfaith work and been exposed to the clergy of other religions, which of course brings one back to one's own religion, and the mechanisms by which priests are both part of, and separate from, congregants.

In Kemetic Orthodoxy, priesthood is a special responsibility and calling of certain Shemsu (all of us who have taken a vow to serve our gods here are Shemsu, the Followers of Netjer). It is not something easily gained, nor is it something to be taken for granted. I am certain that if you contacted any of our clergy they would concur with me in saying priesthood may very well be the hardest job we ever do, but the most rewarding.

That being said, what makes a priest a priest? How do we differentiate between a priest and a Shemsu, and why do we need priests in the first place? How does the House of Netjer's practice compare with the ancient priesthood, or differ from it? We get these questions rather often and it is high time that I shared some of the philosophy of the Kemetic Orthodox priesthood. That is my right, and my duty -- for I am the Kemetic priesthood's first priest, and symbolically, as Nisut, its only priest. So it is time, dear friends, for the Kemetic Orthodox Priesthood Q&A.

A: Beyond the dictionary definition, a priest is someone who has a vocation, or calling, to be a priest. Vocation is a twofold process. First of all, vocation comes directly from Netjer. Somehow, somewhere, in a potential priest's life, the seeds have been sown for that person to make the right contacts and get into the right life situations and experiences to set him or her on the path of priesthood. "Netjer provides," we like to say.

However wonderful and exciting it is that Netjer asks certain of its devotees to become priests, however, priesthood is not the only way vocation is expressed. It is not enough for Netjer to say "all right, I want you to be My priest," though no Kemetic Orthodox priest is ever ordained without Netjer's will behind it. In addition to having spiritual vocation, a budding priest must have human vocation: the moral and spiritual ability, desire and perseverance to go through a long period of training and retraining in order to learn how to be a priest. For priesthood is more than saying one is a priest — it is not a title; it is a lifetime contract with divinity, a covenant with the Ultimate that should never be undertaken lightly or without serious contemplation of one's motive and intent.

A priest in Kemetic Orthodoxy, then, is a person who has heard and responded to the call of Netjer by submitting first to becoming a Shemsu of Netjer, and then to being trained in the special skills necessary to a Servant of God.

A: As noted above, vocation must come from heaven and earth — so those who claim "Netjer made me a priest" may have the right intentions, but still have a great deal of work to do. It is not enough for people to be told by Netjer to become a priest — they must then take the additional responsibility upon themselves to become correctly trained to be priests, to learn exactly what it is Netjer wants and expects from them, and how to do it.

Additionally, priesthood isn't contained in a $5 piece of paper from a mail-order church or a $5,000 diploma from a seminary. Both ends of the vocational requirement must be fulfilled. In Kemetic Orthodoxy we do not recognize previous priesthood ordinations — all persons wishing to be ordained with us must start at square one and work their way toward the awesome job of Kemetic Orthodox priesthood together, on spiritual, mental, and physical levels. Those men and women with true vocations, rather than those just being interested in "running a group" or "doing rituals," do not find this too demanding; if Netjer wills that they be here and training for the ordination, no challenge will stop them.

A: After a person declares his or her vocation and intent to me as the Kemetic Orthodox Nisut, and has been trained in the ways of both the Shemsu and the ways of the priesthood, (s)he will undergo an ordination ceremony where it is openly acknowledged that (s)he is both trained and ready to assume the work of the highest form of service known to humankind. Note that I said trained. Just as one would not declare oneself a pilot and jump into a cockpit and attempt to fly a plane without the proper training, nor would you want to get a bypass surgery from someone who had declared himself a heart surgeon, it is not appropriate — and in fact I believe it is dangerous — for persons to declare themselves priests and then go about priestly duties without any training in the Seen World to complement whatever they believe they are receiving in the Unseen one. Being a spiritual parent or mentor to a congregation is an incredible privilege and responsibility that should never be undertaken without the knowledge and the confidence that one is a priest for the right reasons and that one has the requisite spiritual maturity, devotion and willingness to take on said responsibility. Priesthood is not about waving one's arms up and down and "being in charge." This is not dress-up; it's the real thing, and without training a priest is not a priest at all. Those who profess to be priests yet have not undergone training and ordination demonstrate a lack of respect for the very people they have sworn to their divinity to serve — which for the Kemetic Orthodox is a gross miscarriage of Ma'at and is not to be tolerated.

A: In both antiquity and today in Kemetic Orthodoxy, priests are Hem-Netjer, Servants of God. We are willing servants, trading devotion to Netjer and Its creation for the uplifting of our kas and the kas of all living things, secure in the knowledge this work perpetuates Ma'at in the world and makes it a better place. Our priesthood knows no bounds. We are not confined to the temple on a certain day of the week, but work every day, every hour, every minute, to glorify Netjer, Ma'at, and the creations sustained through both. The Kemetic Orthodox priesthood, as its ancient model also did, encourages its priests to have outside (i.e., non-clergy) occupations as well as priestly ones. Anyone who has ever thought about the irony of marital counseling with a celibate Roman Catholic priest can understand why we encourage our priesthood to have as much contact with and experience of "the real world" as possible, for our priests and our sacredness are not separated from the "mundane," but very much part and parcel of it. A part of a priest's service must always be in living itself.

There's been enough philosophizing about priesthood, so I wish to bring my little essay to a close. I encourage you, if you are interested in what priesthood is truly about, to contact any of our Imakhiu (reverends) on our Clergy Directory listing. Each is an exemplary child of Netjer and truly believes in our gods and goddesses, our faith, and our mission, and bears the title of "priest" with the humility yet honor it deserves. I am sure they, as myself, would be more than happy to talk with you. It's our job.