2003 NOTE: Kemetic Orthodoxy is a living religion, and the definitions of terms and practices mentioned in this document and their applications in our faith may have changed or evolved since this document's original writing in 1999. 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.

The sign was stuck to the wall in a dormitory room in the conference center where we held our seventh annual New Year’s retreat. (Then) Imakhu Stephanie saw it over her bed, two lines in simple type, one in Korean and the other in English:

Come closer to bowl.

Having passed a Korean spiritual center sharing the floor on her way to our sleeping quarters, Imakhu Steph began to think about the spiritual implications of the sign. Evidently, she spent a good part of the evening turning the phrase over and over in her mind, trying to discern its esoteric meaning, and if it might be a "message from God" in relation to our other spiritual journey in the coming rites, etc. Late that evening, she came to share her thoughts with myself and other priests and temple members, excited to be in the right mindset.

(Then) Kai-Imakhu Ryan listened intently and then burst out into laughter. Noting Imakhu Steph's bewildered reaction, he then related that the mysterious sign must have been stolen from the men’s bathroom down the hall, where he had observed identical signs posted by the urinals.

Later, we shared the story with the rest of the membership. After amusement at "bathroom humor" subsided, we engaged in a discussion about the nature of signs and messages from Netjer, and the lack of separation in Kemetic Orthodoxy between "sacred" and "secular." Profound messages come to us from the gods and goddesses all the time, though not always in forms we might readily recognize; and sometimes in forms we'd rather not think about or wouldn't generally acknowledge as particularly holy. In the truest spirit of Kemet, this demonstrates the inherent duality of things as well: something as basic and even perhaps embarrassing as a request for personal hygiene might reflect greater truths, if viewed in a different perspective.

Since coming home from Retreat, I’ve been giving more thought to "signs around me," even the ones that say "Stop Ahead" or "Yield" or "Blind Crossing". Pay attention — there are signs of the Divine everywhere.

Even in a men’s bathroom in Chicago.