Year Six of the Kemetic Orthodox calendar ends this week. While most of my time has been taken up in planning for the festivals of our highest holy days coming up next week, part of this week has also been taken in retrospect, looking at the changes we have undergone as a congregation, and as a People, since this time last year.

It has been a landmark year for the House of Netjer and for the Kemetic Orthodox faith. Since our retreat at this time last year, we have had five groups of new members graduate from probationary status to join the faith as full Shemsu. We started the year with a wedding, that of Senni and Sean (at the retreat on Wep Ronpet itself), and added a second in March, that of kai-Imakhu Antybast and Seshet Ini. We shared tragedy (the accident that took the life of Shemsu Terry Atwood in February) and triumph (the birth of Dante and other events where Netjer's hand was clearly seen: either in healings, accomplishments or rites of passage).

Three priests took vows; two were elevated to senior positions, and one person became a priest in training. The congregation as a worldwide entity continues to grow, and includes people from all over the United States and other countries including Australia, Brazil, Finland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. It is an exciting time and I am honored to be associated with these people from many diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and walks of life, who have all come together to honor Netjer according to the Ma'at of ancient tradition.

At the end of the current fiscal year (and halfway into our new regnal year), we will represent our faith in South Africa at the next Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions; and we hope as a group to make a pilgrimage to Egypt after that event. Much of this year has been spent in preparation for those events as well, so they also bear mentioning here.

In short Netjer has smiled upon our sixth year together, and we all look forward to the seventh with great expectations as the sixth passes into communal history. To all of you who have been part of the faith this year, I say thank you, and look forward to another cycle of our lives together to come. May Netjer bless each and every one of you with life, prosperity, health, stability, authority and all good things upon which kas live.