I’ve continued doing Devo’s Making Ma’at rites into this year (and really have no intention of stopping, unless the world becomes miraculously better). Two days ago, I did the Akhu Rite for my mother for the first time.

Now, technically, I suppose I cheated. I think this rite is supposed to be used for those bas who have become akhu – in other words, the deceased for whom the 70-day mourning period has passed. My mother has only been dead for a month. But I’ve been doing this sort of cheating for several months now and I’m not getting any signals that I shouldn’t be.

Was it weird? You mean, was it weird doing a Kemetic ritual for a woman who was Catholic for her entire life? Yes. (That photo above is of her in a church, taken by my father.) It was strangely fatiguing. Every now and then, I’d lower my arms from the henu position and think, I can’t believe I’m doing this for Mom.

Now, I guess this is also the time to come completely clean with you guys. Late last year, I attended a UU service that was basically Christian and basically had Communion (they gave attendees the option to think of the bread in a different way, but there I was, and somehow, amid a few tears, the Christian way felt okay to me then), and I did accept Jesus back into my heart, if only primarily for the purposes of that service. What you also need to know is that soon after I got back home, I dug out my old statue of the Sacred Heart and put it on the bookcase next to my shrine.

Now, if that priest that was trolling me in the early days of this blog is still reading, he’s probably going, “Aha! She’s finding the path back to Catholicism!” You know what? Maybe. I’m not going to waste time trying to predict my future when there are large chunks of my past that I would not have predicted.

At the same time, I don’t think it’s that big a deal, either. The Egyptians themselves were constantly adding to their pantheon (mostly as they conquered other territories). So it’s perfectly acceptable in my mind to say prayers to both Aset and Jesus. Does this make me half-Christian? Sure, whatever. My path has been weird for a long time (Catholicism led me to Kemeticism). I still consider myself Kemetic.

So this gives you an idea of what’s been on my mind as the world around us is slowly going to hell. Maybe the Confederate statues coming down is one way it’s getting better, I don’t know. (By the way, neither my mother nor my aunt died of COVID, apparently, which is a bit weird. But coincidences do happen.)

Anyway, I’m going to keep doing the Making Ma’at rites because, as I think we all know, we are desperately in need of more ma’at. Be well, everyone.