People often immediately assume that the things that I “talk” with God about are extremely profound – shining messages of the pure and holy nature of God, or the esoteric purpose of the human race. So badly, I want to tell everyone “YES! God gives me shining and holy revelations which I am slowly compiling into a book!” – but I would be lying through my teeth.
I “talk” mostly with my Father, Wepwawet, and the things He says do not always belong in religious texts. More often than not, I’m reminded of the downright dirtiness of the human race. I was in a Rush concert once, watching the band play a song that mysteriously reminded me of Him since the day I first heard it, “The Main Monkey Business”. During the song, the band had images of monkeys doing monkey things, and men doing things that terribly resemble the things that the monkeys were doing. I asked Him why he would like a song with that kind of message. His answer? “You’re all just a bunch of fuckin’ monkeys, aren’t you?” My reply: “Why bother then?” Wepwawet: “Why not?”
My interactions with Him are more like a consistent reminder that life is not about being grand or holy. Life is about living. Life is about sticking your hands in the mud and believing that the mud and the dirt are holy. Why try to transcend the very thing upon which we live, upon which our lives are built? When we try to lift ourselves above the Earth, we lose sight of it. Purity is one thing. Purity is necessary, but in certain situations. Living life eternally pure deprives you of living. If you don’t dive into life, eat of its fruits and drink of its wine, what will you ever learn? Life is about staring into the face of the dusty road in front of you, and running at it full tilt, embracing the clouds of dirt your feet churn up; about kneeling at the banks of a full and flowing river, toes curling in the fertile soil, hands in the water.
And don’t get me wrong. All through this, Ma’at remains central. Treating your body with respect, treating your fellow humans with respect, living rightly and kindly and justly – all of that should remain forefront as well. But that’s not the why of life – living purely so that you may be judged well – no, we make mistakes, Netjer knows how many mistakes a man can make, goodness, and a mistake is just that: a mistake.
Do not deliberately do things that will cause you harm. Do not deliberately do things that will cause others harm.
But by Netjer, get up, get out, get dirty. We were given pleasures so that we can enjoy them – not so we can look at them and say “Oh that’s nice, but that’s not an ingredient for a good life”. A good life is a life well lived, well loved, and given wholly to Ma’at.
You know – maybe the things He says do belong in a religious text after all. Good thing this blog is about — what was it? Oh yeah, religion.
carrying their light 