Why the Neteru of Ancient Egypt?

– By Rahotep © 2007
Please Note: Copyright subsists in all artwork. All the artwork was
created by Rahotep as part of a divination and Spell deck and is
currently awaiting offers of publishing.
I offer email courses and readings at my website: www.rahotep.co.za

I owe my life's work to The Neteru of ancient Egypt. This

introduction to the Names of Neter is my tribute of thanks
and gratitude to all the Names of Neter for having given me
life and loving me always, unconditionally. I would like to
give you a little insight into my life and connection with
them.
The Neteru (“Neter” means divine names and principles),
which are wrongly translated, as gods/goddesses are the
many faces and aspects of the One Supreme Being that
created the Universe and all that is. The source of ALL
LOVE and ONENESS which some call God,
Creator/Creatrix the Universe or The Goddess.
The Neteru of ancient Egypt are my teachers, guides and
friends. They represent my highest aspirations. They heal
and protect me and give me unconditional love.
They do this for anyone and everyone willing and ready to
See, Listen and Experience them. They even do this for
those that hate or deny them or are ignorant of their
existence, because Divine Love is unconditional and non-
Judgmental.
The strange symbols, shapes and images of the Egyptian
Neteru on ancient Egyptian temple walls seem mysterious
or even sinister to some. These images and symbols are
just an attempt to symbolize concepts and aspects of the
Divine, which are beyond our human understanding. As
such they are just symbols and we must not be so naïve as
to think that Neter really looks like this, although they often
appear in these shapes, in meditations, or on the astral, in
order for us to recognize and interact with them. Remember
the Divine is infinite and Neter (How the ancients
symbolized each of the Neteru) can take any form it
desires. This means that Neter can manifest in Dreams,
through other people, as “forces of nature”, feelings, sound,
life experiences etc.
I sometimes get asked by people coming to see me if I
work with “the light” and “good energies” Do I believe in
God? Etc, and if it is ok for them to be coming to me?
(Some fear that these energies might be against their
religion? Some are concerned that what I do is evil or “dark”
or can cause “negative karma” for them).
I am not evil or dark, neither is the work I do or the energies
and Neteru I work with.
I ask in the spirit of Ma'at (see explanation of Ma'at below)
to stop “Putting God in a Box”. I once saw a beautiful T-
shirt, which carried the inscription: “God is too big to fit into
one religion.” I see myself as Spiritual and free from Dogma
or Religion. So let me state quite categorically that my work
has nothing to do with Religion but everything to do with
Spiritual Growth and Healing.
Some people fear or hate the Neteru and see them as
“demons” from “another religion” or culture. These people
do not understand that Neter is Loving, Caring and Divine
Light. “Do not curse what you (in your flawed perception,
ignorance or limited understanding) see as the God of
another, for all gods are one God” - Some do not
understand this because a person can only understand and
relate to that which one has experienced. They will only
experience this once they can move past their own fears,
prejudices and judgmental dogmatism (imposed by others
wishing to exert control over people’s free will and divine
right to choose and think, or by themselves through fear
and ignorance).
The Neteru are as alive and relevant in my life today as
they were to the ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago
(some new evidence puts the age of the Sphinx in Egypt
and the ancient Egyptian civilization at +- 12 000 BC). Even
so, Neter was always and will always be, Eternal,
Unchanging, All love, The Light, The container of all that is,
Divine.
Although space does not allow the inclusion of all the
names of Neter, allow me to introduce you to some aspects
of Neter as I have experienced them in my life's journey. I
hope you will come to realize that Neter isn't some distant
judgmental or punishing force somewhere on a cloud “up
there”; and as one Shaman teacher puts it, “looking to see
what we are doing with our genitals!” No, on the contrary
Neter is ever present and loving. Neter is as alive and
present today as they were in ancient Egypt. Working with
them is as beneficial and relevant in modern times as they
were in ancient times, as you will come to see and
experience if you choose to do so.
My Mentor and Patron Deity is Tehuti
(Thoth).
In the Egyptian Mysteries, one's patron
Deity is the primary face or aspect of the
Divine from which we take inspiration or
whose qualities we would like to align
ourselves with for our own spiritual growth.
Remember all the Neteru are One, so none
is greater or lesser than the other aspects.
They are just aspects (of each other and
the One supreme Source of all love, known
by all and many names by all cultures and
people all over the world)
Some of Tehuti's titles include: “Divine
Architect of the Universe”, “Master
Magician” and “Lord of Wisdom”. He is
associated (there are other forms) with the
Ibis bird and often visits me in this guise.
He is a master shape-shifter and His
wisdom comes to us in many ways and
forms. Neter is with us always, constantly
communicating with each and every
person, whether we realize or recognize
this or not. Have you ever listened to a
song on the radio and found that the lyrics
were the answer or inspiration to some
problem or question for which you have
been asking wisdom? – This is typical of
the Energy of Tehuti.

Aset (Isis)
Isis of ten thousand names, Wife of Asar
(Osiris), Queen of Magick.
She is the caring mother always ready to
protect, heal, nurture and love her children
(each and every one of us). She is always
present during a Sekhem Ankh Healing
session, enfolding her wings of love, healing
and protection around the person receiving
the healing. She teaches us that there is life
after death, joy after sorrow.
She also teaches Magick to those that are
pure of heart and ready to use such powers
for the greater good and benefit of all
people in a spirit of Ma'at (see below)
Asar (Osiris)
“Asar un Nefer” – [Osiris the Good
(Beautiful) Being] is one of His titles. He is
the Husband of Isis and he teaches me the
value of listening to my intuition. He teaches
“Sound Judgment”. Asar represents
mankind in its perfected spiritual state.
Although he is the King and Judge in the
underworld (according to Mythology) he
represents Divine Mercy and Love. Osiris
never Judges or Punishes, because free will
and choice are our divine birthright and
when we make wrong choices for
ourselves, we only have ourselves to
blame.
Heru (Horus)
Horus is the Mighty warrior. He is that
fighting spirit in all of us who fight against
injustices and refuse to be victims. He is a
warrior for the light. His symbol is the Utchat
Eye, which is also the logo on my website
www.rahotep.co.za. The Eye of Horus
represents wholeness, healing and all that
is good and wholesome. It also represents
protection and psychic vision and as such is
known as the all-seeing eye.

Het-Heru (Hathor)
One of her titles is “Mistress of Souls”. She
teaches me the true meaning of love and
caring. She also teaches that you cannot
find love unless you love yourself.

Bastet (Bast)
Bastet has taught me to enjoy all that life
has to offer and the joy and fulfillment that
comes from finding my passion or listening
to beautiful music. Both Bastet and Hathor
are associated with music and dancing,
pleasure and joy. Bastet is also associated
with the sensual side of human nature and
enjoyment of sexual pleasure.
Sacred sexuality and Tantric practices were
a means of connecting to the Divine in
Ancient Egypt. Egyptians did not have the
Taboos etc that some in our modern culture
have regarding the enjoyment and
experiencing of sex. No, this does NOT
mean the ancient Egyptians had no morals,
it only means that they had a different
experience and viewpoint.
Heqet
Her symbol is the frog, which represents the
number 100 000 in ancient Egypt and she
helps with the manifestation of goals and
prosperity. If you are a pregnant mother or
about to give Birth, Invoke her protection
and ask her to speed up the labour to
lesson the pain. This is as it was done in
ancient Egypt, for mothers in labour by the
Priestesses of Heqet.
Sekhmet (the lioness)
She holds the keys to both Life and Death.
She is the Great Healer as well as the
Destroyer.
Sekhmet is also known as the destroyer
because she destroys that which is no
longer needed in our life. The things, that
prevents us from growing spiritually. In
other words aspects like falsity, greed, self-
righteousness, resentment, fear or any
other limiting beliefs, aspects or energies
that prevents our spiritual growth. Ever seen
a lioness at play with her cub? - Although
gentle and loving, lionesses also sometimes
scratch their young to “toughen them up” in
order to meet the challenges that survival in
nature requires.
Likewise with Sekhmet, Her lessons aren't
easy or wrapped in cotton wool but they
bring great healing and spiritual strides
forwards when she touches our life. She is
also the dispenser of Ma'at (Karmic justice)
and protects the people that suffer at the
hands of evildoers. It was in her temples in
Ancient Egypt where Sekhem Ankh (a very
powerful form of energy healing) was
practiced. Sekhmet means “the Powerful
One” and Sekhem Ankh means the “Power
of Life”. I invoke Sekhmet during a Sekhem
Ankh healing session to Destroy negative
energy patterns, disease, limitations and
blockages that hinder or prevent health and
spiritual growth. I also ask her to replace
that which has been destroyed with love
healing and wholeness.
Ma'at
Her symbol is the Ostrich Feather as well as
the scales.
The word Ma'at means Justice, Truth,
Cosmic Order, Balance and Integrity.
The Neteret Ma'at represents all of these
qualities and her lessons help us to bring
balance and order into our life. As humans
we do not like to admit when we are wrong
or to see our faults, Ma'at however teaches
us to stand in a space of total integrity. This
can be difficult and challenging if we are not
willing to grow spiritually or face ourselves
in the mirror. Challenges will always be a
part of life but when we take the principles
and lessons Ma'at teaches us to heart and
start applying them, a lot of the chaos we
experience (often self created) seem to
make way for order and balance. The forces
of nature like gravity, magnetism, the
planets and stars in their respective
courses, time and space are all
embodiments of Ma'at. Her lesson is
simple, where there is chaos there is no
Ma'at, so if this is our experience and we
are experiencing chaos, we need to ask
ourselves the question: Am I acting in
Ma'at? Am I in integrity? I teach ethics of
Heka and the “Principles of Ma'at” in my
Heka classes. Heka can be loosely
translated as “Spells” or “Magick” and
means “Divine/Authoritive utterance” These
principles are often misunderstood and I
find it surprising how many people do not
know how to balance chaos. When one
starts applying these principles a state of
Ma'at (Balance and integrity) is achieved
which leads to great peace of mind.
Ra
Ra is the creative force in the Universe and
brings illumination and enlightenment into
our life. His symbol is the sun. Ask yourself
what would happen to our world if the sun
didn't exist anymore? Perhaps now you can
understand why Ra was so respected and
revered by the Ancient Egyptians. At times
when one is particularly creative or happy
(experiencing a sunshine moment in one's
life) know that this is the energy of Ra at
work in your life. Ra teaches us that all life
is cyclical in nature. The rising and the
setting of the sun each day represent birth,
life, death and rebirth. Ra can also cast light
onto areas of our life, which needs
transformation.
Khepera
In His form as Khepera, Ra helps us to
Transform or rebirth, thereby creating a new
beginning for ourselves. The rising sun in
the East represents the Neter Khepera and
his symbol is the scarab beetle. Working
with the energy of Khepera can bring great
rebirth into one's life. Accessing his
energies will help in any areas of one's life
that needs transformation or requires
change. Remember change is not always
drastic, traumatic or difficult. But as I always
say: “Recognizing patterns is useful,
Changing them creates growth. It is never
too late to change, it is always too late if we
don't ”
Anpu (Anubis)
Anubis is the guide of souls and aids us on
our walk through life if we allow him to hold
our hand and guide us. Anubis also assists
with Dream work, astral journeys and very
practical day-to-day direction and protection
during travels. I often ask him to show me
the way when I am lost driving my car or
when I am not sure which direction my life is
heading in. Anubis can also be asked to
“open the Ways” if you need new doors of
opportunity to open up to you. – “Opener of
the ways” is one of his titles. As a protector
of one's property one cannot find a better
guardian. He is also like Tehuti a master
Physician and Anesthetist. In this regard I
ask His help when I go to the dentist or one
of my children (my pets) needs to get an
injection from the vet. As a master
anesthetist my pets experience no pain with
Anubis present.
These are just some of his attributes. There
are many others, which I leave to you to
discover for yourself in you journey with the
Neteru on life's path.
Sutekh (Set)
He represents the spiritual current in
Magick. His titles include: “The Red god of
Thunder and the dry desert heat”, “Lord of
Chaos and storms”, “He, who destroys
illusion”, “The thunderer”.
Demonized and feared only by those who
do not know Set or understand the inner
wisdom teachings of the Myth of Osiris and
the battles of Horus and Set - as
traditionally portrayed in the Egyptian
Mythology and in some books by some
ignorant writers and occultists. Sutekh helps
us to face the illusions we have about our
life, ourselves and others and therefore a lot
of people are scared of him. He shows up
illusions and mistakes and is very much a
“in your face” sort of energy. Some are not
ready for the gifts Sutekh brings and this
can cause chaos in their life. However, the
apple needs to fall from the tree and die in
order for its seeds to sprout new life again.
Let’s get one thing straight for once and for
all! SET IS NOT EVIL! All Neteru “live on
Ma'at”, in other words they are all balanced,
pure, truthful, ordered and in total integrity.
They are all one and the same. It is like
having one radio but many radio stations
(frequencies) to choose from.
If you are not ready to face your own
illusions or mistakes, steer clear of Set. Set
doesn't play or molly coddle or sugar coat
and like Sekhmet his lessons can be painful
if we are kidding or fooling ourselves. Set,
like all names of Neter, is only interested in
one thing: your spiritual growth. This Neter
is not for the faint hearted, be ready for the
roller coaster ride of your life when you work
with him (should your life not be in order or
integrity). Like Sekhmet, He is the fast track
lane to spiritual growth. It is no surprise in
the light of this that some of the most
powerful Pharaohs in Ancient Egypt bore
his name.
Set brings change and sometimes we don't
like change especially if we are addicted to
our comfort zones. Change as I have
pointed out already is however necessary
for growth.
Change isn't always bad or chaotic. It can
be if we fight it and try to “fart against
thunder”, so to speak. Swimming upstream
is always more difficult than with the
current. Life is quite easy and simple if we
are in tune with the “current” of Neter and
our Divine self.
As a force of Nature, Sutekh's energy is
present in storms, the dry desert, hot
climates and Thunder & Lighting.
When you are experiencing chaos in your
life, no matter how scary or painful, try to
ask Set, what is my gift in this? How can I
use this to grow? Set will answer you but be
prepared. If you do not like the answer Set
gives you, it might mean that you have built
up false illusions around yourself or
someone you trust, are egotistical or are
kidding yourself and that He is merely
“lifting the veil of illusion” to allow wisdom
and illumination into your life as your gift.
The best medicine as we all know is
sometimes very bitter, but it's good and gets
the job done if we are prepared to drink it.
NebtHet (Nephthys)
She is the Sister of Isis and Wife of Set.
Like her husband Set she reveals truth.
Superficial understanding of Egyptian
Mythology as well as taking it literally can
be very dangerous. I am referring to the
story where NebtHet achieves intercourse
with Osiris only because she disguises
(shape shifts) herself as Isis (Osiris' wife).
Some ignorant people (and even
occultists!), believe she can be asked to
hide the truth – like for instance the fact that
they are having an affair, boy are they in for
a surprise! The Neteru live on Ma'at –
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS! If you need
the truth to come out, ask Her but again be
prepared, Don't ask the question if you are
not prepared for the answer. Remember the
old adage, be careful what you ask for, you
might just get it.
She represents Divination in all its forms
and can also assist you in developing your
intuitive skills. Dream work and Astral travel
as well as shape shifting are the gifts that
NebtHet can give.
No secret can be hidden from the eyes of
NebtHet. HOWEVER! Another point to
remember, everyone is entitled to their own
private thoughts, feelings etc. If NebtHet
doesn't reveal someone's innermost
thoughts to you it doesn't mean she hasn't
answered your prayer, It simply means that
you have no right to infringe on the privacy
of another. You might be acting out of Ego,
Lust for power and control over others etc.
Are your motives for “wanting to know” pure
and in Ma'at (spiritual integrity)?
Sobek
Crocodiles are very fierce and much feared
creatures, however they can be very caring
(Ever seen how mother croc gently picks up
her babies in her powerful jaws?)
They are also highly territorial and
protective over their eggs and young.
The Neter Sobek normally only show up in
one's life, when one has learned to
embrace one's Dark side. (that which Jung
calls “the shadow”) Sobek can be one's
best friend if we can move past fear and
learn to work with His energies. Again this
requires taking an objective look at one's
shadow self. As a protector or guardian
Sobek can guard and restrict entry to
anything you wish to safeguard. Dreaming
of crocodiles can indicate the presence of
this Neter in your life. Sobek also guards
occult secrets from those not ready for the
powers these secrets bring. Once you have
integrated your shadow self, Sobek will
gladly assist you. I have a very close
relationship with Sobek and love him dearly.
Seshat (Seshet)
She is the Neteret of Libraries and Occult
Knowledge.
The word “occult” means, “hidden
knowledge” and has nothing to do with the
scary associations, which the media and
Hollywood attaches to that word in the
quest for sensationalism. In ancient Egypt,
Temples were aligned to the stars and built
on very strong foundations in a ritual know
as “stretching the cord”. In this ritual Seshet
was invoked to aid in aligning the temple to
the correct foundations. Seshet represents
the ability to build strong foundations for our
life based on occult knowledge. If you need
a book or answers to occult questions ask
Seshet, she is the Librarian so to speak par
excellence. Incidentally, she together with
Ma'at is also the wife of Thoth (Lord of
Wisdom). One has to be very awake to be
able to recognize Sestet’s workings or
presence in one's life. She likes to disguise
herself or shape-shift. She appeared to me
at first as a Golden cobra with blue eyes,
spitting fire as she speaks. It was only years
later that I realized that I had met this
wonderful Neteret in person Herself! She
teaches us the value of being unique in
what we do and to find the true essence of
ourselves. Her words still inspires me to this
day: “Find yourself in the Magick and
find the Magick in your self” - Seshet
Bes
Learning to laugh at oneself and life's
challenges can be very healing. This is Bes
at His best. Known as the Neter of
Households, Laughter and Humor. When
you meet Bes for the first time, you too will
laugh… It is inevitable, not because Bes is
a dwarf but because He is the best
entertainer and stand up comedian you can
come across. A lot is said in jest and this is
how Bes teaches us, by seeing the lighter
side of life. I agree with the Author of the
book “Circle of Isis” when she says: “Bes is
a dwarf only to those who hasn't learned to
 see, Bes is a giant to me.”
Bes is also a fierce protector and can be
called upon to keep evil out and to protect
against evil forces or entities. He is normally
seen brandishing a pair of knives in this
capacity.
Bes can be called upon to entertain and
protect guests, children, pets and the home.
Know that He is present when you hear
people laughing. The Ancient Egyptians
much loved and adored Bes as do all those
that have met him in this lifetime.
He is like a breath of fresh air to be around.
What would life be without a good laugh?
Thank you mighty Bes!
I want to make it quite clear that the Neteru aren't just
energies to be “used”. The Neteru are nobody's slaves. I
Rahotep am very respectful of Neter and have a very
personal and deep relationship with Neter. I “access” the
Energies and Powers of the Neteru in a spirit of great
respect and in Ma'at always. This article expresses my
personal experience and viewpoint and might be different
for others, as Neter forms a very personal relationship with
each unique individual. As Dion Fortune said: “there is no
room for authority in the occult.”
“All Mighty Neteru of ancient Egypt, I Rahotep love,
thank and honor you and serve as your High Priest for
the infinite and unending eons of time, which make up
eternity. Urhekau! Kheper! Ankh! ” (Great words of
magical power come to life!) - Rahotep