D is for Divination of Parents

My RPD is today.

So many folks are uneasy about the idea of the RPD. The Rite of Parent Divination is a rite of passage in Kemetic Orthodoxy. It’s a geomantic divination done by the Nisut (AUS) that reveals a set of gods that have a significant relationship with the Remetj who she is divining for. There is also a divination with a message from ones Akhu, but this isn’t what makes folks restless.

What bothers them, I think, is the idea of being told what gods to serve. The pagan community at large is one where you pick your own patron/matron deities, and anyone can be called a priest. The structure of KO requires several years of membership and training to join the priesthood, and here we do not choose our divine family. They choose us.

This never makes any relationships with the gods less valid. Being the child of Heru-wer will not invalidate your long-term relationship with Sekhmet or Thor (if anything, I reckon in that case it might augment it ;]). It reveals something of yourself, it connects you in a while new way to Netjer and the faith. For many, it’s merely a confirmation of what they already know. For others, it comes as a surprise. There is no rule saying you must be divined. There is no rule saying you must accept the results of your divination. There is no rule saying you may not serve any gods but your parents or beloveds (it’s encouraged! Shemsu, however, vow to serve their parents before all other gods).

Kemetic Orthodox practice is a reflection of birth. We do not chose our parents or our names. And I’m about to be born.

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