Honouring Mother Mountain for Wep Ronpet: The Ancient Egyptian New Year

 

 

Blessedly, I’m on afternoon shifts for prac this week, so I decided to move at a slightly slower pace in the mornings and allow myself to engage in some much-needed meditation in spiritual preparation for Wep Ronpet, the ancient Egyptian New Year. It’s a challenge to be here, there, and everywhere but it helps to remember we live in a world where anything is possible — particularly when you have the ancient Egyptian deities in your corner, backing your every move.

Wep Ronpet is a popular topic at Kemetic Blog, comprising a large number of the visits I receive each year, so I’m always conscious of its importance to the community. If you landed here looking for more info about Wep Ronpet, when it is and how to celebrate it, you’ve come to the right place! Of course, it’s not the only place and I think you’ll find varying information from different Kemetics out there, which isn’t altogether a bad thing.

The crux of Wep Ronpet is this: the ancient world, as it was, no longer exists. The dog star, Sopdet, literally doesn’t align with the Earth the way it used to, and the Nile no longer floods due to the construction of the Aswan Dam, plus we no longer have a pharaoh (unless you’re orthodox) therefore, the exact timing of Wep Ronpet is nearly impossible to pin-point today and its timing is more of an approximation that runs from 17 July to 4 August, depending on which source you’d like to use.

As an intuitive Kemetic, I put the messy science aside, connect with the netjeru (the ancient Egyptian deities) and guides to see what it is they want me to know about Wep Ronpet on a given year. When I hold this consultation, I have no preconceived ideas about what it will be, it could be exactly what we did last year or something else entirely. My approach may seem abstract to some, that my work is based largely on Subjective Mystical Experiences and Encounters (SMEEs). Anyone can incorporate intuitive elements into their practice and enjoy the results.

Last year’s focus was on the god, Hapi and the inundation and the year before on the heliacal rising of the Star, Sopdet.  Both these links contain approximate dates for Wep Ronpet and ideas on how to celebrate, including themes for the ancient Egyptian New Year.

 

For Wep Ronpet this year, I am honouring Mount Margherita, Africa’s third highest peak, located in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda. According to UNESCO, the Rwenzori Mountains are one of the sources of the Nile River. I have come to know Mount Margherita as Mother Mountain during a recent meditation, which I will outline below.

 

I wasn’t aware of the above information before-hand; I felt only the urge to meditate. There was an energy I was meant to connect with. As an intuitive, and if you want to develop your own intuitive faculties further, it’s important to listen to that inner voice, which we all have. Listen, and see where it will take you!

Finally able to hit the ‘pause’ button on worldly affairs, I shifted consciousness to become aware of wider realities. One way I can describe this is to compare it to a transposing keyboard; I have a harpsichord at home, and you can slide the keyboard backward to play in a lower, baroque pitch or slide the keyboard forward, to play in a higher, modern pitch. Consciousness is very much like a transposing keyboard. You can choose whatever pitch you want to play, and with such a keyboard, you can ‘go many places’.

The netjeru and ancient Egyptian guardian spirits were all around me and I apologised to them once again for straying from the Kemetic path, however briefly. This was acknowledged with grace, however, we had more important things to do. My higher soul-self came forward and began showing me large, snowy mountains. I felt incredibly peaceful. The message that came forth really applies to all of us:

 

“You are traversing through mountain ranges of consciousness at this time. Look at what you’ve done so far! You are achieving scientific and earthly endeavours through education, spiritual endeavours through your own natural tendency to explore reality, and you are achieving a balance between worlds. Just being here at this time and doing what you’re doing is incredible. You are here, and a part of it all.”

 

I felt a little bashful at the enthusiasm of my higher soul-self. Aww, shucks! I thought.

There was more to show me:

There was a small, snowy valley high up in the mountains. This was the valley of Mother Mountain, she who meets with the goddesses Nut (Sky) and Tefnut (Moisture) to birth the waters of the Nile River. This is a sacred place, a point of origin for many things both physically and spiritually. Here, there is no separation between the two. I noted the twin peaks of the mother, recalling that the god of the Nile River, Hapi is also depicted as a unified duality, echoing the unification of the two kingdoms of upper and lower Egypt.

More messages followed:

 

“Mountains of consciousness collect the waters of emotion and feeling, yielding a great river of life experience. On the spiritual plane, you are working with the netjeru to perfect this process; to oversee and guide this process for yourself and others. This is a big part of what a god does, the true role of deity. Make no mistake, a good deity is a working deity! Working to nourish the great sea of Oneness. On the physical plane, this is exactly the form and function of the Nile. You are standing in the valley of Mother Mountain, who herself remained a mystery to the ancient Egyptians. Because of you, and your journey, and the journeys of those around you, you have elevated your consciousness to receive communion with Mother Mountain. The veil is lifted now. A very happy Wep Ronpet to all!”

 

The essence of Mother Mountain appeared to me as a beautiful lady, with tears of joy in her eyes, which flowed down into the mountain streams below. The energy of her joyful tears sent ripples through the Earth (Geb) and all its waters, sending an activation of healing, transformation and growth for all. I lingered only for a few moments in her presence before daily life began pulling me back. This was okay, as it was merely an introduction. I knew more lessons would come.

Thank you, as always for reading Kemetic Blog. I hope this post has given you some ideas and inspiration for your own Wep Ronpet observances. It’s an honour to be a small part of your journey, and to bring forth messages from Mother Mountain. Stay safe, stay well, and happy New Year!

 

P.S. As a side note, while the ancient Egyptians never made it to the Rwenzori mountains, it appears the Greeks may have. A merchant named Diogenes claimed to have found the source of the White Nile, which the native peoples called ‘The Mountains of the Moon’, perhaps due to their snow-capped mountains. Whether or not a flight of fancy, ancient geographers accepted Diogenes’ claims as true. Today, it is accepted that Mount Amedamit is the source of the Blue Nile and the Rwenzori mountains are the source of the White Nile.

 

 Acknowledgement of African Origin The author of Kemetic Blog acknowledges and respects the African ancestral origins of ancient Egypt and recognises the practice of Kemetic paganism as a modern reflection of Traditional African Religion.

 

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