The above depiction shows the Divinities Heru and Djhuty binding the Sema symbol while the Pharoah sits atop. The one on the left holds the symbol with a papyrus plant (lower self) and the one on the right binds with a lotus flower (higher self). This means that the duality of spirit and matter, temporal and transcendent becomes unified in such a way that one's temporal nature dissolves into the transcendent reality; one's higher nature.
 

 

          Many people ask, is yoga a religion? The answer is no, yoga is not a religion in the common sense of the phrase. Yoga is a system of disciplines by which one can achieve the highest state of consciousness. However, religions in their mystical aspect, that is religions that foster the universality of God and teach that one can make union with the transcendent, have as their core, yoga disciplines. So yoga is inherent in mystical religion, but in and of itself is not a religion. But yoga can be practiced from a religious perspective as well. This is where all of the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses come in.

 

          The Gods and Goddesses are the primary focus in the practice of Kemetic Yoga. The Kemetic term for Gods and Goddesses is NETERU. This term can be found in the extensive and extant philosophic and religious literature of the olden civilization.

 

          The early sages knew that the untrained mind is very fickle and actually needs an anchor to stabilize it through the yogic process. So they created the spiritual symbols, gave them names and applied certain myths and rituals around each one to foster a greater understanding of the human experience. The Gods and Goddesses are not deities in the common sense of the word either, but are cosmic principles. Actually the term Neteru means COSMIC FORCE; Cosmic meaning: of or pertaining to the universe. They are spiritual implements that are designed to communicate certain insights and secrets to the mind. This allows the mind to grow in subtlety until one can experience this higher consciousness directly. This consciousness is called by many names by different cultures around the world. The most common among the English speaking nations would be, God. Yoga then, is the practice of how to unite oneself with God.

 

          The Gods and Goddesses are the lesser divinities that are emanations from the Supreme All Powerful Transcendent Being that is outside the reach of normal human consciousness. This Transcendent power is known as NEBERDJER and is also called NETER. So the Neteru emerge from the Neter. This system of handling gods and goddesses can be seen in all indigenous African religions, such as the Dogon and Yoruba traditions. Therefore, the ancient Egyptian religion is a native African system of veneration. The lesser divinities are like training tools for the mind until it can develop the capacity to be transcended and you experience God as one's own innermost being.

 

           Based upon this very brief introduction, the proper name for the Kemetic teachings of yoga would be KEMET SMAI TAWI. Meaning to unite oneself with the blackness of universal consciousness. It does not denote an actual physical color, but the state of undifferentiated consciousness. People who follow this discipline are called The Followers of Nebedjer (GOD). In the Medu Neter scriptures this is called
 
                                      SHEMSU N NEBERDJER. 'Followers of the All Emcompasing Divinity'.

 

          This term is found specifically in the Papyrus of Ani, what is commonly referred to as the Egyptian Book of the Dead. When it says to follow God, this should not be seen as to have a dogmatic view of the Ancient Egyptian religion and mystical training system. God is in reference to any of the Divinities of the Kemetic pantheon and should not be viewed as a personal God who exists outside of oneself. The teaching is saying to revere the sustainer of the three worlds, the physical, astral and causal planes respectively. Hence the understanding is to gain insight into the nature of objectified phenomenon so as to understand the ultimate cause of things. Thus the term God is in reference to the innermost reality of the entire universe, which is also the essence of ones own existence. Also, the term Nebedjer is being translated to God but Nebedjer implies The All Encompassing Divinity, that which is beyond name and form. Thus Nebedjer is the Shetaut Aru, free of form, hidden of form, or formless. The term Nebedjer is an inference to that which transcends consciousness.

 

          From a broader philosophical perspective Kemetic Yoga is a sophisticated system of personality integration. The human person is composed of four major aspects; that is the will, emotions, intellect, and actions. The will is harmonized by the practice of meditation, emotions are harmonized by the practice of devotional service, intellect is harmonized by the practice of wisdom and the actions are harmonized by the practice Maat (acting with righteousness). When all of these are blended then a well integrated personality emerges from the contracted condition it once existed as. This four fold process can also be found in Hinduism and Buddhism as well as Taoism. Thus it can be readily seen that the Ancient Egyptian civilization gave to the world the practice of what is commonly referred to as Yoga. However, among all of the mystic traditions there is no contradiction because the essential message and trainings are the same. Although the outward manifestation of the practice and techniques may differ and vary from system to system, they are all leading the human person to the state of enlightenment.

 

          Kemetic Yoga is unique because it is the indigenous system that was developed in Africa. For example we can speak of Tibetan Buddhism because it is a form of the Buddhist teaching unique to the country of Tibet. Likewise, we can mention Nubian Yoga because what we term Kemetic Yoga or African Yoga was developed in Nubia, an olden civilization on the continent of Africa which lies south of Kemet, modern day Egypt. What started in Nubia spread to Egypt and the rest of the continent also spread throughout parts of Europe with the earliest European adherents being Greek and Roman.

 

         Therefore, the African system of personality integration is among the family of legitimate spiritual traditions and as such can be practiced by anyone regardless of race or ethnicity as it was in ancient times.  For example, there are many westerners who have taken on the practice of Tibetan Buddhism with welcomed arms from its religious leaders. This is so because the greater understanding is that essentially all human beings are the same and are in search of the same happiness. Since the Kemetic teachings are among the legitimate mystic traditions of the world, and its goals are essentially the same as the others, it can be adopted by anyone as it was adopted by Greeks and later Romans during the Ptolemaic Period (approx. 304BCE-30CE) of Egyptian Civilization. However, it is best to pursue spirituality from ones own culture because of the karmic link associated with religion.

 

          The teachings of Kemetic Yoga have a cultural aspect as well and as such the early European converts did not try to dismantle the African culture but adopted it without trying to change it. The change came later with the Orthodox Dogmatic Christian movement  of Rome whose emperors actively shut down the temples, not unlike the situation in Tibet today under Chinese occupation. The most aggressive of the Roman Emperors in shutting down the Kemetic temples was Justinian who closed the Temple of Aset  around 550AD, effectively driving the Kemetic teachings underground. and disbanding the religion that had existed for about 10,000 years.