INTRODUCTION
Part II of this volume in Egyptian Yoga will focus on two of the most powerful aspects of the spiritual discipline. All of the previous disciplines have been preparing you to understand the inner teachings of the process of union with the Divine through Devotion and M editation. We have previously discussed the yogic disciplines of Devotion and M editation in other volumes, however, in this volume we will focus on them exclusively. In this volume, the teachings of Wisdom and Action will come together with Devotion and M editation to produce a powerful combination toward your spiritual movement. This movement is called Integral Yoga. A human being has four aspects:
Emotion, Intellect, Action, and Willing. Through the yoga of Devotion, the emotions of an individual are purified and directed to the Divine Self. Through the yoga of wisdom, the mind and intellect are purified so that they come into harmony with Divine Will. Through the yoga of action, the heart is purified with the practice of selfless service so that it can serve the Divine. Through meditation one’s will power is developed so that one is no longer distracted by objects and is able to commune with the Divine always. Thus, the combination of aspects of all of these paths of yoga offers the best method to integrate and spiritualize the human personality.
It is important to understand that devotional yoga involves more than simply mindlessly or fanatically praising God or praying or singing devotional songs with emotional force. An integrated process of Devotional Yoga involves an understanding of the metaphysical teachings of wisdom and a blending of all of the other Yogic systems. This integrated process which involves wisdom or intuitional understanding of the metaphysical realities behind creation serves to close any gaps in the mind of the aspirant as to whether or not there is any doubt of the existence of the divine. Further, an integral movement in yoga is more effective because it employs all aspects of the personality (mind, body, intellect, Sexual Life Force) and all are being led by the power of human emotion toward the Divine. An unbalanced movement will create a dislocated and ineffective discipline, having one part of the aspirant seeking the Divine and the other seeking worldly excitement. In the advanced stages, the meditative movement in Devotional Yoga leads to a merging of the aspirant with the Divine.
WHAT ARE
Uashu and Shedy?
Uashu or Ushet means “to worship the Divine,” “to propitiate the Divine.” Ushet is of two types, external and internal. When you go to pilgrimage centers, temples, spiritual gatherings, etc., you are practicing external worship or spiritual practice. When you go into your private meditation room on your own and your utter words of power, prayers and meditation you are practicing internal worship or spiritual practice.
Ushet needs to be understood as a process of not only an outer show of spiritual practice, but it is also a process of developing love for the Divine. Therefore, Ushet really signifies a development in Devotion towards the Divine. This practice is also known as sma uash or Yoga of Devotion. Ushet is the process of discovering the Divine and allowing your heart to flow towards the Divine. This program of life allows a spiritual aspirant to develop inner peace, contentment and universal love, and these qualities lead to spiritual enlightenment or union with the Divine. It is recommended that you see the book "The Path of Divine Love" by Dr. M uata Ashby. This volume will give details into this form of Sema or Yoga.
Hekau or “words of power” are utterances which can be used to promote spiritual wisdom, health and well being, mental concentration and the transformation in consciousness. M ore will be elaborated on hekau in the section on words of power.
Shedy or Sheti: Spiritual discipline or program, to go deeply into the mysteries, to study the mystery teachings and literature profoundly, to penetrate the mysteries. Thus, Sheti signifies “spiritual discipline or program for promoting the understanding of Shetai (Hidden Supreme Being) and growing spiritually in a process leading towards spiritual enlightenment.”
"O behold with thine eye God's plans. Devote thyself to adore God's name. It is God who giveth Souls to millions of forms, and God magnifyeth whosoever magnifieth God."
GOD is hidden to Gods and men...GOD's name remains hidden...It is a mystery to his children (men, women, Gods) GOD's names are innumerable, manifold and no one knows their number."
"If you seek GOD, you seek for the Beautiful. One is the Path that leads unto GOD - Devotion joined with Knowledge."
"Seekest thou God, thou seekest for the Beautiful. One is the Path that leadeth unto It - Devotion joined with wisdom."
-Ancient Egyptian-African Proverbs
This teaching means that the path to the Divine is achieved with devotion to the Divine, implying the practice of developing increasing love for the Divine that gradually becomes all-encompassing and enlightening. That devotion is to be expressed in love for all things, primarily, the forms of the Divine that have been handed down by the sages of ancient Kamit. Then to its manifestations in creation.
Further, it means the practice of that devotion through disciplines of the devotional path (chant, divine singing, meditation, etc.) including the performance of ritual. Increasing devotion leads to opening of the heart and melting the egoistic aspects of the personality which form the mental obstructions to spiritual realization.
Also the proverb implies that that devotion cannot be based on blind faith and emotionality. Rather, feeling in the practice of religion is to be tempered and augmented with wisdom. Wisdom comes from the study of spiritual texts, reflecting on the exposition of the teaching by qualified sages and then meditating upon that teaching, allowing it and it alone to occupy the mental space so that eventually one
Uash Neter or The Path of Divine Love is an essential element of Shetaut Neter or Neterianism-Ancient Egyptian (African Religion).
The practice of Devotion to the Divine is an integral part of the movement towards spiritual awakening and enlightenment. Devotion to and the repetition of the Divine Name is an integral part of the Path of Divine Love which encompasses the disciplines for promoting spiritual evolution by harnessing the feeling capacity of the human heart. The chanting and praising of the Divine Name is the process of uttering Hekau (Words of Power) containing the name of the chosen divinity being worshipped in a format of recitation and rhythmic, repetition called Hessi. Divine singing makes use of musical forms to intensify the divine feeling experience. M usic has a profound effect on the unconscious mind. Have you wondered at the fact that you may forget things and events of the past but if you hear a song from that time, the feelings come back. Feeling has more staying power than thoughts but without thought (wisdom) feelings degrade to the level of sentimental blind faith. So music is used to "feel" the teaching and allow It to have a more profound effect on the personality. The disciplines of the Path of Divine Love are designed to purify the heart, allow a human being to come closer to the Divine and eventually become one with the Divine. There are three important stages in the process of cultivating Neter M erri (Divine Love); Listening to the mythic teaching, practicing the ritual of the myth and entering into the metaphysical (mystical) reality of the myth. The practice of daily devotional chant, divine singing, and divine worship are integral, though not confined to the second stage of the Path of Divine Love.
In the Kamitan teaching of Devotional Love:
God is termed M erri, “Beloved One”
The aspirant is the Beloved
“That person (the aspirant) is beloved by the Lord.” PM H, Ch 4