From Police Beads To Prayer Beads

New York Times Article by Corey Kilgannon

FOR more than 20 years, he was Officer James Georges of the New York Police Department. Now he goes by the ancient Egyptian name Baba Heru Semahj.

Mr. Semahj is the friendly pharaohlike fixture of Chinatown’s jewelry district around Canal and Mott Streets. He walks the area as if he just took a 10,000-year leap out of the Nile Valley. He greets passers-by who squint at the eye symbols and circle-topped crosses on his clothing and jewelry.

Up in his fourth-floor space in a commercial building on Christie Street, Mr. Semahj keeps a shrine for worship and study of the ancient spirits of Kemet — the ancient name for Egypt. The space doubles as the longstanding showroom and studio for his Kemetic-themed jewelry.

Mr. Semahj has spent most of his life studying Kemetic culture and was ordained years ago as a Kemetic priest — the first in New York City, he says.

       

Simply stated, Mr. Semahj believes that the ancient Egyptians were black and that the culture was a Nubian one native to sub-Saharan Africa — despite the cover stories put forth by more recent, envious cultures. It is a viewpoint dismissed by many experts.
       

His outfits and jewelry are inspired by hieroglyphics and objects from the tombs of the pharaohs. Mr. Semahj wears a specific color for each day of the week, to match its corresponding ancient Egyptian deity. On Thursday, he had on a sharp suit of white Egyptian linen adorned with purple insignias of the eye of Heru. He wore a shallow cap on his head, a purple scarf and a long string of 108 amethyst prayer beads.

“I’m wearing purple because it is Thursday, the day for Ptah,” an Egyptian god, he said.

Around his neck were heavy chains and pendants in the shape of a sacred falcon, and a medallion bearing the same sema-tawy symbol that adorned royal thrones. One of his big silver rings was in the shape of an ankh — the circle-topped cross commonly seen in images of Egyptian deities.

“It is a powerful symbol of life,” he said. “When they dig up New York one day and find an ankh, they’ll know someone was on to the truth.”

This truth, he maintains, would let African-Americans reconnect with their rightful ancient Egyptian heritage and their ancestors’ highly evolved principles and noble lineage. Mr. Semahj takes groups of African-Americans to the pyramids and temples in Egypt and points out where in the ancient images he sees Nubian features.

“They always make you take a local guide who gives his version, but I interject on the spot, to tell them the real deal,” said Mr. Semahj, whose formal name is Sn Ur Hru Anjh Ra Semahj Se Ptah.
       

He performs weddings, funeral services and Kemetic cosmological holiday services. He has bestowed his blessings and jewelry on the likes of the jazz bandleader Sun Ra, the controversial Judge Bruce Wright and celebrity clients like Wesley Snipes, Erykah Badu and Ben Vereen, he said.

Mr. Semahj had five children with his first wife. His second wife, Queen Afua, is a priestess, healer and midwife who runs a Kemetic-themed wellness consultancy and writes books.

       

Regarding his age, Mr. Semahj said, “I’m vintage — I go back thousands of years.”

Or at least to a childhood on a farm in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, and to British-run schools and to a Christian preacher father who told his son to investigate ancient Egypt. Mr. Semahj moved to New York in his late teens and in 1964 joined the Police Department, he said, to “study the African-Americans around me.”

He spent most of his career walking the beat “among the people” in the 75th Precinct in East New York, Brooklyn — “It was Dodge City” — and trying to spread the word. He said he wore an ankh pendant on his handcuffs holder and prayed before every tour of duty “that I’d never have to use the tool of the West, my gun, to subdue my brothers and sisters — that if they want me to carry this tool of death, I have to carry my tool of life, the ankh.”

       

On Thursday, after making his rounds at the local jewelry shops, checking on orders of precious stones and jewelry parts and polishing jobs, Mr. Semahj returned to his Shrine of Ptah, with its fragrant oil smell, Egyptian-style murals and statues of brown-skinned deities.

Whether high priest or police officer, he said, “I’ve tried to challenge my people, to tell them they have a high culture and that if you realize you come from greatness, then you will be great again.”

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I myself had the pleasure of meeting Baba Heru, through friends, on several occasions.  He comes across as a wise guru and has a talent for creating Ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) jewelry down to the most intricate details.  For more information, check out his website: http://www.soptah.com/

Great Pyramid Closed Amid 11/11/11 Rumors

by Rossella Lorenzi

The Great Pyramid of Giza. Credit: Nina/Creative Commons


Egypt's authorities closed the Great Pyramid on Friday after rumors that various groups planned to hold bizzarre ceremonies on the Giza Plateau at 11:11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2011.

Although the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said the closure was due to "necessary maintenance," the head of the Department of Pharaonic Archaeology Atef Abu Zahab told reporters that the decision came "after much pressure" from concerned Internet users.

Rumours of strange rituals spread after the Egyptian daily Ahram reported that people from all over the world were due to hold a "Ceremony of Love" at the ancient monument on 11/11/11.

Called "Cheops Project," the event was aimed at strengthing the power of the pyramid on the alignment of ones by installing a crystal pyramid inside Khufu's sarcophagus for 24 hours.

The operation, carried with people meditating in circles hand-in-hand around the pyramid, was reportedly designed to create a shield around the Earth to protect the planet against cosmic threats, according to Andrzej Wojcikiewicz, president of the Polish foundation Dar Swiatowida, which sponsored the event.

Rumors soon spread over websites and social networks that among the meditators were 1,200 Jews who planned to erect a Star of David on top of the Great Pyramid to support their claim that Jewish slaves built the pyramids, and not the ancient Egyptians.

Aly El-Asfar, head of the Giza Plateau in the SCA, told Ahram Online that Egyptian authorities initially approved the ceremony as the program submitted by the foundation referred to an ordinary private ceremony, with nothing installed inside the sarcophagus of King Khufu.

"I cannot control anyone's belief, but I am the guardian of the pyramids and Egypt's history and will not, by any means, allow that something wrong would happen, or if any damage occur," El-Asfar told the Egyptian daily.

Built for the pharaoh Cheops, also known as Khufu, the Great Pyramid is the last remaining wonder of the ancient world.The monument is the largest of a family of three pyramids on the Giza plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, and has long been rumored to have hidden passageways leading to secret chambers.

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There are many theories as to the significance of the number 11.  But when it naturally appears three times, defining a day that will never again appear, the rumor mill is bound to churn.  I am not surprised by people wanting to hold a ritual at an ancient site which holds tremendous mystery and intrigue as the Great Pyramid does.  I find it interesting though that one was initially approved to be held in the pyramid.  I wonder what this ceremony consisted of.  Hmmmmm. 

Egyptian Pyramids Found By Infra-Red Satellite Images

   Although the following article by Frances Cronin is dated, May 24th 2011, I just came upon it and found it too interesting not to share.  Imagine the possibilities of new technology in the world of Archeology in Egypt; Unearthering Ancient Egypt to our time.  Imagine what we can learn.  Please read...

Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt.


More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements were also revealed by looking at infra-red images which show up underground buildings.


Initial excavations have already confirmed some of the findings, including two suspected pyramids.

The work has been pioneered at the University of Alabama at Birmingham by US Egyptologist Dr Sarah Parcak.

She says she was amazed at how much she and her team has found.

"We were very intensely doing this research for over a year. I could see the data as it was emerging, but for me the "Aha!" moment was when I could step back and look at everything that we'd found and I couldn't believe we could locate so many sites all over Egypt.

"To excavate a pyramid is the dream of every archaeologist," she said.

The team analysed images from satellites orbiting 700km above the earth, equipped with cameras so powerful they can pin-point objects less than 1m in diameter on the earth's surface.

Infra-red imaging was used to highlight different materials under the surface.

Test Excavations

Ancient Egyptians built their houses and structures out of mud brick, which is much denser than the soil that surrounds it, so the shapes of houses, temples and tombs can be seen.

"It just shows us how easy it is to underestimate both the size and scale of past human settlements," says Dr Parcak.

And she believes there are more antiquities to be discovered:

"These are just the sites [close to] the surface. There are many thousands of additional sites that the Nile has covered over with silt. This is just the beginning of this kind of work."

BBC cameras followed Dr Parcak on her "nervous" journey when she travelled to Egypt to see if excavations could back up what her technology could see under the surface.

In the BBC documentary Egypt's Lost Cities, they visit an area of Saqqara (Sakkara) where the authorities were not initially interested in her findings.

But after being told by Dr Parcak that she had seen two potential pyramids, they made test excavations, and they now believe it is one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt.

But Dr Parcak said the most exciting moment was visiting the excavations at Tanis.

"They'd excavated a 3,000-year-old house that the satellite imagery had shown and the outline of the structure matched the satellite imagery almost perfectly. That was real validation of the technology."

The Egyptian authorities plan to use the technology to help - among other things - protect the country's antiquities in the future.

During the recent revolution, looters accessed some well-known archaeological sites.

"We can tell from the imagery a tomb was looted from a particular period of time and we can alert Interpol to watch out for antiquities from that time that may be offered for sale."

She also hopes the new technology will help engage young people in science and will be a major help for archaeologists around the world.

"It allows us to be more focused and selective in the work we do. Faced with a massive site, you don't know where to start.

"It's an important tool to focus where we're excavating. It gives us a much bigger perspective on archaeological sites. We have to think bigger and that's what the satellites allow us to do."

"Indiana Jones is old school, we've moved on from Indy. Sorry, Harrison Ford."- Dr Sarah Parcak Space Archaeologist.

The Ankh Ceremony

Yesterday was a day to remember. I feel privileged to have been invited to my friends' Ankh Ceremony where they received their Priesthood Ankhs as they commit their lives to the priesthood and develop their own spiritual institution known as the Shrine of Ma’at. For those of you who are not quite familiar, the Ankh (illustrated above) is a symbol that represented life in Ancient Egypt and still holds value to those who observe the Kemetic ways today. Kemet, which means “black” was the name given by its inhabitants to the land we now call Egypt. The name Egypt is really from the Greek "Aegyptos" which is derived from the Coptic hi(t)-ka(u)-ptah, "the house/temple of the ka of Ptah".  Ma’at means truth, balance, order, law, morality and justice. It is also the name of the Ancient Kemetic female deity who is the personification of truth and justice. I notice that both of my friends have included the word Ma’at in their Kemetic names. My friend Anika has adopted the Kemetic name Nfr-Ka Ma’at. So far I know Nfr means beautiful, Ka is a deep form of the word spirit and of course Ma’at means truth etc. Her husband Jabari’s Kemetic name is Heru Djeden Ma’at at Aten-Ra. This shows that the concept of truth or the revelation of truth is of great importance to them.

The ceremony began with the 4-point Opening of the Way. Four priestesses dressed in white and arrayed with lavish Kemetic jewelry stood on either side of one another, two by two performing a simple dance around the altar which was in the center. The dance was accompanied by the lulling of calming, tranquil music. The Priestesses each held two Ankhs in their hands and swayed them back and forth as they continued to move with the music. As the Abu or Kemetic priest entered, the priestesses welcomed him with a dance. Then they put the left foot ahead of the right and stretched out the left hand presenting the palm as the right hand was bent. Watching that greeting blew my mind. It was artful and full of strength and at the same time, it seemed so familiar. Now I just want to welcome people that way instead of shaking hands.

The ceremony continued with the priest reading excerpts from a work written by a Dr. Ben entitled “Reclaiming the Ankh”. It was basically an explanation why the African Diaspora need to return to the ways of their ancestors by embracing Kemetic ways of life. The priest also read all 42 Declarations of Ma’at which is part of the Book of Coming Forth by Day and Night (incorrectly called the book of the dead). It is strangely familiar to the commandments given to the Jews in the Bible. Edicts such as, “I have not committed sin, I have not committed robbery with violence and I have not committed adultery…”

Coming towards the end of the ceremony, there was even a Defense of the Ankh, where anyone in the audience could throw out inquiries to the couple as to why they have chosen this particular path. As each question was thrown, each one was batted out of the park in eloquent manner. As the couple exited with new ankhs in hand the priestesses created an arch for them to pass through. Upon their return, Nfr-Ka Ma’at and Heru Djeden Ma’at at Aten-Ra both surprised everyone by presenting beautifully crafted pendants with the image of Ma’at to four unsuspecting friends that they thought deserved them for all their support. My older daughter said, I would be called up but I looked at her and said plainly, “No”. Then, my name was called first. Of course I was stunned. I jumped up with my younger daughter, sleeping in my arms and made my way up to receive the wonderful gift. Thank you so much!

The occasion was like none other that I have attended. It was an eye opener. Utterly beautiful, calming and just natural. I am thankful that I was a part of it.  Outside, we were blessed to have strangely beautiful weather; a type of weather pattern that is more familiar to the Caribbean than it is to urban New York - Soft rain drops shimmering in the golden rays of the sun.  Sunshowers!  What a way to top off the day!

Nfr-Ka Ma'at and Heru Djeden Ma'at at Aten-Ra have founded The Center for the Restoration of Ma'at

http://www.centerformaat.com/

They are also producers of their own show Kemetic Legacy Today on MNN (Manhattan Neighborhood Network) Channel 34 every Saturday at 12noon

http://www.mnn.org/

Molecular cloning of Ancient Egyptian mummy DNA

I happened to come upon a very interesting Swedish article with the heading above.  Check it out below and tell me what you think.  For references, click on the link below.

Nature 314, 644 - 645 (18 April 1985); doi:10.1038/314644a0

Svante Pääbo
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v314/n6012/abs/314644a0.html

Department of Cell Research, The Wallenberg Laboratory, University of Uppsala, Box 562, S-75122 Uppsala, Sweden and Institute of Egyptology, Gustavianum, University of Uppsala, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
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Artificial mummification was practised in Egypt from 2600 BC until the fourth century AD. Because of the dry Egyptian climate, however, there are also many natural mummies preserved from earlier as well as later times. To elucidate whether this unique source of ancient human remains can be used for molecular genetic analyses, 23 mummies were investigated for DNA content. One 2,400-yr-old mummy of a child was found to contain DNA that could be molecularly cloned in a plasmid vector. I report here that one such clone contains two members of the Alu family of human repetitive DNA sequences, as detected by DNA hybridizations and nucleotide sequencing. These analyses show that substantial pieces of mummy DNA (3.4 kilobases) can be cloned and that the DNA fragments seem to contain little or no modifications introduced postmortem.
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In essence, the arid air in the desert was not only perfect for preserving human remains and in some cases, animal and plant remains, it has also proved to be perfect for preserving DNA.  Thus, human mummified remains can easily be cloned.  Was this what the Ancient Egyptians or Kemites had in mind when they taught of living forever in the Beautiful Roads of the West? 
I know that the goal of some scientists is to clone a whole fully functional human being.  I would not be surprised if they have already begun attempting to clone Pharaoh Tutankhamun himself.  Can you imagine the Ancients walking the Earth again?

A Three Hour Tour

For some reason, I can not find my little note book with all the wonderful facts I wrote down concerning my trip to the King Tut exhibit.  I've been searching all over the place but to no avail.  Oh well. Maybe this is a sign to simply write about the feelings surrounding my experience during my excersion.  If that's the case, then here I go.

Firstly, everything seemed to go wrong with my plans before I even got there. Different things kept popping up like traps in an obstacle course to hinder me from my trip.  I finally got frustrated and even though I finally made it to the train station, I was already almost 2 hours late so in the heat and in my long tropically textured dress, I dragged myself back home from the train station.  Then I received a call from the coordinator of the tour.  She encouraged me to come so I made my way back to the train station and jumped on the train for an hour-long ride into Manhattan. When I got there, it was quite empty and quiet in the lobby.  I called the coordinator a few times but she didn't hear because she was probably too busy giving the tour that I was already almost 3 hours late to.  'A Three Hour Tour' kept echoing in my head. 

I walked in the first room of the exhibit which was an introduction from one of the young employees basically telling us to keep our hands to ourselves and no picture taking. That was fine. I heard a tour group ahead of the tiny group I was a part of.  When the young man finished his spiel, I asked if I could join the group straight ahead, thinking that I already missed my tour group.  Lo and behold, the group I joined was my group led by my friend and her husband.  'Wow', I thought.  I was excruciatingly late and yet I met them with ease.  And what a group!  There were easily 40/50 people listening intently to the guides and asking intuitive questions.  The artifacts were phenomenal of course.  Although I saw this same King Tut's exhibit before in Philadelphia a few years ago, I couldn't get enough of it.  What made this exhibit in New York City so fascinating was that now that Pharaoh Tutankhamun's family members have been identified from his father to his grandparents, they too were on display.  Not them but their belongings which I believe their essence still resides in. 

So many breathtaking objects. I kind of felt at home.  One aspect that I will take away from my experience is that finally, Tutankhamun was portrayed not simply as a mummy, but a beautiful young man who once walked the earth and was given the tremendous responsibility at the tender age of 8 or 9 to rule the mightiest civilization in the world.  A young man who basically had the world on his shoulders and who tragically died so young before we could see his skills as a ruler. I do think that this exhibit honored him.  The one aspect of it that I didn't care for was the replica of his mummified body.  While this is pertinent to some, I believe they could have done without it.  I think he should be remembered as any human being would without the display of his remains which should be respected and thus covered. 

My next stop, Egypt! (One Day)

*Whenever I do find my little notebook full of good stuff, I will share it with you all.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Tomorrow's blog will deal with a very recent and interesting Swedish scientific article I came upon by accident dealing with Cloning of human remains from Ancient Egypt! The Possibilities

Pharaoh Tutankhamun Returns

After decades, King Tutankhamun has finally made another appearance in New York City! Well, not Tutankhamun himself since his mummy is way too fragile to leave Egypt. Many of his funerary objects and personal belongings that I believe his spirit still resides in are on display. And even more fascinating, his family’s history is on display as well. Usually when we think of mummies, we may think of a simple specimen that has no purpose but to be poked and prodded by scientists but the fact that Tutankhamun’s family’s spirit has accompanied his on this journey to New York City somehow brings him to life. He was a real young man that walked the earth and fell in love and had caring parents and grandparents. My interest skyrocketed so I bought a ticket with my friends Jabari and Anika Osaze (Kemetic historians who live their life as the Ancient Kemites did) for an African-inspired tour of this exhibit. Too often Egypt or Kemet (the true ancient name) is separated from the rest of Africa but it was clearly an African nation so I wanted to get a more in depth, factual, educational tour.

Royal Diadem
I was an hour late but I was still able to join the group for a 3 Hour Tour. Where did I hear that line before? Well unlike Gilligan’s Island, I would have certainly enjoyed being stranded amidst all of the artifacts because they were simply impeccable. The craftsmanship was second to none. Many of the pieces were created by master craftsman for the sole purpose of accompanying Tutankhamun in the afterlife such as the exquisite golden royal diadem inlayed with jewels to the left which was found affixed to his head.  As Jabari mentioned, no one was going to see the work of these artisans yet they put their all into making the objects flawlessly beautiful. Imagine if the craftsmen were ruled by today’s standards. They would most likely cut corners like crazy knowing that know one would examine their work. I learned that the standard by which Kemites created objects, down to the drawings and hieroglyphs were second to none. The minutest details possessed a meaning to the Ancient Kemites. In the next few articles, I will break down what I learned from this tour by subject and show correlations between the Ancient Kemites and our present world. Stay tuned!