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Greetings members,

May you and your families be well as the seasons change once again.

In the northern hemisphere, we journey from the summer festivals that are hopefully.

held in the sunshine and we arrive at Sunstick day, 25 Penipt in the Sidereal Calendar, this year 422 (1 November 2022).

Our founder Neb Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig reminds us that, “this date [each year] marks a starting point of a dangerous distancing of the Earth from the Sun. …..The slowing down of the speed of the rotation and revolution of Earth, among other consequences, ……leads to poor irrigation of the brain, having a consequence of a tendency for bad humor and depression.”[1]

Whilst many people in modern society experience and observe such consequences, few seek the true cause. The great ancestors came to these understandings over thousands of years. As Kem, we value their teachings by adjusting our routines to live in harmony with these phenomena that impact the Earth and therefore us.

This reminds me of the Kemetic proverb “Everything that has a present, has a past and a future”.  So, we complement knowledge of these annual energetic shifts by observing the spiritually important Holy Days that are preserved in the annual Sidereal Calendar, such as the Death of the God Wsr on 17 Ateeri 422 (26 November 2022). Spiritual and physical benefits are gained from practices of remaining pure that include periods of fasting during the 50 day period to Wsr’s resurrection.

So as the modern clocks ‘fall back an hour’ to gain some extra morning light, you may wish to find an hour to reflect on what you have from your past that helps you to be in harmony with your present and future. Perhaps we can make good use of the current crisis’ (economic, ecological, social, health etc.) that challenges us all as a signpost to recall the teachings handed down to us.

In this newsletter the branch director of Firefly Publications updates us on their work to preserve the great works by making it available in various formats and includes an invitation to play our part.

Wishing you stability and endurance by your alignment with the Earth, the Divine, the Nature and your ancestors.

Biksaa Nessebik
On behalf of the Membership Team
The Earth Center Maanu Inc.

[1] The Rising Firefly Volume 79: Spiritual Observations (Sunstick day: Penipt 23) Neb Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig.

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Firefly Branch Update

Rising Firefly Productions is committed to bringing the wealth of the Kebtah mission of the Dogon temples into the rapidly changing current era. We have updated The Earth Center web-store with a complete site for Firefly Productions.

Check it out here where you will find some new updates and products such as:
Digital version of the Rising Firefly Magazine
Kemetic Sidereal Calendar: Year 422
New merch every month including apparel, etc.
Neb Naba Lecture Videos

Firefly Productions was an important aspect of Neb Naba's mission from its foundation in 1998. As a publisher he was able to collect information and present it to the public in a way that rendered complex and hard-to-approach topics simple and palatable to the reader. He did this while dignifying the Ancestral heritage of humanity in a way that is still unmatched. He would repeat to his initiates:

It is writer's who change the world.

We must re-tell our own history.

We must write our own stories.

Firefly is recommitted to this in Kem year 422. And we are putting the call out among our membership for those who wish to take up arms (the pen) to join us in this revolutionary spirit. Any journalists (news, investigative, video, photo) wishing to submit your works to Firefly publishing, we invite you. We invite you to contribute as together we bring a perspective and voice led by our Ancestral Spirit and dignifying our Kem heritage and the unity of humanity before Nature and its Creators.

Nehez Meniooh
Firefly Branch Director

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Connecting the Past to the Present – Same Journey, New Me.
By Gileera Hentkhepra

It was the beginning of the New Year 422 in our Kemetic calendar, in the month of Tehuti. The Earth Center of Toronto’s M’Tam School was hosting the ceremony for the 79th Graduation in Per Ankh, worldwide. It was truly a day of new beginnings as I received my initiatic first name, Gileera, meaning pilgrim or traveller of the divinity Ra, and my initiatic last name, Hentkhepra, meaning the divinity Khepra is pleased.  Such a powerful name, that even this naming ceremony made so much in my life clear.  

On a point of religion, previous to my Kemetic initiation, I was a woman on a quest to discover African spirituality and healing, after 20 years of active Christian ministry.  I once had an experience where I can now look back and know that I was repeating the name of Ra, over and over again, along with other words of a language I did not know.  I asked elders of the church at that time what it meant, but none could tell me.  I never forgot that experience and so many years later in the week prior to my graduation, the name of the divinity Ra came strongly to me.  I asked in my zemzem lamentation [prayers] if Ra would be a part of my initiatic name? The day of graduation, I received my answer with joy.  

As Gileera, I connect my past to my present and see how experiences have positioned me. Knowing my position, I shall know what I need to do to move to the next level.  I also have elders, teachers, priests, and healers across the Kem community to assist me in the work of improving my qualities.    I am equipped with the spiritual tools that I shall use to continue the journey, aiming high for the summit.    
In our Kem culture, there is a concept that we learned called Znemti.  It means that one is in a cycle of being stuck in the same position but does not realize it.  It is a dangerous position to be in one’s life as no evolution is taking place.  The Maakheru often admonished us to never be satisfied with just being comfortable.  The uphill climb requires effort.  Improving qualities and character is a lifelong pursuit of a Kem person.  

In the past, I was in a cycle of Znemti, without the knowledge of tradition. At the time, I could only describe it as procrastination and depression.   As an initiate, I now check myself constantly, knowing that my evolution is my personal responsibility.  I also acknowledge my ancestors because I know that my mission is not for myself alone but for my entire lineage.I have my tools of purification that I use daily to help me improve and transform. I receive guidance through readings to know how to best navigate this modern world.  Our practices, practising spiritual honesty and cleansing are all valuable, helping me to heal my bloodline and reposition us to a higher level.

I continue my journey as Gileera.

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