NOTE: This feature was posted on the original Icons of Kemet Blogger blog on Friday, January 2, 2015.
Yesterday began my journey with "Hwt-Her (Hathor) Mistress of the Sky", my first commission for 2015. After spending a night basking in the divine blessings of Hwt-Her in our Shrine, the "raw" icon panel was initiated by having the "deity house" delineated, which is the bordered space in the precise center of the icon where the image of the Goddess will be placed.
I had a very fruitful 8 hour session with the icon panel yesterday, during which I began blocking in the sinuous body and limbs of the Goddess (pictures are forthcoming, as soon as I have more to show for myself).
"Hwt-Her Mistress of the Sky" will honor the probable celestial origins of this most ancient and celebrated of Goddesses, depicting Her as ruler of the celestial, Daughter of Ra, and, but of course, as the embodiment of divine love, passion and sexuality. The dream the Goddess sent to me was very clear, very precise, and I will have to work very hard to accommodate all of the elements She has directed me to include: the Falcon of Heru mounting a sistrum (yes, it means precisely what you think it means!), the head of Hwt-Her as the Sacred Cow of the West, emerging from a papyrus thicket, the (desert) mountains of the West, and the five-pointed stars of the night sky. Both day and night must be expressed. A tall order, to be sure, but they always are.
Here is my hymn in celebration of this new icon, yet another sacred image for the cult of Hwt-Her to continue throughout the ages.
O Golden One, the Hand of the God,
Hwt-Her, within Whose house the ardor
Of the Falcon arises!
Mountains in the West open their portals
Upon hearing the sweetness of Your voice,
The Sun coming home again, alighting
On the noble perch, swathed in the
Turquoise beams of Your sacred body.
O Hand, blushing cheek, honey lips,
Tresses of blue-black like real lapis lazuli;
Yours is the countenance that ensnares
The hearts of gods, Whom Ptah the
Beautiful of Face cherishes.
O Star, sweet bovine, the Ark of the Sky-Lord,
There is no remedy for a man who holds
Fast to Your scent, when breezes like the
Northern gust take heart and eyes with
Sudden delight.
Hwt-Her, the very body of the God, Whose
Dazzling plumage shines in Your Sun,
Whose eyes are ruled by Your eye,
Whose nobility is the power of Your loins,
Whose beauty is the mirror of Your love.
O Holy Lady, Mistress of the Western Mountain,
I call You to come in Your glory, bestowing the
Boon of love, the favors of Your Lord, Whose
House on high is the House of Your golden
Loins.
Hwt-Her, the sweet essence, the fire, the Eye of Ra,
Appear not in Your terror but in Your beauty, come,
Enchant the heart with goodness, and make of my
Flesh a vessel for the miracle of Your love!
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