Geb: The Earth and Its Seasons

SUNDAY, February 3, 6248
Instructors: Baba Ray Davis and Minister Greg Hodge

Introduction

• Mentions the importance of telescopes

• Shows image of the "Transformations of Ra & Overthrowing Apep"
• Reviewing the representation of Geb (earth) and Nut (sky)
• Is Nut the celestial heavens or just the Earth's atmosphere
• Shu represents the atmosphere, Tefnut is moisture (including rain)
• Baba Ray says that Nut is the night sky and its stars
• Why were ancestors interested in creating a narrative - was it just scientific or something else?

Google Earth

• Using Google Earth (click here for the free download)
• Navigate through the Earth and Solar System

Earth Information

• Discusses layers of Earth
• Role of oxygen and its reactive nature
• Generally believed (although not known) that the core is made of nickel/iron
• The core may be hotter than the Sun's surface

Seasons on Earth

• Equinox and solstice; equal amount of daylight and night

PART II: Geb (Earth and Its Seasons) - Ancient Seasonal Celebrations in Kmt

• Hands out a Kemetic (Remetj) seasonal calendar
• Kemet had 3 calendars
• Lunar (most ancient)
• Heliacal (near-sun) rising of star Sirius (called Spdt), which flashed once a year (July 20) because of the brightness of the Sun
• Soon after the "flash" the inudation occurred
• Spdt (Sirius) was deified as the neter, Hut Heru (the Eye of Ra)
• Hut Heru is the House of Heru; where Heru is symbolic of the sky (flying falcon), and Spdt is in the sky
  
• Solar - the "civil calendar"
• Three Seasons - Akhet (Nile flood), Pert (plant cultivation), Shemu (Harvest/summer)
• Akhet (Nile flooding)
• After the inudation the water turns red (from the soil from Ethiopia), and the land becomes rich, turning it black - thus the name, "the Black Land"
• The Answan dam ended the inudation
  
• Pert is coming forth
• Shemu (related to Upper Kemet, means summer)

• Festival of Wp Ren Pet (4th month of Shemu [harvest/summer])
• Opening of the New Year
• Excerpt: "Hut Heru is .... the beautiful one who appears in the sky, the truth who regulates the world at the head of the sun-boat, the queen and mistress of awe, the rule of (netjeru and ) netjert, the great Aset, Mother of the Netjeru."
  
• Neters can transform into others or unify