420 Kemet Style ~ Seshat's Secret

bambu

In Egyptian mythology, Seshat (also spelled Safkhet, Sesat, Seshet, Sesheta, and Seshata) was the Ancient Egyptian goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and writing. She was seen as a scribe and record keeper, and her name means she who scrivens (i.e. she who is the scribe), and is credited with inventing writing with her consort Tehuti.

She also became identified as the goddess of architecture, astronomy, astrology, building, mathematics, and surveying. She was depicted as a woman with a seven-pointed emblem above her head, most egyptologists are unclear what this emblem represents. Often referred to as a star or flower, this symbol is an accurate illustration of a cannabis leaf.



Her symbol is among the oldest hieroglyphs, and although cannabis is not native to North Africa, it would have grown well there—and been available through trade routes. Indications for use of cannabis and instructions for preparation are in some of the oldest medical texts in existence.


Her symbol differs from those for papyrus and palm leafs....

And can safely classified as the first ancient understanding of the mind enhancing powers of cannabis...


nugmag.com/seshats-secret/
kemet.org/glossary/seshat.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seshat

soul rattler

I'm not convinced of the correlation. Cannibus is not native to Northwest Afrika or the Middle East. This is a reach.

bambu

I feel you @soul rattler.... Cannabis is not known to be native to Africa.....

However, Wikipedia will even tell you about the use of cannabis in ancient Egypt.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_cannabis#Ancient_Egypt

For years historians have had to conform to European imperialism by stating that it was unclear what Seshat's headdress represented.

Make no mistake, our ancestors were well aware of the physical and mental healing properties of Cannabis. The correlation between Seshats's headdress and the Cannabis leaf is no coincidence.

"Chance and coincidence do not exist; these are terms human beings choose, or are forced to use because of an ignorance of the principle of Cause and Effect at work." Wayne Chandler

antiquecannabisbook.com/chap1/Egyptian.htm

Oceanic

idk it could symbolize the power of the mind. You see how the symbol for papyrus is similar? When we write things down, we're using mind power to physically represent our thoughts. Maybe that symbol above her head is mind power not yet manifested physically. Maybe it's not that deep. Maybe she just wore a big ornament on her head.

Oceanic

off topic, but I see you mentioned Wayne Chandler. we should have a discussion about Ancient Future if you've read the entire book, since it relates to the Hermetic thread.

soul rattler

bambu wrote: »

I feel you @soul rattler.... Cannabis is not known to be native to Africa.....

However, Wikipedia will even tell you about the use of cannabis in ancient Egypt.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_cannabis#Ancient_Egypt

For years historians have had to conform to European imperialism by stating that it was unclear what Seshat's headdress represented.

Make no mistake, our ancestors were well aware of the physical and mental healing properties of Cannabis. The correlation between Seshats's headdress and the Cannabis leaf is no coincidence.

"Chance and coincidence do not exist; these are terms human beings choose, or are forced to use because of an ignorance of the principle of Cause and Effect at work." Wayne Chandler

antiquecannabisbook.com/chap1/Egyptian.htm

Thanks for the link. If Cannibus was used for medical purposes, why is Medicine not attributed to Seshat in the same manner as Writing, Wisdom, Architecture, etc?

Oceanic

I think medicine is attributed to Djehuti which Seshat may be linked to as well, as is writing and science and mathematics.

bambu

@Jaded Righteousness.... I have read Ancient Future and have grown by applying the principles to my understanding of the world. This is why I am uncomfortable accepting that maybe she just wore a big ornament on her head.


@soul rattler.... Jaded is right about the medical aspects of Cannabis and Djehuti. I think that the symbolism connected to Seshat is not medical, but mental or psycoactive.

Oceanic

Well what do you think about the other part of what I said? Maybe it's the symbolism for mental activity/power

bambu

That’s exactly what I’m saying…. I think that it is a cannabis leaf that symbolizes mental power and activity.

I think that any artist or thinker that has used cannabis will agree that its use enhances the creative process. The hieroglyph for papyrus is clearly different and what other “flower” or “star” symbol can match the psychoactive effects of cannabis.

Oceanic

it may or may not represent marijuana, though. That specific rendering could be a representation of or the actual symbol for mind power. It may look like marijuana but it doesnt necessarily have to be. It could be a DRAWING of mind power.

beenwize

Jaded Righteousness wrote: »

it may or may not represent marijuana, though. That specific rendering could be a representation of or the actual symbol for mind power. It may look like marijuana but it doesnt necessarily have to be. It could be a DRAWING of mind power.

Good point.

bambu

Jaded Righteousness wrote: »

it may or may not represent marijuana, though. That specific rendering could be a representation of or the actual symbol for mind power. It may look like marijuana but it doesn't necessarily have to be. It could be a DRAWING of mind power.

@Jaded Righteousness.....

This would be an extremely happy coincidence....

Again... the principles teach that there is no such thing as coincidence and chance.

I understand your point, but do not feel comfortable accepting that chance.

Oceanic

You may not be comfortable accepting that chance but you are comfortable accepting another chance. What the principles describe as "chance" is in relation to cause and effect; not in relation to this situation where we do not know what someone is drawing. We might both be wrong.


The cause in this situation is the drawing. It's effect is in you and/or I and/or anyone else who has an opinion about it. Then, I becoming an effect, would turn to cause by performing an action that would result in an effect. The drawing itself is an effect preceded by a cause unknown to us but we can generalize and say someone drew it.

bambu

I most definitely feel you @Jaded Righteousness....

I am not trying to assert this connection as 100% fact, I agree we may both be wrong.

My intentions are to bring forth a theory on a subject that other historian/egyptoligists are afraid to touch. I think that the evidence associated with this theory is valid, and deserves more consideration than the typical "obscure" interpretation of the symbols associated with Seshat.

Oceanic

We can consider it but personally I would need more evidence than simple appearance. Modern paintings can easily be misinterpreted. I imagine it would be moreso with an ancient hieroglyph. First, as you said earlier, marijuana would not be easily available to the ancient Egyptians and secondly, if it were associated with the goddess, I believe it would have been more common in the culture and the theory would not be as iffy. Take for example, Rastafari. If we were looking at ancient art from that spiritual culture, we would most likely be more sure of what was meant to be understood. But if you are willing to present more support for your theory, I'd be happy to see or read through it.

bambu

I never stated that marijuana would not be easily available to the ancient Egyptians, I acknowledged that the plant was not native to the region. The evidence clearly shows that cannabis was readily available in ancient Egypt.


"Many readers may remain unconvinced at this point that shemshemet denotes
cannabis, but recent physical evidence of its presence has been excavated [81]. Hemp
fibers were found in the tomb of Amenophis IV (Akhenaten) at El-@Amarna, ca. 1350
b.c. and confirmed in two separate scientific analyses [95]. Cannabis pollen has also
been identified from mid-third-millennium b.c. soil samples from Nagada [96] and in
geological strata of similar vintage in the eastern Nile Delta [97]. More convincing yet
is the finding of several pollen grains inside the mummy of Rameses II, who died ca.
1213 b.c. [98]. A photomicrograph (p. 163) seems to confirm this assignation, and not
that of hops, Humulus lupulus, a European species not identified in Ancient Egypt.
Samples containing cannabis pollen from another mummy has also been documented
[99], ca. 100 b.c., during the Ptolemaic era"

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cbdv.200790144/pdf

Also, by the 9th and 10th century, Egyptian medicine became Islamic medicine. Despite Sharia law banning all intoxicants, the plant in "hashish form" continued to be used for its powerful medicinal qualities. The term for the plant and its products changed over time, adding another level of confusion, in Islamic medicine it was no longer referred to as "shemshemet" but instead was called "hashish, or shadanaj,the Royal grain."

Ntr Sentra rituals

The Ntr Sentra ritual is one of the oldest known religious rituals and variations of it have appeared (often developing independently) in religions and cultures around the world. Ntr Sentra is the sincerely held religious belief that divine smoke empowers and makes prayers more pleasing to the divine.

“Ntr Sentra” literally means “the breath of the divine/goddess”. The modern English words “incense” and “frankincense” are derived from this ancient Egyptian phrase. The modern English word “nature” is derived from “Ntr” (Netcher) and the modern English word “scent” is derived from “Sentra”.

bambu

Should have named this thread THE OFFICIAL CANNABIS AND SPIRITUALITY THREAD too late to edit now.....

THE ROOTS OF KANEH-BOSM

The first solid evidence of the Hebrew use of cannabis was established in 1936 by Sula Benet, a little known Polish etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw.'

The word cannabis was generally thought to be of Scythian origin, but Benet showed that it has a much earlier origin in Semitic languages like Hebrew, and that it appears several times throughout the Old Testament. Benet explained that "in the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament there are references to hemp, both as incense, which was an integral part of religious celebration, and as an intoxicant."

Benet demonstrated that the word for cannabis is kaneh-bosm, also rendered in traditional Hebrew as kaneh or kannabus. The root kan in this construction means "reed" or "hemp", while bosm means "aromatic". This word appears five times in the Old Testament; in the books of Exodus, the Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

The first reference to kaneh-bosm is the only that describes it as an ointment to be applied externally. However, anointing oils made with cannabis are indeed psychoactive and have been used by such seemingly diverse groups as 19th century occultists and medieval witches.''

Closer to Moses' own time, cannabis was used as a topical hallucinogen by the ancient worshippers of Asherah, the Queen of Heaven. Asherah has also been referred to as the Hebrew Goddess.'"

The shamanistic Ashera priestesses of pre-reformation Jerusalem mixed cannabis resins with those from myrrh, balsam, frankincense, and perfumes, and then anointed their skins with the mixture as well as burned it.'"

THEN THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, "TAKE THE FOLLOWING FINE SPICES: 500 SHEKELS OF LIQUID MYRRH, HALF AS MUCH OF FRAGRANT CINNAMON, 250 SHEKELS OF KANNABOSM, 500 SHEKELS OF CASSIA - ALL ACCORDING TO THE SANCTUARY SHEKEL - AND A HIND OF OLIVE OIL. MAKE THESE INTO MAKE THESE INTO A SACRED ANNOITING OIL, A FRAGRANT BLEND, THE WORK OF A PERFUMER. IT WILL BE THE SACRED ANNOITING OIL.


THEN USE IT TO ANOINT THE TENT OF THE MEETING, THE ARK OF THE TESTIMONY, THE TABLE AND ALL ITS ARTICLES, THE LAMPSTAND AND ITS ACCESSORIES, THE ALTAR OF INCENSE, THE ALTAR OF
BURNT OFFERING AND ALL ITS UTENSILS, AND THE BASIN WITH ITS STAND. YOU SHALL CONSECRATE THEM SO THEY WILL BE MOST HOLY, AND WHATEVER TOUCHES THEM WILL BE HOLY.


ANOINT AARON AND HIS SONS AND CONSECRATE THEM SO THEY MAY SERVE ME AS PREISTS. SAY TO THE ISRAELITES, "THIS IS TO BE MY SACRED ANOINTING OIL FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME. DO NOT POUR IT ON MEN'S BODIES AND DO NOT MAKE ANY OIL WITH THE SAME FORMULA. IT IS SACRED, AND YOU ARE TO CONSIDER IT SACRED. WHOEVER MAKES PERFUME LIKE IT AND WHOEVER PUTS IT ON ANYONE OTHER THAN A PREIST MUST BE CUT OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE."

EXODUS 30:22-33

bambu

The next Biblical account of cannabis comes under the name kaneh and appears in relation to King Solomon. In Solomon's Song of Songs, one of the most beautifully written pieces in the Old Testament, Solomon mentions kaneh in describing his bride.

COME WITH ME FROM LEBANON, MY BRIDE, COME WITH ME FROM LEBANON. DESCEND FROM THE CREST OF AMANA, FROM THE TOP OF SENIR, THE SUMMIT OF HERMON. . .

HOW DELIGHTFUL IS YOUR LOVE, MY SISTER, MY BRIDE! HOW MUCH MORE PLEASING IS YOUR LOVE THAN WINE, AND THE FRAGRANCE OF YOUR OINTMENT THAN ANY SPICE!. . .

THE FRAGRANCE OF YOUR GARMENTS IS LIKE THAT OF LEBANON. . .

YOUR PLANTS ARE AN ORCHARD OF POMEGRANATES WITH CHOICE FRUITS, WITH HENNA AND NARD, NARD AND SAFFRON, KANEH AND CINNAMON, WITH EVERY KIND OF INCENSE TREE.

SONG OF SONGS 4:8-14

The Third Reference to Cannabis

GOD WANTS TREES

The next direct reference to kaneh-bosm appears in Isaiah, where God is reprimanding the Israelites for, among other things, not supplying him with his due of the Holy Herb.

YOU HAVE NOT BROUGHT ANY KANEH FOR ME, OR LAVISHED ON ME THE FAT OF YOUR SACRIFICES. BUT YOU HAVE BURDENED ME WITH YOUR SINS AND WEARIED ME WITH YOUR OFFENCES.

ISAIAH 43:23-24

bambu

The Fourth Reference to Cannabis

KANEH FROM A DISTANT LAND

The fourth appearance of cannabis in the Old Testament is in Jeremiah, by which time it seems that Yahweh's taste for the herb had declined. In the same way that God rejected Cain's offering of grain in favour of Abel's blood sacrifice, the cannabis also is rejected.

What do I care about incense from Sheba or kaneh from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me.?
Jeremiah 6:20

The Final Reference to Cannabis

TRADING WITH TYRE

The final Biblical reference to kaneh appears in Ezekiel 27, in a passage called A Lament for Tyre. The kingdom of Tyre had fallen into disfavor with Yahweh, and cannabis appears as just one of many of the wares received by Tyre, the merchant of peoples on many coasts.

Both of these passages refer obliquely back to the story of King Solomon. The mention of Sheba brings to mind Solomon's love affair with the Queen of Sheba, and the King of Tyre played a pivotal role in Solomon's building of the temple.

DANITES AND GREEKS FROM UZAL BOUGHT YOUR MERCHANDISE; THEY EXCHANGED WROUGHT IRON, CASSIA AND KANEH FOR YOUR WARES.

EZEKIEL 27:19

cannabisculture.com/articles/1090.html

bambu

bambu

BUMP.....
As requested by @Jaded Righteousness

Oceanic

Just because there are biblical references to marijuana doesn't mean that Seshat is wearing a marijuana leaf above her head.

young_reezy

i've read that tobacco leaves have been found in some pharoah's tomb, we know tobacco isn't native to north Africa/Alkubelan so it's obvious that trading and traveling was a major part of their culture.

bambu

Jaded Righteousness wrote: »

Just because there are biblical references to marijuana doesn't mean that Seshat is wearing a marijuana leaf above her head.

@Jaded Righteousness....C'mon son... You can do better than that... There is a break after the evidence for Seshat, which develops into biblical references to cannabis or Kaneh-Bosm. Entirely different subjects, combined due to the nature of this thread....

young_reezy wrote: »

i've read that tobacco leaves have been found in some pharoah's tomb, we know tobacco isn't native to north Africa/Alkubelan so it's obvious that trading and traveling was a major part of their culture.

No doubt @young_reezy cannabis was also found in the tombs of Akhenaten and Rameses II.

Oceanic

The thread was originally about the symbol above Seshat's head. Even the first fuckin post disagreed with you. I mean, that's your interpretation of what that symbol represents and that's fine but my point is that we don't have enough to go on to conclude that the rendering does in fact represent marijuana. And I'm correct. You are speculating. SPEC-U-LATING.