The heka of Saadaya
for the benefit of all the souls
who have taken refuge
in the Good God Antinous

May the ka of the God
and may the kas of his followers
be refreshed and strengthened
May they abide in Ma'at forever
May all his followers be fulfilled and happy
May all the earthly beings be fulfilled and happy
May all the heavenly beings be fulfilled and happy

The scribe has given this heka freely
to all the people of Antinous

May this libation of verses be holy unto You
O Holy Antinous
May this be Your heka for generations to come
and Your mercy unto humanity

*

The Epiphany

Antinous has returned
who saves creation from peril
He freely bestows boons
He compassionately cares for those who suffer
and He gladly leads those who perish
to the eternal radiance of the West

Antinous comes forth in peace
He rejoices
His lips contain nectar
His word is sealed
it is our Law

Who is this Boy
Who opens the gate of the heavens
And transits between the worlds freely?
Who is this Thief
Who steals the hearts of mortals and gods alike?

Behold, Antinous of Bithynia is resurrected
And he is the new Hermes
The new Eros.

*

Heka of Refuge Taking

I take refuge in Antinous
whom the demons fear
from the evil within and without
May he render powerless
all those who have power to harm his followers
and all those who love isfet
May he make prosper those who love Ma'at
May there be stability and peace
wherever his name is revered

I take refuge in Antinous
May all the graces bestowed by the Holy Antinous
rain over me
and over his followers
Prosperity and stability
fertility and love
and life abundant
belong to Him
May there be opulence and peace
wherever his name is revered

I take refuge in Antinous
the Covenant-sealer
May Antinous reconcile lovers, brothers and enemies
so that laughter should be the song of their souls
May He slay the lions of arrogance and ire
May there be opulence and peace
wherever his name is revered

May all the makers of vows fulfil them
and may they be generously rewarded
for their faith
May there be opulence and peace
wherever his name is revered

Antinous rises again
May his name be as a ray of light
May all the beings benefit
wherever his name is revered

*

Heka of Immortality

Hear us, Antinous
We have taken refuge in You
All gates are yours to open
May You open the heavenly gates of wisdom and counsel for us
May You open the heavenly gates of opulence for us
May You open the heavenly gates of immortality for us
At the time of disembodiment
May You succour us
and our loved ones

As Thoth has preserved your name and your Ba
so may You preserve our names and our bas for all eternity
As You were mournfully and softly bathed in oil
by loving hands
when Your body was raised from the river
so may You succour us at the time of transmigration
may You send Answerers to assist us in our journey to the West

As You were justified by Osiris before the heavenly court
so may we be justified by your intercession
And as You were given priests and functionaries
who remember Your good name
and perpetuate it
so may You send down keepers of history
to lend a voice to the voiceless
to lend strength to the powerless

May You breathe your inspiration
into the nostrils of God-possessed poets and prophets
and may they regenerate Your beauty perpetually
through works of art
through their words
and through their sacred acts

May You once again speak through dreams
and through works of art
and through oracles and scripture
May Your words and Your healing persist into the ages

May all Your faithful be in bliss
forever and ever
in the afterlife
May they go forth radiant to the West

*

The Highest Sacrifice: Ma'at

This is my heka:
I give up evil and oppression on this day
and take refuge in Ma'at
from the evil within
and from the evil without

I put evil in the hands of Ma'at
and take refuge in Truth
and in Righteousness
and in the Measurer of all things
May I be cleansed and holy on this day

I present myself radiant
and perform this highest of sacrifices
the sacrifice of Ma'at
unto You, o Holy Antinous

I offer You a sacrifice of Faith
of Truth
of Righteousness
of Justice
of Love

Please accept our prayers
our words of Truth
our acts, thoughts, and deeds of kindness
our acts of social justice
and our acts of love

May Your ka be refreshed and strengthened by our sacrifice
May You go forth radiant unto the heavens
and intercede on our behalf
for our salvation
and for our favor before the Immortals
so that it may be said of us
that we are a faithful people
who abide in Ma'at

May you also favor our ancestors
and those that have gone before us
May you also favor our communities
and those that are with us today
May you also favor those who will take refuge in You
in the days to come
May you also favor the righteous of all the lands
May we become sanctified by this sacrifice

*

The Keepers of the Word

Assembly of Antinous
Write these words in your hearts
Write them in books
and sacrifice the gift of heka unto Antinous

O Holy Antinous
May you accept this libation of scripture
May it be a sign of our faithfulness
May the calamus be as the feather of Ma'at unto You
May the ink be as blood that breathes life into Your word
May you bless and keep those who keep your words
May your ka
and the kas of those who keep your words
be refreshed, strengthened, and gladdened

The keepers of your heka are upholders of Ma'at
Righteousness, Truth and Beauty abide with them
and they are protected from isfet

May there be victory for progress over regress
May there be victory for regeneration over degeneration
May there be victory for life over death

Hear this heka, o Concourse of the heavens
in favor of the kepeers of the word of Antinous
May Righteousness and Justice abide in our homes
May our hearts be light
when the heavens weigh our hearts
May we become sanctified by this heka
May isfet be vanquished and exiled from our territory
and may Ma'at be victorious by this heka
and by our good thoughts, words and deeds

Notes:

* Heka was both a Deity which personified the Word, as well as the concept of verbal magic. Egyptians believed that words had creative power.

* The heka, or prayers of refuge taking, are appropriate liturgy for times of difficulty, as well as for conversion to and acceptance of the faith of Antinous.

* The word isfet is a Kemetic, or ancient Egyptian word which is the oppossite of Ma'at. Isfet can be translated as evil, iniquity or oppression. Ma'at, on the other hand, can be translated as divine order, righteousness, or justice. Ma'at is also the Measurer, the Goddess who embodies righteousness and the Law. Ma'at is symbolized by a feather, against which our hearts are weighed at the time of the judgement of the dead.

* In the ancient city of Antinoopolis, contracts would be signed and oaths would be made in the name of Antinous.

* The obelisk contains a prayer to Thoth, asking him to preserve the ba or spirit of Antinous perpetually.

* Answerers or 'Ashebti' were human figurines which were placed in tombs as gifts to the ancestors or Akhu, to assist them in the afterlife.

* Ma'at was offered to all the deities. Since the obelisk says 'on Antinous will be repeated every ritual of the hours of Osiris', it is appropriate to offer Ma'at to Antinous, as well as food and drink.

* The portion on 'sacrifice of Ma'at' would be liturgy appropriate to the senut or shrine ritual, where water and a meal can be offered to his ka. In antiquity, an ostrich feather was offered as a simbol of Ma'at, which can easily be replaced with anything else symbolic of righteousness or justice. I make a reference to 'calamus' because feathers have traditionally been used to write, so it can symbolize heka. This feather of Ma'at was presented 'to the left and to the right' of the Deity by the priest and then placed before it while uttering a certain formula. Offerings of food and water, to refresh the ka or soul of the Deity or the ancestors, were offered the same way.