I think I may have put a bit about my shemsu name in another post. However, I thought it might be helpful to let it have it’s own post after reading Ta-idet’s beautiful piece here about their shemsu name.
I don’t have a magical name. I’ve always been rather attached to my regular name, simple as it is. When I was Catholic and went through confirmation, I put a lot of thought into choosing my saint, as their name becomes a part of your own. Even though I’m no longer Catholic and name change is not a legal one, I still consider that a part of my name. I’ve never been very good at letting things go, and I’m not always certain what should go and what should stay. When I was married, I kept my last name. I didn’t change, combine or hyphen it.
In Kemetic Orthodoxy, if you choose to take shemsu vows, you are given the name that was divined for you. Learning the many meanings of the name and how they play out in your life is a continuing journey. I was named Iretisenu (Ireti for short), which means the purpose of two. This felt very heavy to me at the time of naming. My Parents are Djehuty and Sekhmet-Mut. I assumed that the name meant I was to do what was needed for Their plans, whatever those plans might be. That is a layer, but it’s only one of them. I’ve reconnected more deeply with my KO name (and with myself) this last year, and more of the layers have started appearing.
I went to the Wep Ronpet gathering back in 2015, freshly named, and I remember not responding to the name when people tried to call me by it. It took a bit to sink in. I want to say it took a bit to write itself on my soul, but I wonder if it was more a case of me needing to clear away some of the grime that was on top of it. Perhaps it was always there, and I just couldn’t see it. Perhaps I just needed extra time to grow into it. Whatever the case, it is a part of me now.
I started this post with the idea that I would share all the different twos and dualities that I’ve found the name to encompass so far, but that might be too intimate for sharing, even by my standards. I do think there is a lot more about it for me to uncover. I also think that I might acquire other names in the future. I’m not sure why, just a feeling. The more I learn about my shemsu name, the closer I feel to my Parents. I feel not as a servant following a master’s decree, but as a child learning their parents’ trades. I have been surprised recently by similarities.
I have long described my future role as a bridge. A messenger, a mediator, and a physical bridge to help people connect with their spirits and learn to maintain that connection on their own. Djehuty’s role as a bridge was brought up recently, and it caused me to reflect on the many times He has acted in that position, the healer, the mediator, the bridge. I hadn’t seen the connection before, how I am pulled my Father’s work. I have also been pulled into the footsteps of my Mother’s path, but those details are not for this post.
And so I continue my journey as Iretisenu, encompassing dualities as I go. My other names still burn hot with activity. They are still a working part of me. Ireti, however, is beginning to step more often into the forefront. I’m excited to learn more about myself as I search deeper into the mysteries of the name.