Recently, I did a meditation excerise as part of a course of spirit writing and drawing that I am doing. The purpose was to meet your spirit guide. It involved visualising yourself in a relaxing place, then seeing a figure approach from the distance. This was your guide. The figure who approached me was unexpected. He wore a blue headpiece adorned with blue lotus flowers, a blue robe with blue lotuses on the shoulders. He also held a blue lotus. I knew who this was…
“Are you Nefertem?” I asked as confirmation.
He smiled and said “Sa”.
I had no idea what this meant. I thought it maybe meant yes. It wasn’t until the meditation was over that I looked it up and it means “son” and “protect” in the Ancient Egyptian language.
I also drew how I saw him in my meditation:
I have never worked with Nefertem, but thought he was perhaps willing to work with me. I realised, though, that I knew very little about him. He is not one of the major Egyptian deities that are regualrly mentioned in books, and is often categorised as a minor God. I dont really like that phrase. If he has a role to play in my life and in that others, then he is anything but minor! I decided to do a some research into Nefertem and have shared my findings below:
Name
The name Nefertem (also Nefertum) translates two ways, meaning either He who is perfect and complete or The beautiful one who closes. This is quite apt actually because his symbol is the blue lotus, which is perfect in terms of its symmetry and leaf distribution, but also because it opens and closes with the rising and setting of the sun.
Depiction
Nefertum is depicted as an attractive young man, with a blue lotus headdress or crown. He is sometimes shown standing on a lions back. Nefertum is also sometimes shown as a human with the head of a lion, or as a baby sitting on a lotus flower. He is the son of Ptah, the creator God and late on of craftsmen and artisans, and Sekhmet, the fierce lioness daughter of Ra. Together they formed the Triad of Memphis (or the Memphite Triad).
Epiphets
Nefertem has many epiphets, which indicate his roles and attributes:
- Water Lily of the Sun
- He Who is Beautiful
- Perfume Lord
- Lotus Born
- Beautiful at Dawn
- He Who Brings Fragrance to the Gods
- Lord of the Nose
- The Lotus Blossom at the Nostrils of Ra
Roles
Nefertem is considered the God of the Lotus. It is said that he emerged from the primeval waters of Nun as a beautiful baby on top of a lotus flower. The baby cried and his tears created humanity. He, and the opening lotus flower became associated with the rising sun. In his child form, Nefertum represents the sun rising each day before it matures into his grandfather, the Sun God Ra.
Nefertem is also a God of healing and medicine using plant based remedies. He is also the patron of flowers and of cosmetics (especially those that were made from the blue lotus). However, the architect and healer Imhotep was deified after his death and was considered the second son of Sekhmet and brother of Nefertem. Imhotep was viewed as the healer, while Nefertem was seen as a God of perfumes. Nefertem is also a God of beauty and young, hence why he is shown as an attractive young man.
The fact that a lotus opens and closes each day with the Sun meant that the Egyptians saw it as a symbol of rebirth. They also believed that humans could be reborn, just like the Sun, as the lotus were each day.
The Book of the dead reads I am Nefertem, who came forth from he lutis at the nose of Ra. This verse was believed to allow the soul of the dead to be reborn in the light of the sun.
Lotus scent was also placed in the tombs of the dead as it was believed to restore breath. Paintings on the walls often depict the dead person smelling a blue lotus. The Opening of the Mouth ceremony was performed to restore the senses of a mummy using lotus oil, referred to as The Sweet oil of Nefertem. It represented the return of the fragrance of life, purification of decay and the awakinging of the mummy’s Ka (vital essance).
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Offerings to Nefertem
- Water - where the blue lotus grows
- Wine - blue lotus essence was often added to wine
- Flowers - he is the patron of flowers
- Herbal and floral teas
- Incense and perfume, especially floral scents
- Blue objects
- Honey - a product of flowers’ nectar
Devotional Activities to Connect With Nefertem
- Gardening
- Aromatherapy
- Making your own salves, oils and herbal remedies
- Making your own beauty products
- Green witchcraft
- Herbal and floral teas
- Buy and display flowers
- Buy some perfume
- Recharge the spirit sitting in the garden
- Accepting and appreciating impermanence (eg flowers blossoming and dying)
I bloom like a lotus and transform challenges into growth. I embrace beauty and I am a vessel healed by the natural world around me.
Today, aromatherapy and natural healing/beauty products are becoming more and more popular. Egypt is one of the world’s largest supplier of aromatic products including geranium, neroli, and jasmine essential oils. Lotus oil is also available and is used for perfume, easing anxiety and for spiritual purposes. The influence of Nefertem is very much present around the world today.
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