Commissioning

THE BIRTH OF A GOD

NOTE: March 29, 2024- Commissions are currently closed. Due to extremely high demand for these sacred masterpieces, the commission schedule has been filled for the next six years. Inquiries are welcome from serious potential patrons who would like to be considered for a future commission, and are willing to be patient.

In a world of instant gratification, where everything we want is available to us on demand with the tap of a screen, the values of old-world craftsmanship are rare- exquisite results derived from patient skill executed over time. Add to these a sacred tradition in which the celestial bodies, prayer, ritual, and pilgrimage are guides for producing holy images, and you have the unparalleled works available through Icons of Kemet. These are not decorative artworks or inspirational collector's pieces, but living gods awakened within Their earthly bodies, Who then become the focal point for cultus of a sacred space or religious community.

Because Icons of Kemet caters only to the needs of the religious individual or community, commissions are never considered for non religious reasons. Sekhemu or God-images are exclusively for the use of cult and devotion, and cannot be made as objects to satisfy intellectual or aesthetic considerations.

Be advised that commissions start in the low thousands (US dollar). The iconographer is paid not only for the expense of the precious materials involved, but also for their time as a professional craftsperson and ritual specialist. The cost of the icon includes the expense of daily offerings and holy day events, the Mouth Opening Ritual, museum conservation framing (Icons of Kemet icons are not offered without protective framing), museum art shipping container, insurance, shipping and handling. A 50% non-refundable deposit is required for the initiation of the work, which assures that should the client decide to abandon the project for any reason, the iconographer's time and materials are compensated for.

"Time is of the essence", but with the masterworks of Icons of Kemet, production time for a God-image runs according to divine time, measured by the movements of celestial bodies over the course of a year, punctuated by lunar and solar festivals which are ideal times for the accomplishment of sacred acts. The optimum time for the development of a God-image is nine lunar months, at the completion of which the wen ra or wep ra Mouth Opening Ritual is performed upon the image according to strict cultic procedures. Potential clients should take into consideration the waiting time involved for these masterworks to be crafted and birthed. Waiting time is several months, during which the client is kept fully informed of progress via regular photographs and written reports. It is actually an important aspect of the iconographer's process for the client to be a part of the birthing process as much as possible.

Authentic tools made from traditional materials are used for the holy Mouth Opening Ritual on every Icons of Kemet God-image.

Commissions begin with a client consultation followed by a divination to determine whether or not the deity in question will consent to the commission and participate directly in the creation of a God-image. It must be understood that a cult image is not any image of a goddess or god, but rather an image of a deity crafted through the intervention of the deity in the process, and the possession of the image by the deity during the time of Opening or Awakening. Cult images cannot exist without the direct participation of the deity in the actual creation process, which means that the hands birthing the image must do so according to traditional guidelines for purity and divine service. Once the deity has given Their consent, pilgrimage is made to a holy site in nature with the virgin icon panel (Icons of Kemet icons are two-dimensional images crafted upon museum conservation wood panels), which is then fed and asked to become a repository for the holy essence of the deity. Pilgrimage of icons in progress to outdoor sacred sites is a staple of the birthing process, being conducted at ritually auspicious times such as first lunar day (pesdjetyw), new crescent day (abed), first-quarter day (denat),

Full Moon Day festival (tep semdet), and last-quarter day (denat).

There are also daily ritual procedures involved in the birthing of a sekhem. Since the purpose of the God-image is to attract the deity and compel Them to take up residence in the image, the process of making the sekhem must include sustained feeding through material offerings, prayer, and ritual acts designed to appease the deity. Each step of the crafting process is punctuated with the recitation of traditional prayers from the texts of the Daily Cult, paired with offerings that empower the budding God-image and sustain it as it develops. As part of their final package from the iconographer, the client will receive a printed copy of the iconographer's journal detailing every offering, ritual act, and observance undertaken for their sekhem, together with a complete digital archive containing every photograph ever taken of the work in progress.

The outcome of commissioning your sekhem from Icons of Kemet is a museum-worthy God-image crafted from the finest materials available, protected with museum conservation materials ensuring the integrity of the icon for generations. Each icon is crafted from precious and semi-precious materials including gold, platinum, copper, and silver, and inlays of lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise, and crystal. Genuine mineral pigments- predominantly of precious and semi-precious stone- are used in the coloration process, making a holy image worthy of possession by the Gods and sacred service by the devotee.