pivots
Dear Beholder,
Music of Choice: The Bridge by Train
Someone asked me what I wanted.
The truth is… what I want is starkly different from what I am currently doing.
For as long as I can remember, I have had this insatiable urge for knowledge. I am fascinated with the way the world works; it is the reason that I ended up in law school. I am intrigued by the way we operate as humans, our belief systems, relationship dynamics, and self-development. Over the past few days, I have been doing a lot of reflection on why I have this desire, and I have concluded that it’s just who I am. I love people (but I’m such an introvert, it’s crazy).
So how is this relevant now?
I have wrestled for months about how I want to approach the blog. Do I focus on spirituality? Do I focus on politics? Do I immerse myself in my personal research and share the things I’ve learned? Do I keep it neutral? Should I include opinions here? I’m not even the type of person to pick just one, so with this knowledge, I am going to make an insane attempt to blend them all. Give me some patience :)
Another letter addressed this topic, but I am afraid of writing freely. Still, there is a first for everything—like Sobeknefu, the first female pharaoh to rule Egypt, who reigned during the Twelfth Dynasty. Whenever we think of Pharaohs, men come to mind, so when I stumbled across this fact, I was intrigued. Who was she?
After her brother's death, Sobeknefu took the throne as she was now the closest in the line of succession. As a custom, she was given the choice of five names to be used as her Pharoah name. She chose the name that was associated with the crocodile-headed god, Sobek, who represented military prowess and fertility. The most shocking revelation to me is the fact that there is not a lot of information on Sobeknefu, and she is essentially scrapped from history. Even as I began my research on her, I was shocked there was not much on her life prior to and during her time as Queen.
Her path to leadership was as unconventional as it could get at the time. Her half-sister Neferuptah was raised to take the role, but she died before her chance to rule, and the role was given to Sobeknefu’s brother (Amenemhat IV). She only reigned for around three years, and I was unable to find why this was.
In many of the depictions of Sobeknefu, she is seen in male and female clothing. Some scholars have argued that she may have chosen to wear male clothing to pacify those who would have criticized her role as a woman. On the other hand, some have argued that she dresses in traditionally male attire to adhere to traditional aspects of being a pharaoh.
Although she was deified in death, many later generations attributed her actions to the Hyksos invasion, which occurred during the Seventeenth Dynasty, and her name would be neglected from the lists of later kings.
Sobeknefu’s reign is not considered to be a precedent-setting reign but the first is the first. Be like Sobeknefu and seize the opportunities that are in front of you.
Best wishes & all the love,
Universal Karma
Sources, of course:
https://www.thecollector.com/sobekneferu-first-female-pharaoh-egypt/
https://www.innertraditions.com/blog/sobekneferu-queen-of-egypt
