Pagan-Friendly Hosting Dreamhost - Read Why Lunar Pages More Choices? See the Cheap Web Hosting Report

Hem or Hemet is a word meaning "Majesty" and "Servant" simultaneously. The Nisut or King of Ancient Egypt was referred to by Hem or Hemet and the various Priests in the temples holding the highest rank had Hem Netjer or Hemet Netjer in their title. The ancient Egyptians had a penchant for puns and I think this one is also done for a specific purpose.

The Nisut was considered the link between Netjer and Humanity; the Nisut was considered to have the Kingly Ka of Heru the Living (Heru Ankhu). This energy force is a Ka of Heru, it is a spiritual emanation of the Netjer Heru. It is masculine energy that can manifest in either a male or female human vessel. The Nisut was also the Highest Priest. Since the King could not be in every temple performing every rite for every deity every day, He or She appointed the priests to the temples of the deities.

They bathed in natron and water to purify themselves before Netjer. Metaphsyically speaking, the Priests represented the Kings in ritual. Does this mean the Priests in ancient Egypt (the ones who could go before the God in the Inner Sanctum) or the highest priest in any ritual done today possess the kingly Ka for the duration of that ritual?