Leadership
– 3 min read
Ibsahu Pernebsati
True leadership involves responsibility, not just authority, to ensure balance and quality of the whole. A good leader must primarily know how to navigate the emotions of the people in their sphere in a way that empowers them and produces results. It is each leader's responsibility to make certain the job gets done and does what is necessary to reach that goal, all the while sustaining the harmony of the group. At least, this is the definition of leadership that can be found in the workplace if force and fear aren't the modus operandi.
When contemplating leadership, I prefer to observe The Holy Drama chapter of the Kemetic Cosmogony and see how it relates to my life and what I can learn about the proper ways to lead and the traps to avoid. At the beginning of the Holy Drama, SETH leads his acolytes to kill WSR (Osiris), but that leadership is aimed towards his ambitions, and it ultimately fails. Though SETH repeatedly attempts through treachery to achieve his aims, he is unable to stop his brother’s becoming. SETH commands his supporters and uses deception in his leadership style to move the masses.
Contrary to SETH, WSR’s leadership was exemplified as he taught and enlightened humanity of his cyclical principle. We see his leadership and the fact that he is willing to suffer patiently, endure being imprisoned, killed twice, and dismembered by his own brother. WSR chose patience and not force to achieve his aims. He used his wisdom as his tool to lead. With meticulous planning and strategy, WSR made sure that the principles of goodness were protected by building a world where evil can never enter. He achieved these things with thoughtfulness, a deep harmony and understanding of the nature of existence and the cycles of death and reincarnation that are the becoming of the universe.
Aishat (Isis) displays her leadership through her commitment and discipline to never give up on her husband. We see it in the sacrifices and effort that she makes constantly throughout the Holy Drama. Aishat is at times very humble, allowing those who are less than her in every way to be in command of her actions in her life. We see that Aishat does what is right, even though those around her may not understand, and the consequences for her actions may even lead to her arrest. And we see that, although Aishat is an extremely powerful mother Goddess, she chooses not to exercise that power, but instead exercises compassion, understanding, and wisdom in dealing with those who have wronged her. We also see that Aishat knows when to ask for help, knows when to delegate, knows how to work well with and command groups. Aishat demonstrates a level of emotional intelligence when it comes to the nature of humans and how they react in order to charm them masterfully.
We can see with WSR, Aishat, Aishat’s sisters (Naita, Nebfest, Serkhet), and Tehuti that they’re really not following WRS's commands, but adhering to a principle. A principle that is in harmony with existence. They are playing their part to make sure that they stay in alignment with that principle.
Any treatment of leadership based on The Holy Drama and studying the Neteru (Gods) for us as humans must include the Godchild HERU, the first human being. One thing we see is constant preparation and deep thought that he was into to give his answers. We can also observe that he is a type of person who bows to authority, as opposed to rebelling against the authority of the cyclical principle. We see that HERU’s leadership style actively resists and disperses evil while protecting and honoring what is good.
If we look at the cyclical principle of WSR, we see a style of leadership that harmonizes with existence and blends or moves with all other entities in existence, preserving the harmony of every part of the whole. On the contrary, when looking at the linear principle of SETH, we see a leadership style that moves forward in one direction regardless of the damage done. Living beings as the embodiment of the cyclical principle; adopting a linear style of leadership can only lead to failure, as the linear principle is antithetical to our nature.
