Tep Ta: Master of the Earth

Tep Ta is Egyptian for, "Master of the Earth."  This is the First Degree in the Mystery Tradition of Khem (Egypt).

At this level of understanding, a person has mastered basic skills like Reading, Writing, History and basic Egyptian Magick.

Rituals learned at this degree include the Attunement of Khonsu and the Attunement of Ra, as well as the Ritual of Eternal Light.

Within our Order, this is the Egyptian equivalent to the Zelator Degree.

At first glance, there would seem to be a contradiction, since the Egyptian Tradition seems to associate this level of understanding with the element of Earth.  However, this can be overcome by realizing that the Egyptian System is talking about the physical Plane, not the element of Earth.  Egyptian Magick places as much importance upon physical skills as metaphysical.  You still must possess the zeal to pursue your studies at this level.  The element of Fire is needed in order to overcome the vice of Inertia, which is Newton's first Law of Motion.