The Temple of Nuit Akh Iker Award

Akh Iker * is an ancient Egyptian title that means "able and effective Akh." The Akh is represented by a hieroglyph depicting a crested ibis. Akh is effectiveness. An Akh individual is identified with light. The effectiveness of an Akh person can be either while he or she is alive, or after death.

In the afterlife, having Akh meant the deceased would have full movement and physical functioning. The deceased gained effectiveness through the proper offerings and knowing the efficacious spells. They gained Akh through a mortuary ritual that had been performed since Early Dynastic times by a Sek-Hen-Akh priest ("seeker of Akh "). Akh was made by an invisible force whose hidden nature is part of its power.

In the living sphere, every person could perform Akh -effective deeds, concrete acts that affected eternity. These included defending the feeble and saving the fearful, and were tied to the principle of Maat, or social justice.

The Akh power was connected to cosmic primordial notions of luminous power. It is a form of primordial creative power related to the birth of light: Light produces creation. Images of Akh include the circumpolar stars, the solar eye, and sunbeams.

To receive the Temple of Nuit Akh Iker title, a student or member of the Temple or of the FOI must perform four acts of extraordinary kindness (concrete acts related to social justice that affect eternity) - usually through getting involved when you see a need or an injustice.

You can nominate someone by describing in detail the acts of kindness and service the nominee has done that qualify for the title. The more detail, the better: who, what, when, where, how and why. The nomination form is at the bottom of this page.

The stories of those who receive the title will be published on the Temple website (anonymously if you like). It would be wonderful if we could give recipients some kind of a prize; maybe in the future we'll be able to. For now, they will receive the title and perhaps some kind of pin or scarf depicting the crested ibis or the solar eye.