Senef Hekau
To truly understand Senef-Hekau (or Ra-Hekau), one must understand both the history and theories behind these magical ways.
Contents
History & Theory
A misunderstood Egyptian magic was the basis of Hermetic theory, and as such is very similar in its basic ways. Hekau was practiced by mage-priests, mixing both mathematics and theology to have, as a result, a magic whose foci where the words and the glyphs. Each being, each thing had a True Name, and knowing this True Name gave the magician great power over the thing... Or the being. Magic was a natural force of nature, and as such, was as real to ancient egyptians as the hieroglyghs they carved on the walls of their temples.
True Hekau, then called Neter-Hekau, the Divine Path to Power, was the god-like possibility for the magician to use her will to change reality. The magician instantly understanded most basic principles of the universe, and could affect it at will. Ra, God of Sun, was known to have had this hability, and to have taught it (willingly or not) to Isis. Ptah was another Gods of Creation that wielded such powers. Soon enough, each priesthood claimed to wield its own True Magic, calling it Ra-Hekau in Heliopolis, or Ptah-Hekau in Memphis. And when Osiris became a greater God, around the fifth century before our Era, thanks to religious intrigue, the little number of surviving True Mages and biased memory of the arrogant Shemsu-Heru, Neter-Hekau was equated to Ra-Hekau, giving Horus an unjustified legitimation through his divine ancestry, as Ra was his great-grand-father (How Horus mistook his grand-grand-father for his grand-father is another proof of his failing memory...).
Hekau, also known as Thot-Hekau, was a limited form of Neter-Hekau, favored by Thot. It was a collection of Paths that enabled a magician to cast Spells of these Paths. At the time, Thot priests had discovered such powerful Spells Hekau was considered equal to Ra-Hekau, very unlike the possible comparison of Hedge Magic and True Magick of our nights. The True Mages among the Shemsu-Heru had lost their power, and naturally turned to Hekau for supernatural power. It is even said that the Rite of Rebirth which created the Mummies was a Spell of Thot-Hekau, and not, as some claimed, the results of Ra-Hekau. Thot-Hekau, as Neter-Hekau, used sources of Sekhem to power its Spell, but while the Neter-Hekau Mages studied the full scope of their link to the universe, Thot-Hekau used mathematics and geometry to optimize the use of Sekhem, which enabled the most talented magicians to use what would be known later as High Spells.
When the greeks came to Egypt, their first thought was to wonder at the cruelty of the Pharao who had killed hundreds of thousands slaves to build their final resting place. As everyone else, including the memory-weak mummies, the greeks never understood the truth behind the pyramids, the obelisks and the temples of Egypt. While most magicians of Thot used small components to accumulate Sekhem for them to use, High Spells asked so much Sekhem no amulet (and its wielder!) would have survived intact the flux of the magical energy. Greater sources of Sekhem were needed, and The priesthood of Thot discovered geometrical forms that could, if properly enchanted, serve as natural sources of Sekhem, enabling the Magician to which the object was attuned to cast Spells that would make Tremere himself open-mouthed if he knew about them.
But Egypt never recovered from the Setite Purge and the decline of both the priesthoods and pharaos. Thot's Priesthood was decimated, Sechat's Bloodline was destroyed, and soon, not even the mummies remembered how to cast the High Spells. And now, everyone wonder at the legends about Egyptian Magic, and no one really understand its mysteries...
No one but Sechat. Wife of Thot, and Vampire, she had to compensate her loss of Neter-Hekau with Blood Magic, this creating Senef Hekau, the Blood Path to Power.
Ra-Hekau
This is True Magic, with the Foci and philosophy very similar to those of the Hermetic Tradition (replace any non-egyptian focus with an egyptian one). Refer to any Mage: The Ascension rulebook for more information.
Note that Ra-Hekau is also known as Ptah-Hekau and Neter-Hekau.
Thot-Hekau
Thot-Hekau is known as Hekau to the surviving Mummies, and is explained in World of Darkness: Mummy.
The Mummies, being natural, self-resplenishing sources of Sekhem, don't need the amulets necessary to use Thot-Hekau. Because of their limited talent and understanding with the sciences of Magic, most mummies forgot Hekau's High Spells. Those who still remember, as Im-Hotep and Dja-Dja-Em-Ankh, would be still able to use High Spells, should they remember how to harvest the necessary Sekhem. But this secret they lost while in the Land of the Dead, it seems...
Most magicians, being living and sentient beings, have a limited pool of Sekhem. They can, in their own life energy, find enough Sekhem to power basic Spells, including Spells to create an amulet which will serve as an external source of Sekhem. These amulets can then feed more powerful (and sekhem demanding) Spells.
Mortal magicians and Mummies can use their Sekhem to use most basic Spells of Thot-Hekau. These Spells' level range from the level 1 to the level 5. High Spells (6+ Level Spells) are beyond their power to cast (unless they gave their whole life-energy to cast it, and if they were lucky enough for the Spell to work!), and they must content themselves with slow castings provided by the Thot-Hekau Celestial Path Spells.
Akhu (Senef-Hekau)
Sechat used her knowledge of Neter-Hekau, as well as of Thot-Hekau to create a new Path Discipline giving the Childer of Set an edge almost unknown at that time.
Akhu relies not exclusively on Vitae, as would any other Path Discipline, but on magic siphoned from focuses. Focuses can be Celestial Structures, great stone monuments enchanted by rituals to siphon magic from the Land of the Living for the Sorcerer. Other focuses are possible, as demonstrated by the use of Amulets (using the True Name of the Sorcerer to focus Sekhem) or by the Followers of Set version of Akhu, relying on altered mummies to siphon the magic from the Land of the Dead.
The highly moral egyptian sorcerers added a complexity level to their Akhu. Maat Akhu is supposed to be used by the Followers of Maat, who avoid using forbidden Paths and focuses, and Apep Akhu, who either ignore these interdictions, or actively (even actively) pursue them.
Amulets & Celestial Structures
The main difference between Amulets and Structures is the Ritual used to create them. This fact alone explains everything else. The Amulets are attuned to one soul, while the Structures can be used by anyone (unless magically protected...). The Amulets are humain-sized, while the Celestial Structures can be as little as an Obeliks, and as tall as a Pyramid!
Corrupted Mummies
The Followers of Set turned to another, easier to acquire, focuses: The use of a mummy specialy enchanted (some would say debased) by a ritual enabling them the harvest Sekhem from the Land of the Dead, through the mummy and its Wraith, who suffer excruciating agonies all the process. (see Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy, p113, for more information on Setite Sorcery).
