Nemyss is a ritual tool for the magician of the Golden Dawn tradition. It has strong symbolism and a very old historical connection with the magick of ancient Egypt.

Why making a nemyss

Well, if you have read about the history of Egypt, you will have seen a pharaoh wearing this weird ritual hat. As a magician you will probably have seen Aleister Crowley's ritual photograph and Samuel Siddell Mather's red photo. He also wears a nemyss. The nemyss belongs to the traditional ceremonial garb for the Golden Dawn magician. It represents life, eternal life, divine light (LVX) or the ankh. By wearing the nemyss you project the message that you work for your soul, because you live forever. The nemyss also symbolizes that you are "wearing" the divine light by wearing the nemyss and you are doing spiritual work. Moreover, the black and white colors symbolize that no evil, disturbing thoughts may enter your head and your back as the nemyss covers a part of your back. You are purified, blessed with white light and ready to do some good magick.

Construction

For making a nemyss you should find a piece of fabric with white and black stripes running down vertically. I have found one with stripes of 5 cm width each. It is the perfect pattern. The other thing you will need is sturdy white and black thread, needles to sew, scissors and a white elastic piece 2.5 cm width. To keep it simple, I have written all the dimensions in the following image. Happy sewing. If you have a hard time in making the nemyss or nemes, contact me to make it for you.