The Month of Thoth

Opening the Ancient Egyptian Year

Every year in ancient Egypt began with the Star Sirius rising over the horizon after seventy days of invisibility. The priests of Thebes declared the arrival of Wepet‑Renpet, which is the Opening of the Year. This moment was to do with astronomy, agriculture, and spiritual reasons all at once. As the Nile rose, the land dissolved into potential, and the cosmic order would reset itself. This is what they called the first month of the year and it was known as the month of Thoth.

Thoth, also known as Djehuty, was the god of magic and writing. He was also known as the architect of time itself. He measured the heavens, regulated the seasons, and held the formulas through which creation remained in harmony. In the temples, Thoth was invoked whenever something needed to be aligned with Ma’at, which is the principle of truth and cosmic balance. So, the meaning behind beginning the year in the month of Thoth was about beginning the year with clarity, precision, and the restoration of order.

The Month of Thoth is in the season known as Akhet, which means the Inundation. This is the time when the Nile rises and the boundaries of the land disappear. In the ancient times, Akhet was the necessary ending before creation could come about. The priests understood that nothing new could be built until the old forms were dissolved. The waters would wash away the previous year’s stagnation, and the land would then enter a state of pure potential. Thoth would guide the transition from endings and into the new.

Energetically, the Month of Thoth is a time of going inward. The temples were quieter at this time, just as they are now and the rituals more contemplative. This was the period for planning, writing, recording, and aligning. The great festivals and celebrations came later in the year, and the month of Thoth was the time when the priesthood recalibrated the calendar, reviewed the events from the previous year, and set the intentions for the new cycle ahead. The month of Thoth was a month of thinking rather than doing. It was a time for putting everything into order rather than a time of manifesting.

This was the period for planning, writing, recording, and aligning

The Nile Still Rises Today

Although the ancient inundation was once governed by the natural swelling of the Nile fed by rains in Ethiopia, the river still rises today. It's the same but different. Each year, the High Dam in Aswan releases water downstream, allowing the Nile to expand and rise through Upper Egypt. The river no longer overflows its banks like in the time of the ancients, but the seasonal rise of the Nile is still here, and the land still enters its softening phase, the air shifts, and the energetic signature of Akhet continues. So, the ancient calendar hasn't disappeared, it's just changed. The Nile’s rise is now regulated and no longer caused by the season itself, but the timing aligns closely with the same old rhythm of nature. The heliacal rising of Sirius still marks the opening of the year, and the river still responds in its own controlled way. The physical inundation has changed, but the spiritual and atmospheric inundation still continues.

For those who work with energy, symbolism, or spiritual alignment, the Month of Thoth feels like a natural invitation to reorganise your life, and clarify your direction, and listen inward for the signs of what may come for the year ahead.

Thoth Temple Codes

Thoth’s influence suggests we use the month of Thoth to write, plan, map, and design. Be like Thoth and bring order to your inner world so that your outer world can follow. In ancient Egypt, nothing was built without first passing through Thoth’s domain. The scribes, the architects, the astronomers, and the priests all began their year under his guidance.

The Month of Thoth

To honour the Month of Thoth today is to recognise the importance of beginnings, especially the subtle ones that come with clarity. It is the moment to step into the new year with intention, and to align with the current energies, allowing the quiet wisdom of Thoth to guide you so everything unfolds in accordance with the cosmic order.

The ancient Egyptians understood that creation requires structure. The Month of Thoth is the time when that structure is set. It is the month of cosmic administration, of divine mathematics, of the subtle architecture that holds the world together. As the year opens, Thoth invites us to step into alignment, to write our truth, and to begin with order.

Thoth Temple Codes

Modern Alignment of the Month of Thoth

In the modern calendar, the Month of Thoth began on 19 July 2026 - the day of the heliacal rising of Sirius over Luxor, and runs through 17 August 2026. This period corresponds to the first month of the ancient Egyptian year, marking the start of the Season of Akhet, the inundation.

So, when we speak of Thoth’s month today, we are referring to the time between 19 July and 17 August in our modern reckoning. Even though the Gregorian calendar has replaced the ancient one, the energetic rhythm remains. The Nile’s controlled rise through the Aswan Dam still echoes the ancient flood, and the atmosphere of renewal continues to permeate the land.

Year	Approx. start of Month of Thoth
2026	19 July
2027	19–20 July
2028	20 July
2030	21 July

Ancient Egyptian Calendar

AKHET — Season of Inundation (Flood)

1. Thoth   - 19 July – 17 August 2026

2. Paopi   - 18 August – 16 September 2026

3. Hathor - 17 September – 16 October 2026

4. Koiak (Khoiak) - 17 October – 15 November 2026

PERET — Season of Emergence (Growth)

5. Tybi   - 16 November – 15 December 2026

6. Mecheir - 16 December 2026 – 14 January 2027

7. Phamenoth (Pharmuthi) - 15 January – 13 February 2027

8. Pharmuthi / Paromahat - 14 February – 15 March 2027 

SHEMU — Season of Harvest (Dry Season)

9. Pachons - 16 March – 14 April 2027

10. Payni - 15 April – 14 May 2027

11. Epiphi - 15 May – 13 June 2027 

12. Mesore - 14 June – 13 July 2027

The 5 Epagomenal Days (Outside the Months)

After Mesore, the Egyptians added five extra days for the birthdays of:

• Osiris - 14th July 2027

• Horus - 15th July 2027

• Set - 16th July 2027

• Isis - 17th July 2027

• Nephthys - 18th July 2027

These completed the 365‑day year. These five days were considered outside of time, added to complete the 365‑day year. They represent -

• the birth of the Osirian family

• the reset of the cosmic cycle

• the transition into Thoth 1 (Egyptian New Year)

This is why the energy around mid‑July in Egypt feels like a threshold, even now.

Please Note - the dates change slightly every year.