The Word Khef

KHEF: Literally speaking, khef means "the sharing of water." It also implies birth, life force, and all that is essential to existence. Khef can only be shared by those whom destiny has welded together for good or ill—in other words, by those who are ka-ter.
Khef is both individual and collective. It implies the knowledge a person gains from dream-life as well as his or her life force. Khef is the web that binds a ka-tet. Those who share khef share thoughts. Their destinies are linked, as are their life forces. Behind the multiple meanings of this word lies a philosophy of interconnectedness, a sense that all individuals, all events, are part of a greater pattern or plan. It also implies that through rigorous training the self can progress upward, rising tier to tier, until the body, if not one's ultimate destiny, is under the control of mind and will.