Part 6: Ancient Egyptian Religion
intro | history | ritual | temples | priesthood | religion | craftsmen | bibliography

RELIGION
There is no evidence that the Ancient Egyptian religion came from elsewhere. In fact in almost every case the a pagan religions that came into contact with the Egyptian invariably adopted the priesthood, had the priesthood teach them, or made it a part but separate from the main religion.

The manifest of power in animal and man
In nature, everything is linked with everything else, and you are a part of nature. Observe outside, observe inside, you begin to see the relations between things. The ancient Egyptians didn't worship animals. They had "sacred animals" but worshiped the Divine Principle manifested through that animal, the power behind the animal. Hence, the Serapis bull symbolized the Divine Principle of Strength. The Baboon of Thoth for two things: Society (baboons have, among the animals, one of the most complex societies), and of Contemplation for Baboons will sit and watch the Sun rise, among other things; Horus with the Hawk, one who sees or watches the earth from above for hawks and birds of prey have a binocular vision of about 7x power; hence the celestial Horus eyes were the Sun and the Moon. The attributes of Bast and of the cat are very similar.

To the Egyptian, while man is an example of ALL the powers of all the god/desses; certain animals manifest specific powers, and manifest them more than man. An animal does not reason, it experiences directly. Man is deceived by the incomplete testimony of his senses and his reason and has allowed the instinctive consciousness to atrophy without having learned to use his intuitive faculties which to the Egyptians, is the wisdom of the heart. Therefore there are ancient rituals to strengthen the heart. Raise your eyes to know what relates to the laws of the heavens, look around you to study the principles of nature, look inside you to determine your attributes, to integrate your personality, and identify it with the heavens and nature, One can cast your heart ahead on the Chosen Way, then go and retrieve it, and let your steps loyally follow its voice. The Egyptian Way of Life is of harmony; within the all-inclusive Unity of God/desses, nature and society; man can move with dignity, safety and happiness.

The Egyptian essential Unity in the conviction that man can find immortality and peace by becoming part, or as one, with the perennial cyclic rhythms of Nature, a recurring movement, part of the established and unchanging Order of the Universe.

METAPHYSICAL PARTS OF MAN
The material body: the spirits of the heart is called Hati. Of hearing, Setem; of sight, Maa; of taste, Hu; of touch, Saa; of the material body, Khat. The astral or Inner Self: Setem, compassion, the ability to feel rightly. Maa, justice, the ability to perceive rightly. Hu, command, divine utterance. Saa, perception, knowledge, understanding. Heka, magic. Ab, the seat of life, source of will and intentions. Ka, the astral body; principle of the body and protective genius. Khu, the intellect; low form Khu, highest intellect. Then we have the Khaibit, or Dweller; the Shadow, the part before, at and after the Dweller of the Threshold. Higher up, the Ba, soul, sublime, and multi-leveled. Next comes the Sahu, part of the spiritual self and is the spiritual body otherwise called the spiritual body. There is also the sekem; lower force; the power of forms, names, and life. There is also the Sa, the higher force, essential energy of all.

To give you an idea of the complexity of it all: Touch: Saa (Sia) god of feeling, knowledge, understanding, intelligence. Personification of perception, to feel, to understand (comes from Memphis and the Ptah/Sekhmet/Nefertum triad). As Saau-ur "The Great Intelligence: the cognitive reception of a situation, object or idea. Saau-ur is mentioned as early as the 5th dynasty. As Saa Amenti-Ra "The Intelligence of the Amenti of Ra" god of conscience and character.

Sa is a god of protection within his functions and is associated with Hu, taste. Oddly enough Sa is associated also with the heart. Hu and Saa together are the Eyes of Horus. More importantly they are the tongue and heart of Ptah; as such it is thur the heart that men relate their lives to moral precepts, and to be craftsmen.

METAPHYSICS
To give you the understanding of Egyptian philosophy and metaphysics I will briefly quote some Egyptian philosophers. The material I use is not from Masonic or Rosecrucian but from Egyptian sources. In many cases I quote the sources, most are translations of papyrus, temples, tombs, etc. All of the translations are from Egyptologists and archaeologists.

The hymns of Egypt tell of the nature and workings of the God/dess they glorify. They mention his /her name and his/her tie to a locality, allude to the myths and describe his/her appearance and powers and attributes.

A occult tradition is like a journey. Before one ventures onto any unknown journey it is best to have an idea of the dangers and preventive protection. Ancient Egypt had 14 traditions. To share another "wisdom texts" as the ancient Egyptian philosophy is called.

"To give a few words of truth, and what you make of them will be your test." - Ptah hotep

Put not thy faith in length of years, for the Gods regard a lifetime as but an hour; A man remains over after reaching the haven of Death. His deeds are laid beside him for all treasure. He who has reached it without wrongdoing, shall continue yonder like a god, stepping forward like a Lord of Eternity. God does not confine his favor to the prosperous and the powerful, he bestows it also upon the poor. His will is that they be fed and clothed, and exempted from tasks beyond their strength. That they may not be oppressed, and unnecessary tears be spared them.

The mortal person is a manifestation on earth of His Divine Spirit. Splendid actions and great deeds are worthy and precious to the gods. but the tasks the Gods alone see - they surpass all. The Ways to God are as many as the breaths in the bodies of men. -- From Rameses II

"Knowledge is the Way to Life; The Way to Life leads to the Way to God. The Way to God leads to Inner Knowledge. Inner Knowledge leads to Wisdom. Wisdom becomes Life."
--Quote from the entrance to the College of Priests, Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt

"The lamp of wisdom burns steadily, if the soil that feeds it be reality. If the oil that feeds the lamp be love, the beloved will meet the Lord or Lady and be blessed. If the air that feeds the flame be truth, the breath of he who breathes will inhale wisdom. If the spirit enters the flame, the fire will be as bright as a star."
-- from the College of Priests House of the Temple of Horus at Edfu.

"He who is a Priest of the Living, whom a Neter* favors like the Bennu on the Obelisk, performs right actions without seeking a reward for them. Such a teacher lives a life of true piety. He seeks no gain from any good deed he does, but sets his heart only on the Neter's service. He has compassion upon all living creatures. He holds fast to the Neter's name and inspires others to meditate on it.* He accepts joy and sorrow with an equal mind. He is always happy and never set apart from his Neter. To him gold and dross are as one; nectar and poison are as one. The King and the beggar are as one." -- from Kagemni, whose tomb can be visited at Sakkara, as is known as one of the wisest men around. This text is for a student in order for him to select the right metaphysical teacher.

*Bennu on the Obelisk - the Bennu bird - the Egyptian Phoenix, lives in Arabia, comes every 500 years to built a nest on an obelisk where it lays an egg. When the egg starts hatching, it dies in its own flames, and is reborn from the egg. The obelisk-Egyptian symbol of the first ray of sun light striking the earth, when built, usually covered in gold or electrum. Top of the obelisk is pyramid like called the Pyramidion; and the pyramids are all representations of the suns first light on the Newly Born Earth.

* 3. "He holds fast to the Neter's name and inspires others to meditate on it." - In addition to the common name of any god, like Heru for Horus, they also have a hidden name, a name of power, that priest/esses use in ritual and meditation.

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