Em hotep!
( In Peace! )
Egyptians believed in life after death and in the existence of the soul.
Each Egyptian had three "souls," or inner spirit forces.
The "ka" was a vital force that was created at the person's birth
and survived after the death of the body.
The "ba" was a bird-shaped spirit that
inhabited each person and was set free at death.
The "akh" is what we would think of as a person's aura or ghost.
These beliefs predate 2600 B.C. and all these concepts
are embodied in our modern conception of the human soul.
In other words, a person had a body, the physical
casing for all sorts of non-physical faculties.
The person also had a "Ka", which is simultaneously
a person's protective genius and vitality,
identity and energy. In hieroglyphs the "Ka" was
represented as two protective, outstretched arms.
Each "Ka" acquired energy from food, and this
intake of food had to be continued after death, which
is why the Egyptians brought food and drink to the tombs.
To ensure that the "Ka" did not stray from
the human body, tomb or "Ka" statues were made
to make it feel at home. A narrow opening was left
between the statue room and the offering chapel through
which the odour of the offering could reach the statue.
The body was also the dwelling place of the "Ba" or soul,
which was usually shown as a bird. "Ba" represented
human consciousness, which would immediately flee
when confronted with shock, injury or drunkenness
. The prospect of flight was even more likely with death,
when the "Ba" lost its safe dwelling and was under
threat of destruction. The "Ba" preferred to be united
with the heavenly powers during the day, but could not
survive without returning to its earthly body at night.
The desired unification of body and soul was the reason
for making the body durable, through mummification.
Only by a periodic reunification of "Ba" and mummy could
the deceased acquire divine status ("Akh"), which was
expressed by a shining halo. Then the deceased
became identical to the sun god himself, travelling
across the heavens during the day in the solar bark,
returning to the primeval waters in the evening,
or to the mysterious kingdom of Osiris under the earth.
The ancient Egyptians conceived man and kosmos to be dual:
firstly, the High God or Divine Mind arose out of the
Primeval Waters of space at the beginning of manifestation;
secondly, the material aspect expressing what is in the
Divine Mind must be in a process of ever-becoming.
In other words, the kosmos consists of body and soul.
Man emanated in the image of divinity is
similarly dual and his evolutionary goal is a fully
conscious return to the Divine Mind.
Nehes! Nehes! Nehes!
Nehes em hotep, nehes em neferu, Nebet hotepet.
Weben em hotep, weben em neferu,
Netjeret em ankh, nefer em pet.
Pet em hotep,
ta em hotep, Netjeret,
sat Nut, sat Geb,
meryt Asar.
Netjeret asha renu!
Anekh hrak! Anekh hrak!
Tu a atu! Tu a atu!
Nebet Aset!
( Awake! Awake! Awake!
Awake in peace, awake in beauty, Lady of Peace.
Arise in peace, arise in beauty,
Goddess of Life, beautiful under Heaven.
Heaven is in peace,
earth is in peace, Goddess,
daughter of Nut, daughter of Geb,
beloved of Osiris.
Goddess of many names!
All praise to you! All praise to you!
I adore you! I adore you!
Lady Isis! )
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Gods of Ancient Egypt
Photos of Archaeological Sites of Ancient Egypt
Tuaregs... culture and history
Henna... a guide to body decoration
Belly Dance & Harem post cards
Mohammed El-Bakkar!
Virtual Egyptian Cartouche Creator See your name in hieroglyphic!
Another Egyptian Name Translator
Send an Ancient Egyptian eCard
There is no death without life.
There is no life without death.
Death is the way to the everlasting life.
Ankh udja seneb!
( Life, prosperity and health! )
