Egyptian Pharaohs, Gods and Dualism
The God King Scenario (GKS) deems that the monarchy of ancient
Egypt were first and foremost guises of primarily Mars, Venus, Mercury
and the Moon as they appeared to repeatedly move back and forth to
Earth (from Earth's POV) in cosmic encounters lasting 3,000 years
(Pharaonic Egypt). They were in the second instant represented here on
earth numerous times over by people who believed they were ‘at one’ or
the earthly manifestation of astral bodies.
Crucial to this extraordinary proposition is the Egyptian belief that when they were born two exact forms of the same person were created, one human and a double or ka as the Egyptians called it.
Crucial to this extraordinary proposition is the Egyptian belief that when they were born two exact forms of the same person were created, one human and a double or ka as the Egyptians called it.
Egyptian Pharaohs (god kings) guises of planetary bodies
The GKS contends that the Egyptian ka (double) was not an invisible
‘spirit’ or ‘soul’ as per the conventional belief but personified
planets, asteroids and comets that dominated ancient skies. Further,
these celestial kas in the guise of god kings, divine queens and
lesser dignitaries are primarily responsible for ancient history as it
stands today (& the chronological mess its in!). With this in mind,
what follows is a short essay discussing how the entire ‘duality
concept’ worked and where it is clearly written down in history. It is
the intention of the GKS to extract the Egyptian ka, and indeed the
whole duel belief system surrounding it, from the mythological world
and place in a very real world of chaos. Given mankind's natural desire
to believe in an afterlife I believe all ancient cultures adopted the
same practice of associating with real physical heavenly bodies.
Resurrectionists.
The Egyptians were resurrectionists; they believed that when they
died they would be reborn as a star (akh) in the ‘kingdom of Osiris.’
They viewed the next world as a continuation of this one, a very real
place where they could literally get up and go. Because Egypt was
mainly agrarian, they believed the Hearafter was a place where they
would spend their time farming. Many tomb paintings and papyri
typically depicted the deceased wearing white loincloths or full length
white attire; they were shown carrying out activities such as hacking
up the Earth, pulling flax, reaping grain and ploughing or reaping the
fields (Fig 1).
In preparation for the afterlife the Egyptians ensured a variety
of Earthly possessions were buried with them. For example, the funerary
items buried with the boy king Tutankhamun included a gold gilded wood
chariot, gold daggers, sandals, a board game, a gold perfume box and
food items such as mummified duck, dried beef, wheat, barley and wine. A
total of 3,500 items were recovered and all were considered useful in
the next world.
In order to attain a life in the ‘elysian fields,’ the body of the
deceased had to be mummified; an elaborate process that took 70 days.
The sole reason for mummification was to preserve the body so that the
deceased could spend eternity in the next life. The Egyptians believed
if you were not physically preserved in this world you would not exist
in the next world. You would not be resurrected as a star (akh) or
remain for eternity. If the deceased had a limb missing in this life,
an artificial one was made and attached to the mummified body to enable
the deceased to walk again in the afterlife.
To obtain a life of bliss and become a star/akh in the next world
involved a hazardous journey fraught with incredible dangers and
demons. To assist the deceased through these dangers, magical spells
(the Book of the Dead) accompanied the dead; they were typically
written on the coffins of the dead or on papyri and placed inside the
coffins.
fig 1 Typical afterlife scene
Where is the next world?
Much of what we know about ancient Egypt comes to us via the
Egyptians obsession with the next world, but where is it? Where is this
bigger and better Egypt?
Scholars believe it was a fictitious place which existed in the
mythological world of the Egyptians; a made-up place created in minds
of the Egyptians to explain what happened to them after death. I
disagree with this reasoning.
I believe the next world was a ‘mirror image’ world which existed
directly above the Earth and to the Egyptians it was a very real place,
a divine land they could physically see and point to especially at
night. It was a paradise that spanned the expanse of the cosmos and
literally canopied the four corners of the Earth. It was a land all
Egyptians who after undertaking a journey fraught with dangers (cosmic
chaos) aspired to be reborn in, it was the land of space (Kemet = black land).
Of course, there is no land above. We know, after 4,000 years of
science, that the stars shine against the backdrop of space and that
space reaches out to infinity. The Egyptians, however, did not possess
this scientific information and their outlook was childlike. It is this
naivety which led the Egyptians (and indeed all ancient cultures) to
believe that existing just beyond the blackness of space was a real,
physical landmass.
A vast universal dome shaped firmament roofing the earth.
A vast universal dome shaped firmament roofing the earth.
It is actually very easy to see the land above, it requires little
effort, merely walking outside on a clear night, adopting a childlike
outlook (something I’m good at) and looking up. A common sense notion
soon reveals a seemingly flat unmovable earth and a sky that canopies
or stretches out over it - heaven appears as a hemispherical dome (or
hammered out bowl) covering the Earth. This is exactly how the ancients
viewed it only with one major difference, the dome of heaven, space
itself was perceived as a rigid cosmic land that literally canopied the
fours corners of the Earth. It was held up by four cosmic posts
symbolised by the Egyptian Djed pillar (left). What we have here is two
lands and since one was up and the other down the Egyptians called
them the ‘two lands’ of Upper and Lower Egypt.
The ‘two lands’ of Upper and Lower Egypt = heaven and earth
The conventional definition of the ‘two lands,’ Upper and Lower
Egypt is that it represents a geological north-south divide i.e. we have
an invisible east-west line drawn somewhere near Cairo and the land
to the south is called Upper Egypt and to the north (Delta) we have
Lower Egypt. In my book I take this apparent set in stone premise apart
by asking questions such as; the Nile River flows from south to north
and naturally forms two great east and west land masses - how can this
be ignored in favour of a invisible line drawn somewhere near Cairo? I
further go on to discuss how the 'unification of the two lands' - the
very foundation upon which Egypt was built (& ancient history) has
nothing at all to do with the amalgamation of a 'invisible' north-south
divide but was a planetary body in the guise of numerous pharaohs
appearing to traverse between the 'two lands' of heaven and Earth, thus
uniting them. In support of this I ask some very basic questions such as
- why after unification did the symbolism (crowns etc.) of the two
lands remain – why not one unified Egypt - one set of unified symbols?
Why after unification were the kings depicted individually wearing
either the white crown of Upper Egypt or the red crown of Lower Egypt?
Why not show unity by wearing the double crown (shmty) at all
times? Answer; the separate symbolism (and references) remained because
even though the pharaonic planets carried out their duty to maintain
'divine order' (ma'at) by battling the forces of evil and
uniting the 'two lands' - Upper and Lower Egypt were always two separate
land masses. Of course there is much more to this, for further
arguments for and against I refer you to my book and for now, we will
take the premise that Upper and Lower Egypt, the ‘two lands’ were
indeed referring to heaven and earth.
Upper Egypt – a dual world – as above, so below.
Upper Egypt should not be seen as the land of the dead, far from
it, it was a parallel world coexisting alongside our Earthly world.
Very much a vibrant land of the living as time itself followed the same
day night cycle on earth. In taking up an intermediate location
between the ‘two lands,’ this role fell to the perennial sun god Re.
One sun inextricably linked the two parallel worlds - dawn on Earth was
dawn above, daytime on Earth was daytime above, dusk on Earth was dusk
above and night was night in both lands. The Sun was the perennial
life-supporting orb which shone on the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower
Egypt.
We need look no further than Re’s epithets to confirm not only the
existence of the two worlds but also Re’s role in illuminating, and in
his perpetual existence, seemingly protecting them.
‘Illuminator of the two lands’
‘Lord of the two lands is Re.’ (an apt title also given to the pharaohs)
‘Powerful is Re protector of the two lands.’
‘Lord of the two lands is Re.’ (an apt title also given to the pharaohs)
‘Powerful is Re protector of the two lands.’
Many authors have proposed this ‘as above, so below’ concept, and
Egyptologists are fully aware of the Egyptians concept of duality. I
take this one step further and give the whole thing real physical
presence. I would ask the question, would the ancient Egyptians be so
obsessed with, and put so much of the nation’s resources into a duel
world they couldn't physically see?
How to get to this land
Having given real physical presence to the next world and
identified it as Upper Egypt a world coexisting with this one, we can
now turn our attention into getting there. This is where we get to the
crux of the GKS and the bonding of mortals with astral bodies.
The physical body, the ka, ba and akh
The Egyptians believed each individual person was made up of many
parts; the physical body, the ka, the ba, the akh, the name and the
shadow. With a childlike outlook on the cosmos, it is easy to
understand why the Egyptians believed that the shadows we cast have a
spiritual existence. Our shadow is always with us and to a certain
extent it appears to watch over us and protect us eternally. It was
also reasonable for this ancient culture to believe a person’s name was
vital regarding the afterlife. They believed that simply mentioning
the name of the deceased brought that person to life. However, of
greater importance was the ba, ka akh and the physical body. If we
consider these we will understand how humans were ‘paired’ with astral
bodies.
Scholars do not understand the ka, ba and akh, or anything
connected to the ‘soul.’ They cannot grasp how and why the Egyptians
came to the belief that each person consisted of so many ‘spiritual’
parts. They are also at a loss to explain the true purpose and role of
each part or ‘soul’. They assume the entire spiritual concept is yet
another aspect of a totally bewildering world.
‘The precise meaning of ka, ba, ach (akh),`shm (sekhem) and so
on is no longer clear to us. Well-meaning scholars try again and again
and again to force the Egyptian idea of the soul into our traditional
categories without enabling us to understand even a little of it any
better.’ (Poortman, 1978)
I will offer a very simple and plausible explanation for the roles
of the ba, ka and akh based solely on the convictions of the ancient
Egyptians and the real world of celestial chaos.
Physical body
The physical body was very important. As resurrectionists, the
Egyptians believed they would simply ‘get up and go’ in the next
world’. It was therefore necessary to keep a person’s earthly form
intact which is why the Egyptians mummified the dead.
The Ka
The
ka was the physical ‘double’ – it came into existence the moment a
person was born. On many occasions the creator-god Khnum was shown
modelling the ka on a potter’s wheel at the same time as he was forming
the body of a human, as in the image on the left.
The Ka
In funerary art, a persons ‘double’ or ka was sometimes depicted
as a slightly smaller figure standing behind the living being. When an
individual died, the ka continued to live and as such required the
same sustenance as the living person required in life. For this reason
it was provided with genuine food offerings, or with representations of
food depicted on the wall of the tomb. While not physically eating the
food offerings, the ka was thought to absorb their preserving life
force.
Many tombs and temples had false doors and these were west-orientated and served as a link between the living and the dead.
Offerings were typically made to the ka before the false doors. After
death, the ka was ‘at rest’ whilst the body
was prepared and mummified. The ka was then reactivated so that the
spiritual transformation of rebirth in the ‘next world’ could take
place. The deceased then travelled to join their ka and by doing so,
the link to the next-world through their tomb was established. The ka
was represented as a hieroglyph consisting of a pair of arms pointing
upwards. It was believed the two outstretched arms magically warded off
evil forces (drawing on right).
Many tombs and temples had false doors and these were west-orientated and served as a link between the living and the dead.
Giving physical identity to the Ka
Herein lies the key to understanding the Egyptian idea of the
‘soul’ and the entire ‘double’ concept. From the Egyptian perspective, a
ka was not an individual being living a separate life in another world
or dimension; it was not a spiritual part of a human as with our
understanding of ‘soul.’ It was a real astral ‘twin’ or stellar ‘double’
living a parallel existence, totally ‘at one’ with humans.
Left: The Ka-statue of king Hor.
Hatshepsut (Venus) "Just and Full of Vitality like the Sun (Ra)."
‘Amen-Ra called for Khnum, the creator, the fashioner of the bodies of men.’
'Fashion for me the body of my daughter and the body of her ka,’
said Amen-Ra, ‘A great queen shall I make of her, and honour and power
shall be worthy of her dignity and glory.’
‘O Amen-Ra,’ answered Khnum, ‘It shall be done as you have said. The beauty of your daughter shall surpass that of the gods and shall be worthy of her dignity and glory.’
‘O Amen-Ra,’ answered Khnum, ‘It shall be done as you have said. The beauty of your daughter shall surpass that of the gods and shall be worthy of her dignity and glory.’
‘So Khnum fashioned the body of Amen-Ra's daughter and the body of her ka, the two forms exactly alike
and more beautiful than the daughters of men. He fashioned them of
clay with the air of his potter's wheel and Heqet, goddess of birth,
knelt by his side holding the sign of life towards the clay that the
bodies of Hatshepsut and her ka might be filled with the breath of
life.’ (My bold emphasis)
This is a perfect example of the god Khnum simultaneously creating
two exact forms of the same person; the god Khnum fashioned two
identical Hatshepsut’s – one human and the other her ka or celestial
‘double.’ In this particular case it was a guise of the planet Venus
(the majority of queens were guises of Venus). In other words this was a
guise of Venus plus a mortal representative.
Traits dictating roles.
The behavioural traits of these bodies dictated their roles and
how they were perceived and this was drawn from the natural world. For
example, rocky bodies orbiting around the monarchy were viewed as
members of the royal court, fan bearers, scribes, overseers, concubines
or right-hand men. The legions of rocks trailing behind Mars were the
rank and file soldiers of the king. ‘Shaven headed’ moons that orbited
Earth were seen as the ‘all powerful’ priests of Egypt. The skies of
earth were teeming with masses of cometary bodies and all were paired
with or perceived to be the kas of humans. This included the enemy
forces – the swarms of debris that smashed into the god kings were
‘doubles’ of the enemy on Earth.
It was not possible for each and every person to associate with
their respective double - size was the determining factor here. Mortal
kings, queens, courtiers, priests and other dignitaries could make a
connection easily due to their association with the dominating planets,
moons and other large bodies. However, commoners were associated with
asteroids and comets and, because of their relatively small size, it was
difficult to identify their respective kas. Nevertheless, all
Egyptians vehemently believed in a ‘double’ above due to a belief
brought about by cosmic chaos and a sky crowded with infinite bodies.
We can see the celestial ka at work from the following inscriptions, all
taken from the translations of J H Breasted.
"That which the ka does, is to reign," the phrase is not uncommon for royalty.
"All protection, life, stability, satisfaction, all health, are behind him, like Re. The living king's-ka, Lord of the Two Lands... "
"Praise to thy ka, 0 good and beautiful ruler... "
"They were immediately brought before the Good God (Ramesses II), their hands uplifted to his ka, acclaiming and smelling the earth before his beautiful face."
"May he grant life, prosperity and health to the ka of the king's-messenger to every country..."
"May he grant favor to the ka of the fan-bearer on the king's right hand, king's-son of Kush, governor of south countries, Seti."
"May the ka of Pharaoh, L. P. H., thy good lord, favor thee, who caused thee to fashion the statue of Ramses VI..."
"May the ka of Ramses IX favor thee, the great ruler of Egypt, the beloved child of all the gods, because of the completion of every work!"
"His majesty sailed down-stream to the Northland, while the west and the east made great jubilee, saying: "Welcome is thy coming, and welcome thy ka! To sustain alive the Two Lands."
"All protection, life, stability, satisfaction, all health, are behind him, like Re. The living king's-ka, Lord of the Two Lands... "
"Praise to thy ka, 0 good and beautiful ruler... "
"They were immediately brought before the Good God (Ramesses II), their hands uplifted to his ka, acclaiming and smelling the earth before his beautiful face."
"May he grant life, prosperity and health to the ka of the king's-messenger to every country..."
"May he grant favor to the ka of the fan-bearer on the king's right hand, king's-son of Kush, governor of south countries, Seti."
"May the ka of Pharaoh, L. P. H., thy good lord, favor thee, who caused thee to fashion the statue of Ramses VI..."
"May the ka of Ramses IX favor thee, the great ruler of Egypt, the beloved child of all the gods, because of the completion of every work!"
"His majesty sailed down-stream to the Northland, while the west and the east made great jubilee, saying: "Welcome is thy coming, and welcome thy ka! To sustain alive the Two Lands."
Transitional location.
Although existing above, a ‘double’ occupied a totally separate
location to the divine stars. Stars dwelt in Upper Egypt which was the
divine firmament whereas ‘doubles’ occupied an intermediate or
transitional location somewhere between the ‘two lands’ (drawing at
bottom of the page). This, from the perspective of Earth, was roughly
the same location as the ruling planets, the Sun and many of Egypt’s
enigmatic ‘sky gods.’ In effect, there were three basic locations and
all of them were perceived to be inhabited by real beings. Lower Egypt
or Earth was home to humans, an intermediate region was occupied by
human ‘doubles,’ and Upper Egypt or the ‘land above’ was home to the
complete and eternal form of humans, the ‘all powerful’ stars. In
simple terms there were two lands, one up one down, and an intermediate
space in-between.
Although further research is required, I believe that by occupying
the intermediate space, all Egyptian ‘doubles’ were involved with
pharaoh’s court.
Thutmose III: The Napata Stela.
"He shall be at the head of all the kas of the living."
"He does it so that life will be given (him). He (Tuthmosis = Moon) shall be at the head of the kas of all the living, appearing glorious as king of Upper and Lower Egypt on the throne of Horus like Re." (note; "like Re," RED orbs just like the RED sun).
They took on roles such as viziers, overseers, fan bearers and foot soldiers and did not undertake agrarian tasks such as farming. Unlike Upper and Lower Egypt which were fixed lands where ploughing, sowing, reaping and harvesting took place, the intermediate space was not a firmament. It resembled a magical ‘transitional’ space; a world where pharaohs rode chariots of gold and electrum and where cosmic battles were fought (the wars and battles of the pharaohs). It was a place of activity where evil (Seth) was an ever-present threat.
Thutmose III: The Napata Stela.
"He shall be at the head of all the kas of the living."
"He does it so that life will be given (him). He (Tuthmosis = Moon) shall be at the head of the kas of all the living, appearing glorious as king of Upper and Lower Egypt on the throne of Horus like Re." (note; "like Re," RED orbs just like the RED sun).
They took on roles such as viziers, overseers, fan bearers and foot soldiers and did not undertake agrarian tasks such as farming. Unlike Upper and Lower Egypt which were fixed lands where ploughing, sowing, reaping and harvesting took place, the intermediate space was not a firmament. It resembled a magical ‘transitional’ space; a world where pharaohs rode chariots of gold and electrum and where cosmic battles were fought (the wars and battles of the pharaohs). It was a place of activity where evil (Seth) was an ever-present threat.
Life in the intermediate space was precarious and restless for all
kas and this was in total contrast to the lifestyle of the divine
Egyptians who had reached ‘heaven’ and who enjoyed a peaceful
existence. Here ordinary Egyptians enjoyed more leisurely activities
such as hunting and farming. This was recorded in the glorious afterlife
scenes painted on the tomb walls of the ordinary Egyptians (Fig 1).
Royalty were an exception and upon ‘rebirth’ in the ‘elysian fields,’
the pharaohs could take on any form they chose.
Despite the possibility of taking on slightly different roles,
humans and their ‘doubles’ coexisted simultaneously; one existed on
Earth and the other inhabited the transition world above. However, at
death a person united with their ka to journey to the land above.
The ‘ba’
The ba bird transferring ones personality
The ba was considered to be an individual’s distinctive
manifestation similar to our concept of personality. It comprised all
non-physical attributes which made a human unique. It was the entire
deceased person with its own identity and was not separate from the
body. In Ptolemaic and Roman times it was said of the deceased: ‘May
his ba live before Osiris.’ The ba was depicted as a human headed bird
(the head of the deceased) with human arms and the ba-bird could assume
whatever shape it wished.
Having identified the ka, the ba is self explanatory. It was
necessary for the deceased to journey from their tomb to unite with
their ka if they were to be transformed into an akh (star). As the
physical body could not do this, it was the job of the individual’s ba
to do this. After death, the ba-bird collected the deceased’s
personality from the mummified remains and took it to be reunited with
the deceased’s physical astral ‘twin.’ Only after this union, when a
person was ‘complete,’ was it possible for them to be reborn as an
‘effective one’ in the ‘next world,’ the ‘black land’ of space. The
image above depicts a persons ba in the process of transferring its
personality from the deceased for a union with its ka.
Although this point was not entirely clear, it is possible that
the process of transferring one’s ‘manifestation’ took time, with the
ba flitting between the mummified remains and the ka to ensure every
aspect of its humanity was transferred to its ‘double’ above. It was
therefore helpful for the perfectly persevered body to lie in state in
its tomb. This gave the ba-bird plenty of time to relocate every aspect
of the deceased person’s personality as it carried out its duty. This
time-span was probably adopted from observations of Mars as it was
slowly wrapped in white linen (like a spiral galaxy) as it moved away
from Earth. Mummification and the wrapping of acres of linen bandages
around the deceased invented as a direct result of such observations
(The black
jackal headed god Anubis coming into play here).
The bird form was chosen because of its ability to navigate land,
sea, air and space, although the Egyptians were unaware that space was
devoid of air. They believed that conditions above were similar to
those on Earth, particularly in relation to Upper Egypt which was
exactly the same as Earth, only better. The Egyptians believed all
astral bodies were living kas. After death, it made sense to use the
ba-bird as a manifestation of oneself to provide a direct link to ones
ka.
Dying was referred to as going to one's ka .
Once the ba and ka were united and the astral ‘twin’ was
‘complete’, a final journey to the ‘next world’ was undertaken. This
was a journey fraught with dangers as the body traveled from a chaotic
intermediate location to the relative tranquility of heaven. Chaos
posed an ever-present threat in the transitional location and Egyptians
therefore needed assistance. Magical funerary spells and amulets were
used to help guarantee a safe passage. Known as the ‘Book of the Dead,’
spells were written on papyri and placed in coffins or were put in
magical amulets and wrapped in mummy bandages. Much time and resources
were spent assisting the dead to the ‘next world’ where they were
transformed into the ultimate form – that of an immortal akh.
The akh (star)
Becoming a Star
The akh was the fully resurrected and glorified form of the
deceased in the next world. An akh was regarded as enduring and
unchanging for all eternity and it was the goal of every Egyptian to
become one. The word akh means an ‘effective one’ or ‘powerful one.’ The
Egyptians believed the imperishable stars were akhs, the ancestors of
those who had passed before them. Once a person had successfully become
an akh they could guide their loved ones on Earth. It was believed
that the akh could reach beyond the limits of the afterlife to have
both positive and negative effects in the realm of the mortal world.
The drawing on the left clearly depicts the whole process of becoming a
star.
Below are typical Egyptian stars to be found on many tomb
ceilings. This is a very unusual way to draw a star, this is because it
represents the limbs and head of a human being i.e. two arms, two legs
and the head.
Egyptian stars - transposed Egyptians, real people.
It always surprises me that the Egyptian belief in the transformation of humans into stars after death is brushed aside as a bizarre belief which cannot be explained. Yet this belief provides invaluable information – the Egyptians were not only showing themselves transposed as stars, but they were also revealing the location of their ‘next world.’ This was the hemispherical blackness of space which canopied the four corners of Earth. It was the ‘next world’ which all ancient cultures were obsessed with and which all aspired to be reborn in.
The meaning of akh as ‘effective one’ or ‘powerful one’ should
be regarded as a descriptive name or title. This is because, although
the name refers to the stars above, they were individual humans and
each maintained their own distinct personalities and individual names.
These were the traits and names given to them while they were on Earth.
Summary
This is the world as seen through Egyptian eyes. The Egyptians
believed that at birth, two of them were created − an earthly form and a
sky double or ka which dwelt in the intermediate space between heaven
and Earth − Upper and Lower Egypt. After they died, and by means of
the ba bird transferring their personality, the earthly form would unite
with its astral double to undertake a final and hazardous journey to a
very real firmament above. Here a life of immortality was attained
among the stars. This entire afterlife ‘next world’ belief was a direct
result of planetary bodies, in the guise of god kings, traversing
between our ‘flat’ Earth and the hemispherical dome of heaven.
To my knowledge at least two major religions, Catholicism and Islam hold the same basic ‘dual' belief i.e. when a person is born two entities of the same person are created, the physical form and a ‘soul,' and after death, as with the Egyptians, a union takes place enabling the completed form to attain a life immortal in the ‘heavens.'
To my knowledge at least two major religions, Catholicism and Islam hold the same basic ‘dual' belief i.e. when a person is born two entities of the same person are created, the physical form and a ‘soul,' and after death, as with the Egyptians, a union takes place enabling the completed form to attain a life immortal in the ‘heavens.'
Here we have direct borrowings from early Egyptian beliefs only eons
of time has seen the understanding of ‘ka' or ‘soul' and indeed heaven
itself to become lost. Planetary bodies no longer move back and forth
between two fixed lands, cosmic chaos has all but subsided; the gods
have retreated and left mankind to fend for himself – astral doubles or
‘souls' are now an invisible force, a spiritual life form and science
has now deemed the ‘black land' ( kemet ) above to have
infinite qualities, it is no longer a bowl shaped firmament covering the
earth – both 'heaven' and 'soul' are now truly in the eye and mind of
the beholder.
Added: Nov 15, 2010
Accompanying information taken from the museum.
Stela of Ramesses II
19th Dynasty XIX, reign of Ramesses II (circa 1279-1213 B.C.)
Excavated by the Egypt Exploration Society in the forecourt of the temple at Amarah West in Nubia in 1939
Sandstone
39.420, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
19th Dynasty XIX, reign of Ramesses II (circa 1279-1213 B.C.)
Excavated by the Egypt Exploration Society in the forecourt of the temple at Amarah West in Nubia in 1939
Sandstone
39.420, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
This stela commemorates King Ramesses II's presentation of
statues to a temple of Amun-Re in Nubia. The arrangement of scenes and
text symbolizes the ancient Egyptians' conception of their highly
structured state. Heaven appears at the top, with the sacred world of
the gods beneath it, followed by text linking the divine and human
realms, and, at the bottom, the terrestrial home of the Egyptian
populace.
The stela's curved upper margin represents the vault of heaven
separating the ordered universe from chaos. Ma'at (universal order)
governs everything below the arc, whether depicted in the pictures or
mentioned in the texts. The upper register shows an event in the gods'
domain: the presentation of symbols of kingship to Ramesses II by
Amun-Re, the principal god of Egypt during the New Kingdom. The five
lines of text beneath this scene stand between the worlds of gods and
humans. Part of the text specifies the five names Ramesses II used as
ruler, emphasizing his more-than-human qualities. The remainder
recounts the king's many offerings to Egypt's temples. The lowest
register shows four birds representing the Egyptian populace paying
homage to the king.
Photo credit: wallyg's
The ka (double) name. (Update: Dec 13, 2010)
"The oldest known part of the royal titulary is the Horus-name
"Dying was referred to as going to one's ka." (ref)
I don't disagree with the above orthodox teachings, I merely place them in a world dominated by cosmic catastrophe and give them real meaning!
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