Entering into Light: part three

An occult investigation of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead in three parts

Introduction

In the first part of this investigation published in July 2023 we told you about the discovery of the Papyrus of Ani by Budge, the antiquity of the Book of the Dead and the problems of interpretation the texts raise. In part two we analysed the Hymn to Ra and part of The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day. In this final part we complete our analysis of this chapter and conclude our investigation with a survey of Chapter CX, The Chapters of Sekhet-Hetepet, meaning 'fields of Peace'. In our third afterword we conclude the story of Isis and Osiris and their son Horus and show how the worship of Isis continued long into the Christian era. If you have not read parts one and two and the afterwords to them, now is the time to do so, otherwise you will not obtain a complete understanding of the many complex subjects under discussion.

Coming Forth by Day — continued from part two

We now continue where we left off at the end of part two, with the conclusion of our analysis of The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day. You will remember that we were telling you how the Egyptians believed that when a person attended to the sacred Rites, or was taught the Sacred Mysteries, or both, then he or she was already Osirified during life on earth to a large extent.

The next sentence is a good example of the difficulties the text presents for those who lack the keys to its hidden meaning. Ani says: "I enter in among and I come forth from the Flame–Gods on the day of the destruction of the Sebau fiends in Sekhem." We wonder how many of our readers can guess what this means? The clue lies in the word 'flame.' Some might connect this with the destruction of the 'Sebau fiends', thinking that the flame signifies the infernal fires of hell. If so, has Ani suddenly been transported to hell, and why? Budge does not tell us and a literal reading of the text leaves us none the wiser, or does it? There are at least two kinds of 'fire' recognised by occultists. In actual fact there are forty-nine mentioned in The Secret Doctrine, but let us stick to just two or we shall get into a hopeless muddle. One is hot, the other cool, and it is the cool, radiant kind which Ani enters into and comes forth from. These are the very same flames which the two Egyptian pilgrims — Ma-u and Ma-uti — pass through in Vision Six of The Golden Star. Therein we may read:

"Sacred and inviolable in its Purity [the Prince-dom of the Rulers in the World of Astral Fire] lies between the lower Astral Worlds and the Heavenly Realms. A Holy Barrier that none but Holy Souls of Purity and Wisdom ever pass. It is cut off from earth and all the spheres below it and above, by walls of leaping flames that sear the Minds of those not qualified and blind their sight, so that, perforce, they must return to those abodes for which they are equipped by nature of their attributes of spiritual modulation. This is ordeal by Fire in the truest sense; for if a single speck of earthly dross remains within their Minds, the fiery glow will seize upon that mote and burn it up. They shall not pass when so disqualified."

These flames, as the book tells us, are not made of ordinary fire, but are ethereal, cool, and pleasant to those who belong to that realm. Now, Ani says that he enters among as well as comes forth from the Flames. After this he attends the destruction of the fiends. This takes place in the lower planes of the astral world of course, for if they were in the World of Astral Fire, then there would be no need for him to come forth to destroy them. But, considered from that realm, the Earth itself is one of those lower planes, and therefore he may go forth to Earth too to destroy the fiends in human shape that obstruct the Light. Or he may help human beings to overcome their lower minds, by teaching them the Sacred Mysteries. All these things are the work of the Messengers that go forth, or come forth, as we explained earlier. St. Paul, being an initiate of the Greek Mysteries, alludes to this in his letter to the Ephesians. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This great 'Fight' goes on without ceasing; it was fought every yesterday, and today, and all tomorrows; everywhere we find the 'fiends'; some in sheep's clothing, others like veritable wolves, jackals and hyenas. The fiends that are disguised disarmingly wrapt in benevolent smiles, oozing goodwill at every pore, are the most dangerous and deadly of all. It is at times difficult to know them for what they are, though their evil fruits invariably give them away. The so-called 'philanthropist' and business magnate, Bill Gates is a good example of the breed! Nevertheless, in the end these fiends are 'slain' and their "blood is poured out before the gods," as the ancient Egyptians described it symbolically but graphically. Some are just slain; others are captured alive; it depends upon how deadly and hypocritical was their evil work on behalf of Set; the Prince of Darkness. In thus being slain, or having their blood poured out when captured alive, they too learn a valuable lesson; just as they taught a valuable lesson to those who fell into their snares. There is a reason for everything that happens in this world, and the wise ancient Egyptian Sages knew all about it.

Anon. — The Triumph of Horus over Set — gouache on board. 1984.

Now we come to an unexplained sentence in the chapter which Budge suggests is probably corrupt. "I exalt Him that is upon the high place of the country." Budge explains that the allusion is to the god who sits upon the top of the steps or stairs of Abydos on Earth, i.e., Osiris. This explanation is a perfect example of the dangers of literal interpretation we have warned about throughout this investigation. What Budge misses is that there is a 'Greater Osiris' who stands for the Creator and Maker of All, just as there is a greater counterpart of every one of us — the Divine Soul, one with God and a veritable god in itself. It is this Holy Being who is exalted by Ani, the clue lying in the words 'high place', meaning the highest spiritual realm of all, and not the Osiris who rules Khert Neter. For Ani is now dwelling in the World of Astral Fire, the Flowery Land of colour and music, blest perfumes, and ravishing delights as it is described so beautifully and truly in The Golden Star, but raising his thoughts to still higher spiritual dimensions. Not only does the realm in which the Egyptian Priest prays delight the eye and ear, but it captivates every sense in ways quite unimaginable to us on Earth. Yet, we can have a foretaste of this bliss here too. Take the sense of feeling. In our article on the Magic of Egypt we referred to the exquisite arts in which the Egyptians excelled. Some philosophers have said that 'feeling' can never be raised to such a pitch that it may rank among the arts. But feel the subtle muscles, which the eye fails to see, concealed in a master sculpture by a great Egyptian sculptor. One is enraptured when one softly strokes the arm of such a statue of an Egyptian god or goddess, and every hidden muscle and sinew springs into sudden life as it were. This is a form of art which even the great Greek sculptors never mastered. They ravish the eye instead. The reason being that the High Art of the ancient Egyptians was as concealed as the secrets of their wonderful Wisdom. And so it may be with the senses of smelling and tasting. Even the scent of a rose is a work of Art, by Him or Her who created it.

Some people sneer when the Art of the Cook is mentioned, thinking that such talented exponents of multi-sensory cooking and food chemistry such as the TV chef, Heston Blumenthal, are no more than culinary perverts. But are they? We do not know, but we do think that a person who can sense the beauty of a great Art, no matter in what shape or flavour or taste, is himself a being with highly refined senses and therefore above the common herd, that can neither taste, smell, hear, see nor feel, except that which is gross and horrible to the refined individual. So all the delights are present when Ani enters in among the Flame-gods. How blind those benighted folks are that believe that when the body dies, all senses and emotions die too! True: the lower senses and emotions fade out as we have explained in several of our articles, but the Higher Mind in what St. Paul called the 'spiritual body' and occultists call the 'astral body' possesses senses and emotions too, but on a far superior scale.

The Scribe Ani, having arrived in Sekhet-Hetepet, continues his exploration of the realm: "I look upon the hidden things in Ra-stau." This refers to the profound Mysteries taught in the higher realms, which have their pale reflection in such places on earth as the sanctuary of Seker, the god of Death, at Sakkara. Ani speaks again and says: "I am the SEM priest, and (perform) his duties." Now the Sem or Setem priest in ancient Egypt was he that performed the ritual connected with the service for the 'Opening of the Mouth' on behalf of the deceased. Meaning that by means of this service the deceased was helped to resurrect in the higher world. These priests possessed supernatural powers, and they acted as the chief-assistants of the Kher–Heb, or officiating priests in Egypt. Those ceremonies were of the most exalted nature, and for this reason the laity were not permitted to attend, for their presence would pollute the temple, by saturating it with their low vibrations.

Those two imposters as Shakespeare called Time and Space, do not permit us to analyse every sentence in Chapter One of the Chapters of Coming Forth by Day. To do so would turn this investigation into a book, and a very long one at that. So we can only say a little more about Ani's arrival in the Other World as there are nearly two hundred chapters in all, and we have barely considered a fraction of them. But we cannot omit the following which answers an important question many readers have asked us over the years, namely, how do we find our way safely through the various regions of the astral world, either during astral projection or when we die. The scribe Ani exclaims: "Hail, O ye who open up the way, who act as guides to the roads in the Other World to perfect souls in the House of Osiris, open ye up for him the way and act ye as guides to the roads of the soul of the Osiris, the scribe, the registrant of all the offerings made to the gods, Ani, whose word is true with you."

Now, as Bombast and Flitterflop discovered in their Astral Conversations, there are many 'roads', that is to say regions and parts of regions in the Other World, and not all of them are either pleasant or safe for the traveller who ventures into them without a kindly Guide. It is for this reason that all those who depart this world are met by someone; no-one is ever forsaken or forgotten. If you require confirmation of this fact you need look no further than the many accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs) to be found in books and online in which the subject is met by a kindly Guide. But do not be misled by the accounts of those who believe they beheld Jesus, Buddha, or Horus during their glimpse of the afterlife. We do not blame these good folks for their misconceptions, for in our secular age when true religion is almost extinct and very few have any direct, personal experience of the beings and conditions in the astral world, it is not surprising that they are utterly overwhelmed when they encounter a dweller from the higher spiritual realms. The following is typical of the effect such encounters have on those who undergo an NDE.

"I saw a pinpoint of light in the distance. The black mass around me began to take on more of the shape of a tunnel, and I felt myself travelling through it at an even greater speed, rushing toward the light. As I approached it, I noticed the figure of a man standing in it, with the light radiating all around him. As I got closer the light became brilliant — brilliant beyond any description, far more brilliant than the sun...I saw that the light immediately around him was golden, as if his whole body had a golden halo around it, and I could see that the golden halo burst out from around him and spread into a brilliant, magnificent whiteness that extended out for some distance." Now, compare this to 'A Glimpse of Heaven' we quoted from The Revelation of Peter on our Religious quotes and occult maxims page. "And as we prayed, suddenly there appeared two men standing before the Lord upon whom we were not able to look. For there issued from their countenance a ray as of the sun, and their raiment was shining so as the eye of man never saw the like: for no mouth is able to declare nor heart to conceive the glory wherewith they were clad and the beauty of their countenance. We, then, seeing the beauty of them were astonied at them, for they appeared suddenly. And I drew near to the Lord and said: Who are these? He said to me: These are your righteous brethren whose appearance ye did desire to see." Had the disciples not been instructed by their Master, they would undoubtedly have made the same error as thousands of people who have mistaken a kindly Guide for God Himself during their NDE.

To be blunt, it is a detestable conceit, to imagine that a mere human being, however virtuous or wise he or she may have been on earth, is worthy of the sublime honour of being met by a being like Jesus after death. The average person will never meet the president of a country, head of a church or even the chief executive of a great corporation during their lifetime, yet expects to be greeted by a Divine Being after death. If you have ever harboured this presumptuous notion, please discard it now and forever, for it is palpably false. There are many grades of intermediaries who act as Guides after death. If they belong to one of the higher spiritual realms then the chances are they will look like veritable gods, just as described in the example given above. Often, those whom we dearly loved and knew well upon earth will act as our Guides, provided they too belong to the same place as we do and can direct us to it. Their appearance will also be glorious, for even the lowest of the spiritual realms would seem like the most dazzling heaven to those accustomed to conditions on Earth. So, now you have the simple and correct answer to the question asked by our readers about passing over.

The narrative continues: "May he not be found to be light in the Balance, may the Balance dispose of his case." We discussed this 'balance' in our investigation of the ceremony of 'Weighing the Heart' so need only say that this was a symbolic way of representing the judgement we all face when our thoughts and deeds are 'weighed' at the conclusion of each incarnation. This concludes Chapter One of The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day in the Papyrus of Ani. But in the Turin Papyrus, composed during the Ptolemaic period (332-52 B.C.), it ends with the following additional plea. "Permit thou not me to be judged according to the mouths of the multitude." What wisdom there is concealed in this sentence, showing how well the ancient Egyptians understood the truth that few are capable of judging a great and true man or woman at their worth. The worldly wise dwell in ignorance, and these form the multitude Ani feared. To seem truly wise is to the ignorant a deadly offence; and to be wise, if the multitude could know a wise man as he is, would turn them into a horde of wolves and jackals, who would tear him to pieces and rend his very soul if they could. We see this today in the odious practise of 'cancellation' mentioned in part one when we talked about the posthumous opprobrium heaped upon the head of poor Wallis Budge.

The Turin Papyrus also includes the following interesting plea, not found in Chapter One of the Papyrus of Ani. "Behold, the scribe Nebseni, whose word is truth, saith: Homage to you, O ye Lords of Kau, ye who are without sin, and who live for the endless and infinite aeons of time which make up eternity. I have opened up a way for myself to you. I have become a spirit in my forms, I have gotten the mastery over my words of magical power, and I am adjudged a spirit; therefore deliver me from the Crocodile (which liveth in) this Country of Truth." The scribe's meaning is clear. We must become spiritual in our 'forms', that is to say we must cast away the gross material appetites of the human senses, or at least keep a strict rein upon them and we must obtain the mastery over our words of 'magical power'. We explained what words of power really are in our second afterword, namely, that any spoken word can be a 'word of power', according to the meaning we attach to it and the intention behind it. The greatest word of power we know is 'Peace' as we were at pains to point out in our article on Inner Peace through applied Wisdom. Selfishness is also a word of power, but of the black sort. Distrust is another, cruelty and treachery are great words of power, and they come from the lowest deeps of evil. Pity the man or woman whose vocabulary consists of such powerful words, though he or she never utters them aloud, being generally a damnable, smiling hypocrite as well.

But Nebseni exclaims that he has gotten the mastery over his magical words of power. If he speaks the truth, and who can doubt it, for even the greatest and boldest liar would be unable to speak anything else but truth when faced by those stern judges who are sent to meet him after death. Not because he would lack confidence or hubris, but because at that moment the heart and mind are revealed to the wise and all-seeing eyes of those Guides, and the being is as transparent as the clearest crystal, and he knows it! When we speak of guides we must bear in mind that there are many kinds of these, and that the evil-doer, if still unrepentant, will not be met by an Angel of Light to lead him to the Heaven of the Egyptians, but by someone else, much less pleasant and amiable to behold. Remember Mephistopheles who comes in flames to claim the besmirched soul of Faust! If we can and do control our words of magical power, the 'Crocodile' will not devour us, for it does not live in the Country of Truth, this is a figurative representation of those fierce Guardians that keep those who are not qualified to enter the Beautiful Amentet away from that realm of perfect Peace.

Papyrus of Ani. — Ani and Tutu enter the Egyptian paradise — papyrus, ca. 1500 B.C.

The Fields of Peace

After all the supplications of the Osirified Scribe Ani, the weighing of the heart takes place, in other words, he is judged by himself, as we discussed in our investigation of the Judgement of the Dead. Readers who wish to know more about this part of the Papyrus of Ani are referred to the aforementioned article. So Ani enters into the Egyptian paradise which is described in Chapter CX, The Chapters of Sekhet-Hetepet, meaning 'fields of Peace'. We can think of no better name for the glorious spiritual realm described in Vision Six of The Golden Star.

"Bathed in the golden radiance, several beautiful white marble Temples rose up in all directions and in the distance a circle of fairy-like castles was silhouetted on the horizon, floating, as it were, in golden transparent clouds of aureate haze. Bright yellow flashes shone forth when a ray of light struck the golden ornaments with which the buildings were decorated in exquisite and choice designs, and green, blue and red flames leapt from the thousands of blazing jewels which covered the fabric of the wondrous structures; a carnival of pyrotechnical delight. Terraces, and lovely gardens full of flowers bewitched the eyes; and softly splashing fountains murmured mystic songs and rose up golden in the air, to fall like sprays of shining gems within their basins. Singing birds did chant their songs of jubilation and of joy; and peacocks, birds of paradise, and butterflies bedecked with shining greens and blues and reds deluged the senses with rapture."

The Chapter begins with the prayer that Ani may live in peace in the "Great City." He asks: "Let me plough there. Let me reap there. Let me eat there. Let me drink there. Let me do all the things which one doeth upon earth." In other words, life in this paradisiacal realm is completely natural in every way, just as on Earth, but on a much higher and more refined scale. Next we are told how Horus vanquished Set, and how the God Horus delivered the human Horus from the Akeru gods. The italics are ours. This conceals a very deep mystery which we can only lightly touch upon here. The general meaning is that it is only the Christ Within or Higher Mind (the 'God Horus') who can deliver the lower self (human Horus) from the Underworlds to which it is otherwise doomed to descend without such aid.

Now Ani says: "Behold, I take up my place in its nomes," meaning he takes his rightful place in one of the provinces or departments of the higher planes within the astral world. "He hath reconciled the Two Fighters (Horus and Set), the guardians of life." For the Higher and the lower mind, now reconciled, as in the case of Ani, are the two guardians of human life. Pity those that fail to reconcile the two with the help of the Divine Soul. "He hath reconciled the Two Fighters with him that belongeth to them." The being that belongs to them is the selfsame Soul. Next we read: "He hath cut off the hairy scalp of the Two Fighters." This means that both the Higher and the lower mind have left behind them on earth the beast that is inherent in both. For you should know that a Higher Mind that gives way to the bestial instincts of the lower mind becomes a beast too in the end, or assumes all the very worst qualities of an animal. The next sentence reads "He hath destroyed the revolts of (their) children." The word in parenthesis is missing from text. Budge suggests 'their' but this makes no sense in the context of the statement whereas 'his' does. Hence, the sentence should read "He hath destroyed the revolts of his children," He being the Divine Soul and figuratively his 'children' being the two minds. Although the Soul has no direct control over the lower mind, it does exercise an influence via the intercession of the Higher Mind, so the use of the plural noun is correct here. For it is the Divine Soul that gives strength to the Higher Mind so that it may quell the everlasting revolt in the mind of man against the worldly conditions, and even against his very Father in Heaven. So long as a man is full of complaint he is in revolt; only resignation to the will of his Father will save him in the end. We must never forget this. All the lessons sent to us on Earth are Initiations and Tests of our worthiness of the love of God. For when humans bear their trials with patience and resignation, then Horus says, as in the text: "I have done away all the evil which attacked their souls." Note especially the plural of souls, for Higher and lower mind are meant here.

So Ani now says triumphantly: "I am master in Sekhet–Hetepet. I know it. I have sailed over its lakes that I might arrive at the cities thereof. I have made strong my mouth," meaning that he is full of confidence and strength now. "The evil Spirit–Souls are ready to fight me but they shall not gain the mastery over me." Even though he has come so far, Ani is not quite out of the woods yet, for the forces of darkness will try to attack to the very last moment in some way or another, and he has not actually entered the Fields of Peace yet, for that 'sailing over the lakes' refers to his journey towards the higher realms, so that he might arrive at its cities in due course. Nevertheless he declares that he is "equipped for the Fields, O god Hetep," that is to say he is strong in faith and righteousness. The god replies: "What thou wishest thou shalt do." That 'god', here called Hetep, is the kindly Guide who meets Ani on the borderland to the Fields of Peace. This is the inner meaning of the text so far as we have reconstructed it. Ani is now receiving his Reward for a virtuous life lived on earth.

Papyrus of Ani. — Ani paying homage to the Sun-God Ra in his boat — papyrus, ca. 1500 B.C.

The Land of the Blessed

Budge tells us the text of Chapter CX we have just analysed contains several errors. This is true, and we have endeavoured to correct the most important ones. Nor is Chapter CX complete. For that we must consult the same chapter in the Papyrus of Nebseni. Budge tells us this is very difficult to understand. Some of these difficulties are due to lacunae in the text, others to copying errors by the scribe or scribes who produced the papyrus. Yet others are the result of modern mistakes in transcription, translation and, above all, of interpretation. With these caveats, let us see what further truths we can discover in Chapter CX as it is found in the Papyrus of Nebseni. We will omit the first few lines which are repetitions of the same or similar lines we have already considered in the Papyrus of Ani. Nebseni continues where Ani left off, telling us what he does in the Fields of Peace, and naming some of the localities he visits. Most of these names do not matter very much, as they are simply handles to give the reader some idea of the topography and appearance of the Land of the Blessed as Budge calls the spiritual realm the scribe now enters, having 'come forth' from Khert Neter. Budge tells us that Khert Neter means 'divine subterranean place' and that this was a common name for the abode of the dead over which Osiris ruled, as we told you earlier. We are next told of Nebseni's "arrival in Sekhet-Aaru" and his living in "Sekhet-Hetepet." In other words, the scribe's journey through the higher realms of the astral world is an orderly and progressive one; there are no sudden jumps or bewildering changes of scene. This confirms what we said at the end of our analysis of the Hymn to Ra in part two, when we compared the course of the mythological Boat of the Sun with a train depositing its passengers along the line at those towns and cities to which they belong by virtue of their spiritual attainments.

Nebseni goes on: "I am at peace therein with the god Hetep." We may assume that 'Hetep' is one of the rulers of the higher realms. "Behold, I sow therein. I sail about on the lakes thereof, and I arrive at its towns, O god Hetep. Behold my mouth is equipped, it possesseth horns (teeth). Give unto me the abundance of the Kau and the Spirit-Souls." This means that Nebseni is ready to sow the seeds of Wisdom garnered through the lessons he learnt during his last incarnation on Earth. His 'mouth being equipped' tells us that he has the power and the knowledge to give utterance to that Wisdom, so that he is able to teach. He travels all over the realm, for, having been a great Teacher on Earth, he can now continue to educate the rest of those who are in that realm. Being translated to a higher plane does not mean that we are instantly filled with all wisdom, needing no further instruction. The reverse is true, for as we may read in The Golden Star: "colleges...are established here; so that the purified ones shall be able to learn that Wisdom which it is so hard to acquire on earth." But Nebseni needs sustenance in the Land of the Blessed, just as he needed on Earth. So he asks that he may share in the abundance that is the portion of all those Kau (plural of 'Ka') and Spirit-Souls. That is to say, the food upon which the astral bodies of the Higher Minds who dwell there subsist. For wherever there is a body, however refined, food and drink of some kind are needed to nourish it. Please do not imagine that the departed exist on moonbeams or even air, as the deluded followers of the Breatharian cult attempt to do! If you want to know what kinds of food and drink are to be found in the higher realms of the astral world, then read Perelandra by C. S. Lewis in which the author describes the nourishment to be obtained on his fictional planet. Lewis' descriptions are remarkably similar to the actual food seers such as Swedenborg beheld in the higher planes of the astral world.

The next sentence contains one of the 'difficulties' Budge complained of. Here it is: "He who counteth me is Shu. I know him not." Now, what does this mean? Simply that, Shu being a great God is naturally unknown personally to any of the inhabitants of the Land of the Blessed. We discussed this earlier when we mentioned the impossibility of meeting Jesus or any other great beings during NDEs. So Nebseni admits that he doesn't know Shu. To say otherwise would be prideful blasphemy on the part of the scribe, just as it is ignorant conceit on the part of men on earth to claim that they know God personally. Hence, the statement 'I know him not' puzzled Budge, as it has puzzled every other interpreter of the book; but now you will know why Nebseni said it. Further on we encounter another sentence no Egyptologist has been able to explain: "Behold, it is Hetep (who is) its double offering of peace." This means that Hetep is a dispenser of Love as well as of Peace in the Blessed Realm; a double helping of goodness if you like. As such he would appear as a very God indeed. Nebseni continues: "I have advanced to its territory. I have put on my apparel. I have come forth. I have given what it was upon me to give." In other words he has now commenced his work as a Teacher and now imparts what he has learned. We should never lose sight of the fact that the teachers in the higher realms, like their counterparts on Earth, are themselves only humble Students of still greater Initiates. Therefore Nebseni declares: "I have made glad in (my) heart. I have conquered. I am strong. I have given directions to Hetep."

Here we meet another of those troubling difficulties, for how could Nebseni, the new arrival, possibly give directions to the God Hetep? The tail does not wag the dog if you will forgive the crude metaphor! The solution to the mystery lies in use of the Egyptian word 'directions' which can also mean 'reports'. So here we have a mistranslation on the part of Budge. Nebseni has made reports to Hetep, not given 'directions' to him. Hetep may well stand for some Great Master or Hierophant in Sekhet-Hetepet, who, in due course will direct Nebseni in his new duties as a Teacher. Now the fortunate scribe greets some of the sections of the Land of the Blessed by name, and he exclaims: "Hail, Unen-em-hetep, I have come to thee," this, as Budge tells us in a footnote, is "the name of the first large section of the Elysian Fields. The words mean 'existing in Peace', an apt name we're sure you'll agree for the glorious land in which Nebseni now finds himself. We can interpret the next sentence — "My soul followeth me" — as meaning that his true Soul is still watching over him, the same as it did when he was on Earth.

Nebseni next hails a lake in the second section of Sekhet-Hetepet called 'Nebt-taui' which means 'Lady of the Two Lands', i.e., Egypt, adding "in whom I remember and forget, I have come alive." In other words, he remembers Wisdom and forgets ignorance, in whatever form this may appear, for ignorance, as we say in so many of our articles, is the only real sin that Occult Science recognises. Ignorance has been called the mother of fear, the dominion of absurdity, a calamity, vulgarity, the womb of monsters, darkness, the wet-nurse of prejudice, and many other things by men on Earth. If even they know its evils, how much more will this be realised in the higher realms of Light? So Nebseni forgets all these things, and remembers only that which is good, and wise, and loving, and continues: "I have attacked none, let none attack me. I have given, give thou to me gladness. ani receiving air Make thou me to be at peace, bind thou up my sinews, let me receive air." In other words, 'let me dwell in peace here as a whole, living being, sustained by the True, life-giving Teachings (air)'. Do you now feel, dear reader, how the parts of the Book of the Dead we have analysed so far are so very simple, once they are decoded? Yes, they are, when we know the code! That is to say, the Keys to the Mystery Language and how to use them. Have we laboured this point before? Then it is worth repeating. It is impossible to interpret the Book of the Dead or any other sacred texts, no matter where and when they were composed, without these Keys, of which allegory, symbolism and mythology are but three of the full Arcana of seven. This is the reason why no one, least of all the Egyptologists, has ever explained the meaning of this remarkable book before. But let us continue and see what other wonders we may discover in this chapter.

"Hail, Unen-em-hetep, Lord of the Winds. I have come here. I have opened my head," meaning permitted the Light of Inspiration to enter within his Higher Mind. "Ra sleepeth." Oh dear! Now, what on earth does this mean? Another of those very simple sayings in the Book of the Dead! How can Ra, the great Sun-God who rules all beneath Him in the Kosmos according to the Egyptians, possibly be asleep? Well, well, well; this is indeed a dark saying, is it not? How would you explain it dear reader? We wonder...Ra sleepeth! Let us look at what follows when Nebseni says: "I watch not, for the goddess Hetemet is at the door of heaven by night." This is our clue, for here we have a plain reference to the fact that Ra shares his work with someone else. And not only does he share his work with one, but with many, such as when the Boat of Ra passes between twelve gods and goddesses who speak the words of power wherewith they surround the hidden soul, thereby causing strength and new life for the departed to rise up in, or as, Osiris, as we discuss in our afterword. Hetemet is one of these goddesses, who is on the watch after Ra has passed on, and before he arrives, and at all times. When Ra is absent he is said to be asleep, which is a purely allegorical statement, and nothing more than that. All these gods and goddesses are the protectors, guardians and guides of man on earth and in heaven, so even when Ra is 'absent' or 'asleep' no one is ever deserted on that account, and the holy protection is ever present with all. For this reason Nebseni says: "Obstacles have been put before me, but I have collected his emissions." He has always had faith in the protection of Ra, whether it comes from Him direct by way of inspiration (emissions) or by means of his assistants and messengers. So in spite of all obstacles, Nebseni has arrived at his own place, and he joyfully exclaims: "I am in my city. O Nut-urt (Mighty City), I have come into thee."

So Nebseni, the true and faithful scribe or messenger of the gods, goes ever forward, from one region to another, towards the Great Light. He says: "O Tcheft, I have come into thee," meaning that has now entered a district in the third section of the Land of the Blessed. "I array myself in apparel, and I gird about myself the Sat garment of Ra." This is most significant, for the Sat garment was the golden robe worn by the Hierophant of the Sacred Mysteries in Egypt; symbolic of the supreme enlightenment and utter Wisdom wherewith the Representative of the gods on Earth was clothed. So now Nebseni declaims in ecstasy: "Behold the Court of Heaven, and the followers of Ra that dwell there! O Unen-em-hetep, the Lord of the Two Lands, I have come into thee. I have plunged into the lakes of Tchesert; behold, impurity of every kind hath removed (itself) from me. The divine Great One flourisheth therein. Behold I have found. I have netted geese, and have fed full upon the finest of them." The 'divine Great One' refers both to Ra and to the Divine Soul of Nebseni, while geese are a metaphor for choice teachings of all kinds. Could anything be clearer after all our previous explanations? Nebseni continues: "I have seen the Osiris (of my father). I have saluted my mother. I have begotten children. I have snared the serpents (of evil) and I am delivered. I know the name of the god who is with the goddess Tchesert and who hath straight hair (is of high degree), and is equipped with horns (meaning she is full of power over evil). He reapeth, and I both plough and reap." This is interesting, is it not? Nebseni means that the divine god is so far advanced in holiness and wisdom, that he has no more need to plough, whilst Nebseni still has to plough before he can reap, a necessity all too often forgotten by some students of occultism who expect to harvest where they have never sowed!

Anon. — The Harvesters of Ra — gouache on board. 1987.

"O Hetemet, I have entered into thee. I have approached the lapis-lazuli sky," meaning Heaven. "I have followed the winds of the Company of the Gods." Nebseni here refers to the currents of wisdom and inspiration which, like unto whirlwinds from the divine, descend upon the righteous servant of God. He continues: "The Great God hath given my head unto me," i.e., he has filled me with Wisdom. "I act as the guide of the Celestial Beings. I make to flourish terrestrial beings." This, too, is interesting, for it shows how the True Teacher who dwells on high, may inspire and guide men and women on Earth, when the so-called 'holy spirit' descends upon them. "There is joy of heart for the Bull (the Osiris Nebseni), and for the celestial beings (whom he guides and teaches), and for the Company of the Gods (who rejoice in their new arrival). I am the god, the Bull, the Lord of the gods," meaning that the inhabitants of the Land of the Blessed are henceforth under his direction. "O wheat and barley of the Nome of the god, I have come into thee. I have come forward. I have lifted you up, following the best offerings of the Company of the Gods. I have moored my boat to the tying-up post in the lakes of the Celestial Beings. I have pulled up the tying-up post." This is a most significant metaphor, for it means that there is no further return to Earth for him. He has completed the Great Journey we are still engaged upon. This is the reason why the Book of the Dead was preserved for so many millennia, why E. A. Wallis Budge was especially tasked with translating it, and why we have revealed some of the great truths it contains to you.

Conclusion

Here we must regretfully call a halt to our investigation of the Book of the Dead of the Egyptians. This, as we have seen, contains some of the most sublime teachings about the great questions and mysteries of Life ever committed to writing. Not only are they sublime, but of the utmost importance in connection with the real life of the spirit and the glorious afterlife that commences with the dissolution of the physical body for those, like the Royal Scribe Ani, and Nebseni the Priest and Teacher, who are worthy to Come Forth by Day. ani as a golden hawk Moreover, these teachings confirm in every particular the doctrines of Occult Science we have endeavoured to present to you in our many articles during the past twelve years. You will find links to several of these articles at the end of the sidebar. Some readers will be disappointed that we have analysed so few chapters in the book. Regrettable as that is, we assure you that we have omitted nothing of importance. We are only too well aware that this investigation could be extended almost indefinitely, but, as we explained in our introduction to part one, it is simply not feasible to do more in the time and space available. It is of course possible that we may examine other chapters in the Book of the Dead in future, but that is not a promise. Nonetheless, we feel we have told you enough to enable you to profit from the study of the book of 'Entering into Light' without our help.

If you wish to re-read the previous two parts of this investigation, please follow the links given below:

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Story of Isis & Osiris

In the final part of our three afterwords we conclude our own rendering of the story of Isis and Osiris and their son Horus.

In the previous two parts of this afterword we told you about the life and death of Osiris, the birth of Horus, and his victory over Set, as well as the sufferings of Isis and the part she played in the resurrection of her husband. In this final part we will try to discover what led to the murder of Osiris and how he became the Judge of the Dead in the Other World. We will also tell you more about Isis and how and why her worship persisted right into the Christian era. If you have not read part one and part two, now is the time to do so, otherwise you will not obtain a complete understanding of the subjects under discussion.

Egyptian literature is full of allusions to events which took place in the life of Isis, Osiris and Horus. Numerous texts of all periods describe the love and devotion of Isis, the filial piety of Horus and the murder and resurrection of Osiris. However, nowhere do we find a complete or connected account of the causes which led to his murder by Set, or of the subsequent events which resulted in his becoming the Judge of the Dead, a role he shared with Thoth as we saw in our investigation of the doctrine of the Weighing of the Heart.

We are in no doubt that a complete account did exist. Indeed, several such accounts must have been composed at different times or it would not have been possible to stage the Osirian Mystery plays which were performed in the temples of Egypt for the instruction of the initiated nobility and the priesthood. We know such plays were enacted from the texts of the Middle and New Kingdoms. But that is all we know. We do not know what was in them, for no descriptions have come down to us.

The reason for this is the strict secrecy with which the Sacred Mysteries were surrounded in Egypt. It must be clear to the perceptive reader who is acquainted with the occult doctrine of the two minds and what they stand for, that Set and Horus represent these two principles in the Mythos, though Osiris, Isis and others also play their part in the drama. Hence, occultists can easily reconstruct the missing narrative that led to the murder of Osiris and his subsequent elevation to the rank of Judge of the Dead in the Other World using the same keys we have used throughout this investigation to unlock the meaning of the Book of the Dead.

There are many times in the life of every human being when he or she succumbs to the worst promptings of the lower self and is overcome by it. Each such defeat results in the figurative 'death' of Osiris or the Higher Self. The 'body' of our good thoughts, good deeds and noble aspirations is torn to pieces by our Typhonic passions and scattered abroad. This was the drama that was symbolically enacted in the Mystery Plays that depicted the life, sufferings and resurrection of Osiris.

Moreover, just as our Higher Self may be overcome many times in this life, only to 'rise' again, so to speak, so too can it be overcome in others without number. It is possible, even probable that there comes a point in our evolutionary journey when we are wholly overcome, and for one or more lives, forsake the light entirely and embrace the darkness. This too must have been enacted in the Mysteries of Osiris.

This human drama is reproduced in the Heavens every month when the Moon wanes from full to new, as well as those times when there is a lunar eclipse. It is natural phenomena like these with which the Egyptian Sages explained the mysteries of life, death and resurrection in a symbolic manner, as well as the occult doctrines of reincarnation and the great cycles of light and dark, goodness and evil, which sweep over this Earth, called Yugas by the Hindus.

Eventually, every man or woman must obtain the victory over their lower nature or be doomed to follow it into darkness as you can read in our story of the Jihadi and the Jinn. This constitutes the triumph of Horus over Set in the Egyptian Mythos. In avenging the death of his father Osiris at the hands of Set, Horus symbolizes the power of the Higher Mind to redeem itself from ignorance and illusion and so obtain liberation from the bonds of matter. Only then can it judge itself after death, and judge others in the Afterlife.

Judgement in this case does not mean condemnation or punishment but the administration of strict justice: rewarding virtue and reprimanding vice. This is part of the work of every 'Osiris', that is those who through their own efforts have obtained the victory over their lower selves, liberated themselves from further incarnations on Earth, and are now qualified to have a say in the fate of those still enmeshed in the bonds of illusion and ignorance.

This is the simple and true reconstruction of the missing parts of the account of the causes which led to the murder of Osiris, and the subsequent events which resulted in his becoming the Judge of the Dead that so puzzled Budge, bless his innocent heart. Lacking the simple key of lower and Higher self, he was unable to fill in the blanks in the narrative to unlock the hidden meanings we have shared with you.

Having told you something of the story of Osiris, Isis and Horus, we shall now consider Isis in more detail, to see what more we can discover about her. The great facts about her life which we have rendered in our own words in our previous two afterwords were recorded in legends and myths which every Egyptian learnt from the moment they first drew breath. How she had been a loving and devoted wife, how she had gone forth after her husband's murder to seek for his body, how she had found it and brought it home, how she revivified it by her words of power and had union with Osiris and conceived a child by him.

And later how she brought forth her son in pain, sorrow and loneliness in the Swamps of the Delta, and how she reared him and watched over him until he was old enough to fight and vanquish his father's murderer, and how at length she seated him in triumph on his father's throne. All these things endeared Isis to the common people everywhere, and as she herself had not suffered death like Osiris, she came to be regarded as the eternal mother of life and of all living things.

She was the creatress of crops, she produced fruit, vegetables, plants of all kinds and trees, she made cattle prolific, she brought men and women together and gave them offspring, she was the authoress of all love, virtue, goodness and happiness. She made the light to shine, she was the spirit of Sirius, the Dog-star which heralded the Nile-flood which revitalised the parched earth every spring, she was the source of the power in the beneficent light of the Moon; and finally she took the dead to her bosom and gave them peace, and introduced them to a life of immortality and happiness such as no mortal could possibly conceive of.

But what of the name itself? What does 'Isis' mean and whence does it come? This, as we shall now see is a most interesting study in itself. The name of the goddess is the Greek rendering of the Egyptian Ast. The hieroglyphic symbol of her name in Egyptian is a seat, or throne, representing the sound 'as', followed by a semicircle or half moon signifying the letter 't', set above an ellipse or egg. This group of signs is completed by a seated female figure, representing the goddess, as you can see in the illustration below. We have italicised the words moon and egg as they provide an important clue to the meaning of the name of the goddess and her function in the Egyptian Mythos.

It also happens that these three letters (a, s and t), albeit written differently, make the Egyptian words 'as-t' which mean "Behold! She," or "lo!, it is She." This is another clue missed by every Egyptologist who has tried and failed to connect these signs with the attributes of the goddess to furnish an explanation of her name. Budge, for instance, complains that "all the derivations hitherto proposed must be regarded as mere guesses."

The German Egyptologist Kurt Sethe (1869-1934) suggested that Isis was originally a personification of thrones. Other Egyptologists seized on this idea, speculating that the throne symbolized the king's mother, and thus a goddess. For in Egypt, being a matriarchal society, kingship passed down the female, not the male line. Other scholars have rightly disputed this interpretation as there is no evidence thrones were ever deified in Egypt.

None of the speculations of these superannuated sophists come even close to the truth. We wouldn't blame them for their ignorance if they kept their nonsensical guesses strictly to themselves, but alas, they broadcast them far and wide where they are taken up by such organs of orthodoxy as Wikipedia and regurgitated as Holy Writ. Rather than add to these guesses, let us look at the illustration we reproduced above more closely in order to arrive at the facts.

Apart from the throne which is all the Egyptologists seem able to see in the hieroglyphic signs that form the name of the goddess, there is only a semicircle, an ellipse, and the seated figure of the goddess. Isis is often depicted wearing a pair of horns cradling a disk thought to represent the Sun, but is far more likely to represent the Moon with which luminary she has been closely associated since the earliest times. It is the Moon and not the Sun which rules the ebb and flow of the tides in our rivers and oceans, and governs the cycles of growth and decay.

It is also the Moon that regulates human fertility as every woman knows. Science has now discovered that more people die at the New Moon and more are born when the Moon is Full. it is also well-known that the symptoms of many mental illnesses wax and wane with the phases of the Moon. You will now see why we called the semicircle a half moon and the ellipse an egg. If we combine these two signs with the signs of the throne and goddess, the whole can be said to spell out "Isis, the goddess of the Moon who reigns (or presides) over birth and death."

This simple explanation describes the functions of the goddess and provides the solution to the mystery that puzzled Budge and has baffled Egyptologists ever since. Moreover, when we add our second clue that the letters a, s and t make 'as-t' which means "Behold! She," we may epitomize the meaning of the whole group with the phrase "Behold, it is She, Isis, the goddess of the Moon, who reigns over birth and death." Let us see what more we can learn about the goddess.

An examination of the texts of all periods proves that Isis always held in the minds of the Egyptians a position which was entirely different from that of every other goddess, and although it is certain that their views concerning her varied from time to time, and that certain aspects of the goddess were worshipped more generally at one period than at another, it is fair to say that from the earliest to the latest dynasties Isis was the greatest goddess of Egypt.

Long before the copies of the Pyramid Texts which we possess were written the attributes of Isis were well-defined, and even when the priests of Heliopolis assigned to her the position which she held in the cycle of their gods between 4000 B.C. and 3000 B.C. the duties which she was thought to perform in connection with the dead were clearly defined, and were identical with those which belonged to her in the Graeco-Roman period.

Isis was from the first the great and beneficent goddess and mother, whose influence and love pervaded all Heaven and Earth, and the abode of the dead, and she was the personification of the great feminine, creative power which conceived and brought forth every living creature, from the gods in Heaven, to man on the Earth. What she brought forth she protected, cared for, and nourished. In short, as we said earlier, she reigned over birth and death, just as the hieroglyph of her name reveals.

Another great human element in the story of Isis which appealed strongly to the Egyptians was the desire of the goddess to be avenged on the murderer of her husband, and it is this which is referred to when the goddess says, "I rejoiced over him with exceedingly great joy, for I saw in him one who would make answer for his father." There are many accounts which relate the manner in which Horus 'made answer for' and avenged his father. One such account is found in the fourth Sallier Papyrus which we discussed earlier.

Isis was continuously worshipped throughout Egypt under a variety of titles from the earliest times until the conquest of the country by the Greeks. Even then, her worship continued, and is still carried on today under another name as we shall see later on. Among the goddess' many titles may be mentioned 'the divine one, the only one, the greatest of the gods, the queen of all gods, the female Ra, the female Horus, lady of heaven, the light-giver of heaven, queen of the earth, most mighty one, lady of winds, great one of words of power, Benefactress of the Tuat, she who is greatly feared in the Tuat, the lady of life, and lastly, but by no means least, lady of joy and gladness'.

All these titles have an occult signification quite apart from their literal meaning. We only have time and space to consider two of these in this final afterword: 'Benefactress of the Tuat' and 'she who is greatly feared in the Tuat.' Now, the Tuat or Duat as it is also transliterated, is a the Egyptian term for the Astral World. Indeed, the word 'tua' means star or star-like in Egyptian. Budge called it the 'Other World' which is a better description than that bottomless abyss of nescience — Wikipedia — gives, calling the Tuat "the realm of the dead" whilst simultaneously adding it was also "the residence of various gods," who one assumes are very much alive — a contradiction clearly lost on the educated ignoramuses who edit this so-called 'encyclopaedia'!

Budge tells us that The Tuat was divided into twelve portions, some the abode of the blessed and others, the dwellings of the damned. In other words, realms of light and darkness just as we find in the Astral World. This explains the dual character of Isis who was the benefactress of the righteous souls of the departed who dwelt in heaven on the one hand, yet 'greatly feared' by the evil dwellers in the dark on the other.

As we have learnt in these afterwords, Isis possessed great magical skill. One example of this is when she wished to make Ra reveal his secret name to her. She began by making a venomous reptile out of dust mixed with the spittle of the god, and by uttering over it certain words of power she made it bite Ra as he passed by. When she succeeded in obtaining his hidden name, which he only revealed at the point of death, she uttered words which had the effect of driving the poison out of his limbs, and Ra recovered.

This raises an interesting point which we touched upon in our article about the Czech magician Franz Bardon. In it we said that "...every living thing has its real name by which it is known to its creator and which defines its nature. Nor does this name ever change, for if it did the being it defined would cease to be." Occult Science teaches us that this name consists of a series of definite notes or sounds; a unique vibration if you like. It is this that Isis learnt through her magic, by means of which she was able to gain power over the Sun-God. Hence, this story is an allegory of the occult power of sound, as well as of sympathetic magic.

Budge tells us that Isis not only used words of power, but also possessed the knowledge of the way in which they should be pronounced to compel the beings or things addressed to listen to her and, having listened, obey her commands. He goes on to tell us that the Egyptians believed that the best effect was produced by words of power when they were uttered in a certain tone of voice, and at a certain vibration, and at certain times of the day or night, accompanied by appropriate gestures or ceremonies. This confirms everything we told you about the use of words of power in part two of this afterword.

As we said earlier, the worship of Isis spread from Egypt to the near East and eventually almost all of Western Europe. Apuleius records that a college of the servants of Isis was founded in Rome in the time of Sulla, around 80 B.C. Her worship was later proscribed and her temples pulled down. But by 43 B.C., seeing that it was the only way to win the affections of the people, the authorities relented, and built several new temples in honour of Isis and Serapis and publicly sanctioned their worship. By the time Vespasian became emperor in 69 A.D., the worship of Isis and Serapis grew and flourished until the general introduction of Christianity gradually eclipsed it.

Apuleius gives a very interesting description of the manner in which Isis was worshipped in Rome in the latter half of the second century, adding some curious details about the attributes of the goddess herself. Thus in his prayer to her he calls her 'Queen of Heaven' (Regina Coeli), a title later given to the Virgin Mary. He identifies her with Ceres, Venus and Proserpine, and refers to her in her capacity as goddess of wheat and crops. The holiest of all the sanctuaries of Isis known to the Greeks was established at Tithorea, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, about 100 miles from modern Athens.

Contemporary accounts show that the early Christians adopted almost all of the popular attributes of Isis in their worship of the Virgin Mary. Indeed, to the unprejudiced eye there is hardly a single title given to the Christian goddess that was not previously applied to Isis, of which 'Mother of God' and 'Queen of Heaven' were the most conspicuous copies. Isis' character of the archetypal loving and protecting mother appealed strongly to the imagination of all the peoples among whom her cult flourished. So much so that the pictures and sculptures of her suckling her child Horus formed the foundation for the Christian figures and paintings of the Madonna and Child.

Several notable incidents in the wanderings of the Virgin and Child in Egypt recorded in the Apocryphal Gospels reflect scenes in the life of Isis as described in the Metternich Stele we discussed earlier. Similarly, many of the attributes of Isis, the God-mother, the mother of Horus are identical with those of Mary the Mother of Christ. The writers of the Apocryphal Gospels intended to pay additional honour to the Virgin Mary by ascribing to her the attributes which up to the time of the advent of Christianity they had regarded as the peculiar property of the goddess Isis.

If the many parallels between the purely mythological story of Isis and Horus and the suppositious Biblical history of Mary and Jesus are honestly considered, it is impossible to deny that the teachings of Christianity are reflections, often distorted, of the spiritual doctrines and wisdom teachings of the Egyptians. As John Temple has shown in the afterword to his article on the sayings of the Saviour, the doctrine of parthenogenesis or the 'virgin birth' was well known in Egypt in connection with the immaculate conception of Horus by Isis, several millennia before the birth of the historical Jesus.

The same is true of the doctrine of the resurrection and of everlasting life, both of which are coeval with the very beginnings of history in Egypt. We would note in passing that many of the so-called 'heresies' of the early Christian Church in Egypt arose in consequence of the survival of ideas and beliefs connected with the old native gods which the converts to Christianity wished to adapt to their new creed.

All this goes to show that the rapid growth and progress of Christianity among the Egyptians were due mainly to the fact that the new religion, which was preached there by Saint Mark and his followers, so closely resembled their own. It was this which prompted John Temple to write in his article on The Mystery of Jesus, "the Christian religion is nothing more nor less than the ancient Egyptian religion with the Egyptian wisdom taken OUT."

This is the end of our rendering of the story of Isis and Osiris and their son Horus, and of this investigation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

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