Egyptian Book of the Dead

Probably the oldest human document describing the afterlife journey is found in what we call today, The Egyptian Book of the Dead.The image shown above is from a papyrus, created by a contemporary artist, that I purchased in Cairo in 1995. It is, of course, based upon ancient surviving texts.

As we examine different historical periods in Egypt, one can observe the evolution of the Book of the Dead. Originally, it was only for the pharoah. Only after centuries did the Egyptians consider that the afterlife would also include other citizens.

The scene that is portrayed above is actually one that is found in the eschatology of virtually all cultures that have looked into this matter: the judgment of the deceased. In each culture, the judgment seems to take a different form. But, the common element is this: one's journey through the afterlife is somehow contingent upon an evaluation of one's deeds, and even one's thoughts, while alive.

The Egyptian version is particularly interesting in that the emphasis is on purity of heart. In a sense, this requires stripping away of the various parts of the personality until all that is left is the pure heart. Only this can enter the paradise of Osiris. All other aspects of what we think of as the soul follow their own unique destinies. 

So, in the upper left, we see the deceased individual (Ani) entering the realm where he encounters fourteen dieties. They question him about his deeds in life and ask him whether he committed a wide variety of sinful acts. To pass through this realm, Ani must respond that he did not. To the ancient Egyptians, whether he actually committed those acts was not relevant -- only his response, as this symbolized the purity of his heart.

In the famous scene below the fourteen deities, Ani's heart is inside a small urn and is placed on a scale. On the other side of the scale is the feather of Maat, the goddess of truth. Ani's heart must not be heavier than this feather. If it is, he will be eaten by Ammit, the crocodile-headed devourer who waits patiently at the base of the scale. The Ibis-headed god, Thoth, the god of wisdom records the results.

To the right, we see that Ani has passed the test. He is being escorted by Horus, the hawk-headed god of light and rebirth, into the paradise of Osiris -- the green, mummy god. The myth of Osiris is central to ancient Egyptian culture. See this my earlier blog for the poem about this myth that came to me in a dream.

Horus, incidentally, is a fascinating deity because he is both the son of Osiris and also representative of the rebirth of Osiris. It has been suggested that, as the original god of death and rebirth, Horus is the prototype diety for what evolved into Christianity.

I once had a visionary experience in which Horus manifested to me as the most beautiful of all dieties. It was as if I were in an ancient temple, worshipping him with utter devotion. His beauty, of course, is related to his capacity for rebirth -- and thus triumph over the evil deity (Set, possibly a prototype of Satan) who killed and dismembered his father, Osiris. The story is a saga in which, as one reads the details, Set and Horus, while enemies, also become lovers.