bstract:

"Stand, and be sober and look up again with the Eyes of your heart, . . . For the malice of
Ignorance surrounds all the Earth, and corrupts the Soul, ..."-- Hermes Trismegistus, The
Divine
Pymander

Ancient Egyptian Hermetic Teachings and Initiations are said to have been guarded and
held pure through an ancient oral lineage of the elite, to assist humankind through the next
phase of human evolution. Egyptian sacred tradition embodies layer upon layer of
meaning, ranging from the primary to the highly complex and multidimensional.
The study, and practice of these Teachings and Initiations have come to us through an oral
tradition held by Keepers of Sacred Wisdom of the Ancient Egyptian KoHuna Way. Both
teachings and initiations served as keys to unlock the encoding that lie within us, once
activated, all levels of our divine High Self are revealed and called upon to participate in the
spiritual, mental, and emotional integration said to stimulate and revitalize a spiritual
metamorphosis.
Since Egyptian civilization was a manifestation in many ways of the natural forces that
surrounded it, the people looked to Nature to explain the inexplainable. A close examination
of their gods express a deep rooted conception of the multifaceted aspects of god at the
heart
of
Egyptian
Religion
From
'Neturu'
(Gods)
to
'hem
netjer'
(Priest)
The word Neturu means "gods" and refers to beings which in some way partake of the
nature or character of God. They were referred to as mediators between God and man, or
"Those who descended from Heaven to Earth." They are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible,
Chapter 6 of Genesis they are called Nephilim, in Hebrew, meaning also "Those who came
down
to
Earth
from
Heavens."
The ancient Egyptian term 'hem netjer' means normally a priest, or literally 'servant of the
god,' no theological training was crucial, and their services to facilitate worship is not similar
to today's priestly traditions. In defense of Hebrew worship traditions, it is said that in the
appointment of the Jewish priesthood there was no trace of Egyptian influence, scholar's
opinion
differs
on
how
strong
the
relation
is.
Maintaining
of
Ma'at
In ancient Egypt, the basis for existence of the country, society and of the individual was
the maintaining of Ma'at, the principle which ordered and structured the universe. But Ma'at
did not exist by itself, without effort. The natural tendency was for the chaotic forces outside
of creation, the 'uncreated', to invade and destroy it, so a continuous counter effort had to
be made, and that could only be done by upholding and preserving Ma'at.
Every aspect of ancient Egyptian society-from education and law to medicine, birth, and
death-was permeated by religion and dominated by divine life forces of the sun and the
Nile. Tracing the history of Egyptian faith and worship practices from the civilization's
beginning through its maturity. The defining feature of the Egyptian state and religion was
the monarchy, which was said to have existed since the beginning of the world (even
before Narmer: King Menas). Each king was believed to be the living image of the Creator-

God in the sense that he embodied the spirit of the Great God. The king thus bore the title
Horus after the God who had soared up falcon-like at the beginning of time, the Great God
whose
eyes
were
the
Sun
and
the
Moon.
Worship
Ritual
Symbolism
Religious ritual in Ancient Egypt was focused at re-enacting the creation, in a reaffirmation
of Maat (the cosmic order) which had been established by the Creator-God. Egyptians
rejuvenating the great magic of creation, ensured that the Sun would always rise, that the
moon and celestial vault would always turn, and most of all that the Nile would always flood
in its due late summer season. With the king at the helm, the sky would never fall, the Sun
disc would never be hidden, the Nile would never run dry, and the land would never sink
into the abyss. As one king replaced another, in an unbroken chain of succession, the era
of
Maat
would
be
continued
for
ever.
The creation myth thus provides an archetype for the death and rebirth cults, so important
in ancient Egypt the death and rebirth of the Sun (daily, at the winter solstice, and at
eclipses); the death and rebirth of the Moon (monthly, and at eclipses); the death and
rebirth of the stars (daily, and at longer intervals, for example the reappearance of Sirius
after seventy days spent below the horizon); the death and rebirth of the Nile and
agriculture; and the death and rebirth of the king. All of these natural, recurring events were
a perpetual reminder of the one death and rebirth that really mattered the original one
without which none of the other deaths and rebirths could happen the death and rebirth of
the Universe, personified by the death and rebirth of the Creator-God. Although the
Egyptian was entirely subservient to the state, the king had the duty of translating the will of
the gods. The universe had been created by bringing order and justice to replace primeval
chaos, and only through the continuance of order and justice could the universe survive.
Egyptian
Major
Cults
The most important of the many forms of Egyptian worship were the cults of Osiris and of
Ra. Osiris was especially important as king and judge of the dead, but he was identified as
well with the waters of the Nile, with the grain yield of the earth, with the moon, and even
with the sun. A bountiful and loving king, Osiris was the protector of all, the poor and the
rich. His myth, portraying the highest ideals of family devotion, expressed aspirations that
were close to the people. His murder by his brother Set, and his restoration to life by his
wife Isis made him the great symbol of the eternal persistence of life. The revenge exacted
by his son/successor Horus showed the triumph of good over evil.
The worship of Ra'a, the great sun-god of the cosmic pantheon, was more closely linked to
the state of the Pharaoh than to his people, but his cult was one of the most important in
ancient Egypt. The pyramid became the design of the monumental tombs, the symbol of
Egyptian kings. Ra was said to be the ancestor of the kings of Egypt. He was thought of,
more specifically as the living power, whose daily cycle of birth, journey, and death was a
fundamental theme in Egyptian life and thought. Besides Osiris and Ra the other most
prominent Egyptian god was Amon. By the XIX dynasty he was Egypts greatest god,
united
with
Ra
as
Amon
Ra.
National
Religion
At the end of the pre dynastic period (ca 3200 B.C.), when a united state was established,
a national religion apparently grew out of the various local religious cults, and there were

great inconsistencies as various priesthood attempted to systematize the gods and their
myths. Changes in the political power of various localities influenced the status of their
localized gods. Thus, Amen (Amon, Amun) became Egypts most prominent deity, and after
shifts of power others rose to temporary prominence. Some scholars have believed that the
history of Egyptian religion was a sort of war of the gods, with the dominance of a god
following directly the political dominance of a city or region. Others have pointed out that
the national prominence of gods often centered in obscure cities or regions that never had
political
power.
Nevertheless, shifts and changes did occur, making for new identifications and
associations. So the Divine Kingship rests on mythical precedence, the Pharaoh's office is
eternal but the person holding it is human, though he changes through time.
Egyptian religion was remarkable for its reconciliation and union of conflicting beliefs, that
the syncretism of Egyptian religion reveals a basic trend toward monotheism, which some
scholars have recently held. But only during the reign of Ikhnaton, who based his theology
on the solar god Aton and denied recognition to all other gods, was a monotheistic rather
than a newly established mono lateral cult. That unique cult failed to convince the ancient
Egyptians priesthood; so polytheist expression was restored after Ikhnaton.
The
Pharaoh
as
God
Although the Egyptian was entirely subservient to the state, the king had the duty of
translating the will of the gods. The universe had been created by bringing order and justice
to replace primeval chaos, and only through the continuance of order and justice could the
universe survive. In the earliest Pre dynastic times the word ntjr was used to denote the
king directly, at this time he was also called 'son of Re'. Later the word PR, or 'great house'
became synonymous with the king (Per A: a meaning 'Great House' meaning 'Pharaoh'. At
his crowning, a new king was transformed into a living god, the mediator between humans
and gods, a concept which went through changes in three millennia of ancient Egyptian
history, but remained the core of belief, and the basis for the stable religious, social, and
economic
structure.
The basic theology on which this was based was that when the king died, he passed over
to the Kingdom of Osiris leaving the kingship in the hands of his son, as presented by the
myth of Osiris, Isis) and Horus. The newly ascended king becomes the Living Heru (Horus)
at the moment of his coronation, and is thereby elevated to a divine status. Most scholars
have concluded that, in later times at least, there was no close personal tie between the
individual Egyptian and the gods, that the gods relationship to humans was indirect,
communicated to him by means of the king. Humans were guided essentially by human
wisdom and trusted in their belief in the goodness of the gods and of their divine son, the
king.
A
most
important
concept
in
Egyptian
life
was
Maat.
http://www.kingtutone.com/gods/maat/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/maat-ancient-egyptian-goddesstruth-justice-and-morality-003131
Research Interests:
Ancient Egyptian Religion, Egyptian Religion (Egyptology), and Maat Goddess