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OSIRIS RA RA OSIRIS

 

 

A

MAZE

IN

ZAZAZA ENTER ZAZAZA

ZAZAZAZAZAZAZAAZAZAZAZAZAZAZ

ZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZ

THE

MAGIKALALPHABET

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA

1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526262524232221201918171615141312111098765432

 

 

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
1+0
1+1
1+2
1+3
1+4
1+5
1+6
1+7
1+8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
I
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
9
1+9
2+0
2+1
2+2
2+3
2+4
2+5
2+6
ME
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I
ME
I
ME
I
ME
I
ME
I
9
18
9
18
9
18
9
18
9
-
1+8
-
1+8
-
1+8
-
1+8
-
-
9
-
9
-
9
-
9
-
I
ME
I
ME
I
ME
I
ME
I
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
I
ME
I
ME
I
ME
I
ME
I

 

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
                  1+0 1+1 1+2 1+3 1+4 1+5 1+6 1+7 1+8 1+9 2+0 2+1 2+2 2+3 2+4 2+5 2+6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
                                                   
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

 

THE PYRAMID TEXTS

1

 

15
THE PYRAMID TEXTS
19
10
1
N
THE
33
15
6
-
PYRAMID
86
41
5
-
TEXTS
88
25
7

15

THE PYRAMID TEXTS
207
81
18
-
-
2+0+7
8+1
1+8

15

THE PYRAMID TEXTS
9
9
9

 

 

 
SAQQARA
     
1
S
19
10
1
2
AQ
18
9
9
2
QA
18
9
9
1
R
18
9
9
1
A
1
1
1
7
SAQQARA
     

 

 

 
SAQQARA
     
1
S
19
10
1
2
AQ
18
9
9
2
QA
18
9
9
1
R
18
9
9
1
A
1
1
1
7
SAQQARA
74
38
29
-
-
7+4
3+8
2+9
7
SAQQARA
11
11
11
-
-
1+1
1+1
-
7
SAQQARA
2
2
2

 

THISISTHESCENEOFTHESEENUNSEENTHEUNSEENSEENOFTHESCENEUNSEENTHISISTHESCENE

 

3
THE
33
15
6
5
GREAT
51
24
6
7
PYRAMID
86
41
5
2
OF
21
12
3
4
GIZA
43
25
7
21
Add to Reduce
234
117
27
2+1
Reduce to Deduce
2+3+4
1+1+7
2+7
3
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

  THE RAINBOW LIGHT      
3
THE
33
15
6
7
RAINBOW
82
37
1
5
LIGHT
56
29
2
15
THE RAINBOW LIGHT
171
81
9
1+5
-
1+7+1
8+1
-
6
THE RAINBOW LIGHT
9
9
9

 

 

4
PTAH
-
-
-
-
P+T
36
9
9
-
A+H
9
9
9

4

PTAH
45
18
18
-
-
4+5
1+8
1+8

4

PTAH
9
9
9

 

 

8
I-EM-HETEP
-
-
-
-
I
9
9
9
-
EM
18
9
9
-
HETEP
54
27
9

8

I-EM-HETEP
-
-
-

 

 

THE STRANGE DREAM OF VIOLA LIUZZO

1965

 

 

8
RA OSIRIS
108
45
9
8
OSIRIS RA
108
45
9

 

 

THE ELEMENTS OF THE GODDESS

Caitlin Matthews 1989

Page38

"This ennead of aspects is endlessly adaptable for it is made up of nine, the most adjustable and yet essentially unchanging number. However one chooses to add up multiples of nine, for example 54, 72, 108, they always add up to nine"

 

 

THE

PATH OF PTAH

 

 

SHAMANIC WISDOM IN THE PYRAMID TEXTS

THE MYSTICAL TRADITION OF ANCIENT EGYPT

Jeremy Naydler 2005

Page 151

The Pyramid at Unas

"There are altogether nine Pyramids with Pyramid Texts. They are all fairly close to each other at Saqqara"

"Of the nine pyramids at Saqqara,"

Page 150

From a phe-/ Page 151 / nomenological standpoint, however, the best initial approach to the texts is without the encumbrance of the many rival theories concerning their interpretation, and to examine them simply as we find them on the walls of the corridors and chambers of the pyramid, through which and into which one walks. Approached in this way, the question of where to begin and where to end certainly seems at first not to be of paramount importance, for the Pyramid Texts are not like a book that one holds in the hand and reads from beginning to end; they are a book that we walk into, that encompasses us on all sides. In our first encounter with them, we find them architec­turally located, and it may be that they do not in fact "begin" or "end" anywhere. The texts are wedded to walls and ask of us that we engage with them as architectural phenomena, with an awareness of where each utter­ance belongs in the inner structure and layout of the pyramid.
The pyramid itself is, of course, also spatially located. There are altogether nine pyramids with Pyramid Texts. They are all fairly close to each other at Saqqara, as can be seen from the map in figure 6.1.(figure omitted)This whole area served as the necropolis of the Old Kingdom capital, Memphis, where the more public aspect of the Sed festival ceremonies would probably have taken place8 From the earliest times, Saqqara was sacred to the god Sokar,' originally regarded as a manifestation of Osiris, but at the same time fused with Ptah, the god of Memphis. As a manifestation of Osiris, Sokar represented his power of rebirth, and was depicted as a falcon resting on, or breaking out of, a mound of earth, placed on a boat.9 The whole area, then, was as much to do with rebirth as it was to do with death.

 

11
OSIRIS SOKAR
153
54
9
6
OSIRIS
89
35
8
5
SOKAR
64
19
1
11
OSIRIS SOKAR
153
54
9

 

OSIRIS SOKAR SOKAR OSIRIS

"Saqqara was sacred to the god Sokar,' originally regarded as a manifestation of Osiris, but at the same time fused with Ptah, the god of Memphis. As a manifestation of Osiris, Sokar represented his power of rebirth,"

 

1
A
1
1
1
7
REBIRTH
80
44
8
8
-
81
45
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
BORN AGAIN
-
-
-
4
BORN
49
22
4
5
AGAIN
32
23
5
9
AGAIN BORN
81
45
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
REBORN
81
45
9
8
RA OSIRIS
108
45
9

 

Page 152

" Of the nine pyramids at Saqqara, four are so badly damaged that whole sections of text are missing from certain walls. These four are the pyramids of Teti, Pepi I, Merenrer and Iby. The pyramids of the three queens of Pepi are also not in the best state of preservation, and they suffer, along with that of Iby, from the added disadvantage of being single-chamber pyramids and therefore lacking an inscribed antechamber. Their texts are thus not as representative as the other pyramids, which all have antechamber, texts. This leaves the greatest body of extant texts in the pyramid of Unas and the pyramid of Pepi II. Pepi II's pyramid is the largest and has by far the most utterances on its walls. But it has also sustained some damage, so the texts of this pyramid are incomplete. One might think that this is more than made up for by the greater amount of texts. The impression one gets, however, is that Pepi somewhat indiscriminately crammed as many texts as possible into his pyramid, often overriding earlier conventions as to the placement of utterances on walls oriented to one or another of the cardinal directions.

 

3
SOUTH
83
29
2
3
WEST
67
13
4
7
EAST
45
18
9
5
NORTH
75
30
3
15
Add to Reduce
270
90
18
1+5
Reduce to Deduce
2+7+0
9+0
1+8
6
Essence of Number
9
9
9

Page 153

We are left, then, with the pyramid of Unas, which is not only the best preserved but also the one pyramid for which we have a complete set of utterances.10 Unas's pyramid was also the earliest to have texts inscribed on its inner walls, and the placement of the texts seems fo follow a clearer intention than in the later pyramids.ll As we have already seen, there is evidence to suggest that the Egyptians themselves regarded the Unas texts, in contradistinction to the texts in the other pyramids, as having canonical status. In concentrating on this pyramid, we need not, however, ignore the others. Unas's pyramid probably served as the model or archetype of the later pyramids, which all emulated it in design and to a significant degree also in the thematic content of their texts. To enable the reader to pursue comparison between the Unas texts and those of the other pyramids, a list of utterances and their position in the chambers of their respective pyramids is given in appendix 2.2

 

 

10
PRECESSION
123
69
6
2
OF
21
12
3
3
THE
33
15
6
9
EQUINOXES
129
57
3
24
Add to Reduce
306
153
18
2+4
Reduce to Deduce
3+0+6
1+5+3
1+8
6
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

15
THE PYRAMID TEXTS
19
10
1
N
THE
33
15
6
-
PYRAMID
86
41
5
-
TEXTS
88
25
7

15

THE PYRAMID TEXTS
207
81
18
-
-
2+0+7
8+1
1+8

15

THE PYRAMID TEXTS
9
9
9

 

THISISTHESCENEOFTHESEENUNSEENTHEUNSEENSEENOFTHESCENEUNSEENTHISISTHESCENE

 

3
THE
33
15
6
5
GREAT
51
24
6
7
PYRAMID
86
41
5
2
OF
21
12
3
4
GIZA
43
25
7
21
Add to Reduce
234
117
27
2+1
Reduce to Deduce
2+3+4
1+1+7
2+7
3
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

-
PHARAOH + PYRAMID
-
-
-
7
PHARAOH
67
40
4
7
PYRAMID
86
41
5
14
PYRAMID + PHARAOH
153
81
9
1+4
-
1+7+1
8+1
-
5
PHARAOH + PYRAMID
9
9
9

 

 

3
RED
27
18
9
6
RITUAL
81
27
9

 

 

8
FUNERARY
108
45
9
6
BRIDGE
45
36
9

 

 

-
OSIRIS ISIS SET
-
-
-
8
OSIRIS
89
44
8
4
ISIS
56
38
2
3
SET
44
17
8
15
SET ISIS OSIRIS
189
99
18
1+5
1+8+9
9+9
1+9
6
ISIS OSIRIS SET
18
18
9
-
-
1+8
1+8
-
6
OSIRIS SET ISIS
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
8
NAMES OF GOD
99
45
9

 

 

3
RED
27
18
9
6
SET
44
17
8

 

 

6
OSIRIS
89
35
9
-
8 x 9
72
-
-
6
OSIRIS
89
35
9

 

 

SHAMANIC WISDOM IN THE PYRAMID TEXTS

THE MYSTICAL TRADITION OF ANCIENT EGYPT

Jeremy Naydler 2005

Page 201

"The Sarcophagus Chamber Texts

South Wall (Utts. 213-19)
(1) UTTERANCE 213: DEPARTING ALIVE

At the western end of the south wall, nearest to the sarcophagus, the priest addresses Unas with these words:

O Unas, you have not departed dead,
you have departed alive
to sit upon the throne of Osiris,
your 'aba scepter in your hand
that you may give orders to the living,
your lotus-bud scepter in your hand
that you may give orders to those whose seats are hidden
36

Page 202

As we have seen in chapter 3, this statement is usually interpreted as a pious denial of the reality of the king's death. However, not only is the king said to be sitting on the throne of Osiris, but he is also said to be grasping a scepter in either hand. The utterance clearly implies a kingship ritual, quite possibly a coronation ceremony, celebrated by the living king.
This ceremony involving the throne of Osiris and the grasping of scepters is said to enable the king to give orders on the one hand to "the living" and on the other hand to "those whose seats are hidden" -that is, the dead. The contrast between the living and the dead is so clearly stated that it would seem perverse to interpret the word living as meaning any­thing other than what the sentence suggests: namely, the living as opposed to the invisible dead, "who~e seats are hidden."37 Since the ability to give orders implies that the king is in some sense "present" in the domain in which his orders are given, we may assume that there is an inner, or mysti­cal, event that lies behind the king's taking up the throne of Osiris and the extension of his authority into the realm of the dead. This mystical event must surely be what is referred to in the sentence that appears at the begin­ning of the utterance:

O Unas, you have not departed dead, you have departed alive.

If this were any normal departure, there would be no reason to state so explicidy that the king was departing alive and not dead. It would seem that the destination of the king is the realm of .the dead, but he is journeying into it alive.
Journeys into the realm of the dead by the living form part of a long and universal tradition, attested to in a great many cultures all over the world. \Vhat is implied in such journeys is that the soul is capable of separating itself from the physical body and "traveling" independently of it. The experience of becoming aware of oneself in a consciousness independent of the physical body-what we would today call an out-of-body experience-is the first step in the process of cosmic ascent referred to in Platonic, Neoplatonic, and Hermetic mystical writings.38 It is also well attested in shamanism. Eliade has pointed out that one of the characteristics of shamans is that they "are able, here on earth and as often as they wish, to accomplish 'coming out of the body,' that is, the death that alone has power to transform the rest of mankind into 'birds'; shamans and sorcerers can enjoy the condition of 'souls,' of 'discarnate beings,' which is accessible to the profane only when they die."39 Eliade's reference to the soul's birdlike / Page 203 / This utterance concerning the "departure" of Unas therefore has both ritual and mystical elements. The ritual elements can be seen first in the reference to an enthronement ceremony in which the king's authority over the realm of Osiris is confirmed, second in the protection ritual, and third in the ritual circumambulation that the king enacted in order to secure his power over the realms of Horus and Seth. The main experiential counter­point to these rituals must have involved the projection of the king's con­sciousness into the realm of the dead. In shamanic terms, his soul journeys beyond the confines of the physical world.

(2) UTTERANCE 214: BECOMING A FALCON

In utterance 214, Unas's traveling soul is instructed to beware of a lake. It is perhaps a lake of fire in which the king must cleanse himself, for Unas is now instructed to purify himself:

Purify yourself!
for your bones are those of the divine falcons who are in the sky.
43

The transformation of the king's bones into those of falcons is a significant stage in the experiences that he is undergoing. The falcon is the form that the sun god Ra takes, and for the king to become transformed into a falcon is a magical act that ensures his inner identity with the solar principle. The falcon in this respect has the same role in ancient Egypt as the eagle in many shamanic traditions, in which the Supreme Being as solar spirit becomes manifest as a sun bird, which usually has the form of an eagle. The eagle is thus the most potent form for the shaman to assume, and it is as a soaring eagle that he rises up to the spirit world.44 The fact that both Ra / Page 204 / and Horus, with whom the king is identified, are conceived as falcons is an indication of this shamanic substratum of Egyptian religion. In the passage we are considering, it is not, of course, literally the king's physical bones that are transformed, but rather that the transformation he undergoes is so far-reaching that he acquires the same "celestial" body as the sun god Ra Thereafter, it is in the form of a falcon that Unas continues his spirit­journey to the stars (fig. 7.14 omitted).
The destination of Unas is indicated toward the end of the utterance, where it is stated that the "sun folk" call out to him and the "imperishable stars" raise him tip.46 Here we see that his destination is essentially a realm of light, conceived as linked both to the sun and to the "imperishable" northern stars that are visible all the year round. These two destinations­solar and stellar-are thus not alternatives to each other but rather equally, valid celestial images of the king's spiritualization.

Figure 7.14.(Omitted) The human soul takes the form of a human-headed falcon when journeying into the spirit world either in dream, death, or shamanic flight as described in utterance 214. Tomb of Arinefer, Thebes. New Kingdom.

(3) UTTERANCE 215: HEALING HORUS AND SETH, EMBRACED BY ATUM

"The third stage of this journey is described in utterance 215, in which the king heals the eye of Horus injured by Seth and restores to Seth his testicles, whicn Horus has torn out. Unas is able to achieve this healing of the two antagonists because he is embraced by the supreme god Atum, whose very being transcends all opposites.47 By healing the injuries these two antagonists / Page 205 / have inflicted on each other, the king is able to unite fully with the royal ka energy.48 It is as if the conflict of Horus and Seth has the effect of locking up and making unavailable this vital energy of the ka, holding back all further progress until a reconciliation is accomplished (fig. 7.15 omitted). The conflict of these gods can be understood as being waged on the divine, the psychic, and the physical levels: On the divine level it is a clash of the cosmic forces of generation and destruction; on the psychic level it is an objective psychic reality that lives within the human soul; and on the physical level it manifests in the antagonism within the landscape between fertile land and desert.
In the human being, Horus represents the aspiration toward spiritual insight founded on the integration of the energies of the soul, whereas Seth represents the drive of the primitive and elemental forces that-once unleashed-lead to psychic disintegration and spiritual blindness. The res­ olution of the conflict between these opposing principles in the king has significance both for the divine world and for the whole land of Egypt and its people,
because the king's status was such that the effects of his actions ramified througl1 the divine, the human, and the natural realms. Insofar as the ka energy of the king is released, the land itself is reinvigorated, and this, of course, was one of the objectives of the Sed festiva1.49

Figure 7.15. The reconciliation of Horus and Seth, as depicted in the
New Kingdom mystical text the Book of Gates, tenth division.

Along with the reconciliation of Horus and Seth, the other salient theme of the utterance is the embrace of the king by Atum and his being protected by Atum in his solar form as Ra-Atum. The latter ensures that Unas will not suffer from the adverse power of any of the gods, most signif­icantly Osiris, who "shall not claim your heart, nor have power over your heart."5o While it might be odd for a dead king to have to be protected from Osiris, with whom he is supposed to be conjoined at death, this passage reminds us that if the king is / Page 206 / living, then it is essential that he not fall wholly under the power of Osiris. The aim is rather to come into direct relationship with the transcendent godhead Atum in his solar aspect, thereby rising beyond the danger of falling into too close an identification with either Horus on the one side, Seth on the other, or Osiris in between.

(4) UTTERANCE 216: IN THE NIGHT BARK OF THE SUN

The next utterance (utt. 216), in the middle of the south wall, marks the end of the first phase of the king's journey. Unas declares:

I have come to you O Nephthys; I have come to you O Night Bark.51

Figure 7.16.(Omitted) A scene from the Sed festival of Amenhotep III, showing him traveling as Ra on the solar night bark with his queen. Tomb of Kheruef New Kingdom.

We know from reliefs in the New Kingdom tomb of Kheruef that king Amenhotep III undertook a ritual journey in the night bark of the sun god Ra as part of his Sed festival rites. This probably took place on a lake con­struct~d near his palace at Malqata, and was meant ritually to reinforce the reality of his solar rebirth and his identification with Ra. The text that accompanies the depiction of this event states that these rites were a revival of ceremonies that were very ancient and were enacted "in accordance with writings of old."52 Since the Pyramid Texts were composed over a thousand years earlier, it is quite possible that these were the "writings of old" that the ceremonies of Amenhotep IIIl's Sed festival were based on. In figure 7.16, we / Page 207 /see Amenhotep portrayed as Ra himself, with his queen beside him, travel­ing on the night bark. While this was enacted as a ritual, the Pyramid Texts seem to be describing something much closer to the actual inner experience that lay behind, and determined, the outer form of the ritual. 53

Figure 7.17.(Omitted) Orion, Sothis, and the southern constellations. Sothis (Sirius), the celestial form of Isis, is on the left; Orion (with whom Osiris was identified) is next to her with the three stars of Orions belt above him; the stars of the southern constellations are to his right and in the midst of them, apparently, the solar boat, its occupants depicted above it. From the ceiling of the tomb of Senenmut at Deir el-Bahri, circa 1473 E.C.

In the Unas text, it would seem that the king's identification with Ra at this juncture is to empower him as he descends into the dark netherworld (the Dwat). He prays that he may be remembered by Nephthys, whom he addresses as "She who remembers the kas," for he is himself about to be enveloped by the Underworld. Unas's entry into the Dwat is in the south­western sky, where he follows the decanal constellations of Orion and Sirius as they are swallowed up or "encircled" by the Dwat. The southern constellations were thought to be governed by Osiris because they disap­pear for seventy days, going through a symbolic death followed by a rebirth when they reappear again. The leader of the southern constellations was regarded as Orion, with which Osiris was identified (fig. 7.17). Just as the / Page 208 / southern constellations enter the Dwat when they disappear from view, so Unas will be "encircled" by the Dwat. But this experience of being encom­passed by the Dwat involves at the same time a process of purification in a mysterious region called the Akhet.

Orion is encircled by the Dwat, When, living, he purifies himself in the Akhet. Sothis [Sirius] is encircled by the Dwat, When, living, she purifies herself in the Akhet. Unas is encircled by the Dwat, When, living, he purifies himself in the Akhet.54"

 

5

AKHET
45
18
9

 

HORUS IS ON ON IS HORUS

HORUS ZION ZION HORUS

 

"Now, Akhet is usually translated as "horizon," but it should be understood as the place in which the king undergoes transformation into an akh, or "shining spirit."55 And this is the crucial expe(ience that is undergone here. It is the inward realization that one's essential nature is beyond the oppos­ing principles of Horus and Seth and stems from a higher transcendent source. Thus at the end of utterance 216, the king commits himself "to the arms of my father, to the arms of Atum."56
The experience of spiritual transformation in the Akhet is usually interpreted as belonging to ancient Egyptian beliefs about what occurs after death, but we know from New Kingdom sources that the Akhet was also regarded as a place where the living king was initiated. In his coronation inscription at Karnak, Thutmose In describes transforming himself into a falcon and then being taken up into the Akhet, where he communes with the sun god Ra, becoming infused with Ra's "akh power."57 This event was connected with the validation of the king's status as "son of Ra" (a tide that he bore from the Fourth Dynasty onward) and the accompanying role of the king as "priest of the sun."58 It is not hard to see the close parallel between what is described in the Thutmose inscription and the experiences detailed in the pyramid of Unas. In the case of Thutmose, however, there is no question as to the fact that the king is alive, for it is a coronation text. If such experiences as are described in the Pyramid Texts are also found in a coronation text and attributed to a living king, it follows that the Pyramid Texts are not necessarily simply funerary, and that what Unas is said to have undergone he may have undergone while still alive."

 

 

-
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
+
=
8
4+1
=
8
=
8
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
+
=
8
4+1
=
8
=
8
-
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
1
2
-
5
2
+
=
10
1+0
=
1
=
1
-
`-
1
11
-
5
20
+
=
37
3+7
=
10
1+0
1
-
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
`-
1
11
8
5
20
+
=
45
4+5
=
9
-
5
-
-
1
2
8
5
2
+
=
18
1+8
=
9
-
5
-
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
occurs
x
1
=
1
-
-
-
2
-
-
2
-
-
2
occurs
x
2
=
4
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
8
occurs
x
1
=
8
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
-
29
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
16
-
-
5
-
18
2+9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+6
-
-
-
-
1+8
11
-
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
7
-
-
5
-
9
1+1
-
1
2
8
5
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
7
-
-
5
-
9

 

 

5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
+
=
8
4+1
=
8
=
8
-
-
-
8
-
-
+
=
8
4+1
=
8
=
8
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
1
2
-
5
2
+
=
10
1+0
=
1
=
1
`-
1
11
-
5
20
+
=
37
3+7
=
10
1+0
1
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
`-
1
11
8
5
20
+
=
45
4+5
=
9
-
5
-
1
2
8
5
2
+
=
18
1+8
=
9
-
5
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
occurs
x
1
=
1
-
-
2
-
-
2
-
-
2
occurs
x
2
=
4
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
8
occurs
x
1
=
8
5
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
16
-
-
5
-
18
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+6
-
-
-
-
1+8
-
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
7
-
-
5
-
9
-
1
2
8
5
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
A
K
H
E
T
-
-
7
-
-
5
-
9

 

 

UNAS OSIRIS OSIRIS UNAS

ENTERS

A

SUN

 

(5) UTTERANCE 217: SOLARIZATION

"In the utterance that follows (utt. 217) it is affirmed: "You [Atum-Ra and the king] shall traverse the sky being united in the darkness; you shall rise / Page 209 / from the Akhet, from the place in which you have become akh."59 This statement is made four times in order to emphasize its importance. How are we to understand this "union in darkness" of the king and Atum-Ra? The union is occurring on the solar night bark in the depths of the Underwor!d, or Dwat. Here in these netherwotld depths, the king comes to the place of renewal, the Akhet, where he is infused with the powers of spiritual regeneration that the sun god taps each night. That which ensures the rebirth of the sun also ensures the rebirth of the king, for the king has become conjoined with the sun god. The king has become consciously con­nected with the self-regenerating energy of the sun god: He has become "solarized." Now, having incorporated into himself the solar energy of the sun god, he rises up from the Akhet as a "shining spirit"-an akh.60
The utterance describes how this event of the solarized king traversing the night sky with Atum-Ra is solemnly announced by Seth and Nephthys to the gods of the south, by Osiris and Horns to the gods of the north, by Thoth to the gods of the West, and by Horns to the gods of the east. Unas
has achieved the condition of "shining spirit," with power over life and, death.

(6) UTTERANCE 218: EMPOWERMENT

Utterance 218 amplifies the same point: The power of the solarized Unas is greater than that of Osiris, to whom the utterance is addressed. It is cosmic, it extends over the four directions, over the heavens, over the Underworld (referred to as the Lower Sky), and over the earth.61 Once again the repeated references to the king's power extending over those who are on earth militates against a funerary interpretation of this utterance. It is concerned, on the contrary, with an exaltation of his power while still . alive, as the next utterance unequivocally affirms.

(7) UTTERANCE 219: A LIVING OSIRIS

The texts of the south wall conclude at the east end with utterance 219. This consists of an affirmation that we have already had cause to discuss in chapter 3, both in relation to problems in the funerary interpretation of the Pyramid Texts and in relation to the episode in the Sed festival "secret rites" in which the king has a visionary encounter with twelve deities. Unas, now identified once more with Osiris, is said to "live." The affirmation is made twelve times to major deities such as Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, and so on, nearly all of whom appear before Osorkon during his Sed festival in the "secret rites" (fig. 3.4). It is then repeated twelve more times to twelve different manifestations of Osiris, beginning with Nunet, who / Page 210 / should possibly be understood as the the tomb personified.62 The same affirmation is thus repeated twenty-four times altogether. This drives home its message, which mirrors that of utterance 213 at the west end of the wall, where it is said that Unas has departed alive, not dead. Now, addressing each god in turn, it is reiterated that Unas is an Osiris, he is not dead, he lives, and furthermore he is not judged. The utterance begins by addressing Atum

:

A
T
U
M
1
20
21
13
 
2+0
2+1
1+3
1
2
3
4
A
T
U
M
1
2
3
4
A
T
U
M

 

 

A
T
U
M
-
R
A
-
A
R
-
M
U
T
A
1
20
21
13
-
18
1
-
1
18
-
13
21
20
1
1
2
3
4
-
9
1
-
1
9
-
4
3
2
1
A
T
U
M
-
R
A
-
A
R
-
M
U
T
A
1
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
-
A
T
U
M
-
R
A
-
A
R
-
M
U
T
A

 

 

-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
1
-
-
-
-
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
1
A
T
U
M
R
A
-
A
R
M
U
T
A
1
20
21
13
18
1
-
1
18
13
21
20
1
1
2
3
4
9
1
-
1
9
4
3
2
1
A
T
U
M
R
A
-
A
R
M
U
T
A
1
2
3
4
9
1
-
1
9
4
3
2
1
A
T
U
M
R
A
-
A
R
M
U
T
A

 

 

-
-
-
4
4
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
3
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
2
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
A
T
U
M
M
U
T
A
1
20
21
13
13
21
20
1
1
2
3
4
4
3
2
1
A
T
U
M
M
U
T
A
1
2
3
4
4
3
2
1
A
T
U
M
M
U
T
A

 

 

O Atum, this one here is your son Osiris,
whom you have caused to be restored that he may live. He lives-this Unas lives!
He is not dead-this Unas is not dead!
He is not destroyed-this Unas is not destroyed!
He has not been judged-this Unas has not been judged! He judges-this Unas judge
s!63


Each god is then addressed in exactly the same way, and the same formula is repeated word for word twenty-four times.
From a mystical or initiatory point of view, the text may be interpreted as stating that Unas, rather than coming before Osiris in his role of judge of the dead, escapes the fate of being judged altogether. In other words, it is just because his soul is not judged that he can be said still to be alive, with power over his own heart. 64 The utterance thus fulfills the promise of utter­ance 215, where we read,
Ra-Atum will not give you to Osiris, and he [Osiris] shall not claim your heart nor have power over your heart.65
It bears comparison with a similar statement in the pyramid of Teti, on the south wall of the passage between the sarcophagus chamber and the antechamber, where the king claims to "give judgment as a god" and says of Ra that
he [Ra] will never give me to Osiris, for I have not died the death.
I have become an akh in the Akhet.66

 

 

10
O
S
I
R
I
S
-
U
N
A
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
6
1
9
-
9
1
-
3
-
1
-
+
=
32
3+2
=
5
-
5
-
5
`-
15
19
9
-
9
19
-
21
-
1
-
+
=
104
1+0+4
=
5
-
5
-
5
10
O
S
I
R
I
S
-
U
N
A
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
3
-
1
-
+
=
13
1+3
=
4
-
4
-
4
`-
-
-
-
18
-
-
-
21
-
1
-
+
=
40
4+0
=
4
-
4
-
4
10
O
S
I
R
I
S
-
U
N
A
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
`-
15
19
9
18
9
19
-
21
14
1
19
+
=
144
1+4+4
=
9
-
9
-
9
-
6
1
9
9
9
1
-
3
5
1
1
+
=
45
4+5
=
9
-
9
-
9
10
O
S
I
R
I
S
-
U
N
A
S
-T
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
1
1
-
-
1
occurs
x
4
=
4
=
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
--
-
-
3
occurs
x
1
=
3
=
3
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
=
5
-
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
occurs
x
1
=
6
=
6
--
-
-
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
3
=
27
2+7
9
10
O
S
I
R
I
S
-
U
N
A
S
-
-
42
-
-
10
-
45
-
27
-
-
-
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4+2
-
-
1+0
-
4+5
-
2+7
10
O
S
I
R
I
S
-
U
N
A
S
-
-
6
-
-
1
-
9
-
9

 

OSIRIS UNAS OSIRIS

A

SUN

 

 

SHAMANIC WISDOM IN THE PYRAMID TEXTS

THE MYSTICAL TRADITION OF ANCIENT EGYPT

Jeremy Naydler 2005

Eliade has pointed out that one of the characteristics of shamans is that they "are able, here on earth and as often as they wish, to accomplish 'coming out of the body,' that is, the death that alone has power to transform the rest of mankind into 'birds'; shamans and sorcerers can enjoy the condition of 'souls,' of 'discarnate beings,' which is accessible to the profane only when they die."39

 

 

THE COSMIC SERPENT

James Narby

Page 54 / 55

"After multiple episodes, which would be too long to describehere, Harner became convinced he was dying. He tried call/ing out to his Conibo friends for an antidote without managing to pronounce a word"

Page 71

"At this point I remembered Michael Harner's story.

Had he not said that this information was reserved for the dead and dying"

 

 

 

THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN

Thomas Mann 1875-1955

Page 466

"Had not the normal, since time was, lived on the achievements of the abnormal? Men consciously and
voluntarily descended into disease and madness, in search of knowledge which, acquired by fanaticism, would lead back to health; after the possession and use of it had ceased to be conditioned by that heroic and abnormal act of sacrifice. That was the true death on the cross, the true Atonement."

 

8
NEFER TEM
86
41
5
8
I-EM-HETEP
81
45
9
4
PTAH
45
18
9

 

 

10
SHAT AM TUAT
124
25
7
10
SHAT EN SBAU
110
29
2
20
-
234
54
9
2+0
-
2+3+4
5+4
-
2
-
9
9
9

 

 

4
BOAT
38
11
2
2
OF
21
12
3
8
MILLIONS
103
49
4
2
OF
21
12
3
5
YEARS
68
32
5
21
-
251
116
17
2+1
-
2+5+1
1+1+6
1+7
3
-
8
8
8
2
RA
19
10
1
-
-
27
18
9

 

 

6
COMING
61
34
7
5
FORTH
67
31
4
2
BY
27
9
9
3
DAY
30
12
3
16
-
185
86
23
1+6
-
1+8+5
8+6
2+3
7
-
14
14
5
-
-
1+4
1+4
-
7
TO
5
5
5

 

 

13
HEAVEN AND HELL
111
57
3

 

 

3
THE
33
15
6
5
FIELD
36
27
9
2
OF
21
12
3
7
ELYSIUS
90
27
9
17
Add to Reduce
180
81
27
1+7
Reduce to Deduce
1+8+0
8+1
2+7
8
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

6
NETERS
-
-
-
-
N+E+T
39
12
3
3
E+R+S
42
24
6

6

NETERS
81
36
9
-
-
8+1
3+6
-

6

NETERS
9
9
9

 

 

6
RA-MERI
-
-
-
-
R
18
9
9
-
A
1
1
1
-
M+E
18
9
9
-
R
18
9
9
-
I
9
9
9

6

RA-MERI
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-

6

RA-MERI
64
37
1

 

 

7
IMHOTEP
86
41
5
5
ZOSER
83
29
2
7
MANETHO
76
31
4
6
DJOSER
71
26
8

 

 

9
ASKLEPIOS
107
35
8

 

 

6
IPUWER
92
38
2
9
SESOSTRIS
143
35
8

 

 

 
DIVINE PTAH
     
6
DIVINE
63
36
9
4
PTAH
45
18
9
10
DIVINE PTAH
108
54
18
1+0
-
1+0+8
5+4
1+8
1
DIVINE PTAH
9
9
9

 

 

REMEMBERING

OSIRIS

Number, Gender, and the Word in Ancient Egyptian Representational Systems

Tom Hare

1

999

THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO

Page185 /6

Among the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom, for example, is a majestic and terrible spell for "Becoming Magic";

O noble ones in the presence of Lord Atum,
Here am I, come before you,
Fear me, in accordance with what you know.
It is I whom the Sole Lord created before there were yet two things in this land,
When he sent forth his sole eye,
When he was alone, going forth from his own mouth,

When his million ka were there, protection for his retinue,
When he spoke with one who comes to being with him, over whom he rules,
When he took Hu upon his speech.
It is I who am the very son of Who-Bore-All, born before he had a mother,

And I am under the protection of the command of the Sole Lord,
It is I who give life to the Ennead,
It is I who act howsoever I like, father of gods, lofty of standard,
who make the gods effective in accordance with the charge of Who-Bore- All,
August god who eats and speaks with his mouth.
I am fallen silent,
I have bowed down,
I am come shod, a Bulls of the Sky,
I am seated, a Bulls of Nut, in this my dignity, Greatest of Lord of Kas, Heritor of Atum,
I have come.
I take my throne.
I gather unto me my dignity.
All is mine, since before you came to being, Gods.
Go down upon your haunches.
 I am Magic.

"O noble ones in the presence of Lord Atum, Here am I, come before you,"

"O noble ones in the presence of Lord 1234, Here am 9, come before 7,"

Page185 /6 Chapter 4

THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO

O noble ones in the presence of Lord 1234,
Here am 9, come before you,
Fear me, in accordance with what you know.
It is
9 whom the Sole Lord created before there were yet two things in this land,
When he sent forth his sole eye,
When he was alone, going forth from his own mouth,

When his million ka were there, protection for his retinue,
When he spoke with one who comes to being with him, over whom he rules,
When he took Hu upon his speech.
It is
9 who am the very son of Who-Bore-All, born before he had a mother,

And 9 am under the protection of the command of the Sole Lord,
It is
9 who give life to the Ennead,
It is
9 who act howsoever 9 like, father of gods, lofty of standard,
who make the gods effective in accordance with the charge of Who-Bore- All,
August god who eats and speaks with his mouth.

9
am fallen silent,
9
have bowed down,
9
am come shod, a Bulls of the Sky,
9
am seated, a Bulls of Nut, in this my dignity, Greatest of Lord of Kas, Heritor of 1234,
9
have come.
9
take my throne.
9
gather unto me my dignity.
All is mine, since before you came to being, Gods.
Go down upon your haunches.

9 am Magic.

 

1
I
9
9
9
4
HAVE
36
18
9
4
COME
36
18
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
I
9
9
9
2
HA
9
9
9
2
VE
27
9
9
2
CO
18
9
9
2
ME
18
9
9

9

-
81
45
9
-
-
8+1
4+5
-

9

-
9
9
9

 

 

15
HARMONIC CONCORD
19
10
1
N
HARMONIC
81
45
9
7
CONCORD
72
36
9

15

HARMONIC CONCORD
153
81
18
1+5
-
1+5+3
8+1
1+8

6

HARMONIC CONCORD
9
9
9

 

 

I

YOU

ME

GODS LOVE LOVE GODS

ALL CREATORS CREATORS ALL

 

 
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