BECOMING THE LIGHT - THE EGYPTIAN WAY

We are all living in the light. All life came forth from the activity of light on the elements of this planet, creating the conditions for the emergence of life in the smallest organisms. As subsequent advanced and highly complex creatures in the evolutionary stream, we humans continue to be maintained by this light.The Ancient Egyptians had a profound understanding of the nature of light and how one could live in the light, and furthermore, how one can become light. This article will explain their concept of light in both physical and metaphysical terms, and note its significance in their understanding of human life in our universe. To align ourselves with the Ancient Egyptian philosophical mindset we shall review some of its basic tenets.

      The first tenet pertains to their view of life and death. We moderns regard the afterlife, following  the death of the body, as a spiritual state that has a separate existence and final point. However, the Egyptians saw each individual life as a continuation of three states- the earthly existence, which was the start of the journey into the Duat, and which included experiences in the second stage of one's life, and the third stage which followed the final transformation of the individual into a 'Light Being' in the Cosmos. Thus an individual life was seen as a continuity over three dimensions, and furthermore, as a necessary agent in the continuity of the creation.

      The second basic tenet relates to their concept of  reality. The Egyptians lived with an awareness of a reality that is best described by the term imaginal reality. This reality is what is 'imaged' in your consciousness; it may be derived from the subconscious or from images obtained by contact with entities or events of another, non-physical world. It is not imaginative, for imagination is what you consciously or unconsciously create following the desire of your mind. 'For the Egyptians, the agencies and powers that can be reached through contact with the imaginal world are more potent than anything merely physical, because through them physical reality can be transformed', states Jeremy Naydler(2007,p.31).

      Robert Clake gives this realm further definition; 'The Egyptians knew this other reality was not basically physical... So, despite not being solid like the Earth, it nevertheless definitely existed and was just not a matter of belief or postulation with them. In fact, it was the way of life eternal and is the way was even more real than earthly existence'(2005,p.72).

       Stated in terms of the Theban cosmogony, the Creator was described as a Being (Amun) who was an unmanifest aspect of all existence, specifically a nameless, formless Being of Light that was the source of all that is manifest. So here we find light used to describe the nature of the Creator. Light describe the act of union between the spirit and matter in the act of manifestation. This Light pervaded two worlds, the spiritual, divine or heavenly world and that of the world of matter. At the human level this is what gives us self illumination or consciousness.

      Thus there existed a reverent feeling for the Cosmos as sheltering a spiritual world, a different kind of reality from the mundane world that we see with our physical sense. Geographically the Egyptians saw their life's journey as one life extending over  three periods; life on Earth(Ta), life in the netherworld (Duat), and life beyond that in Heaven(Pet). The transition proceeded from one phase to another. In the first phase , having served its time on Earth, a person's physical body ceased to function and its soul elements were released. This immaterial part then continued its life's experience in the Duat, which was the second phase. In the third phase the soul elements(soul personality), after being reborn as Akhs (shining lights or spirits),were then assigned to hold a place as gods among the imperishable stars, or to become servants of Ra in his daily journey through the upper and lower worlds, or to live as if they were living on Earth, but more pleasantly in the Field of Aaru. Each person's destiny, after life in this world of Daut, was to become a Light Being, a container and a giver of inner spiritual illumination. The experience were all of the same reality, but were at different level of consciousness. The Light was strongest in Pet, for Heaven was where they had come from and where the must return.

   Into this model we have to fit another concept, the Akhet, which, to Egyptians, was a transitional and transformational place or point in their destined journey. The root word Akh means one who is 'light' or 'shining'. The term Akhet, usually translate as 'horizon' because this was where the sun's light frist shone, was also a 'place' of spiritual transfiguration after one traveled from sunset to sunrise in the darkness of the Duat. Reaching this point at dawn indicated that one was ready, having survived the ordeals and joys of the Duat, to live in anew, spiritual world. It was the place where, or the moment when, the Light Being' was created.

      We can understand why the Pharaoh Khufu named his pyramid Akhet to represent his place of transformation. it may also tell us why Pharaoh Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten( Brilliant light of Aten) and why he called his city Akhetanten (Place of Light or Place of Transformation). Akhenaten's new solar manifestation of the original God Aten was made into Ra's most sentient aspect , the sun god's visible body or light energy. The cult of Aten centered on the worship of the life force and energy emanating from the sun. In time, the power of the god Aten and the pharaoh had himself become the source of celestial light.

    On a mystical level, and by his example, was he not trying to point out that he visible sun was the most obvious sign of the presence of his Light 'in potential' within everyone? We see the sun disc most of the day, and lose sight of it at night. However, it is our destiny to be in the eternal Light, to become an Akh-Being, combining all other spiritual components of the person to make real the potential Akh-Being. This would be the ultimate mystical experience unity with the divine.

     The Duat is normally invisible to us; when the body is dead, the immaterial elements continue life's journey through the Duat. It is a predominantly watery world, boggy, and topsy-turvy , a world inhabited by spirits. The human spirit must negotiate its way, and try to gain power over this world, with its own effort, and with some help from other spirits. The Duat is a spiritual dimension full of Beings- the dead, helping spirits, various gods, as well as formidable opponents who obstruct one's way. It present many challenges, for it is a dangerous world, and to negotiate it requires knowledge and skills, and some magical power.It is a place of purification, a necessary condition for the transformation to occur in Akhet.

    Mystics past and present have repeated that shifts of consciousness can transport us across different dimensions of reality. Such shifts were know and experienced by initiates of the mystery school in Ancient Egypt. In fact, priest-initiators were able to induce state of consciousness in neophytes to help them face the realities of the Duat and reach the Akhet stage and bring about their transformation into Akhs or Being of Light.

    To take one example, in the pyramid text of unas, utterance no 260, it is stated that after the pharaoh had participated in 'secret rite' in which his limbs underwent the Osirian dismemberment, rememberment and eventual rebirth, the pharaoh, with his limb reunited, went forth as an Akh or Living spirit'. Unas, presumably, knew that he was going to be one of the luminous, celestial Being after his initiation in his present life.

    In the New Kingdom Texts, the deceased, or a living candidate seeking initiation into the Egyptian Mysteries, proceeded through the Duat and absorbed the experience of the sun god, Ra, the source of Light,as he passed through the Netherworld. Every day Ra's Light diminished in the west, but illumined the darkness sufficiently to reach the breakthrough point at Akhet in the East, where he was reborn in all his glory as the god Khepri, recharged to resume his cyclic journey through the world above and below.

     Another example of bestowing the initiatory experience is found in the coronation inscription at Karnak where the living Pharaoh Thutmose III is depicted as '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. ' The connotation of the word Akh in the inner illumination as well as the primordial creative power. Used in the initiatory sense, the Akh might best be translated as 'an enlightened being". one whose consciousness has become open to the reality of the spirit world'(ibid.p.254)

   Akhs can meet each other in the other world, and even in the one at heightened levels of consciousness. Perhaps this is similar to a belief that enlightened mystics, easily bridging the various dimension of reality, can recognize one another wherever they meet.

    The journey through the Duat, as narrated in the New Kingdom is the Amduat and the introduces a further refinement of this transitional phase. The sun god, Ra, passes successfully through the twelve chambers of the Duat and on the completion of the twelfth chamber he is lifted up from the waters of Nun,reborn in the resplendent, shining state of Khepri. He is boldly to bring light upon a world that has been plunged into darkness through the night. There were the processes of Akhet. Every Pharaoh or initiate was expected to join and assist him on his night journey and eventually earn his right to take his place with the gods or serve in Ra's boat, as a co-worker in the maintenance of the creation.

    We may find thios Egyptian understanding of life in this universe of great value to us. To be Light Being means you are generator of Light. You cannot keep the Light to yourself. To the Egyptian, the stars spread across Nut's body were manifestation of the unseen inner Light beyond. Your main value in your earthly sojourn as a Light Being is to bring this starlight to shine on others and, in cooperation with the main source of Light, spread the Light all over the universe. After all, as a human, you have the responsibility to assist in the Creation, for the creation us an ongoing process, a process that begin when Light first broke through a dark, amorphous watery mass.

   If you were an Ancient Egyptian, you would not be happy to be just the receiver of Light. You would be living in the light and you would be yearning to be the light. Your entire journey on the three planes would reflect this purpose and your destiny.

   And that is the Egyptian way of living in the Light. that is how we can become the Light, even as we try to survive, semi-blind, in our present secular, materialistic culture that relentlessly detaches us from our true nature and leaves us in darkness,

EMPIRICAL PROOF AND BELIEF

       Belief can be a very frustrating experience. Most of the time we try and back up our belief with objective experiences that would tend to verify them, but sometimes they are simply blind faith, and in the absence of anything better, we hold onto them. We know we can't always rely on our senses, and especially with the view of the universe we have gained in recent decades from quantum physics.We know now that seeing is no longer necessarily believing. So what do we believe in, and how valid are our belief? Can we really go through life in such a state of doubt? How can we set any kind of meaningful course in life in the face of a reality that seems to change so often?

      Before empiricism, or proof, there is 'feeling', and feeling is what we need to rely on before we have empirical proof. From all the information we accumulate, we need to select that which feels right for us until such time as it can be empirically resolved. What is important is that we keep an open mind. It isn't always a question of believing or disbelieving. Often it should simply be a matter of being open-minded on any subject, even those whose truth has seemingly been demonstrated.

      Science has come a long way in demonstrating esoteric principles in the same experimental and measurable fashion as was once used only for material research. Empiricism is as valued in esoteric study nowadays as it is in scientific study. Mystic Order approach to esoteric study is in fact demonstration and experimentation.What cannot be demonstrated empirically must remain in the realm of speculation and theory, in other words belief. It does not have to be discarded any more than a scientist would discard a theory simply because it cannot be demonstrated yet. String theory cannot be proven yet,but the theory behind it is so elegant, beautiful and logical that the mere fact that it has not be proven does not mean it has to be discarded. Allowance must always be made by challenged one day by new evidence and new discoveries, and we must be open-minded in this regard always.

      Examine again some of the things you believe in simply on the basis of sheer faith. If their truth has not actually been demonstrated in your own experience, you are obligated to your own search for truth, and to reserve judgement on the faiths of others. Meanwhile, it is not good to live a constant state of disbelief, either. As there is do much we cannot know for certain at any given time, we get on with life through a system of belief derived from our feelings and from the best information available to us. T o believe is something is generally better than to believe in nothing, as long as psychologically we are always in a state of preparation for change.

FINDING YOUR MISSION

How can i determine my mission in life? How do i know what i'm supposed to do? I haven't the faintest clue. Will it come to me one day in a flash of inspiration ?


      This is a very common question. Almost everyone has at some point in life questioned what they should be doing. Such questioning is often the precursor to deeper, more existential questions which in due course leads one to at least a partial discovery of the answer to our main concern. So, let us give this a few minutes thought and analysis.

     First of all, we must remember that the knowledge we acquire is as a direct result of our daily experience and activities. As we interpret and assimilate these experiences and activities we form our particular character, the outer personality. But we are more than just an outer being, we are the manifestation of a soul..., specific, unique and never to be repeated..., which in turn is a partial expression of the universal Soul. The deepest and most permanent manifestation of our living  being, is the personality that the soul manifests in life, the 'soul personality'. This is the 'being within' we aspire to reach whether we are aware of it or not. It is a being of great refinement and supreme accomplishment; and it is more aware of the laws and principle governing our lives than anything we could ever know. The wisdom of the soul is not limited to any particular circumstance but provides the key with which we may interpret all situation that may arise. And it is also the key to discovering our mission in life.

    Our purpose or mission in life is first and foremost to fulfill our growing capacity for expressing the wisdom of the soul in our everyday affairs. Obviously, this implies 'right action'. Ask yourself: What is it that i really want from life? Most assuredly, your answer will include some form of action or activity. The inclinations of the soul personality, its talents and desires, will determine at the deepest levels which particular activity is most suited for us.The soul personality provides the guidance necessary  for us to express our outer personality(our character) to the greatest degree possible in any endeavor.

   Regardless of what course of action we choose, it is essential that it be one that we truly desire from the level of the soul personality, rather than from the much more changeable outer personality. And it must clearly be something we are well suited to undertake, or at least to be able to learn to master. Unless the outer personality is functioning in harmony with the wisdom and collective experience of the soul, the experience of life, while possible pleasing in the short term, will not lead to the experience that our deepest nature requires. what does our deepest nature 'require'? Clearly it requires what its karma mandates it must experience in order to grow and expand in spiritual awareness. And only this deepest part of ourselves can know therefore what is best for us and therefore what our main mission is life should be. Following any other course of action will be at best partially wrong or wasteful of the resources of the soul, but could also be catastrophic for the remainder of pour life.

   Therefore, by listening to the wisdom of the soul through meditation and attunement , we contribute to the fulfillment of our individual mission. It is the way is which we find our mission in life. Through the continued practice of listening to the Inner Master, and then acting accordingly, there emerges a pattern which is soon realized as the guiding force in our life. As this harmonious pattern rises to consciousness, so does our mission come into focus.

    No matter how suddenly the awareness of our mission occurs, and it may or may not occur as an intuitive flash, we may be sure that it has been developing long periods of time, from incarnation to incarnation.