TheTenKeys

AncientEgyptianRoots
ofthePrincipiaHermetica
Aegyptusimagositcaeli
byWimvandenDungen

"DoYounotknow,Asclepius,that
Egyptisanimageofheaven,or,
tospeakmoreexactly,inEgyptall
theoperationsofthepowers
whichruleandworkinheaven
havebeentransferredtoEarth
below?"
AsclepiusIII,24b.

I,KingPepi,amTHOTH,themightiestofthegods...
PyramidTexts,1237.

I,saidhe,amPOIMANDRES,theMindoftheSovereignty.
CorpusHermeticum(CH),LibellusI(Poimandres),Book1.2

"DoYounotknowthatYouhavebecomeaGod,
andsonoftheOne,evenasIhave?"
CH,LibellusXIII,14.

Abstract
Introduction
1Thementaloriginoftheworldandofman.
2Correspondingharmonics.
3Dynamicsofalternation.
4Bipolarityandcomplementarity.
5Cyclicrepolarisation.
6Causeandeffect.
7Gender.
8TheastrologyoftheOgdoad.
9ThemagicoftheEnnead.
10ThealchemyoftheDecad.
Epilogue:theAncientEgyptianMysteryTradition?
Bibliography
"ContentisAtum,fatherofthegods.
ContentareShuandTefnut.
ContentareGebandNut.
ContentareOsirisand[Isis].
ContentareSethandNeith.
Contentareallthegodswhoareinthesky.
ContentareallthegodswhoareonEarth,whoareintheflatlands.
Contentareallthesouthernandnortherngods.
Contentareallthewesternandeasterngods.
Contentareallthegodsofthenomes.
Contentareallthegodsofthetowns.
With this great and might word, which issued from the mouth of THOTH for Osiris, the
TreasurerofLife,Sealbearerofthegods,Anubis,whoclaimshearts,claimsOsirisKingPepi
...
HearOTHOTH,inwhomisthepeaceofthegods...
PyramidTexts,15211524&1465

THOTH

The

meaning

of

Thoth's

name

("DHwtii" or "Djehuti") is lost. He is

represented by the hieroglyph of the
Ibis on a standard (Ibis religiosa). In
Babylon,hewascalled"Tichut".Some
proposed"heofDjehout"(anunknown
city), but Hopfner (1914) believes
"DHw"wastheoldestnameoftheIbis
("hbj"). Thoth would then mean "he
who has the nature of the Ibis". As
early as the Pyramid Texts (ca. 2400
BCE), Pharaoh is said to be carried
overthecelestialriveronthewingsof
Thoth, considered to be the mightiest
ofthegods.

THOTH

From the early 3th century BCE, the

epithet "Thoth great, great, great"
("DHwtiiaA,aA,aA")isfoundatEsna
in Upper Egypt, whereas the
expression"Thoththegreat,thegreat,
the great" ("DHwtii pA aA, pA aA, pA
aA") is part of Demotic texts outside
Memphis, dating from the early 2nd
century BCE (cf. the Greek "Hermes
Trismegistos"). Other writings suggest
a link between Hermetism and the
cosmology of Hermopolis (and its
Ogdoad).

godofscribes,science,magic,time,
medicine,reckoning,cults,wisdom,the
peaceofthegodsandcompanionofMAAT
drawingbyStphaneRossini(1992)

Another,lesscommon,pictogramforThothwasthesquattingbaboon,whogreetedthe
dawningSunwithcriesofjubilation.

Abstract
ThereligionofAncientEgypthasbeenreconstructedbytheGreeks(intheHermetica),bythe
Abrahamictradition(intheirScriptures)andbytheWesternMysteryTradition(Hermeticism).
Butthesereconstructionsareflawed.TheHermeticteachingsincorporateanunEgyptianview
on the mysteries (stressing the mind at the expense of the body). The protagonists of the
revealed religions (Judaism, Christianity & Islam), as well as the initiators of Hermeticism,
were unable to read the hieroglyphs, and if they did, only allegorical, explaining the obscure
with more obscurity. Only the last two hundred years has a reliable historical reconstruction
becomeavailable,offeringabasichistoricalframework.
Not the Qabalah (Jewish or Christian), but the Ancient Egyptian Mystery Tradition (or
Kemetism) is the backbone of the Western Tradition. Instead of Hermeticism, a return to
Hermetism is invisaged. To approach Kemetism today, ten Hermetic principles are isolated.
Each is associated with a fundamental teaching found in Egyptian texts. This exercise is
possible because the Hermetica are rooted in the native Egyptian religion, albeit Hellenized.
TheauthorswereEgyptiansstillabletoreadthe"wordsofthegods".Inthisway,theWestern
Tradition may finally stretch its roots in perennial soil, first in Alexandrian thought and from

thereinthenativeEgyptiantradition,itsnaturalally.

Introduction
historicalHermetism:religiomentis
The influence of Ancient Egypt on Greek philosophy as well as the history of the rise of
Hermetism have been discussed elsewhere. These studies showed the presence of three
fundamentalphases:
1. nativeHermopolitantheology:asearlyastheOldKingdom(ca.26702198BCE),the
perennialworshipofthenativeEgyptianThoth,"themightiestofthegods",wascentered
inHermopolis("HermoupolisMagna").Althoughthecontentsofthistheologyisonlyknow
fromPtolemaicsources,"KhnumKhemenu","theEighttown"(alsocalled"PerDjehuty",
the "house of Thoth") existed in the Vth Dynasty (ca. 2487 2348 BCE) and was
associated with the Ogdoad or company of eight precreational gods (frog heads) &
goddesses (serpentheaded). A few of them were mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, but
thecompletelistisfirstmentionedintheMiddleKingdom(ca.19381759BCE).These
deities emerged from Nun (the primordial, undifferentiated ocean) and constituted the
soul of Thoth. They may also be understood as further characterizations of this dark,
unlimitedprecreationalrealm:AmunandAmaunet(hiddenness),HehandHeketorHuh
andHauhet(eternity),KekandKeketorKukandKauket (darkness), Nun and Nunet or
NunandNaunet(primordialchaos).Hermopolitantheologywillprovidetheframeworkfor
PtolemaicHermetism.OthertextualtracesofthisworshiparefoundintheCoffin Texts,
theBookoftheDeadandtheBooksoftheNetherworld,whereasintheLatePeriod(ca.
664 30 BCE), its theology was written down on the walls of more than one Ptolemaic
temple (ca. 332 30 BCE). Because Thoth was Lord of Time, he was associated with
astrology,inparticular when the astral science of Chaldea entered Egypt (at the end of
theThirdIntermediatePeriod,ca.1075664BCE)
2. historical Hermetism : or the identification of Thoth, "Thrice Greatest", with Hermes
Trismegistus,who,inhisphilosophicalteachings,isGreekandhuman(althoughEgyptian
elements persist), but who assumed, in the technical Hermetica, the cosmicity of the
nativeEgyptianThoth.ThetechnicalHermeticaareattestedunderthePtolemies,andthe
existence, in the first century BCE, of an Alexandrian multicultural Hermetic Lodge is
likely.Thephilosophicalsourcesarethe17treatisesoftheCorpusHermeticum,theLatin
Asclepius, the Armenian Hermetic Definitions and the Coptic Hermetica found at Nag
Hammadi,inparticularTheEighthandtheNinthSphere(CodexVI.6),whichalldatefrom
thefirstcenturiesCE.ItispossibletoseeHermetismasa"gnosticism"(for"gnosis",i.e.
directspiritualinsight,isallimportant).ButHermeticgnosticismisparticulartoimperial
Alexandrianculture,forthenotionofanevildemiurge(asinChristianGnosticism)isnot
present. Constituted by Egyptian, Greek and Jewish elements, Hermetism will influence
Judaism (the Merkabah mystics of the Jewish gnostics of Alexandria), Christianity
(Clement of Alexandria, the Greek Fathers, the "Orientale Lumen") and the Islam (the
HermeticstarworshippersofHarranandSufism)
3. literaryHermeticism:Renaissance Hermeticism produced a fictional Trismegistusasthe
Godhead of its esoteric concept of the world as an organic whole, with an intimate
sympathy between its material (natural) and spiritual (supernatural) components. This
view was consistent with the humanistic phase of modernism, which was followed by a
mechanization of the world and the "enlightenment" of the 18th century. These new
forces ousted all formative & final causes from their physical inquiries, and reduced the
fourAristoteliancategoriesofdetermination(material,efficient,formalandfinalcause)to
material&efficientcausesonly.Astrology,magicandalchemyweredeemedscientifically
backward&religiouslysuspect."Actioindistans"wasdeemedimpossible,andPaganism

wasSatanical.In1666,ColbertevictsastrologyfromtheAcademyofSciences(thecourt
astrologerMorindeVillefranche,15831656,wasconcealedbehindacurtainintheroyal
apartment at the time when the future Grand Monarque was born). In the nineteenth
century, under the influence of the morbid but exotical fancies of the Romantics,
Hermeticism became part of Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Theosophy and generalized
egyptomania (cf.Golden Dawn, Thelemism, Pyramidology,etc.).Todayitreturnsasthe
ideologicalcoreoftheexpandingNewAgereligion.
Beforethefirst,steadyinteractionsbetweenGreek&Egyptiancultureemerged(ca.670BCE),
the"Hermetic"particularitiesofLateNewKingdomhenotheisttheologywereinscribedonthe
Shabaka Stone and elucidated in its Memphite theology. This XXVth Dynasty (ca. 716 702
BCE) stone copy of an important Ramesside papyrus scroll, contained thoughts which look
remarkablylikethosedevelopedinthecontextsofthePlatonic,PhilonicandChristian"logos".
Morethanacenturyago,BreastedwroteregardingtheMemphitetheology:

"Theaboveconceptionoftheworldformsquiteasufficientbasisforsuggestingthatthelater
notionsofnousandlogos,hithertosupposedtohavebeenintroducedintoEgyptfromabroad
atamuchlaterdate,werepresentatthisearlyperiod.ThustheGreektraditionoftheorigin
oftheirphilosophyin Egypt undoubtedly contains more of the truth than has in recent years
been conceded. (...) The habit, later so prevalent among the Greeks, of interpreting
philosophicallythefunctionandrelationsoftheEgyptiangods(...)hadalreadybeguninEgypt
beforetheearliestGreekphilosopherswereborn..."Breasted,1901,p.54.
Indeed,theGreekwords"nous"("mind,thinking,perceiving")and"nos"("perceive,observe,
recognize, understand"), could be derived from the Egyptian "nu" ("nw"), "to see, look,
perceive,observe":
"Nu","nw"withD6,the
determinativeforaction
witheyes.
Keep
guard
over,
watch,
look,
tend,
guide,
care
for,
shepherd.
Incidentally, the adze
was used in the
"OpeningoftheMouth".

Ontheonehand,accordingtoStricker(1949),theCorpusHermeticumisacodificationofthe
Egyptianreligion.PtolemyISoter(304282BCE)andhissonPtolemyIIPhiladelphus(282
246 BCE) promised to publish the secret literature of the three groups of citizens of Egypt :
nativeEgyptians,GreeksandJews.Forhim,HermetismistheGreekversionofaredactionof
Egyptian literature. Its form is Greek, but its contents is Egyptian (the Septuagint being the
equivalent Jewish redaction). On the other hand, father Festugire (1945) claims the CH
containsextremelylittleEgyptianelements,exceptforthecontext,theideasexpressedbeing
those of popular Greek thought, a mixture of Platonism, Aristotelism and Stoicism ... Both
positionsareavoided.MostagreetheCHcontainsnoChristianelements(theoppositeistrue
cf.theinfluenceofPhilonicthoughtinparticularandAlexandrianphilosophyingeneralonthe
apostlePaulQuispel,1992).
Letusconjecturetheemergence,underthefirstthreePtolemies,ofaGreekelitistversionof
theEgyptianreligion,aGraecoEgyptianreligion,andthisamongtheuppernativeclasses(of
priest,scribes,administrators&highskilledworkmen).ThisGraecoEgyptianreligionwouldbe
based in Alexandria and Memphis, and (at first) entail a strong emphasis on the native

component. It emerged in the priestly scribal class and had its focus on Thoth, who created
theworldbymeansofhisDivinewords,inaccordwiththeverbaltraditionfoundingEgypt.For
theGreeks,Thothwas"Hermes,Trismegistos",indicativeofbothhisantiquityandgreatness.
Because of the important influence of the native intellectual milieu on the genesis of this
AlexandroEgyptian cultural form, "GraecoEgyptian religion turns out to be based on a
profound imbalance, in favour of the autochthonous, between its two constituent elements."
(Fowden, 1986, p.19). Zandee (1992, p.161) mentions a Hermetical text going back to the
thirdcenturyBCEandforPetrie(1908)atleastsomepassagesoftheCorpusHermeticumhad
to refer to the Persian period ... This feature proves to be essential in a possible thematical
reconstruction.
But,theHellenizationentailedbyusingtheGreeklanguageandparticipatinginthesyncretic
Alexandrianintellectualclimate(theMouseionandSerapeion),shouldnotbeunderestimated,
andmakesStricker'sproposalstoounlikely.ThesenativeEgyptiansmusthavebeenproudof
theirHermopolitan&Memphitetheologies(bothverbal&scribal),buteventuallyacceptedto
incorporate uncompromisingly unEgyptian elements in their Hermetism (like the popular
Greekdenialofthephysicalbody,evasivemysteriesandanelusive,vaguedescriptionofthe
afterlife).TheimportanceoftheNetherworldisnolongerfelt.
ManyotherGreekthemesaretobefoundintheCorpusHermeticum,showingFestugirewas
not completely wrong. In a study of Zandee published in 1992, the Egyptian influence was
confirmed,althoughbesidesthenegativeviewonthebody,healsoidentifiedthedepreciation
of the world, the celestial voyage of the soul (or mystical initiation cf. Mah, 1992) and
reincarnation as Hermetic teachings not to be found in Ancient Egypt. To this list could be
addedtheHermetic variant of the Greek mysteries and magical techniques aimed to compel
the will of the gods (impossible in Ancient Egypt). Indeed, the difference between Egyptian
initiation and Greek mysteries is pertinent (the attitude of the worshipper as well as the
responsivenessofthedeitiesdiffer).
We may argue that the technical Hermetica are rooted in perennial Egyptian traditions like
magic ("heka") and the "books of Thoth". It is probable that, at least insofar as medicine &
magic were concerned, this indeed was the case ? The philosophical Hermetica also share
certainfeatureswiththeEgyptianwisdomdiscoursesorinstructiongenre.
Hermetismisnota"Sammelbecken"(heterogeneousdoctrines),norasinglesynthesis,butan
autonomous mode of discourse, a "way of Hermes" (Iamblichus), more theological than
philosophical (like Plotinus, who compared to Plato was more religious than political) and
foremost(innumber)"technical":astrology,magic&alchemy.ThisGraecoEgyptianreligion
was influenced by three major players : the Greeks, the native Egyptians and the Jews. It
could define its own path precisely because of its roots in the Ancient Egyptian Mystery
Tradition,towhichmostofitsmembersadhered.Initsmaturestage,Hermetismmanifested
the religion of the mind ("religio mentis") of Mediterranean Antiquity. This Late Hellenistic
Hermetism would survive and eventually fire the European Renaissance and humanism. But
the"adfontes"principleofthelatteronlyreturnedtoLateHellenism.Antiquitywouldremain
unavailableforseveral centuries. Not unlike Spinoza's "amor intellectualis Dei", philosophical
Hermetism gave body to an intellectual love for the One, albeit in modo antiquo, and never
without magic & alchemy. In the 17th century, this technical side was left behind by the
Europeanacademia,whereasthephilosophicalHermeticabecamepartofHermeticismandits
variousbranches.
The"gnosis"ofHermetism(thesecretitsharedthroughinitiation)wasanecstasybornoutof
cognitiveactivities,involvingtrance,contemplation,ritual,musicandastrology.InHermetism,
astrologyservedasthebridgebetweenthepurelytechnicalHermeticamagic,medicineand
thetheological&philosophicalHermetica.Astrologywasconcernedwiththetimingofevents,
bothfestive,initiatoryorindividual.

"ItiscertainthattheHermeticshadnocult,withpriests,sacrifices,processionsandthelike.
Butthetextssuggesttheexistenceof(small)Hermetic'communities',conventicles,groupsor
lodges, in which individual experiences and insights were collectively celebrated with rituals,
hymnsandprayers."Quispel,1992/1994,p.15.
The Corpus Hermeticum and the GraecoEgyptian religion of which it was the chief extant
codification, was a spiritual way in its own right. Alexandrian Hermetism was a mixture of
Greek thought with genuine Egyptian religious traditions. Scholars have pointed to the
reverence for the creative word, the magical power of divine statues, the wisdom literature,
the bisexual nature of god, the one and the many, the Sun as creator, the cosmos as an
orderedwholeandalsonotedJewishcomponentsandimagery.Inthispaper,otherimportant
Egyptianthemeswillbeputforward.
thecoreteachingsofHermetism
Hermetic ontology distinguished between three spheres of being : God, the world (of the
Deities, minerals, plants & animals) and man. These were sympathetically interlinked (X.22
23),allowingustoglimpseHisgeniusinthesebeauties(V.18),Godisalsoconceivedasthe
creator of All rather than Himself the All (i.e. panentheism instead of pantheism), and
immanentismisnotexclusive.Hermetismtriedtorisefrom"episteme"towards"gnosis", i.e.
fromknowledgeaboutGod to knowledge of Him ("cognoscere Deum / cognitia Dei"). God is
best known and worshipped in the absolute purity of silence (as the Pythagoreans had
claimed,andtheAncientEgyptianshadstressedformillenniacf.HymnstoAmun).LikeLate
Ramesside Amuntheology, Hermetism was henotheist, but in a rational mode of cognition :
the One God was deemed essentially hidden (cf. the Nun) but manifest in "millions of
appearances"andDeities(cf.AtumReandtheEnnead).
HermestellsTat(XIII),that"thetent"or"tabernacle"oftheEarthlybodywasformedbythe
circleoftheZodiac(XIII.12&Ascl.35)anddominatedbyfate,who'sdecrees,accordingtothe
astrologers,wereunbreakable.Thesevenplanetsrepresentedthe"perfectmovements"ofthe
Deities, the unalterable "will of the Gods" as expressed in predictable astral phenomena.
Magicianstriedtocompelthiswill,whileHermetismdidnottrytoresistfate,butirreversibly
movedbeyondit.TheexistenceoftheDeitieswasacknowledged(theybelongedtotheorder
of creation and were the object of sacrifices and processions and the celestial Powers ruling
the astrological septet). Indeed, the Deities, Hermes and God were situated in the eighth,
ninthandtenthsphere(Ogdoad,EnneadandDecad).The"eighth"involvedpurification, Self
knowledgeandthedirect"gnostic"experienceofthe"Nous"as"logos",whereasinthe"ninth"
man was deified by assuming God's attributes, as did the Godman Hermes, in particular His
UniversalMind,theDivineNous,Intellector"soulofGod"(XII.9).The "tenth" or Decad was
GodHimselfforHimself.
InAncientEgypt,manandthepantheonhadneverbeendirectlyintouch.Firstly,becausethe
spiritofthedeitiesremainedforeverinthesky(thelightofthestars),andsecondlybecause
gods only converse with gods. The only exception was Pharaoh, the mediator between
mankindandthedeities,forhehimselfwasthesonofthecreatorgodReanddailyreturned,
by voiceofferings of truth & justice, the order of being back to its origin, hereby sustaining
creationandsealingtheunityofthe"TwoLands",namelyEgyptas"imageoftheworld".
InHermetism,man,themostgloriousofGod'screations,wasanimatedbyaDivinesparkand
wasthereforeinthedepthofhisbeingtrulyDivine(I.2,I.30&XIII.14).Inman,thedivide
betweenGodandtheworldwasbridged,andsotoawakenhimtohisownInnerBeing,was
thegoalofHermeticinitiation&ritual.EverymanandwomanisaDeity.
"Hermes:DoYounotknowthatYouhavebecomeofGod,andsonoftheOne,evenasIhave
?"
CH,LibellusXIII,14.

Ignorance crippled man (VII), and this is overcome by helping him to understand his true,
Divine nature, bringing him to know God and discovering his own Divinity (X.9). The crucial
choiceisthereforeachoicebetweenthe"material"world(ruledbythesevenPowersoffate)
and the "spiritual" Perfect Man, between the corporeal/visible and the incorporeal/invisible.
TheattainmentofSelfknowledge(exposuretothetrueSelf)isdescribedintermsof"rebirth"
("palingenesia" XIII), viewed as a bursting into a new plane of existence, namely the
"Ogdoadicnature",previouslyunsuspectedandpotential.
"Irejoice,myson,thatYouareliketobringforthfruit.OutoftheTruthwillspringupinYou
theimmortalbroodofvirtue,forbytheworkingofmind,Youhavecometoknowyourselfand
yourFather."
CH,LibellusXIII,22a.

Palingenesialiberatesthesoulandisareversalofphysicalbirth(whichimprisonedthesoulin
the body). This spiritual birth leads (thanks to the presence of a spiritual master and an
initiatory father/sonrelationship) to the soul's perfection through the knowledge of God, a
"baptism in intellect" (IV.34). In the process of purification and Selfknowledge, traditional
ritualsmayhavebeenused,butthehighermysteries(theHermeticinitiationproper)involved
a"mental"or"spiritual"sacrifice(I.31),theofferingofhymnsofpraiseandthanksgiving.The
ritualandthenoeticwerethusfullyintegrated.
Indeed,the"Nous",theDivineintellector"soulofGod",bindstogetherthehierarchyofGod,
theworld(oftheDeities,minerals,plants&animals)andman.Inparticular,"Nous"istheway
ofthehumansoultofreeitselffromthesnaresofthefleshandbeilluminatedbythe"light"of
the"gnosis",for indeed, God is experienced as light. A "good Nous" will be able to repelthe
assaults of the world. The spiritual master becomes a personification of this Divine intellect.
ThemasterbecomesonewiththeDivineNous("IamMind")intheinitiationofhisdisciple.In
Hermetism, this "Nous" is personified by Hermes Trismegistus, the Universal Mind of the
"highestPower"(situatedontheEnneadicplane).
theHermeticDivinetriad
InAncientEgyptiantheology,divinetriadswereusedtoexpressthedivinefamilyunit,usually
composedoutofPharaoh(theson)andadivinecouple(father&mother),legitimizinghisrule
asdivineking.PharaohAkhenatenhadintroducedamonotheistictriad(exclusiveandagainst
all other deities) : Aten, Akhenaten and Nefertiti. In Heliopolis, the original triad was Atum,
Shu and Tefnut, in Memphis, Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertem emerged, whereas Thebes
worshippedAmun,MutandKhonsu.ThetrinitynaturallydevelopedintothreeoroneEnnead.
InHermetictriadreadsas:
1. God,theUnbegottenOne,theessenceofbeing,theFatherofAllthe"Decad"
2. Nous,theFirstIntellect,theSelfBegottenOne,theMindorLightofGodthe"Ennead"
3. Logos, the "son" from "Nous", the Begotten One above the Seven Archons the
"Ogdoad".
TheOneEntityorGod(the"Tenth")isknowntoItscreationastheOneMindorHermeswhich
contains the "noetic" root of every individual existing thing (cf. Plato, Spinoza). This Divine
Mind (the attributes or names of the nameless God) allows all things to be sympathetic
transformations(adaptations,modi)ofGod.

LOGOS

Hermetism

The"logos"isa"holyword",comingforthfromthe
Light of the Divine Nous, the Ninth Sphere of
Being,situatedbetweentheDecadofGodHimself
and the Ogdoad of the blessed souls, fixed stars
andtheDeities.
(1)Decad:GodHimself
(2)Ennead: Divine Nous, Light, Godman Hermes
Autogenes
(3)Ogdoad:Logosor"sonofGod"
(4)Hebdomad:theSevenGovernorsoftheworld.

Hermetism is initiatory because it wants to elevate the soul to the level of its true Divine
nature.Palingenesiaisanascensionwhilealive.Rebirthimpliesmorethanjustaconfrontation
withtheGods(asinAncientEgypt),butatrueinteractionbetweenPerfectManandthanksto
thePresenceofMindGod.ThisinteractionleadstoatotalemergenceoftheDivinesparkin
manandhencetohisDeification(finallybeingcompletelyhisownDivineSelfandthushimself
"a God", a being permanently realizing the Enneadic nature (XIII.3,10 & 14). This highest
state may be attained in the afterlife, although the Ogdoadic nature may be realized while
aliveonEarth.
"ManisaDivinebeing,nottobecomparedwiththeotherEarthlybeings,butwiththosewho
arecalledGods,upintheheavens.Rather,ifonemustdaretospeakthetruth,mantrulyis
establishedaboveeventheseGods,oratleastfullytheirequal.Afterall,noneofthecelestial
Gods will leave the heavenly frontiers and descend to Earth yet man ascends even into
heavens,andmeasuredthem,andknowstheirheightsanddepths,andeverythingelseabout
themhelearnswithexactitude,and,suprememarvel,heevenhasnoneedtoleavetheEarth
to establish himself upon high, so far does his power extend ! We must thus dare to say :
EarthlymanisamortalGod,thecelestialGodisanimmortalMan.Andsoitisthroughthese
two,theworldandman,thatallthingsexistbuttheywereallcreatedbytheOne."
CH,LibellusX,2425.

TheHermetictriadcanbetracedbacktoEgyptiansourcesthus:
1. theonegodalone,preexistingbeforecreationastheprimordialoceanofNun
2. theselfcreativecreator(intheformofAtumRe),emergingoutoftheNun(hatchingout
ofhisegg)astheoriginofeverythingandthe"fatherofthegods
3. theunique"sonofgod"orPharaoh,whomediatesbetweentherealmofthedeities(sky)
andtherealmofhumans(Earth).
In this scheme, 10ontological layers, strata or realms are posited : OnesupernaturalDivine
triad("agennetos,autogennetos,gennetos")andSevennatural"powersoffate"or"archons".
HermetismisagnosticismbecauseitclaimsknowledgeofGodispossible.ToknowGodone
has to merge with Universal Mind, conveying a "special" light, causing a private and inner
illumination or "gnosis". The purified soul is absorbed into God and realizes its own Divinity.
Hermetism is a "way of immortality" (X.7). But as an AlexandroEgyptian gnosticism,
Hermetism did not introduce "evil" in the archons : God our Father is Good and His creation
(includingHisDeities)isbeautiful,thecrucialmoralchoiceisuptotheindividual.
"Forfromthee,theunbegottenone,thebegottenonecameintobeing.Thebirthoftheself
begotten one isthrough thee,giving birth to all begotten things that exists." Robinson, 1984,
p.294.

TheHermeticDivinetriadismodalisticandsubordinatesthehierarchyofbeing.God(10:the

Decad) is the first and ultimate level of existence, the One existing for Unity Alone (the
Absolute in its Absoluteness). God (the incomprehensible, unrevealable and unknowable
Father)isunborn,the"Logosautogenes"andthe"sonofNous"born.Whatthisiscannotbe
said(cf.apophasis:absolutesilence,notales).Hermes(9:theEnnead)isSelfbegotten(not
createdorgeneratedbyGod)andisthe"soul"ofGod,themodeofGod'sholdingtogetherHis
creation by Universal Mind (Nous) and Word (logos). The Begotten One (8 : the Ogdoad),
again a level lower, has no power of Selfgeneration, and is part of the process of time and
space (this "son" is the "world" or "logos" given by Hermes as master, teacher and father).
This level of the Perfect(ed) Human beings is higher than the Deities (or at least equal to
them).
TheSevenArchons,rulingfateandsubordinatedtosupernaturalcommand,arebeautifuland
good (demons may exists, but there is no evil God). That evil exists at all is due to man's
nature and his slavish prostrations before his physical passions & vices. Clouding his true
nature, these evils cause ignorance and make man subject to the fatal blows of the blind
planetaryforces,measuredbyastrologersandmanipulatedbymagicians.Ontheirown,both
astrologersandmagifailtoreachtheHermeticgoaloflife:"gnosis"oraninnerawakeningin
the light coming forth from God's Mind, i.e. an entrance in the supernatural strata of being
(theOgdoad,whichbordersthenaturalworld,andtheEnnead).
"{O my Father}, yesterday You promised me that You would bring my mind into the eighth
and afterwards You would bring me into the ninth. You said that this is the order of the
tradition."Robinson,1984,p.292.
Resisting fate binds one to fate. Only the Divine light of "gnosis" allows the soul to move
beyondnatureandabideinthesupernatural.Here,fatehasnohold,fortheGodsneverleave
theirheaven,and,asParacelsuswouldclaimcenturiesearlier:thewisecommandthestars!
literaryHermeticismandtheWesternTradition:afewhighlights
The earliest links made between Egyptian wisdom and Christianity appear in the writings of
ClementofAlexandria(150215),OrigenofAlexandria(185254)andAugustineofHippo
(354430).
"AsearlyasOrigen'sContraCelsus(I,28),weencountertheclaimthatitwasinEgypt,and
specifically as an adult laborer, that Jesus had learned all the magical arts with which he
worked miracles and on which he based his divinity. The tradition also occurred in early
rabbinicliterature,butitwasofcoursesuppressedinofficialChristianity."Hornung,2001,pp.76
77.

Indeed,Morton(1978)writes:
"The rabbinic report that in Egypt Jesus was tattooed with magic spells does not appear in
polemicmaterial,butiscitedasaknownfactindiscussionofalegalquestionbyarabbiwho
was probably born about the time of the crucifixion. The antiquity of the source, type of
citation, connection with the report that he was in Egypt, and agreement with Egyptian
magicalpracticesareconsiderableargumentsinitsfavor."Morton,1978,pp.150151.
The link between Egyptian wisdom, under the guise of Hermetism, Christianity and Islam is
alsopertinentandoftenforgotten.
"The mystical powers of Hermes exerted themselves far beyond the Pagan world of Late
Antiquity, transmuting medieval Christian and Islamic understanding of the relationship
betweenrationalknowledgeandrevelation."Green,1992,p.85.
Thisexplainswhy,whenArabtranslationsoverflowedEurope,Hermeticconceptscamealong.

"TheSabaeansinHarran,whowerewithoutasacredscriptureunderIslam,inordertocount
asa'peopleoftheBook',elevatedtheCorpusHermeticumintosuchaholybookintheninth
century, thereby contributing to the continued existence of Hermetic texts among the Arab
writers."Hornung,2001,pp.53.
ThefirstelementsofliteraryHermeticismwereprobablyintroducedinWesternEuropebythe
Knight Templars (an order initiated in 1118). This powerful organization would pass on "the
light of the Orient" to Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. Both drew on the translations of the
CorpusHermeticum,availableasearlyas1471,butalsoonalchemy,centuriesolder.
"ThefirstLatintextsonalchemyweretranslatedfromArabicinthe12thcentury,andincluded
theSeptemtractatusHermetisSapientiaTriplicisandtheLiberdeCompositioneAlchemiae of
Morienus. A leitmotif that occurs with respect of the Arabic and Latin alchemical texts is the
discoveryinanundergroundchamberorcryptofastelamadeofmarble, ebony or emerald,
withmysteriouswritingorsymbolsonit."Burnett,Ch(Ucko&Champion,2003,p.94).
theOrderoftheTemple
Jerusalem fell to the curved swords of Islam in 638 AD. In 1095, Pope Urban II decided to
incite the sovereigns of the West to recapture the city. He wanted to bring together the
Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman) strains of Christianity, a scandalous divide caused
byafundamentaldogmaticdifferenceaboutthenatureoftheHolySpirit(who,intheEastern
Church,doesnotproceedfromtheSonasintheFilioquistWest).In1099,theyearGodefroy
deBouillonofFlandersconqueredthecity,thePopedied.Itwouldberecapturedin1244.
According to Templar tradition, the Order of the Knights Templar was founded by Huges de
Payns,a48yearoldnobleman,andeightotherKnights.Theytooktheirvowsonthe12thof
June1118attheCastleofArginyintheCountyofRhne.ThenineKnightsweredevotedto
ChristandpledgedtoensurethesafetyofthepilgrimstoJerusalemandtheprotectionofthe
HolySepulchre.TheGrandMasterwasverysuccessfulandobtainedgiftsoflandandproperty
tostarttheorder.
By1129,theTemplarOrderwasestablishedinEurope.ThebattlestandardoftheOrder,the
Gonfalon Beauceant or Beauseant was a red eightpointed cross, the "Croix patte gueules",
onabackgroundofwhiteandblacksquares.Theirmottowas:NonnobisDomine,nonnobis,
sed Nomini Tua da gloriam. The seal of the Order was the design of two horsemen on the
samehorse,indicatingthevowofpoverty,thefraternityaswellasthedualroleofmonkand
warrior.
When Pope Honorius died in 1130, Bernard of St. Clairvaux supported the man who became
InnocentII,tothegreatadvantageoftheOrder,foreventuallyhisTemplarsweresubjectto
no authority save the Pope's. Their Order became a state within states and enjoyed
considerable freedom, endowed with incredible wealth. The purity of these ideals were
compromisedbythepoliticsoftheNearEast.Althoughtheinnerorderretainedtheideal,the
outerstructuresfailed.
This inner order had access to "heretical" knowledge. Hermetical doctrines taught them the
universe was conditioned by the laws of sound, color, number, weight and measure.
Impregnatedwiththe"OrientaleLumen",studyingthe"sciencesoftheMoors",JewishQabalah
& Muslim Sufism and helped by Arab translations, they were able to read unknown Greek &
LatinauthorsanddrinkfromthegrandreservoirofMediterraneanandHellenisticspirituality.
Eventually, new technologies were learned. These were introduced in the West, fertilized
Christian culture, transformed the architecture of churches & cathedrals and enlightened the
intelligentsia of their time. Hence, the Templar Order helped prepare the European
Renaissance...

In1312,duringaCouncilheldinVienne,PopeClementV,backedbytheKingofFrance(who
had been refused by the Order) abolished the Order of the Knights Templar. After this, the
Order lost central command, and various groups were created, like the Order of Montesa in
Spain(1317),theOrderofChristinPortugal(1319)andtheElderBrothersoftheRoseCross
inFrance(returningfromScotland).These"FrresAnsdelaRoseCroix"(1317)drewupa
newTemplarRuleadoptedbyacollegeof33men,renewedandmaintainedbycooption.
Templarsmadelinkswithtroubadours,alchemists,qabalistsandMuslims,inparticularcertain
Muslimbrotherhoods(thefloweringofSufism,themysticismofIslam,wasconterminouswith
theriseoftheKnightsTemplar).ItwasoneofthetasksofSt.BernardandhisTemplars,to
bringJudaism,ChristianityandIslamtogether,andinthisintentiontheysawtheworkofthe
Paraclete. Theyalso worked toallowthelattertomanifestinthisworldagainandstrovefor
the "Return of the Christ in Solar Glory". This was accepted by both Judaism (the coming of
the Messiah), Christianity (the "Parousia") and Islam (prophet Jesus, the "Word" of Allah,
returning to judge the world). Templars are called to sacrifice the selfish aspect of their
natures,sothespiritofChristmaymanifestintheminvictu.
theZohar
BeforetheentryoftheHermeticaontheEuropeanscene,Jewishgnosticismmadeitsmove.
IntheSepherZohar(BookofSplendor),the"classic"ofJewishmysticism,acommentaryon
the Torah is presented. Written in Aramaic, it was purported to be the teachings of the 2nd
century Palestinian Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai. During the time of Roman persecution, so its
legend relates, Rabbi Shimon hid in a cave for 13 years, studying the Torah with his son.
During this time, he is said to have been inspired by God to write the Zohar ... Around the
sametime,theCorpusHermeticumwascodified.
In the 13th century, a Spanish Jew by the name of Moshe de Leon (according to Graetz "a
baseanddespicableswindler") claimed to havediscoveredthetext,anditwassubsequently
publishedanddistributedthroughouttheJewishworld.Thisstrategyoffindingsocalled"lost
texts" would become a standard approach (only in the previous century would it make real
science,cf.theQumranscrollsandtheNagHammadilibrary).TheinfluenceoftheZoharwas
considerable, also on members of the Western Tradition. Eventually, its basic scheme, the
"TreeofLife",wouldbeviewedasthebackboneofWesternspirituality...
"...thelevelofabstractionreachedbycabalisticthoughtwasforeigntotheEgyptianmindset.
Nevertheless, in later esoterica, we constantly find a link between Egyptosophy and cabala,
andtheconnectionbetweenMosesandEgyptianwisdomtobefoundinmanyChristianwriters
isalsorelevanttoourtheme."Hornung,2001,p.80.
Unfortunately for the literalists, historian Gershom Scholem made clear de Leon himself was
themostlikelyauthoroftheZohar.Hehadforgeditsancientorigins.Amongotherthings,but
most importantly, Scholem noticed frequent errors in Aramaic grammar and its highly
suspicious traces of Spanish words and sentence patterns ! There is no real mention of this
book in any Jewish literature until the 13th century. Moreover, recent studies showed how
earlyqabalah(cf.SepherBahir,SepherYetzirah) was influenced by the Greeks, in particular
the mathematical mysticism of Pythagoras (the Sephiroth and the Greek Decad, numerology
and Merkabah mysticism Barry, 1999). It even contains elements of Egyptian thought,
introducingprecreationanddescribingitinidenticalnegativetermsashadtheEgyptians(cf.
Nunand"AinSophAur").
"...itissufficienttonotethatHebrewQabalistdoctrinesreachedtheirpinnacleofimportance
inJudaisminEuropeduringtheMiddleAges.Consequentlytheyalsohadahugeinfluenceon
Westernmagicaltradition,whichdrewheavilyonJewishesotericlore,andasasourceforthe
innergnosisoforthodoxChristianthought."Barry,1999,p.185.

Inthebestcasescenario,JewishmysticismcannotclaimrootsearlierthantheSecondTemple
andingeneraltheimpactofHellenism(HermetismandPhilonicthought)onJudaismhasbeen
largely underestimated by orthodox Jews. Rabbinical Judaism as a whole may well be the
productofaHellenisticinterpretationoftheavailablescripturalsources(bythemselvesposing
considerablehistoricalproblemsregardingauthenticity).
"Of the large number of Hebrew sacred writings, the canon of books that were eventually
selected for the Hebrew Bible, or 'Old Testament', as the Christians later called it, was only
establishedafterthefallofJerusalemtotheRomansin70CE,bysurvivingrabbisatJamnia
whowereanxioustopreservetheirreligionfromthecatastropheofthefailedJewishrevolt."
Barry,1999,p.175.

thefirsttranslationoftheCorpusHermeticum
"The thirteenth century saw a renaissance of pyramids and sphinxes. (...) the first western
representationofthepyramidsappearedinSanMarcoinVenice,buttheywerebelievedtobe
thegranariesofJoseph,andthusnotpartofanesoterictradition."Hornung,2001,p.83.
In Florence, a new Platonic Academy had been founded in 1459. It tried to resume the
traditions of the Athenian Academy closed by emperor Justinian in 529. Around 1460 CE,
Brother Leonardo of Pistoia broughtaGreek manuscript fromMacedoniatoFlorence.Cosimo
de' Medici was fascinated and asked his Plato expert Marsilio Ficino (1433 1499) to stop
translating Plato in order to look into these texts. In 1463, even before finishing his Latin
version of the works of Plato, he translated them, which took him only a few months. For
Fincino,theCHcontainedaphilosophyolderthanPlato's.
This Latin version of the Corpus Hermeticum was extremely influential, especially its first
treatise,thePoimandres,circulatinginmanycopiesbeforeitwaspublishedinTrevisoin1471
together with the other books as Liber de potestate et sapientia Dei (On the Power and
WisdomofGod).FincinoalsotranslatedtheOntheMysteriesoftheEgyptiansbyIamblichus,
andthelatter'sOperaomnia,publishedinBaselin1561.TheoriginalGreekversionoftheCH
waspublishedinParisin1554.

HermesTrismegistus
GiovannidiStefano,1488,DomSiena

When the Renaissance finally flowered over Europe, Hermes Trismegistos was already the
patronsaintofoccultknowledge,amythicalfigurecrowningliteraryHermeticism.
"In1612,G.Crosmannputthelikenessesofthetenmostfamousnaturalists,physicians,and
alchemistsinthebaywindowofthetownpharmacyintheoldHanseaticcityofLemgo.Here,
we find Dioscorides, Aristotle, Galen, and Hippocrates the sixth is the turbaned Hermes
Trismegistos,andthetenthisParaclesusabeautifulexampleofhowHermescontinuedtobe
treatedasahistoricalpersonage."Hornung,2001,p.91.
Freemasonry
IntherecordsofthecityofLondon,theterm"freemason"appearsasearlyas1375.Inthose
days, this referred to working masons permitted to freely travel the country at a time when
the feudal system shackled most peasants closely to the land. They gathered in groups to
work on large projects, moving from one finished castle or cathedral to the planning and
building of the next. For mutual protection, education, and training, they bound themselves
togetherintoalocallodgethebuilding,putupataconstructionsite,whereworkmencould
eat and rest. Eventually, a lodge came to signify a group of masons based in a particular
locality. The premier Grand Lodge was formed in England in 1717, the official date of the
organizationofthevariouslodgesandthestartofFreemasonryproper.
Although the style of Masonic ritual suggest Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Templar, Rosicrucian
andqabalisticorigins,nothinglessistrue.Ahistoricallinkcannotbeestablishedandgiventhe
factthatinthosedaysnoMasonwasabletoreadEgyptian,nodirectconnectionwithEgyptian
spirituality was available. Unmistakably, the Founding Fathers of Masonry incorporated
Egyptian symbols in their various rituals and grades, as every one dollar bill makes clear.
These archaisms prove the need of Freemasonry to root its teachings and practices in a
nonexistent, fictional historical past in order to give itself, its rituals and precepts an air of
antiquity. This is especially the case in the Romantic era, when exotic tastes became
fashionable. With Freemasonry, egyptomania no longer served isolated individuals & groups,
butfedtherulingclasses,whoweredesperatelytryingtocopewiththeantagonismsandlack
ofhumanityofemergentcapitalismandthereligiouswarsraginginEuropesincethedaysof
Luther(14831546).Freemasonryanditsfoundingmythwasdeemedthealternativeofthe
educated.TheGodofrevelationwasalsothe"GreatArchitect",andineverylodgeaBibleora
Koranwaspresent.Thistoshowthe"Godofthephilosophers"wasnotaprioriinconflictwith
theGodofrevelation.ButtheRomanChurchwasantagonistic,ascouldbeexpected.
As a system of personal growth within a closed community of kindred spirits, Freemasonry
survivedtothisday,dividedbetweenthosewhoacceptGodandthosewho do not, between
thosewhoseesymbolsasinstrumentsofgrowthandthosewhousethemasgatestooccult
regions of the universe, etc. However, its basic humanistic outlook is warranted by the
existence of atheist Masons, recruiting among politicians, academics, journalists, lawyers,
judges, welltodo artists and the captains of industry. Masonry has become (or has always
been?)conservativeandopaque.Itsnontransparantandnondemocratic(military)features
may run against nonstrategic, open communication, which is the foundation of social
economicaljusticeandequality.Sociologically,Freemasonryismoreofaninterestgroupthan
a spiritual organization, although some lay claim to precisely the opposite. As none of the
original Egyptian teachings were available to its Founding Fathers, Masonry, in order to
accommodatethenewtimesahead,isboundtobereformed.
theRosicrucianOrder
As a system of belief, Rosicrucianism came to the notice of the general public in the 17th
century. In the two Rosicrucian Manifestoes, a mysterious personage called "Christian
Rosenkreutz"ismentioned.Butaccordingtolegend,thesymbolismoftheRoseandtheCross
was first displayed in 11th century Spain. During a fierce battle against the Moors, an

AragoneseKnightnamedAristasawacrossoflightintheskywitharoseoneachofitsarms.
AmonasterytocommemoratehisvictorywaserectedandtimelateranOrderofChivalrywith
the emblem of these Roses and the Cross founding the monastery. The Rose and the Cross
appearedinthebannerofRaymondVI,CountofToulousewhenhetriedtodefendtheCathars
againstthearmiesofPopeInnocentIII.Itwasintheformofacross,describedas"degueules
la croix et pommette d'or" ("gueule" means "red", derived from the Arabic "gul", which
means"rose").TheemblemoftheCrosswiththeredRoseinthemiddlesquarebecamethe
emblemoftheRosicrucianmovementanditsmanyorders,lodgesandsocieties.
IntheFamaFraternitatis(orLaudableFraternityoftheRosyCross),ChristianRosenkreutzis
saidtohavejourneyedtoDamascus,Damcar,EgyptandFez.Hemetthoseinpossession of
"secretteachings".HesynthesizedthebestoftheseteachingsandwenttoSpain.Finally,he
returnedtoGermanyandchosethreemenwithwhomhefoundedanorder,meanttoinstruct
its members in the knowledge he had obtained in the Middle East. So the typical founding
myth goes. After the publication of the Manifestos, the Rosicrucians influenced the culture of
WesternEurope.
Rosicrucianism developed along two lines, on the one hand, the scientists, intellectuals and
reformersinthesocial,politicalandphilosophicalfields(likeDescartesandBoyle)and,onthe
other hand, those (like Fludd, Dee, Comenius and Ashmole) concerned with occultism and
mysticism (cf. the distinction between philosophical and technical Hermetica). In France,
Rosicrucianism had a revival climaxing in the early 19th and the first years of the 20th
century.EspeciallyMartinezdePasqually(17271774),LouisClaudedeSaintMartin(1743
1803)andPapus(18651918)arenoted.
theGoldenDawn
In 1865, and Englishman named Robert Wentforth Little founded an esoteric society, the
Rosicrucian Society in Anglia. Membership was limited to Master Masons. When Little died in
1878, three men took over, a retired medical doctor, William Woodman (1828 1891), a
coroner, Wynn Westcott (1848 1925) and Samuel Liddell "MacGregor" Mathers (1854
1918),who,asayoungman,spentmuchofhistimeintheBritishMuseum,workingthrough
piles of dusty manuscripts. He translated three Medieval magical texts : The Greater Key of
King Solomon, The Kaballah Unveiled and The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the
Mage.
In 1887, so the story goes, Westcott received from Reverend Woodward, an elderly parson
andauthoronFreemasonry,asetofciphermanuscripts.Heaskedtheclairvoyantandinspired
Mathers to assist him (one legend says both men forged the document, in another Westcott
founditonabookstallinFarringdonStreet,andinyetanotherthedocumentwasinherited).
BothmenfoundthecodeofthecipherwascontainedinaworkofTrithemius,theinfluential
SteganographiaextolledbyJohnDee(15271608),theElizabethanscholarandastrologerof
Queen Elisabeth I. It concerned "angelmagic" and Dee had secured a copy of it in Antwerp.
They uncovered skeletons of rituals and Mathers expanded them. Together they started the
GoldenDawn(GD),asecretVictoriansocietyaimingtoharbortrueRosicrucianismandallow
its members to accomplish the Great Work. A complete system of ritual magic based on the
history of Western occultism was practiced. In contrast with the Masonic policy of the
Rosicrucian Society, the order admitted women members as equals. Its members were
recruitedfromeverycircleoflife.
In these rituals, Egyptian, Jewish, Greek & Christian elements were combined. However, the
combinationofthesevarioustraditionsledtodepletion.Aspiritualtraditionisasstrongasitis
pure, i.e. devoid of notions, ideas, concepts, symbols, beliefs, rituals etc. foreign to it.
Althoughsyncretismmaybeintellectually satisfying, it hinders spiritual emancipation. This is
certainly true if the elements combined are very different, as is the case here. Because

MatherswasunabletoreadEgyptiantexts,hecouldnotmakethecrucialdistinctionbetween
the Egyptian approach and the Hellenistic view (incorporated in Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
HermetismandHermeticism).NeithercouldheisolatethenativeEgyptianelementspresentin
historical Hermetism. By nevertheless incorporating Egyptian deities (in particular the Osiris
cycle),theGDwalkedthepathofegyptomania.
AleisterCrowley
Aleister Crowley (1875 1947) entered the GD in 1898, introduced to the order by George
CecilJones(18731953).Theinfluenceofthis"HermeticOrder"shapedhislife.Hecontinued
to ferment the teachings of the GD until he died. In fact, he considered himself and his
ThelemicOrderoftheSilverStartobeitslawfulheir.
The problems between Crowley and the Adepts of the order started in December 1899 (the
firsttimehemetMathers),i.e.bythetimehehadtakenhisPortalgrade,thepreliminaryto
thecrucialAdeptMinordegree.When,inSeptember1900,heappliedtobeadvancedtothe
levelofAdepthood,theCollegeofAdeptsrefused.
TheydislikedCrowley,hisattitudesandwayoflife.Someofthemprobablydidnotbelievean
adept should drink, have fun, fornicate and raising hell with enthusiasm. His scandalous
reputationwonthedisapprovalofhisseniors,whowereintheirrighttorefusehim.So,inthe
same month, Crowley went to Paris, and was initiated in the Ahathoor Temple by Mathers
himself!BetweenParisandLondonadeepschismhadbeeninthemakingandnowtensions
trulyexploded.
When the London adepts heard Mathers had initiated him, the breach was complete. When
applyingforthelectureshewasnowentitled,hewasagainrefusedandphysicallythrownout.
To Florence Farr, Yeats and many others, Crowley was an outcast, an opportunist who had
endangered the link with Mathers. He promptly notified Mathers and the latter arranged a
meetingwiththe"rebels"inLondon.CrowleyactedasMathers'plenipotentiary,andtoprotect
himself,dressed up in the garb of Highland chieftain, concealing his face with a heavy black
mask. Clearly Mathers had been a poor judge of characters, raising lunatic power freaks to
Adepthood...
The GD did not recover from the insanity and within a few years became a dispersed
organization,withseveralTemplesconductedbydifferentgroupingsofmen,eachappointing
theirownChiefs.WaitekepttheIsisUraniaTemple,butin1914hecloseditdown.
Next,Crowleyinventedhisownegyptomanicmovement.InCairoin1904,the"minister"ofRe
dictatedanewrevelationtohim,the"BookoftheLaw"!Crowleybecamethe"prophet"ofthe
NewAgeofHorus!ThetwomajorEgyptiandeitiesheincorporatedweretheskygoddessNut
andHorusofEdfu("Hadit").HadheknownthecultsofAncientEgyptwellenough,hewould
haverealizedtheyhadnorevelationordogma,andcertainlyno"holy"books(forhieroglyphic
writing itself was sacred). Was Crowley's "law" a concoction of his own power driven
subconscious mind ? In 1909, he called in the "demon of demons" and turned Satanic. The
psychosishadbecomeirreversible...
Do these highlights show the scope of the phantasies, fictions and lies incorporated into the
WesternTraditionsincethestartoftheRenaissance?Indeed,toidentifythebackboneofthis
Tradition with the Qabalah was the outstanding mistake prompted by the fraud of Moses de
Leon. This has perturbated thousands of excellent minds, causing them to constantly replay
theirownillusions,andloose,unlikeRabbiAkiba,afterenteringthe"gardenofdelights",their
sight,reasonorfaithinGod.
"Theimpedingturnofthemillenniumnourisheshopesofanewspirituallightforhumankindin
theaspirationsofmany.Egyptwillsurelyplayaroleinsuchdevelopmentsinbothitsforms:

pharaonic Egypt and the esotericHermetic Egypt. There has been increasing talk of the
relevance of the Hermetic Weltanschauung as a point of view that can contribute to making
sense of our modern world by seeking a direct connection with the original wisdom of the
oldest cultures and with the core idea of all esoteric thought, according to which the ancient
wisdom continues to be valid even in a world that has been transformed." Hornung, 2001,
pp.200201.

Kemetism
Canwetodayturnthepage?Canaspiritualmovementemergewhichfocusesonathematical
reconstructionofAncientEgyptianspirituality,andthisbasedontheevidenceofcontemporary
science regarding Ancient Egyptian religious practice in general and its basic ritual matrix in
particular ? Several individuals work along those lines, coupling study with ritual practice
(Hope,1986,Schueler,1989,Clark,2003,Draco,2003).
In such a "Kemetic" reconstruction, no Jewish, Greek, Hermetic, Christian or Hermeticist
elements should persist. Is this really possible, and if so, is such spirituality indeed the true
backbone of our Western Tradition ? The advantage being the isolation of a tradition
untouchedbywhattodaymaybecalled"foreignelements".
Such an exercise is not easy (not to speak of the contextual limitations of any author). For
HermetismdidretainpartsoftheEgyptianMysteryTradition,andinalesserdegree,thesame
goes for Hermeticism, and yes, even for the revealed religions, Christianity first. The
thematicalreconstructionsoughtisapproachedintwosteps:
1. theinfluenceofEgyptianspiritualityonAlexandrianHermetism
2. theformofthebasicmatrixofnativeEgyptianreligion.
Inthispaper,thefirststepisdealtwith.ThesecondwillonlybetouchedintheEpilogue.In
thefollowingtenparagraphs,westudytenbasicnotionsofHermetism(inotherformspresent
inthemixofHermeticismandinthe"mystical"traditionsofthereligions).Wetrytofindtheir
AncientEgyptianequivalent"inembryo":
mentalism:thegods,theworldandhumanityaretheoutcomeofDivinethought
correspondence:thesamecharacteristicsapplytoeachunityorplaneoftheworld
change:nothingremainsthesame,everythingvibrates,nothingisatrest
polarity:everythinghastwopoles,therearetwosidestoeverything
rhythm:allthingshavetheirtides,riseandfall,advanceandretreat,actandreact
cause&effect:everythinghappensaccordingtolaw,thereisnocoincidence
gender:maleandfemaleareineverybodyandmind,butnotinthesoul
timing:everythinghappenswhenthetimeisripe,thingsstartattherighttime
intent:natureworksaccordingtoapurposefulplan,purewillmastersthestars
transformation:everythingcanbetransformedintosomethingelse,oppositesmeet.
In earlier studies, the special cognitive features of Ancient Egyptian thought, language &
literature have been explained. Grosso modo, these imply the difference between rational
thought,initiatedbytheGreeks,andanterationality.Thelatteristhemodeofthoughtofpre
GreekAntiquityandofsocietiesuntouchedbythelinearizingstreakoftheHellenes.Beforethe

adventofrationality,threemodesofthoughtprevailed,asPiaget,geneticalepistemologyand
neurophilosophy made clear. These are mythical, prerational and protorational thought, in
whichtheAncientEgyptiansexcelled.ClearlyHermetismwascodifiedusingGreekconceptual
rationality (giving birth to the influential systems of Plato and Aristotle). Hence, if we try to
correlatetheseconceptswiththeirnativeEgyptianequivalent,thiscognitivedifferencehasto
betakenintoaccount,andthemultiplicityofapproachescharacterizingEgyptianthoughthas
to be made an integral part of the equation. So because of this crucial difference, in all my
translationsofEgyptiantextsandcommentary,termsrelatedtotheDivinearenotcapitalized
(i.e. god, gods, goddess, goddesses, divine, and pantheon), while in Hermetism and all
rationaldiscoursestheyare.Thisinaccordwiththecontextualizingfeatureofanterationality,
while rationality always puts context between brackets, and by doing so articulates an
abstract,theoreticalconceptoftheDivine.

Thothasthescribeoftruth
PapyrusofTaukheritXXIthDynastyca.1075945BCE.

1Thementaloriginoftheworldandofman:Ptah.

ShabakaStone:LINE48:"thegodswhomanifestinPtah"
beginningoftheMemphistheologyca.710BCE.

PyramidTexts,1100.

"Indeed, the lips of Pharaoh Merenre are as the Two Enneads. This Pharaoh is the Great
Speech."
PyramidTexts,1100.

"ThetongueofthisPharaohPepiisthepilotinchargeoftheBarkofRighteousness&Truth."

PyramidTexts,1306.

"There comes into being

inthemindtherecomes
into being by the tongue.
(It is) as the image of
Atum!
Ptah is the very great,
who gives life to all the
gods and their kas. It all
in this mind and by this
tongue.
Horus (as mind) came
into being in him (Ptah)
Thoth (as tongue) came
intobeinginhimasPtah.

Line53

Life power came into

being in the mind and by
the tongue and in all
limbs, in accordance with
the teaching that it (the
mind) is in all bodies and
it(thetongue)isinevery
mouth of all gods, all
men, all flocks, all
creeping
things
and
whatever lives thinking
whatever the mind (of
PtahasHorus)wishesand
commanding
whatever
the tongue (of Ptah as
Thoth)wishes!"
Memphis Theology, lines 53
54

"Godisnotdevoidofsenseandthought,asintimetocomesomemenwillthinkheisthose
whospeakthusofGodblasphemethroughexcessofreverence."
CH,LibellusIX,9.

"Mind,mysonTat,isoftheverysubstanceofGod,ifindeedthereisasubstanceofGodand
of what nature that substance is, God alone precisely knows. Mind then is not severed from
thesubstantialityofGod,butis,sotospeak,spreadeverywherefromthatsource,asthelight
oftheSunisspreadfarandwide."
CH,LibellusXII,1.

"...Mind,theFatherofall,hewhoisLifeandLight,gavebirthtoMan,aBeingliketoHimself.
Inmen,thismindis{thecauseofDivinity}.Hence,somemenareDivine,andthehumanity
ofsuchmenisneartoDeity..."
CH,LibellusI,12.

"GodisnotMindthen,butthecausetowhichMindowesitsbeing."

CH,LibellusII,13.

"But if You have the power to see with the eyes of the Mind, then, my son, Hewillmanifest
himself to You. For the Lord manifests Himself ungrudgingly through all of the universe, and
YoucanbeholdGod'simagewithyoureyes,andlayholdonitwithyourhands."
CH,LibellusV,2.

"...itisasthoughtswhichGodthinks,thatallthingsarecontainedinHim."
CH,LibellusXI,20.

Sources:PyramidTexts,ca.2348to2205BCE,ShabakaStone,ca.710BCE,CorpusHermeticum,ca.
100BCE270CE.

TheuniverseisamentalcreationofTheAll.
InHeliopolis,thesupremecreatorgodisconceivedasadifferentiatingtotality("tm"orAtum)
emergingoutofaninfiniteseaofpossibilities("Nun"),inAlexandria,itisaUnityproducinga
Decad.
By thought & speech, Ptah conceives the world "in the image" of Atum. The Egyptian
distinctionbetweentheprecreationaltotality(Nun>Atum)andthe"heartandtongue"(Ptah)
ofthedivine,returnsinHermetismastheunknowableDecadofGodandtheEnneadicLightof
the Divine Nous. In Hermetism, this Divine Nous is autogenous, while in Egyptian thought,
Atumis.

MENTALISM

Egyptian
thought

Hermetism

(1) Nun : everlasting, undifferentiated ocean of

inertia
(2) Atum : autogenous origin of the totality of
order
(3)Pantheon:activeforcesfashioningcreation
(4)HorusPharaoh:thedivineonEarth.
(1)Decad:GodHimself
(2)Ennead:autogenous,creativeDivineNous
(3)Ogdoad:DivineLogosfashioningcreation
(4)Hebdomad:forcesrulingtheworld.

Both Memphis and Alexandria underline the importance of the spoken and written word.
Already in the Old Kingdom, Pharaoh was the Great Speech and his magic powerful, and
dreaded, even by the deities. But in Late Ramesside Memphite theology, Ptah was the true
primordial "god of gods", superceding Atum, in who's "image" (of totality) the universe was
created (as demiurge), and establishing the supremacy of the divine word and speech.
Memphitetheologyisexplicit:everythingwasmadebyPtah'smindandspokenwords.
Likewise, in Hermetism, the Divine Logos is the "son of God" coming forth from the Light of
theDivineNous,theteacherwho,notunliketheoneevokedintheMaximsofGoodDiscourse,
giveshispupilaccesstotheDivineNous,adirectexperience(gnosis)oftheGodmanHermes.
The idealist notion of the universe as a mental creation of The All, making all mind, being
typical for Hermetism. The fact this teacher is "Ogdoadic" and not "Hebdomadic" (as was
Pharaoh), may refer to the Greek escape from fate and the physical world (whereas the
Egyptianssawthedivineatworkinallplanesofcreation).

Themagicalpowerofwordsisacknowledgedbybothtraditions.Magicinvolves the power of

efficiency (effectiveness) and the ability to counter every possible inertia and opposition,
executingintenttoitsfullcapacity.
EspeciallyPharaohisthe"GreatMagician",whoisable,likethegods,tocreatebymeansof
speech.Healonewasthe"sonofRe",divineandabletoencounterthedeitiesfacetoface.His
voiceofferings to Maat ensured the continuity of creation. By speaking the right words, the
wholeofcreationcouldberejuvenated.Likewise(butonanotherontologicallevel),the"sonof
God", the Ogdoadic teacher, brings the pupil directly in contact with the Enneadic Light of
Nous.
Also soteriologically, speech was allimportant. In Egyptian funerary literature, judgment
depended upon the lightness of the heart ("ib"), and those who had abused their tongues
made their hearts heavier than the feather of truth. They would see their names ("rn")
annihilated,theiressenceobliterated.
The parallels drawn do not allow for an identification of both traditions, as major category
shiftsoccur.Indeed,togetherwiththerejectionofthephysicalbodyn(cf.infra),mentalismis
anoutstandingfeatureoftheHermetica.Nevertheless,in the overall semantic patternmajor
points overlap. The mentalism of Hermetism was not implanted on the native Egyptian
intellectuals part of the Hermetic lodge "from above", but could make use of the available,
longstandingverbaltraditionofEgypt,linearizeand"perfect"itinGreekstyle...

2Correspondingharmonics:Maat.

PharaohSetiIofferingMaat
afterAbydostempleXIXthDynastyca.12901279BCE.

"May You shine as Re, repress wrongdoing, cause Maat to stand behind Re, shine every day
forhimwhoisinthehorizonofthesky."
PyramidTexts,1582.

"Collectwhatbelongstotruth,fortruthiswhattheKingsays."

"Collectwhatbelongstotruth,fortruthiswhattheKingsays."
PyramidTexts,2290.

"ThussaidAtum:Tefnutismylivingdaughter,andsheiswithherbrotherShu.'LivingOne'is
hisname,'Truth'ishername.Ilivewithmytwochildren,Ilivewithmytwotwins,beingin
their midst, one near my back and the other near my belly. 'Life' lies down with 'Truth', my
daughter,onewithinmeandtheotherbehindme.Istandupbetweenthem,theirarmsbeing
aboutme."
CoffinTexts,spell80,32.

"...yourfoodisMaat,yourdrinkisMaat,yourbreadisMaat,yourbearisMaat.Theoilofyour
head is Maat, the clothing of your body is Maat, You inhale incense in the form of Maat, the
breatheofyournostrilsisMaat."
RitualoftheDailyCult,Moret,1902,p.141.

"ORe,generatorofMaat,itistohimthatweofferher.PlaceMaatinmymind,sothatImay
makeherrise to your Ka, for I know You live by her and that it is You who has created her
body."
TombofNeferhotep,Davies,plate37.

"... all things are one, and the One is all things, seeing that all things were in the Creator
before he created them all. And rightly has it been said of Him that He is all things, for all
thingsarepartsofHim."
AsclepiusI,2a.

"Thusmortalthingsarejoinedtothingsimmortal,andthingsperceptiblebysensearelinked
to things beyond the reach of sense but the supreme control is subject to the will of the
Masterwhoishighaboveall.Andthisbeingso,allthingsarelinkedtogether,andconnected
onewithanotherinachainextendingfromthelowesttothehighestsothatweseethatthey
arenotmany,orrather,thatallareone."
AsclepiusIII,19c.

"DoYounotknow,Asclepius,thatEgyptisanimageofheaven,or,tospeakmoreexactly,in
Egyptalltheoperationsofthepowerswhichruleandworkinheavenhavebeentransferredto
Earthbelow?"
AsclepiusIII,24b.

"There are these three then : God, Cosmos and Man. The Cosmos is contained in God, and
man is contained in the Cosmos. The Cosmos is the son of God, man is son of the Cosmos,
andgrandson,sotospeak,ofGod."
CH,LibellusX,14b.

"There is communion between soul and soul. The souls of the Gods are in communion with
those of men, and the souls of men with those of the creatures without reason. The higher
have the lower in their charge Gods take care of men, and men take care of creatures
without reason. And God takes care of all for He is higher than all. The Cosmos then is
subjectto God man is subjecttothe Cosmos the creatures withoutreasonare subject to
man and God is above all, and watches over all. The Divine forces are, so to speak,
radiations emitted by God the forces that work birth and growth are radiations emitted by
theCosmostheartsandcraftsareradiationsemittedbyman."
CH,LibellusX,22b.

"ThatwhichisBelowcorrespondstothatwhichisAbove,andthatwhichisAbovecorresponds
tothatwhichisBelow,toaccomplishthemiraclesoftheOneEntity."
TabulaSmaragdina,2.

Sources:PyramidTexts,ca.2348to2205BCE,CoffinTexts,ca.19381759BCE,RitualoftheDaily

Cult,thetempleSetiIatAbydos(ca.12901279BCE)&BerlinPapyrusofthecultAmunandMutat
Karnak, East Thebes, first part of the XXIIth Dynasty (ca. 945 800 BCE), Tomb of the Official
Neferhotep(Theban N50), ca. 1319 1307 BCE, Asclepius, ca. 270 CE, Corpus Hermeticum, ca. 100
BCE270CE,TabulaSmaragdina,ca.100CE,PapyrusofAni,ca.1250BCE.

Theuniverseisnotacollectionofdisjectamembra,butanorganicwholeheldtogetherbythe
lawoflife(Shu)andtruth(Tefnut/Maat),servingtheorderoflight(Atum).Thiscosmicityof
creationisrepresentedbyMaat,the"daughterofRe",adeitysimultaneouswiththeuniverse,
and a personification of the law of dynamic equilibrium between all units of creation. The
purpose of creation being the dynamics of moving equilibriums within the margins of a
recurrentcycle,perpetuatedforever(cf.eternitywithineverlastingness,the"neheh"timeof
Atuminthe"djed"timeofNun).
InHeliopolitanthought,theEnnead"inthesky"caresforthe"10th"orHorus"onEarth",the
latterbeingtheoverseeingqualityofthe"greathouse"orPharaoh,thedivine"nesu"orking,
the unity of the Two Lands. By offering Maat to his father Re, the king guarantees the
blessingsofthegodsandthesurvivalofthecreatedorder,alwaysonthevergeofcollapsing
back into the chaos of Nun. In himself, the divine kings assembles the whole of nature, and
keepsthebalancewithinthemarginsoftruth&justice.

"Saidhe(Anubis)thatisinthetomb:
'Payattentiontothedecisionoftruth
andtheplummetofthebalance,accordingtoitsstance!'"

PapyrusofAni,Plate3earlyXIXthDynastyca.1250BCEBritishMuseum

InHermetism,theharmony,agreementorcorrespondencebetweenallplanesofmanifestation
are acknowledged. As everything in the universe emanates from the same source, the same
laws apply to each unity or combination of units. In this approach, planes, or groups of
degreesofmanifestationaredistinguished,andthesecanbetracedbacktoAncientEgyptian
conceptions.

CORRESPONDENCE
Egyptian
thought

Hermetism

(1)theprecreationalplane:Nun
(2)thespiritualplane:Atum
(3)thementalplane:thePantheon
(4)thephysicalplane:Pharaoh.
(1)theprecreationalplane:theDecad
(2)thenoeticplane:theEnnead
(3)thelogoicplane:theOgdoad
(4)thephysicalplane:theHebdomad.

InHeliopolitanthought,allthingsemergewithAtumoutofNun,andsocreationisdivine.In
the Platonic conception, before God created, ordered (geometrized) the world, the elements
preexisted in a state of chaos and formlessness. The world of ideas are the eternal forms of
the Good. In Egyptian thought, the Ennead of Atum (the series of 8 deities headed by the
autogenitor),are"divinegenerations"whoshapetheconditions(space&moist),thestructure
(sky and Earth) and the drama of the universe (the Osiriscycle). In physical reality, Horus
Pharaohuniteseverypartofcreation,forheisboth"ofthesky"andalive"onEarth",botha
godandahumanbeing.Thisdualnatureallowshimtomediatebetweenhigherandlowerand
to inspire the deities to take care of Egypt, for he alone is able to "offer Maat" and satisfy
AtumRe,thesupremecreatorgod.

3Dynamicsofalternation:Re.

PectoralofTutankhamun'sThroneName
"LordoftheTransformationsofRe"
XVIIIthDynastyca.13331323BCE.

"IamKheperainthemorning,Reatthetimeofhisstandstill(culmination),andAtuminthe
evening."
TheLegendofReandIsis.

"PharaohWenis'lifetimeiseternalrepetition.Hislimitiseternalduration."
PyramidTexts,412,CannibalHymn.

"When You ascend from the horizon, my scepter will be in my hand as one who rows your
bark,ORe."
PyramidTexts,368.

"Whenheissluggish,nosesclog,
everyoneispoor.
Asthesacredloavesarepared,

amillionperishamongmen.
Whenheplunders,thewholelandrages,
greatandsmallroar.
Peoplechangeaccordingtohiscoming,
whenKhnumhasfashionedhim.
Whenhefloods,Earthrejoices,
everybellyjubilates,
everyjawbonetakesonlaughter,
everytoothisbared."
HymntoHapy,XII,1.

"The movement of the Cosmos itself consists of a twofold working life is infused into the
CosmosfromwithoutbyeternityandtheCosmosinfuseslifeintoallthingsthatarewithinit,
distributingallthingsaccordingtofixedanddeterminedrelationsofnumberandtime,bythe
operationoftheSunandthemovementsofthestars.(...)Theprocessoftimeisregulatedby
afixedorderandtimeinitsorderedcourserenewsallthingsintheCosmosbyalternation.
All things being subject to this process, there is nothing that stands fast, nothing fixed,
nothing free from change, among the things which come into being, neither among those in
heavennoramongthoseonEarth.Godalonestandsunmoved..."
AsclepiusIII,30.

"TheCosmosalsoiseverexistent,butitexistsinprocessofbecoming.Itiseverbecoming,in
that the qualities and magnitudes of things are ever coming into being. It is therefore in
motion, for all becoming is material movement. That which is incorporeal and motionless
worksthematerialmovement..."
CH,LibellusX,10b.

"Everythingthatexists(materially),issubjecttochange..."
Stobaeus,ExcerptXI,aphorism9.

Sources:PyramidTexts,ca.2348to2205BCE,LegendofReandIsis,ca.1200BCE(XIXthDynasty),
HymntoHapy,ca.19381759BCE(XIIthDynastyorMiddleKingdom),Asclepius,ca.270CE,Corpus
Hermeticum,ca.100BCE270CE,StrobaeiHermetica,ca.500CE.

Inbothtraditions,theSunwasallimportant.TheEgyptiansidentifiedthediskoftheSun(the
Aten)with thevisible aspect ofthecreatorgod AtumRe. The Hermeticssaw theSunas the
creatorofallgoodthingsandtherulerofallorderedmovement(cf.thecyclesoftheplanets).
These and other diurnal and annual cycles, underline the constant change and the restless
condition of creation. The movement of the Sun is an example of change itself, for Re is
constantly (re)transformed. He is a beautiful youth at dawn and an old man at dusk. He is
rejuvenatedduringthe6thHouroftheNight(cf.theAmduat).TheviewofEgyptasasymbol
of endurance is true, but only if by it is meant, adaptation to continuous, eternal cyclic
process. In spiritual terms, this implies a return to the first time ("zep tepi") when Atum
createsallthingsforeverandever(namelyanentryintohiseternityineverlastingness).
Lightisapowerfulmetaphor.ThevibrationoftheradiationemittedbytheSunisnotconstant,
neither is the light of the scintillating stars. Dawn and dusk unveil the splendors of vibrating
colors.Variouslevelsofvibrationareobservedandbywayofthisimage,upperandlower,the
sky and the Earth, macrocosmos and microcosmos may be seen as a differentiated organic
whole, with various strata of vibrations interacting with each other and forming layers of co
relativerates.Theplanes of reality are planes of vibration, so many differentiations between
spirit(sky)andEarth.OnlyPharaohliveshislifeonallplanes:heisaphysicalincarnationof
Horusandthe"sonofRe"andsodivine.IntheHermetica,onlyHermes,theDivineNoushas
proximitytotheDecad,theessenceofGod,unity.

ThepoweroftheSunandtheotherstarsistheoriginofthelifeoftheuniverse. This is the

movementoftheCosmos"fromwithin".NunandAtumarethemovement"fromwithout",the
possibilityofrejuvenationofallthings,Reincluded(cf.theAmduat).
The Nile with its annual inundation was another crucial (Sothic) process. Every year Egypt
herselfwastransformed.Largestretchesofwaterwouldcoverthelandanditwouldseemasif
the primordial waters had come back. In most major temples, the Nile would enter the
hypostyle hall with its high pillars (with founding myths inscribed on its high walls) and so
recreatethemythicsceneofthefirsttime.Thesanctuarywithits"sanctumsanctorum",built
on a height, would remain dry and symbolize the effect of the presence of the soul of the
deity,makingtherisenland("tatenen")escapethewaters.Toomuchwaterwoulddevastate
the area and cause famine (too little had the same effect). The margins of the balance (of
Maat)hadtoberespected,orthewholeofEgyptwasin serious trouble.When thesewaters
withdrew,fertileblacksiltwasleftbehind(cf."kmt",or"black"land).EveryyearinmidJuly
this Sothic cycle started again with the Heliacal rising of the star Sirius, linking stellar and
Solarphenomenawiththislifebearingagricultural,andfestiveevent,the"goodNile"givenby
thegodstoPharaohbecauseofthelatter'sofferings,inparticularMaat,i.e.truth&justice,to
hisfatherRe,andbydoingsolinkingupallphenomenaofnature.

CHANGE

Egyptian
thought

Stability is continuous change, the

endless repetition of the cycle of Atum
Re, his continuous, ongoing creation on
the first occurrence ("zep tepi"), the
beginning of time hidden in the
everlastingnessofthevast&inertwaters
of Nun. Also : the endless diurnal and
nocturnalcycleofRe.

Hermetism

All things being subject to change, there

isnothingthatstandsfast,nothingfixed,
nothing free from change, among the
things which come into being, neither
amongthoseinheavennoramongthose
onEarth.Godalonestandsunmoved.

Those who see Ancient Egypt as an outstanding example of stability, endurance and
everlastingnesshavetorealizethe"DjedPillarFestival"wasaculticcelebrationofthesymbol
and power of stabilityrepeatedeveryyear. Indeed, it was held annually in Egypt and was a
timeofspiritualrejuvenationforeverybody.Thepriestsraisedthe"djedpillar"onthefirstday
of "shemu" (the season ofharvest on the Nile). The people then paid homage to the symbol
andconductedmockbattlesbetweengoodandevil.Oxenweredrivenaroundthewallsofthe
capital, honoring the founding of the original capital, Memphis, the "white walls". With the
harvest,thephysicalproofofEgypt'sendurancehadbeengiven...

4Bipolarity&complementarity:HorusversusSeth.

HorusandSethpectoral
DashurXIIthDynastyca.19381759BCE.

"Tosay:HailtoYou,Ladderofthegod!HailtoYou,LadderofSeth!Standup,Ladderofthe
god ! Stand up, Ladder of Seth ! Stand up, Ladder of Horus, whichwas madeforOsiris (so)
thathemightascendonittotheskyandescortRe!"
PyramidTexts,971.

"I, Pharaoh Wenis, ascend on this ladder which my father Re made for me. Horus and Seth
takeholdofmyhandsandtakemetotheNetherworld."
PyramidTexts,390.

"OPharaohTeti,HorushascomethathemayseekYou,hehascausedThothtoturnbackthe
followersofSethforYou,andhehasbroughtthemtoYoualtogether.Hehasdrivenbackthe
heartofSethforYou,forYouaregreaterthanhe.Youhavegoneforthinfrontofhim,your
natureissuperiortohis..."
PyramidTexts,575576.

"OOsirisKingTeti,mountuptoHorus,betakeyourselftohim,donotbefarfromhim.Horus
has come that he may recognize You. He has smitten Seth for You bound, and You are his
fate.HorushasdrivenhimoffforYou,forYouaregreaterthanhe..."
PyramidTexts,586587.

"IsishasreassembledYou(OsiristheKing),theheartofHorusisgladaboutYouinthisyour
nameof'ForemostoftheWesterners',anditisHoruswhowillmakegoodwhatSethhasdone
toYou."
PyramidTexts,592.

"Tosay:AwakeforHorus!AriseagainstSeth!"
PyramidTexts,793.

"Geb commanded that the Ennead gather to him. He judged between Horus and Seth he
ended their quarrel. He installed Seth as King of Upper Egypt in the land of Upper Egypt, at
theplacewherehewasborn,inSu(nearHerakleopolis).AndGebmadeHorusKingofLower
Egypt in the land of Lower Egypt, at the place where his father was drowned, which is the
"DivisionoftheTwoLands" (near Memphis). Thus Horus stood over one region, and Seth
stood over one region. They made peace over the Two Lands at Ayan (opposite Cairo). That
wasthedivisionoftheTwoLands.
ShabakaStone,lines79.

"ThenHorusstoodovertheland.Heistheuniterofthisland,proclaimedinthegreatname:

Tenen, SouthofhisWall, Lord of Eternity. Then sprouted the two Great in Magic upon his
head.HeisHoruswhoaroseasKingofUpperandLowerEgypt,whounitedtheTwoLandsin
theNomeofthe(White)Wall,theplaceinwhichtheTwoLandswereunited.Reed(heraldic
plantforUpperEgypt)andpapyrus(heraldicplantforLowerEgypt)wereplacedonthedouble
dooroftheHouseofPtah.Thatmeans:HorusandSeth,pacifiedandunited.Theyfraternized
so as to cease quarreling wherever they may be, being united in the House of Ptah, the
'BalanceoftheTwoLands'inwhichUpperandLowerEgypthadbeenweighed."
ShabakaStone,lines13c16c.

"...andtheSunisthebegetterofallgood,therulerofallorderedmovement,andgovernorof
the seven worlds. Look at the Moon, who outstrips all the other planets in her course, the
instrument by which birth and growth are wrought, the worker of change in matter here
below. (...) Note how the Moon, as she goes her round, divides the immortals from the
mortals."
CH,LibellusXI,7.

"Allbodiesthenofwhichthecomingintobeingisfollowedbydestructionmustnecessarilybe
accompaniedbytwomovements,namely,themovementworkedbythesoul,bywhichbodies
aremovedinspace,andthemovementworkedbynature,bywhichbodiesaremadetogrow
andtowasteaway,andareresolvedintotheirelementswhentheyhavebeendestroyed.Thus
Idefinethemovementofperishablebodies."
Stobaeus,ExcerptIVA,3.

Sources:PyramidTexts,ca.2348to2205BCE,ShabakaStone,ca.710BCE,CorpusHermeticum,ca.
100BCE270CE,StrobaeiHermetica,ca.500CE.

All manifested things have two sides, with manifold degrees between two extremes. Growth
andcorruption,goodandevil,lightanddarkness,SunandMoonarefundamentfortheorder
of creation. This principle dominates all possible areas of Egyptian thought. Politically (Upper
versus Lower Egypt), physically (desert versus fertile land), economically (a "good" versus a
sluggish or plundering Nile), ethically ("isefet" versus "maat"), metaphysically (deities in the
sky versus Pharaoh on Earth), theologically (Horus versus Seth) and funerary ("feather of
Maat"versus "heart", heavenly versus terrestrial Nile), duality and its transcendence play an
essentialrole.
Evenbeforecreation,atthefirstoccurrence,whenAtumselfcreates,hisunity is only fugal,
forassoonasthecreatorgodhatchesoutofhisegg,hesplitsintwodeities:ShuandTefnut.
Also in Memphis duality was revered Ptah created all by simultaneously thinking (heart,
mind)andspeaking(tongue,speech),andnot(astheGreekswouldhaveit)bythinkingfirst
andthenacting(contemplationbeforeaction).
Ofalldualities,thepolaritybetweenHorusandSethwasthemostthematized,foritinvolved
thefoundingofthePharaonicStateitself.Pharaohasthe"LordoftheTwoLands"keptEgypt
togetherandphysically represented its unity. In his royaltitulary, hismostimportant throne
name was always preceded by "King of the Dual Kingdom". Probably this duality also
represented the political realities of the Predynastic Period, with two major chieftains
confrontingeachother(the"followersofSeth"intheSouthandthe"followersofHorus"inthe
North).
This polarity was not static. Between Horus and Seth various stages may be discerned. The
original, unending conflict (with various evils done to both) is stopped by giving each its
domain,butwithnoavail.ThebattlerecommencesuntilthegoddessGeborNeithdecidesin
favourofHorusandSethispunished(hehastocarryOsirisandeverynighthereverseswhat
Apophis,thegiganticsnakeofchaos,triestodotoRe,namelytostophiscoursebydrinking

uptheNile).
In fact, in the Pyramid Texts, we find traces of the cult of Seth, deemed to assist, together
withHorus,Pharaohintheafterlife.Pharaohhimselfistheunityofboth,aswellasthe"power
of powers" (cf. Cannibal Hymn) transcending both. In the Late Period, Horus and Seth form
onedeity,furtherproofofboththebipolarityasthestepbeyondit.

POLARITY&COMPLEMENTARITY

Egyptian
thought

Pharaoh, as "Lord of the Two Lands"

guarantees the unity necessary to
mediate the dual nature of all things,
symbolized by Horus and Seth,
manifestations of the two sides of the
same(HorusSeth).

Hermetism

All poles are complementarities as Sun

and Moon, manifestations of the same
principle differences consist of varying
degreesbetweentwopoles.

The presence of Seth is another element pointing to the complemental polarity in a creation
envisionedasanordered,organicwhole.AtumReandhisEnneadiscompletedbythe"good"
Horus,thekingofEgyptand"son"ofhismurderedfather(the"good"Osiris,"Ausir"or"many
eyed",whois"wennofer","eternallygood").Indeed,thecauseof"isefet"(evil)isfoundwithin
the Ennead ! Evil is deified and opposed to the good. Seth is the cause of disruption and
chaos.Allpossible turbulence and havoc are attributed to him and his followers. Seth is not
absence of being or goodness, but the positive presence of active evil, natural (storms) and
moral (murder, sodomy). He has a cult, priests and followers, among which Pharaohs.
Rejectingornegatingthepowersandstrengthofevil(cf.the"privatioboni"ofPlotinus)does
not stop it. Only by giving evil its name and place can it be made useful to the purposes of
creation and order (like Seth carrying Osiris or protecting Re against Apophis, his own
demonical servant, in the 7th Hour of the Duat). While Seth is perverse and enjoys
wickedness,Apophisistheultimateevilstep:utterannihilation.Withthisconcept,Egyptian
thoughtreachedthe"bottomofthepit"andfounditsultimatenegativesymbolfortheantilife
schemepresentincreation.Apophiswasneverworshipped,hadnosacredcultarea,butwas
rituallyexecratedorkilledforthousandsofyears.Heretherejectionisabsolute.The"enemies
of Re" were imagined walking on their heads, burning in pits or eating faeces and drinking
urine.Aptmetaphorsforacompletereversaloftheconditionsoftheschemeoflife.

5Cyclicrepolarisation:Osiris.

Osirisanointed&rejuvenatedbyPharaohSetiI
AbydostempleXIXthDynastyca.12901279BCE.

"Ascendanddescend.
DescendwithNephthys,sinkintodarknesswiththeNightbark.
Ascendanddescend.
AscendwithIsis,risewiththeDaybark."
PyramidTexts,210.

"Pharaoh'slifetimeiseternalrepetition.Hislimitiseternalduration."
PyramidTexts,412,CannibalHymn."
"Tosay:OmyfatherPharaohMerenre,IhavecomeandIbringYougreeneyepaint.Ibring
to You the green eyepaint which Horus gave to Osiris. I give You to my father Pharaoh
Merenre,just as Horus gave You to his father Osiris. Horus has filled his Empty Eye with his
FullEye."
PyramidTexts,16811682.

"Raiseyourself,OmyfatherOsirisKingMerenre,forYouarealive."
PyramidTexts,1700.

"Tosay:Osirisawakes,thelanguidgodwakesup,thegodstandsup,thegodhaspower in
hisbody."
PyramidTexts,2092.

"OOsiris,theinundationcomes,thefloodhastens,Gebengenders.IhavemournedYouatthe
tomb,IhavesmittenhimwhoharmedYouwithscourges.MayYoucometolife,mayYouraise
yourselfbecauseofyourstrength."
PyramidTexts,21112112.

"Evilisfled,crimeisgone.
ThelandhaspeaceunderitsLord.
MaatisestablishedforherLord.

Oneturnsthebackonfalsehood.
MayYoubecontent,Wennofer!
ThesonofIsishasreceivedthecrown.
Hisfather'srankwasassignedtohim.
IntheHallofGebRespoke,Thothwrote,
thecouncilassented,yourfatherGebdecreedforYou,
onedidaccordingtohisword."
GreatHymntoOsiris.

"Comingintobeingisthebeginningofdestruction,anddestructionisthebeginningofcoming
intobeing."
Stobaeus,ExcerptXI,aphorism35.

"SuchisthenewbirthoftheCosmos,itisamakingagainofallthingsgood,aholyandawe
strikingrestorationofallnature,anditiswroughtintheprocessoftimebytheeternalwillof
God."
AsclepiusIII,26a.

Sources:PyramidTexts,ca.2348to2205BCE,GreatHymntoOsiris,ca.15391292BCE,Stelaof
Amenmose(XVIIIthDynasty),Asclepius,ca.270CE,StrobaeiHermetica,ca.500CE.

By themselves, the cycle of Re and the Sothic rhythm are outstanding examples of ebb and
flow,thependulumswingmanifestinallthings.Thisinnermechanismofnaturewasidentified
with Osiris, and the various phases of his life parallel what happens in the natural world, in
particularintheagriculturallifeassociatedwiththeinundationoftheNile.ThemythofOsiris
summarizesthefundamentalrhythmslivedbyman,natureandthedeities.
Essentialinthismythologywas the restoration of Osiris by his son Horus. The latter had his
Left Eye damaged in the battle with Seth, but it was healed by Thoth. He then brings his
Restored Eye, the Wedjat, or Eye of Wellness, to his weary father, who, already in the
Netherworld,resurrectstheretobecomekingagain(butoftheunderworld).Thisactofgiving
the Eye of Horus, encompasses all material offerings, of which it is the sublime example.
Together with "voiceofferings", the Eye of Horus was the most powerful way to establish
contactwiththegods.
OsirisisthegoodKingofEgypt:OsirislivesonEarthandestablishesallgoodthings,he
bringscivilizationtoEgyptandislovedbyall,exceptSethandhisfollowers
Osirisassassinated,dismemberedandscattered:OsirisiskilledbyhisbrotherSethand
hisbodyscatteredalloverEgypt
Osiris reassembled and reanimated by Isis : his wife and sister Isis recollects his body
(excepthispenis)andrevivifiesit
OsirisinseminatesIsiswhogivesbirthtoHorus:beforeOsirisgoestotheDuat,Isis,the
GreatSorceress,isabletotakehisseedandgivebirthtoHorus
Osirisavengedbyhisson:althoughinhisyouthHoruswassodomizedbyhiseviluncle,
hegrowsupwiththehelpofIsisandpreparestoavengehisfatherbyfightingSeth
Osiris resurrected by Horus : his Left Eye restored by Thoth, Horus is declared King of
EgyptanddescendsintotheNetherworldtobringhisEyeofWellnesstohisfather,soas
toresurrecthimandrestoreallhispowers
Osiris"KingoftheNetherworld":Osirisreassembled,reanimatedandfinallyresurrected

byHorusisenthronedintheNetherworldasitsking.Inthiscapacity,hejudgesthedead
andnobodyisabletomovefurtherwithoutbeingjudgedbyhim.Heistheguarantee,on
yondersideofexistence,ofrejuvenationandaneternallifefeaturingthebestofthislife.
Althoughdestructionanddeatharepartofthenaturalorder,andthusinescapable,adeeper
logic may be found, for all destruction is the beginning of renewal, the coming into being of
somethingtotallynew.Inthissense,deathisawaytobecomemoreandmorespiritualand
an entry into a new state of existence, as Osiris shows. However, this is not automatic, for
without the help of the living (Horus), the dead are weary and unhappy. Life and death are
intimatelylinkedandtheneedsofthedeadaresatisfiedbytherestorationbroughtaboutby
thelovingkindnessoftheliving,whotakethetroubleto"descend"andmeetthedeadontheir
own plane, offering them the lifebearing power of the "Eye of Horus", the ultimate tool of
restorationand renewal. A direct relationship between father and son, between the power to
create and its offspring underlines Egyptian theology since Ptahhotep. The deceased Pharaoh
is not dead but alive. When reaching the sky of Re, he makes sure his son is blessed by a
"goodNile",andsomaybecomeapowerfulkinginhisownright.Thebestoutcomeisgiven
whenthesonexcelshisfather,astheMaximsofGoodDiscourseunderline.

RHYTHM

Egyptian
thought

Birth, growth, decay, death and rebirth

are the fundamental phases of the
naturalprocessoflightandlife.Deathis
partoftheequationandtheprecondition
ofrebirth.

Hermetism

Everything has tides, rise and fall and

manifestapendulumswing.

TheOsiriscycleshowshowdeathandjudgmentarelinked.NobodyenterstheOsirianheaven,
if what has been said, thought, intended and willed during life is heavier than the feather of
truth. In the Hall of Maat, the great balance records the differences between truth and
falsehood, between a justified life and one of evil. All 42 nomes have sent their assessors.
Thereisnoplacewhereevilisdoneunnoticed,fortheeyesofthegodsseeitall.Ifandonlyif
thefeatherofMaatisheavier,andtruthprevailed,willthedeceasedbecomefullyoperational
and effective in the afterlife. If after having done mistakes, nothing is rectified and Pharaoh
hasnotbeenservedwell,thentheheartbetraysthesoulandthenameofthedeceasedislost
andthepartsofmandisconnectedandscattered.Weknowtheevilwedoandwepayiftruth
has not been restored. Nature offers rejuvenation and eternal life, but it also harbors
damnation,extendedtorturesandutterannihilation.
Although the CH speaks of a "world beyond the grave" (Libellus XI, 20), the Greek
preconceptions of death are clearly present. An extensive study of this world is absent. The
Greeksprefernottospeakoftheafterlife,althoughmentionismadeofthefactdissolutionof
thebodyisnotdeath.Dissolutiondoesnotleadtodestruction,buttorenewal.Ifthelevelof
theOgdoadmaybereachedduringlifeonEarth,theEnneadisreservedfortheafterlife.Also
in Egypt the "akh"state was reached in the afterlife. However, how this life has to be
envisionedisnotmentionedbytheGreeks,neitherisOsiris,judgmentortheelaboratedvision
oftheafterlifeofferedbyArchaicGreektheology(inLateHellenisma moral perspectivewas
added).

6Causeandeffect:Horus&Pharaoh.

StatueofNectaneboIIandHorus
XXXthDynasty360343BCE

"Tosay:IamHorus,OOsirisKingNeferkare,IwillnotletYousuffer.Goforth,wakeupfor
meandguardyourself!"
PyramidTexts,1753.

"OOsirisKingNeferkare,HorushasputhisEyeonyourbrowinitsnameofGreatofMagic."
PyramidTexts,1795.

"Tosay:ThisisthisEyeofHoruswhichhegavetoOsirisgiveittohimthathemayprovide
hisfacewithit."
PyramidTexts,1643.

"For at the time when each one of us is born and made alive, the daemons who are at that
momentondutyasministersofbirthtakechargeofus,thatis,thedaemonswhoaresubject
to some one planet. For the planets replace one another from moment to momentthey do
notgoonworkingwithoutchange,butsucceedoneanotherinrotation."
CH,LibellusXVI,15.

"The Cosmos moves within the very life of eternity, and is contained in that very eternity
whencealllifeissues.Andforthisreasonitisimpossiblethatitshouldatanytimecometoa
stand,orbedestroyed,sinceitiswalledinandboundtogether,sotospeak,byeternallife."
AsclepiusIII,29c.

Sources : Pyramid Texts, ca. 2348 to 2205 BCE, Asclepius, ca. 270 CE, Corpus Hermeticum, ca. 100

BCE270CE.

In Greek philosophy, theoretical issues were common. The abstract, linearizing mind always
categorizes.Intermsofphysicalreality,Aristotle introduced four categoriesof determination
or "causes", to wit : material, formal, efficient and final cause. For Hermetism, the causes
determining our lives are astrological. Planets have natures and these cause propensities in
humans. These lead homo communis astray. Only if the rational part of a man's soul is
illuminedbygnosiswilltheeffectofdaemonsbeannihilated.Thisisrare,formostareledand
drivenbydaemons,settingtheirheartsandpassionsontheirsatisfactionandaccommodation.
ThedaemonsthusgovernourlifeonEarthusingourbodiesasinstruments.Thisgovernment
iscalled"destiny"."Gnosis"liberatesusfromthesecauses,butisdifficulttoacquire.Interms
of salvic efficiency, Antiquity has no mass psychology, although the Egyptian, Greek and
Roman populace is entertained by regular festivities. Paulinian Christianity will be the first
universalreligion,addressinghumanityasawhole.Itssuccessislargelyduetoitssimplicity
andthecollectiveanxietyreliefitgaveenmasse,andthisirrespectiveofsocialclass.Indeed,
baptismandfaithintheCrossofChristiscalledfor,andnotexpensive,crypticandelaborated
rituals.
InAncientEgypt,thedeitieswereinchargeofreality.Themostevident"cause"oflifebeinga
"goodNile".Theblessingsprocuredbythe"godofthecity"weretheresultofculticofferings
by the diving king (and his representatives, who assumed his divinity). Because Pharaoh
offeredMaattoRe,health,life&prosperitywouldendure.Hence,Pharaoh,thesolegodand
witnessonEarth,isthefirstcauseofhappiness.InperiodswhentheTwoLandsaredivided,a
returntochaosisimminent,forthegodsturnawayfromEgypt.
CauseandeffectareapproachedintheimageoftheEyeofHorus.Althoughbroughtbackto
life by Isis & Thoth, he is weary and inert. His cries are heard by his son, king Horus, who
descendsintheNetherworld.BecausehebringshisEyeofWellness(theWedjatrestored by
Thoth),hisfatherisrejuvenatedandenthronedaskingoftheDuat.IntheLatePeriod,when
Pharaohbecamemoreofaninstitutionthanthedirectguaranteeoftheproperorderofthings,
the will of the gods and in particular that of the "king of the gods", Amun, became all
powerful.NolongerwasPharaohonEarth,butinthesky.AmunPharaohisthecauseofitall.
Hedecidesandmanifestshisdecisionsbyoracularmeans.

CAUSEANDEFFECT

Egyptian
thought

HorusPharaoh is the terrestrial cause of

life,prosperity&health.Heguaranteesa
"good Nile" and is the representative of
Reandthedeities on Earth.In the Later
Period,fateanddestinycauseeventsand
both rest in the hands of the deities, in
particular their king Amun. It is the Eye
ofHoruswhichcausesOsiristocomplete
his restoration and become king of the
dead.

Hermetism

Everything on Earth is caused by the

movementsoftheplanets.Ourdestinyis
fixed and only gnosis, the Light of God,
setsusfree.Determinismisinevitableas
longasourbodiesaretheinstrumentsof
theplanets,asinmosthumanbeings.

AddtothistheinfluenceofChaldaeanastrology,andwecomefullcircle:theDeitiesdecide
anddelegatetheirpowertotheplanets,eachbeinginchargeofaportionoffateanddestiny.
Bothrulelife,andnobodyknowswhattheDeitieswilldecidenext.Notoracles,buttheastral
logicofplanetaryconstellationsdecideshowthecommonersliveanddie.Mosthumansarenot
liberated,butchainedtotheirconstellations.Thebetterpredictionsare,thelessfreemanis.
Thosewhohavegnosisarenolongersubjecttotheirfate,butdecideforthemselves.

7Gender:Osiris,Isis&Nephthys.

PapyrusofAniPlate4
TheOsirisScribeAni,Osiris,Isis&Nephthys
XIXthDynasty,ca.1250BCE.

"GebhasbroughtyourtwosisterstoyoursideforYou,namelyIsisandNephthys..."
PyramidTexts,577.

"YourtwosistersIsisandNephthyscometoYouthattheymaymakeYouhale..."
PyramidTexts,628.

"Bring me the milk of Isis, the flood of Nephthys, the overspill of the lake, the surge of the
sea, life, prosperity, health, happiness, bread, beer, clothing, and food, that I, Pharaoh Teti,
maylivethereby."
PyramidTexts,707.

"Tosay:Raiseyourself,OKing!Youhaveyourwater,Youhaveyourinundation,You have
yourmilkwhichisfromthebreastsofmotherIsis."
PyramidTexts,734.

"IsisspeakstoYou,NephthyscallstoYou,thespiritscometoYoubowingand they kiss the

EarthatyourfeetbecauseofthedreadofYou,OKing,inthetownsofSia."
PyramidTexts,755.

"Isisconceivesme,Nephthysbegetsme,andIsitontheGreatThronewhichthegodshave

made."

PyramidTexts,1154.

"'Endure!'saysIsis.
'Inpeace!'saysNephthys,whentheyseetheirbrother."
PyramidTexts,1292.

"Tosay:I,PharaohWenis,haveinundatedthelandwhichcameforthfromthelake,Ihave
torn out the papyrusplant, I have satisfied the Two Lands, I have united the Two Lands, I
havejoinedmymothertheGreatWildCow."
PyramidTexts,388.

"AdorationoftheKingofUpperandLowerEgypt,
wholivesbyMaat,theLordoftheTwoLands,
NeferkheperuRe,SoleoneofRe,
theSonofRewholivesbyMaat,LordofCrowns,
Akhenaten,greatinhislifetime
andofthebelovedgreatQueen,
LadyoftheTwoLands:NefernefruAtenNefertiti,
wholivesinhealthandyouthforever!"
GreatHymntotheAten,introduction.

"OYou,whomakesemengrowinwomen,
whocreatespeoplefromsperm,
whofeedsthesoninhismother'swomb,
whosootheshimtostillhistears.
Younurseinthewomb!
Giverofbreathtonourishallcreatures.
Whenthechildemergesfromthewomb
tobreatheonthedayofhisbirth,
Youopenwidehismouthtosupplyhisneeds."
GreatHymntotheAten,3339.

"Obeauteousone,Ocow,Ogreatone,
Ogreatmagician,Osplendidlady,Ogoldofgods!
TheKingreveresYou,Pharaoh,givethathelive!
Oqueenofgods,hereveresYou,givethathelive!(...)
Beholdwhatisinhisinmost,
thoughhismouthspeaksnot.
Hisheartisstraight,hisinmostopen,
nodarknessisinhisbreast!
HereveresYou,Oqueenofgods!
Givethathelive!"
HymnstoHathor,III.

"He,filledwithallthefecundityofbothsexesinone,andeverteemingwithhisowngoodness,
unceasinglybringsintoallthat he has willed to generate, and all that he wills is good. From
hisDivinebeinghassprungthegoodnessofallthingsinthisworldbelow,andhenceitisthat
allthingsareproductive,andthattheirprocreativepowerisadequatetoensurethatallshall
hereafterbeasitisnow,andasithasbeeninthepast."
AsclepiusIII,20b.

"... the type persists unchanged, but generates at successive instants copies of itself as
numerousanddifferentasarethemomentsintherevolutionsofthesphereofheaven.Forthe
sphereofheavenchangesasitrevolves,butthetypeneitherchangesnorrevolves.Thusthe
generic forms persist unchanged, but the individuals, for all their sameness of generic form,

yetdifferonefromanother."
AsclepiusIII,35.

"TheEarthiseverpassingthroughmanychangesofform.Itgeneratesproduce,itnourishes
theproductithasgenerated,ityieldsallmannerofcrops,withmanifolddifferencesofquality
and quantity, and above all, it puts forth many sorts of trees, differing in the scent of their
flowersandthetasteoftheirfruits."
AsclepiusIII,36.

"Thebodyisamixtureoftheelements,thatis,ofearth,water,airandfire.Andso,sincethe
bodyofthefemalehasinitscompositionanexcessofthefluidelementandthecoldelement,
andadeficiencyofthedryelementandthecoldelement,theresultisthatthesoulwhichis
enclosedinabodilyframeofthisnatureismeltingandvoluptuous,justasinmalesonefinds
thereverse..."
Stobaeus,ExcerptXXIV,89.

Sources:PyramidTexts,ca.2348to2205BCE,GreatHymntotheAten,ca.13531336BCE,Hymns
toHathor,GraecoRomanPeriod,Dendera,54BCE,Asclepius,ca.270CE,StrobaeiHermetica,ca.500
CE.

IfwecomparethesituationofwomeninAncientEgyptwiththatofthesurroundingcultures,
wearestruckbythefundamental,relativeequalitybetweenmenandwomen.Becauseofthis,
it has been argued Egypt was in fact a matriarchy, which is not the case. Sources show
monogamy was the rule, with exceptions caused by the high level of child mortality and
usuallylimitedtotheroyals(asweremarriagesbetweensisterandbrother).
Although Pharaoh was a male, women assured dynastic change. This may well go back to
Predynastictimes,whenthe"greatgoddess"(Hathor)ruledsupremeintheaffairsoffertility,
growth&family.TheriseofdivinekingshipimpliedtheassimilationbyPharaohofthepower
of the great fertility goddess, a fact found in the myths associated with the "Two Ladies", a
titlefoundintheroyaltitularyandreferringtothetwogoddessesonthebrowofthe"nemes"
wornbytheking,adornedbyavulture(Nekhbet)andacobra(Wadjet),associatedwithUpper
and Lower Egypt respectively. These protective deities, Wadjet in particular, were connected
with Atum, who's enraged eye was transformed into this firespitting royal cobra. Pharaoh
Akhenaten went a step further, and allowed his wife to become the third person in his
monotheistAtenitetrinity:Aten,Akhenaten&Nefertiti.

GENDER

Egyptian
thought

Except for the bisexual Atum, all gods

have their consort. Male and female are
the two sides of the balance. Every day
the male Pharaoh offers Maat, truth and
justice,thedaughterofReandconsortof
Thoth.Becauseofthis,creationendures.

Hermetism

Male and female are a mixture of the

elements out of which all physical
phenomena are composed. Air and Fire
aremasculine,WaterandEarthfeminine.

Amongthedeities,goddessesenjoyedanidenticalstatus.Notonlydoallgodshaveconsorts,
exceptAtum,anautogenousbisexual,whomasturbatestocreatetheworld,buttheprotective
roleofthegoddessesspringstotheforeintheOsiriscycle.IntheDuat,Osirisisassistedby

IsisandNephthys,butbeforehisenthronement,Osiriswouldneverhavebeenresurrectedby
Horus without Isis (his wife & sister). Next to her allimportant role, Hathor also remained a
major goddess from the Predynastic Period until the end of the Pharaonic Period, and many
others may be identified (Nut, Maat, Mut, Neith, Sekhmet, Satet, Sechat, to name the most
popular). Pharaoh, a mighty bull, assimilates the female powers and by doing so excels in
masculinity:heisHorusandtheonlysonofRealiveonEarth.
Although the majority of Egyptian art and texts are foremost maledominated activities and
male images and concerns are far more prominent, women are more represented in the
documentation in later times than they are in the Old Kingdom. Their sacerdotal role was
enduringandpowerful,andofanexceptionalstatusinthewholeofAntiquity.

8TheastrologyoftheOgdoad:Thoth.

CircularZodiacofDenderawitheclipses,constellations,decans&planets
roofHathorTemplePtolemaicPeriodSeptember25,52BCE
coloreddrawingbyunknownartist

"Donotsetyourheartonwealth!
ThereisnoignoringShayandRenenet!"
InstructionofAmenemapt,chapter7,12.

"ForPharaohisthegreatpowerthatoverpowersthepowers.
Pharaohisasacredimage,themostsacredimage
ofthesacredimagesoftheGreatOne.
Whomhefindsinhisway,himhedevoursbitbybit.

Pharaoh'splaceisattheheadofallthenobleoneswhoareinthehorizon.
ForPharaohisagod,olderthantheoldest.
Thousandsrevolvearoundhim,hundredsoffertohim.
ThereisgiventohimawarrantasagreatpowerbyOrion,thefatherofthegods."
PyramidTexts,406407.

Ceilingwith36decanstombofPharaohSetiI
XIXthDynastyLuxorValleyoftheKings

"ThisEarthlytent,myson,outofwhichwehavepassedforth,hasbeenputtogetherbythe
workingoftheZodiac,whichproducesmanifoldformsofoneandthesamethingtoleadmen
astray and as the Signs of which the Zodiac consists are twelve in number, the forms
producedbyit,myson,fallintotwelvedivisions."
CH,LibellusXIII,12.

"And the first Mind, that Mind which is Life and Light, being bisexual, gave birth to another
Mind,aMakerofThings.AndthissecondMindmadeoutoffireandairsevenAdministrators,
who encompass with their orbits the world perceived by sense, and their administration is
calledDestiny."
CH,LibellusI,9.

"Thesevenspheres,astheyarecalled,haveastheirRulertheDeitycalledFortuneorDestiny,
who changes all things according to the law of natural growth, working with a fixity which is
immutable,andwhichyetisvariedbyeverlastingmovement."
CH,Asclepius,III,19b.

"...theSunreceivesfromGod,throughtheintelligibleCosmos,theinfluxofgood(thatis,of
lifegivingenergy),withwhichheissupplied."
CH,LibellusXVI,17.

"IfYouwishtoseeHim,thinkontheSun,thinkonthecourseoftheMoon,thinkontheorder
ofthestars.Whoisitthatmaintainsthatorder?"
CH,LibellusV,3.

"...Yousee,myson,throughhowmanybodilythingsinsuccessionwehavetomakeourway,
andthroughhowmanytroopsofdaemonsandcoursesofstars,thatwemaypressontothe
oneandonlyGod."
CH,LibellusIV,8b.

"Andthereupon,havingbeenstrippedofallthatwaswroughtuponhimbythestructureofthe
heavens, he ascends to the substance of the eighthsphere,beingnowpossessedofhisown
proper power, and he sings, together with those who dwell there, hymning the Father, and
they that are there rejoice with him at his coming. (...) they (the men ascending to this
sphere)givethemselvesuptothePowers,andbecomingPowersthemselves,theyenterinto
God.ThisistheGood.Thisisconsummationforthosewhohavegotgnosis."
CH,LibellusI,26a.

Sources : Pyramid Texts, ca. 2348 to 2205 BCE, Instruction of Amenemapt, ca. 1292 1075 BCE,
CorpusHermeticum,ca.100BCE270CE.

IntheaftermathofAlexander'sconquest,GreekshadsettledinPersiaandtheirmigrationto
Egypt brought Chaldaean stellar science (astronomy plus astrology) to Alexandria (and from
theretoRome).InEgypt,oracularpracticeswerealreadyverycommon.Sincetheendofthe
New Kingdom (ca. 1075 BCE), these ways had gained importance, in particular the oracular
rule of Amun and his priests. Add astrology, and the will of the gods can be inferred by
predicting and understanding celestial events. This astral religion had two sides : a technical
oneinvolvingmeasurement(astronomy)andan"oracular","prophetic"onedealingwithinter
subjectivemeaningattributedtoallkindsofastralcycles(astrology).
ThenotionastronomicalphenomenaarerelevantsymbolswasnotnewtotheEgyptians.The
linkingoftheNilefloodwiththerisingofSirius,theSothicyear,theLunartides,theHeliacal
decans, the hours, the calendars and the integral relationship in Late Egyptian religion
between the stars and the gods mentioned by Plutarch (On Isis and Osiris), manifest the
stellar practices of the priesthood. Already in the Old Kingdom, stellar phenomena were an

integral part of the funerary ideology of Pharaoh (cf. the orientation and shafts of the Great
Pyramid and other monuments). Decans adorn IXth & Xth Dynasty (cf. 2160 1980 BCE)
sarcophagi,whichshowstheAntiquityofthisastronomicaldivisionbasedonmyth,ritualand
religion.WiththedeclineoftheinstitutionofdivinekingshipintheLateRamessidePeriod,the
ruleofthedeitiesbecamesupreme,bothintheskyasonEarth.Amunwas"kingofthegods",
butalsoPharaoh.HeruledEgyptbymeansoforacles...
The projection of meaning on the movements of the seven planets (or deities : Sun, Moon,
Mercury,Venus,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn),allowingforpredictionsinindividualroyalaffairs(like
birth&death),wasforeigntoEgyptianastrology.InhisCommentaryontheTimaeus(Diehl
3.151), Proclus (412 485 CE) wrote that Theophrastus (ca. 372 280 BCE) had said his
Chaldaean contemporaries had a theory predicting every event in the life and death of an
individual human being, rather than just general, collective effects, such as good or bad
weather. In ca. 280 BCE, Berossus, priest of Marduk, presented to king Antiochus I his
Babylonaika,ortreatiseonChaldaeanastraldoctrine.Theearliestindividualhoroscopedates
from 410 BCE, whereas a cuneiform tablet dated 523 BCE indicates the ability to calculate
monthlyephemeridesfortheSunandMoon,theconjunctionsoftheplanetsandoftheplanets
witheachother,aswellaseclipses.TheBabylonianideamakingindividualssubjecttostellar
conditions (genethialogical astrology) was unEgyptian, although the power of fate was
acknowledged.
EgyptianpriestsstudiedChaldaeanastrologyandunderthePtolemiesthedisciplineflourished.
Astrology was attributed to Hermes and identified with the planet Mercury. It became an
integralpartofHermetism,andactedasthecementbetweenpopularmagicandthelearned
Hermetica,between"practice"and"knowledge"andinvolvedpropertiming.InthePtolemaic
empire, astrology became prominent and fused with the existing fatalistic tendencies to
become a stellar fatalism. This same happened on a larger scale, for Late Hellenism was a
periodofgreatinsecurityanddoubt.Thatthemisfortunesoffatecouldbepredictedwastoo
good to be true. All depends on the will of the Gods, but can their will be read in the sky ?
Moreover, the planets were conceived as the physical manifestations of the Pantheon ruling
the affairs of Earth. Not only prediction, but praise & prayer could be offered to change the
courseofevents(magic).Thesebeliefs,belongingtothetechnicalHermetica,madeastrology
sopopularintheHellenisticage,pronetofeelingsofalienationandthepressingimpactofthe
Deitiesfateandfortune...theEgyptiandeitiesShayandRenenet.
Traditional astrology got recorded by Claude Ptolemy (born towards the end of the first
centuryCE)inhisTetrabiblos&theCentiloquim.InDemoticpapyrioftheRomanperiod,we
findversionsoftextsgoingbacktothemidsecondcenturyBCE.TheyconcernkingsofEgypt
andwarswithSyriaandParthia.Theearliestpapyrushoroscopeconcernsabirthin10 BCE,
whilethefirsthoroscopepreservedinaliterarytextsdealswithabirthin72BCE.Themost
interestingPtolemaicmonumentalpiececalledthe"ZodiacofDendera",recordingtheeventof
PtolemyXIINeosDionysosAuletesfoundinganewHathortempleatDendera(the16thofJuly
54BCE).Infact,itistheworld'sfirstmonumentalfoundinghoroscopeor"electionhoroscope",
erected for the 25th of September 52 BCE (at the time of a unique Lunar eclipse). A plaster
copyofitcanbeseenintheHathorTemple,theoriginalhavingbeenremovedbySebastien
Saulnier in 1820 to the Bibliothque Nationale, Paris, and now in the Museum of the Louvre
(D38).
TheHellenisticastrologerssawthemselvesasmenofreligion,priestsofanastralfaith,usinga
sacred cult to rise above the seven planets (Hebdomad) ruling fate and reassured of the
Divine nature of our mind to resist and curtail the power of these "archons" of the created
world. The traditional Greek "evasion" from the cave was "mechanized" in a series of astral
initiations (Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Sun) associated with the voces
magicae and the harmony of the spheres. The need to "escape" this world is clearly an un
EgyptianelementintheHermeticequation(cf.DiscourseofaManwithhisBa).

InEgypt,Shaywasthepersonificationofdestinyandgodoflifespan,fate&fortune,who,in
the Ptolemaic Period, was identified with "Agatho Daimon", the Hellenistic fortunetelling
serpentDeity.IntheOldKingdom,"Renenutet"("rnnwtt")wasagoddessoftheharvestanda
divine nurse ("rnnt"), but also a guardian of the king identified with the royal uraeus and
Pharaoh's"robe".IntheNewKingdomLitanyofRe,thisgoddessappearsintheunderworldas
the "Lady of Justification", and in the Late Period, she decides many of the events in an
individual'slife.
InnativeEgyptianreligion,the"Ogdoad"isacompanyofeighthprecreational deities, at the
headofwhichstandsThoth.Thesefashiontheprimordialeggoutofwhichcreationhatchesby
thewordofThoth.
InHermetism,the"Hebdomad",thefatedrivenpartofnature,isbelowthe"Ogdoad",justas
"7" is smaller than "8". Indeed, there are no inner semantics between the Egyptian and the
Hermeticuseofthewords"ogdoad"and"ennead".
For Hermes, the Ogdoad is the realm of illumination, associated with the fixed stars, the
Deitiesandtheblessedsouls(thegnostics).Itcanbereachedwhileinthephysicalbody.This
sphereisthepresenceofHermesashumanteacheror"logos",the"holyword"comingforth
fromtheLightoftheDivineNous.Becauseofthis,theOgdoadandtheEnneadareintimately
connected.FortheWordbringstheLightandthisLightisHermesastheMindofGod.Andhe
whoseestheMindofGodbecomestheMindofGod,butnotinthislife...
InEgypt,thedeitiesandthefixedstarswerethe"akhu"or"spirits"ofAtumRe,thesupreme
creatorgod.PharaohascendedtothisskythroughtheNorthernshaftorthroughtheentrance
tohistomb.Thislightofthesecircumpolarstarswasdeemedtobethehouseofthesespirits.
IntheOldKingdom,thistypeoftransformationwasPharaoh'safterlifeprivilegeandinvolved
hissublimeattainmentofthe"powerofpowers",beingmorepowerfulthanthegods.

9TheorderoftheEnnead:Atum.

Atumatthemomentofautocreation

"Tosay:Atumishewho(once)cameintobeing,whomasturbatedinHeliopolis.Hetookhis
phallusinhisgraspthathemightcreateorgasmbymeansofit,andsowerebornthetwins
ShuandTefnut."
PyramidTexts,1248.

"ThereisnothingmoreDivinethanmind,nothingmorepotentinitsoperation,nothingmore

apttounitementoGods,andGodstomen."
CH,LibellusX,23.

"IfthenYoudonotmakeyourselfequaltoGod,YoucannotapprehendGodforlikeisknown
bylike.Leapclearofallthatiscorporeal,andmakeyourselfgrowtoalikeexpansewiththat
greatnesswhich is beyond all measure rise above all time, and become eternal then You
willapprehendGod."
CH,LibellusXI,20b.

"... some men are Divine, and the humanity of such men is near to Deity, for the Agathos
Daimonsaid:'Godsareimmortalmen,andmenaremortalGod'."
CH,LibellusXII,1.

"IamnotnowthemanIwas.IhavebeenbornagaininMind,andthebodilyshapewhichwas
mine before has been put away from me. I am no longer an object colored and tangible, a
thingofspatialdimensions.Iamnowalientoallthis,andtoallthatYouperceivewhenYou
gazewithbodilyeyesight.Tosucheyesasyours,myson,Iamnotnowvisible.Tat.Father,
Youhavedrivenmetoravingmadness..."
CH,LibellusXIII,4.

"Father, now that I see in mind, I see myself to be the All. I am in heaven and in Earth, in
waterandinair,Iaminbeastsandplants,Iamababeinthewomb,andonethatisnotyet
conceived,andonethathasbeenborn.Iampresenteverywhere...Hermes.Now,myson,
YouknowwhattheRebirthis."
CH,LibellusXIII,13.

"Thephysicalbody,whichisanobjectofsense,differswidelyfromthatotherbody,whichisof
thenatureoftrueBeing.Theoneisdissoluble,theotherisindissoluble.Theoneismortal,the
otherisimmortal."
CH,LibellusXIII,14.

Sources:PyramidTexts,ca.2348to2205BCE,Asclepius,ca.270CE.

The Heliopolitan Ennead is an order of creation in three generations of deities presided by

Atum(theEgyptiancreatorgod).TheEnneadofHermetismistheLightofNous,theorderof
God's Mind. Both Atum and Hermes are autogenous. The structure of the Ennead of Atum is
the structure of creation, for the deities are natural differentials. The Mind of God is an
architectureofperfectideas(Plato).Thesearecrudeparallels.Insalvicterms,thedifferences
betweenGreekandEgyptianwaysareconsiderable.
InthesalvicschemeofHermetism,thesternGreekcomponentisoutstanding:onehastorise
aboveHebdomadic nature to find Ogdoadic peace and Enneadic Deification, master the body
toescapefate,butdietobeDeified.Thesedifferencesalsoundermineanyattempttoidentify
Greekmysteries(andinitiation)withtheirEgyptiancounterparts.Spiritually,Greekphilosophy
and religion is escapists and neglectful of the (idealized) body, and the Greek mysteries
constantly reject the physical body to give weight to the mind and the spirit. The body is
deemedcorruptandpassionate,themindsereneandcontemplative.Thebodyisthe"prison"
ofthesoul,the"tent"or"tabernacle".Thematerialworldofbecomingisafleetingshadow,a
pale reflection of the world of ideas (Plato). Only contemplative life fulfills human existence
(Aristotle). The body is the prison or tomb of the soul, the cosmos its cave or cavern
(Plotinus).
InEgypt,anOrientalmindsetprevailed:theritualizedbody(ormummy)isagatewayforthe
deceased to remain in contact with the living. Although the spirits ("akhu") remain "in the
sky",theirmediatingfactors(double&soul)maydwellonEarthandanimateourliveshere.

Our ancestors move to and fro, for they have a ritual reference (the mummy) and a "false
door".Awholespiritualeconomywassetinplacetoritualizeandstandardizetheseconstant
interactions between the "dead" and the living. Egyptians wrote letters to the dead and got
dreams from them. The dead were as alive as the living, although their ways were subtle,
invisibleandmagical.Inthiscontext,theinitiatedidnotdietobereborn,buthegazedupon
Osiristoberejuvenatedashehadbeen.Thedeadwerenotlostspectresorfleetingimagesin
theHadeswithafewelectintheEmpyreum.Everydeceasedwhocouldpayfortheritualswas
an"OsirisNN"whocouldhopeforfinaljustificationandspiritualization.
Already by the end of the Dark Age, the Greek cultural form had persistent "Aryan", Indo
Europeancharacteristicsofitsown.Thesehelpexplainthesternandgloomyinterpretationof
deathinGreekcivilization.
linearization : Mycenan megaron, geometrical designs, mathematical form and
peripteros
anthropocentrism:warriorleaders,individualaristocrats,poets,sophoiandteachers
fixedvowels:thecategoriesoftherealsoundarewrittendown&transmitted
dialogalmentality:theArchaicGreeksenjoyedtalking,writing&discussing(withstrong
arguments)
undogmatic religion : the Archaic Greeks had no sacred books and hence no dogmatic
orthodoxy
culturalaffirmation:theArchaicGreekswereayoungpeoplewhoneededtoaffirmtheir
identity,theywerespontaneous&cheerful
culturalapprobation&improvement:theArchaicGreeksacceptedtobetaughtandwere
eagertolearn,drivenbyaDivinediscontent.
AccordingtoHomericbelief,whensomebodydied,hisorhervitalbreathor"psyche"leftthe
bodytoentertheHades.Thisdarkandgloomyplacewasruledbythekingofthedead,the
Roman Pluto. Once it had fled the body, the psyche merely existed as a phantom image, at
time perceptible but always untouchable. The wall separating the living from the dead was
deemedimpenetrable.Crossingtheriverofdeath(Styxs)causedonetoforgeteverything.A
concept of punishments for the wicked and rewards for the virtuous did not, at first, play a
dominantrole.ThistypicalIndoEuropeansenseofseparation,rupture,cleavage,schismetc.
between life and death will remain a dominant feature and return in literature, philosophy,
drama and science. It was absent in Egyptian religion (although skeptic voices also left their
traces).Egyptrooteditsspiritualityinrecurrentcycles,notinongoinglineargrowth.
On the one hand, Egyptian religion was not individualistic, but the major concern of the
PharaonicState.Ontheotherhand,wisdomdiscoursesandinductionritualsareintimateand
personal. Hermetism combines the two : the temple becomes the lodge and its "workings"
(knowledge and practice) involve highly individual initiations (comparable in Egypt with the
conjectured "seeing of Osiris" cf. Osireon). But these Hermetic initiations are unEgyptian,
andstresstheindividualescapefromtheHebdomadtoreachtheOgdoad.Greekunworldliness
and demonisation of matter mixed with Christianity, influenced the Jewish Qabalah and
reemerged in Hermeticism. With modern science, the naturalistic mindset returned and the
superstitionsandmythsof"pastages"wereboldlyleftbehindtoraisetopowerthemythofno
myth.

10ThealchemyoftheDecad:Amun.

AmunprotectingTutankhamun
13361327BCE

"OYou,thegreatgod,whosenameisunknown."
PyramidTexts,276.

"Openedarethedoubledoorsofthehorizon,drawnbackareitsbolts."
PyramidTexts,194.

"Secretofmanifestationsandsparklingofshape.
MarvellousGod,richinforms.
AllgodsboastofHim,
tomagnifythemselvesinHisbeauty,
totheextentofHisDivinity."
HymnstoAmun,200

"He is this Ptah who proclaims by the great name : Tenen. He who united this land of the
South as King of Upper Egypt and this land of the Delta as King of Lower Egypt. He indeed
begatAtumwhogavebirthtotheEnnead."
ShabakaStone,lines36.

"OneisAmun,
whokeepshimselfconcealedfromthem,
whohideshimselffromthegods,
nooneknowinghisnature.
Heismoreremotethanthesky,

Heisdeeperthanthenetherworld.
Noneofthegodsknowshistrueform.
Hisimageisnotunfoldedinthepapyrusrolls.
Nothingcertainistestifiedabouthim.
Heistoosecretive
forhisMajestytoberevealed.
Heistoogreattobeenquiredafter,
toopowerfultobeknown."
HymnstoAmun,200.

"Such is He who is too great to be named God. He is hidden, yet most manifest. He is
apprehensiblebythoughtalone,yetwecanseeHimwithoureyes.Heisbodiless,andyethas
manybodies,orrather,isembodiedinallbodies.ThereisnothingthatHeisnot,forallthings
thatexistareevenHe.ForthisreasonallnamesarenamesofHim,becauseallthingscome
fromHim,theironeFather,andforthisreasonHehasnoname,becauseHeistheFatherof
all."
CH,LibellusV,10a.

"...theDecad,myson,isthenumberbywhichsoulisgenerated.Lifeandlightunitedarea
Unit and the number One is the source of the Decad. It is reasonable then that the Unity
containsinitselftheDecad."
CH,LibellusXIII,12.

"Godiseverlasting,Godiseternal.Thatheshouldcomeintobeing,orshouldeverhavecome
intobeing,isimpossible.Heis,hewas,hewillbeforever.SuchisGod'sbeing:Heiswholly
selfgenerated."
AsclepiusII,14.

"AndIseetheeighthandthesoulsthatareinitandtheangelssingingahymntotheninth
and its powers. And I see Him who has power of them all, creating those (that are) in the
spirit. It is advantageous from (now on) that we keep silence in a reverent posture. Do not
speakaboutthevisionfromnowon.Itisproperto(singahymn)totheFatheruntiltheday
toquit(the)body."
TheDiscourseontheEighthandNinth,5960(Robinson).

Sources:PyramidTexts,ca.2348to2205BCE,ShabakaStone,ca.710BCE,HymnstoAmun,ca.1213
BCE,Asclepius,ca.270CE,TheDiscourseoftheEighthandNinth,ca.secondcenturyCE.

BothnativeEgyptianreligionandHermetismembracehenotheism(OneinallDivineBeings&
all Divine Beings as One). The former in an anterational way, the latter with full support of
Greekconceptualrationality(inbothitsidealisticandrealisticvariants).
The essence of God is hidden and nameless. The existence of God is visible everywhere,
althoughonlyknownbythought.EverythingisamanifestationoftheDivineMind.TheDecad
cannot be experienced. Even the Ennead is best for after this life. The Ogdoad is a secret
gnosisavailabletoinitiatesofHermesonly.Allotherhumansaredrivenbyastraldeterminism.
This highly elitist way reflects the exclusivist tendencies of Greek initiation, imagining a
symbolicaldeath before rebirth, a rejection of the gross, evil body before the illumination by
the Light of the Nous. In general, the soteriology of Antiquity is elitist, exclusivist, naturalist
(noorderofgrace)andanupperclassesphenomenon.Intheafterlife,slavessurelyperished
andthepoorbenefittedfromthegoodnessofAmun.
Officially,onlyPharaohwasabletooffertothedeities,forgodsonlycommunicatewithother

Officially,onlyPharaohwasabletooffertothedeities,forgodsonlycommunicatewithother
gods,andthedivinekingwasthesonofReandanincarnation of Horus.When entering the
"naos"or"holyofholies"("kAs")andperformingadjacentrituals,the"hemnetjer"or"servant
ofthegod",whowasnotagodbutwhorepresentedtheking(inalargetemplethiswouldbe
thehighpriest),assumedtheformorimage("iri")ofthedivineking(andhistitularydeities).
Thekingisthe"10th"addedtotheEnneadofAtum,forasHorus,heisthejustifiedsuccessor
ofhisfather.InPharaoh,the"mystery"ofdivineincarnationabided,forhewastheonlydeity
incarnatedinahumanbody.Inthisway,heprefiguredHermesandChrist.
Amun, the "king of the gods" is "one, hidden and millions". In the Old Kingdom, the great
unknowngodisinvoked.Behindalldeities,ahidden,primordialandultimatenamelessgreat
deity is imagined. At first, this supreme deity is situated before all possible nature, for
preexistent.Hebelongstotheprecreationalrealm.IntheNewKingdom,Amunisalsopresent
ineverypossiblemanifestation,heisbeforenatureandineverynature.

Epilogue
AncientEgyptianMysteries?

"ankh"theEgyptiansignforlife
possessedbyeverydeity

Egyptianreligionisacelebrationoflife.Thisloveoflifeissopronounced,thatevendeathis
but another way of living. Indeed, the origin of life is deemed precreational, for with Atum
rising out of Nun, the "first occurrence" ("zep tepi") begins, which is the start of space, life
(Shu), truth, order (Tefnut) and light (Re). Religion, ritual, induction and initiation always
involve a return to this primordial time of maximum efficient power, in essence limitless,
eternalandeverlasting.Thisgoldentimeofthegods,thetruefountoflife,ispresentinour
world as "the horizon" ("Axt" or "akhet") or the junction of Earth and sky. Moreover, the
horizon is where the spiritstate is attained, an interstitial area where the "mystery" of
transformation occurs, allowing the divine king (in this life and in the next) to rise to the
ImperishableStarsoftheNorthernsky,andtheordinarydeceasedtoattainthespiritstate.

"MayYou(AtumReandPharaoh)risefromtheAkhet,
fromtheplacethroughwhichYoubecomeAkh."
PyramidTexts,152.

Thereisnoirreversibleseparationorwallbetweenthedeadandtheliving.Ifthelivingtake
careforthetombsofthedead,thelatterwillbeabletoreturntothephysicalplanetointeract
withthoselivingthere.Thelivingdonotcommunicatewiththeessenceofthedeceased,for
the spirits (the "akhu") exist in the bliss of their celestial, starry light. They are free and

effective and so able to interact with Earth by means of the "ba" and the "ka", their
operationalaspects.Spiritlifebeingthehighestformoflife,theattainmentofthis"akhstate"
was the crucial postmortem event (the form allowing the deceased to live effectively in the
afterlife). At first only Pharaoh could attain it, but eventually every justified deceased had a
soul and so could hope to become a noble dead, although the unjustified would never enter
theFieldofReedsandotherheavenlyabodes.Theywouldbeannihilated(notreincarnated).
OnEarth,onlyPharaohwasalivingspirit,amortalgod.Whenhisbodydied,thedivinespirit
would rise up, move through the underworld and ascend to heaven. Arrived there, he would
makesurethenewHorusPharaohwouldbegivena"goodNile",underlininghisjustification.
The tomb had a twoway function : via the North (or the West), the deceased king would
ascend and his "ba" and "ka" would descend. Likewise, the temple was gateway to and fro
heaven. Egypt as the "image of the sky" is literal : each of the hundreds of temples was a
stargate.
Recently, Naydler (2005), by suspending the funerary interpretation, made clear that the
Pyramid Texts in general and the Unas texts in particular, reveal an experiential dimension,
and so also represent thislife initiatic experiences consciously sought by the divine king (cf.
Egyptianinitiation). These may be classified in two categories : Osirian rejuvenation (cf. the
texts of the burialchamber), already at work in the Sed festival, and Heliopolitan ascension
(cf. the texts in the antechamber). To this may be added, that in the New Kingdom, both
Lunar and Solar spiritual economies were refined the way of Osiris in the Osireon and the
NetherworldBooks(cf.Amduat),andthewayofReintheNewSolarTheologyofbothAtenism
andAmenism.BoththeAmduat(cf.the6thHour)andthePyramidTextstestifythatthecore
oftheOsirianCeremonyinvolvedrejuvenation(foundinthepitofdarkness).
The Egyptian "mysteries" are the inner secrets of this religion, divided in mortuary temples,
henceforward called temples for the royal cult, and cult temples, or the "horizon" of a divine
being(theexpression"doubledoorsofthehorizon"referstothetwodoorsoftheshrineofthe
cultstatue,kepthiddeninthesanctumsanctorum).The former were intended to rejuvenate
thelivingHorusking(byidentifyingwithOsiris)and,afterdeath,tosustainthelinkwiththe
deified deceased, the latter involved the service of a divine being at work in "its domain".
ExamplesaretheelaboratedMorningRituals,takingplaceatdawninthesanctuaryofevery
temple,inandaroundthe"naos",andthefamous"OpeningoftheMouth".Althoughmostof
thefinedetailsoftheseritualsarelost,therecordsdokeepsomeofthehighlights"frozen"in
stoneoron papyrus and thanks to the Egyptian loveofwords, a large number of spells and
texts inform us about what was said and done (cf. Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, Book of the
Dead, Amduat, Book of Gates). In tune with Egyptian visual thought, these icons provide
further information and suggest many parallels, embedded in the hieroglyphic script (as the
followingdeterminatives make clear). Thehistorical reconstruction hence offers abasicritual
matrix.

RitualPostures

Semantics
A7"wrd"tire,exhaustion

nonactivity,inertia,funeraryrituals
andlamentations

A16"ksi"bowdown

honoringthedeitiesandthedivineking
andritesofsubmissionandrespect

A59"sHr"driveaway,execrate

ritualbanishments,execrations

A6"wab"pure,clean

preparingforritual,purifications

A4"dwA"supplicate,adore

payinghomage(praise)andactsof
supplication

A8"hnw"jubilation

commemorationofthevictoryofHorus
overSeth,theHenuRite

A26"nis"summon,call,invoke

formalinvocationofthedeitiesandthe
nobledead

A32"xbi"dance,jubilate

expressionsofjoyandhappinessinthe
presenceofthedivine

A30"dwA"praise,supplicate,adore

recitinghymnsandgivingpraisetothe
deitiesandPharaoh

A28"Hai"high,joy,rejoice,laud

highestexpressionofcelebrationand
spiritualjoy
Let us summarize the historical and methodological situation of the Egyptian tradition.
Historically,distinguishbetweenfourtheoontologicalmodelsoftheDivine:
1. Semitic model : God is One and Alone. He, the sole, singular God, is an unknown and
unknowableDivinePerson,WhoWillsgoodandevilalike(cf.Judaism&Islam)
2. Greekmodel:GodisaPrincipleofprinciples,thebestofthebest(Plato),theunmoved
mover(Aristotle),theOneevenecstasydoesnotreveal,impersonalandinnowayevilor
taintedbyabsenceorprivationofbeing(Plotinus),theFirstIntellect(IbnSina),a"Godof
the philosophers" (Whitehead). This abstract God figures in intellectual theologies,
humanism & atheism. In the latter, by the "alpha privativum" of the Divine, as in a
theism,anabsolutetermisproduced,butthistimebynegationinsteadofbyaffirmation.
Godisreducedtoanabstract&absolute"noabsolute".ButfortheGreekpopulace,the
deitiesareanthropomorphicanddisplayavarietyofhumanpassionsandinterests
3. Christian model : God is One essence in Three Persons : God the Father revealed by
God's incarnated Son, Jesus Christ, because, in and with God the Deifying Holy Spirit
(eitheronlyfromtheFather,asintheOrthodoxEast,orfrombothFatherandSon,asin
theWest).AGodofLove,neverimpersonal,alwayswithoutevil(pureofheart)andsole
causeofgoodness(Christianity)
4. Oriental model : God, The All, is One sheer Being present in every part of creation in
termsofamanifoldofimpersonal&personalDivineSelfmanifestations(theophaniesor
modes of the One), as we see in Ancient Egypt, Alexandrian Hermetism, Hinduism
(Vedanta),Jainism,Buddhism,TaoismandHermeticism.
EgyptianreligionbelongstotheOrientalgroupofreligions.TheDivineisnotunknowableand
not exclusively personal. God is hidden and unveiled, one and many. More than just an
abstractprinciple,GodmaybecomeaPerson,butnotheophanyisruledout,andsoGodmay
also manifest as a real (like Anubis) or fabulous animal (like Seth), an artifact (like the
crowns), a concept (like Maat, Sia, Hu etc) or a deified human (like Imhotep). Many Deities
are at work as parts of nature, and each is a Perfect Manifestation, Appearance, Aspect or
AttributeofthesameGod,whoisTheAllbutalsohiddeninall,asGraecoEgyptianHermetism
affirms.
MostGreeksworshippedanthropomorphicdeities,andmorethanoneGreekintellectual(living
outside Egypt and misunderstanding the deeper purpose of the association) ridiculed Egypt's
animalfaceddeities.GreekGodswerelikeimmortalhumans,theEgyptiandeitiesrepresented
archetypalnaturaldifferentials.EgyptianOrientalismandtheGreekmentalityhadoverlapping
verbal & linguistic interests (cf. the study of literature in Alexandria), but different iconic
sensitivities and logical tastes. The Greeks idealized the body and rejected death, the
Egyptiansunderstoodthebodyasanexpressionofthespiritandembraceddeathasaportal

tomorelife.PreSocraticGreecealsosoughttherootandthelawoftheuniverse(cf.Thales,
Anaximander, Pythagoras) and had found its first answers in Lower Egypt (Neukratis and
Memphis).
Regarding method this. Before contemporary Egyptology could do its work and articulate a
historical reconstruction based on the available evidence and its scientific interpretations,
AncientEgyptwastheobjectofthreemajorflawedreconstructions:
the Hellenistic reconstruction : Ancient Egyptian religion, after having influenced the
Greeks, was eventually Hellenized. The cults of Osiris and Isis, as well as Hermetism,
evidence the survival of Hellenized forms of the native Egyptian ways. But the Greeks
intermixedtheirsomber,linearandisolationistviewsofthehereafterwiththeextended
Egyptianfuneraryrituals.Theecstatic"catharsis","awayfromthebody"mystiqueoftheir
mysteries was escapist and directly influenced Judaism (Qabalah), Christianity
(unworldliness)andIslam(thebestisgivenafterdeath).TheroleofAnubisas"guideof
thedead"andinitiatorandOsirisas"kingofthedead"wasreinterpretedintermsofthe
Greekreligiousattitude.TheEgyptianmysterieswereseenasleadingtoanother,better
plane of existence, away from the limitations and boundariesofthematerial plane. The
Greeks longed for a contemplative life, devoid of material duties and suffering. Theory
was more appreciated than practice. Hence, material life on Earth, which fed the
passions, had to be bridled and finally transcended. In this perspective, death heralded
the final disconnection with the body, a state the Egyptians tried to avoid at all costs.
Theirreligious attitude was unGreek and in no way theoretical or abstract. In Egyptian
religion, material life was spiritualized to make it eternal. Death was rebirth in the
afterlife. And "voluntary death" was a spiritual dismemberment to a spiritualization of
consciousnesshereandnow.IntheGraecoRomanmind,nobodyreturnedtoEarth,the
escapewasfinal.Deathbroughtruptureanddisconnection,noreturn.When,forliterary
reasons or to close a play with a "Deus ex machina", a spectre of the dead or a Deity
appeared,thensurelyonlyvaguelyandmostlytoannouncesomethingbadorworse.This
sternandlifelessvisionofdeath(whichbefellallexcepttheDeities)isalreadyatworkin
Homer,who'spoetrysuggestsMycenanroots(cf.theMycenanAge,ca.16001100
BCE). The "morbid", funerary interpretation of the Egyptian tradition is therefore largely
Hellenocentric.ItdeniesAncientEgyptianreligionitsmysticsandecstatics.
theScripturalreconstruction:thesocalled"religionsofthebook"(Judaism,Christianity
&Islam),introducedtheirownnarrowangle:Egyptasthehomeoftaskmasters,idols&
polytheists. In their "revealed" scriptures, these religions condemned Egyptian religion,
although none of their protagonists were able to read Egyptian (Moses is not of history
butofmemory)andmisunderstoodwhentheytried.WhenEgyptturnedChristian,theold
religious structures were destroyed and most Egyptian deities transformed into demons
(cf. "Amun" in Medieval Goetia and Solomonic magic). The cult of Isis became the
worshipofMary,andtheresurrectionofOsiriswastransformedintothespiritualityofthe
cosmic Christ, represented on Earth by the Pope (the Christian Pharaoh and Emperor).
TheoldtrinitarianconceptsofDeitydevelopedinEgypt,becamethe"HolyTrinity"...Itis
remarkable to see how the canonized versions of these socalled "revealed" scriptures
werewrittendecadesaftertheirfoundershaddied(Moses,JesusandMohammedwrote
nothing). Moreover, although these traditions rejected the Egyptian view of the world,
theyneverthelesscontinuedtocherishEgyptasthehomeofperennialwisdom,science,
magicandmysteries,albeitallegoricalandPagan.TheserevelationswerealsoHellenized
(JudaismwiththeSeptuagint,ChristianitybecauseoftheGreekauthorsofthegospelof
Christ, who himself spoke Aramaic, and Islam with the impact of the Greek "falsafa" on
theologyandjurisprudence,aswellasHermesofHarranonSufism).
theRenaissancistreconstruction:whentheRenaissancestartedinItaly,andtheworkof
the Arab translators began to influence intellectual life in Europe, the allegorical
interpretation of hieroglyphs (initiated by the Egyptian priests of the Late Hellenistic

Period), brought on stage a fictional approach of the Egyptian heritage. This would
continuetooperatedespite Champollion cracking the code (in 1824) and demonstrating
how the hieroglyphic signs were not allegorical but primarily phonetical. Between the
XIIIthcentury(theendoftheinfluentialTemplarmovementwithits"magical"tenets,the
invention of the new Jewish Qabalah by Moses ben de Leon cf. the Sepher Zohar and
the influential Solomonic magic) and the XVIIth century (the start of Hermeticism,
Freemasonry and the Rosicrucian movements) the allegorical interpretation of Ancient
Egypt initiated egyptomania, a fictional approach of things Egyptian, devoid of any
appreciation of the basic ritual matrix (cf. the historical reconstruction). For example,
Seleem(2004,p.10)gives50.509BCEforthesocalledemigrationofthe"priesthoodof
Atlantis"toEgypt!
Although all contemporary thematical reconstructions of the Egyptian mysteries, based on
modern Egyptology, make use of rational thought, we have to avoid introducing Hellenistic
bias,inparticularwithregardtotheneglectofthebodyandthephysicalplaneofexistence.In
tunewithnature,theEgyptiansareinterestedinrecurrentcycles,notinlinearexpansion.To
witness the ongoing rejuvenation of creation being the heart of Pharaoh and his intent. To
know nature is to understand the intricate delicacy of its movements and to organize life in
tune with it. No radical change is envisioned, for natural process has its own natural timing.
Catastrophe and inventive changes are periods of stress and disruption. The Egyptians must
havehatedtheseloudGreekswiththeirreckless,inquisitiveandeverexpandingspiritsandat
timeviolentandperversemorals.
(averyoldEgyptianpriestexclaims:)
"Solon!Solon!YouGreeksarealwayschildren!
AnoldGreekdoesnotexist!"
Plato,Timaeus,22,myitalics.

TherevealedreligionsaddedaviletheologicalcomponenttotheGreekneglectofdeath(and
the idealization of the physical form of the body) : sin. To reach God, the body and its
appetiteshadtobemortified,fortheyweredeemedthesourceofsinandstoodbetweenman
andhissalvation.Notonlyisthebodyaprison,itisalsoawildbeastandthenaturalallyof
Shaitan,SatanorIblis(theSethofEgypt?).Clearly,thosewhoadheretosuchexotericideas
cannotcomprehendEgyptianspiritualityanditsenjoymentofallpartsofthebody,nowandin
theafterlife.Theyareunabletoaddressdarknessandevilwithserenemindsandremainunfit
towanderintheabyssesofnature.TheOrientalviewonevilmaybeintunewiththeSemitic
mind (for both understand evil as God's will), but both differ on how to deal with it. The
revealed religions exclude Satan from man's salvation, while in Egypt, Seth was subject to
worship.
BecausecontemporaryEgyptologyprovidesahistoricalreconstructionbasedontheevidence,
itisnotcalledtospeculate.Thisisnotitstask,foritworkswithandforascientificknowledge
baseoftheavailableevidence,anintersubjectiveconsensusbasedonthefacts.Wemayaskit
to organize its objects of study in function of the main themes covered by the Ancient
Egyptians themselves, and in this religion plays a prominent role. Maybe such a systematic
and generalizing approach is still lacking. Insofar a series of hangovers are eliminated
(antiquarian mentality, geosentimentalism, Europacentrism, Hellenocentrism, Afrocentrism,
etc.),Egyptologyisthebestallyofthephilosopherofreligionaswellastheesotericistandthe
Kemetist.
Let us first consider the case of the philosopher. Mysticology, the study of the knowledge
manipulation of mystics (cf. my Kennis en MinneMystiek, 1994), describes the process
underpinning spiritual growth, as threetiered : purification, totalization, actionalization and
recognized that these stages gave rise to alternative canonized superstructures by the many
religionsofhumanity,whiletheexperientialregisterisfundamental.

These phases are first put into evidenced by the caveart of the Upper Paleolithic and its
religiousimplications.
Thesethreestagesare:
1. "theentry":thetunnel:theprocessofdifferentiationfromlighttodarkness
2. "thesanctum":thecathedral:thesecludedplaceofthemysteryofthehiddenlight
3. "theexit":thereturn:theprocessofintegrationfromdarknesstolight.
Before reaching the gigantic underground rock cathedral within the holy mound, the Cro
Magnon,orHomo sapiens sapiens (from 100.000 till ca. 10.000 BCE), crawls a considerable
distancethroughatwisting,narrrowing,pitchblacktunnelunderneathtonesofsolidrock.The
heartofthemountainisoneorseveralcaveslitwithfires,withavarietyofknown,unknown
andphantasticanimalspaintedonhighwallsandmaybeanimatedbytheresoundingechoes
of the fierce rhythms of beated stalactites ... Are strange men running around in unseen
outfits, shouting, dancing or otherwise occupied ? The Dancing Sorcerer of Trois Frres
perhaps,directing,inthisgrandnaturalgallerieswithinthesacredmound,thesecretdanceof
thepowersthatbe,i.e.thesupernaturalspiritsoftheancestorsandthedeities.Whydothese
Palaeolithicritualistsseekthesamedarknessofdeep,dreamlesssleepanddeathasthestage
fortheiractivities?
The underlying purpose of this drama of darkness is religious and magical. The former
reconnectsthearchaic,mythicallayerofconsciousness,predominantinUpperPalaeolithicand
Neolithichumanity,withtheprimordial,archetypalpowersordifferentialsofnature,thetypes
representingthe"nature"ofthenaturalorder.Thelatterprotectsagainstthedark,dangerous
sideofthenaturalorder,andaimsatitssuccessfulmanipulationbymeansofthis"natureof
natures". Prehistoric consciousness projects this outwards, and perceives it as the living,
animated existence of ceaseless repetitions and constant types. The latter are only "typical
coordinations" within its psychomorphy perceptions of the natural environment, particularly
the"psychophysics"ofwater(food)andlight(darkness).Overtime,mythicalnotionsofthese
psychomorphexperiencestakeform.Theseeventuallybecomenatural"stereotypes",thegods
andgoddessesofarchaicpolytheism.Thesedeitiesrepresenttheunchangingintheconstantly
changing,thestabilityofchangeinthelifeofwanderersandfarmersalike.
Light and darkness are the physical underpinning of the cave mysteries. The cave is a
protectedmediatingareawerethehumanandthearchetypesofnaturetouch.Itsheartisan
uterus,aplaceofnewbirth.Thetunnelisacrawlorpassagewaybetweenstages& stations
oflifeandtheotherworld(thebeforelifeandtheafterlife),thepathoftheseedtotheovary.
Inthenaturaldarknessofthesanctum,eventssuchasthedeathofahuntercouldberelived
andthecausescombattedinasymbolical,allegoricalway.Initiationscouldhappen.Thewomb
wasthetempleofthegreatgoddess,shewhoenfoldsnatureasawhole.
The CroMagnon were the first to use grand rock cathedrals and their difficult entrances to
invoke the experience of symbolical death and the subsequent initiation into a new, more
powerful, rejuvenated state of consciousness, enabling one to move to a higher, stronger
modeofbeingandawarenessofbeing.Perhapsabetterhunter,healerandleaderofothers.
These superior hominids were able to artistically symbolize their religious and magical
experiences, and thus shape spiritual traditions and eventually develop notions like heaven,
hell, god and goddess, as well as shamanism (the conscious control of trance) and later
priesthood (the specialization of magicoreligious activities in more centralized village
societies).Theircommonexperiencesshapedtheearliestmyths.
The Pyramid Texts as well as the Amduat confirm this architecture. After purifications and
offeringstothedeities,theking(orthe"baofRe")isidentifiedwithOsiristorejuvenateand
toberebornas"thelivingHorus"(therisenSun).Performedduringearthlylife,thisceremony

initselfduplicatesthethreesteps:takingontheOsirisform,totalizingtheOsirisform,return
from the Osiris form to the Horus form. These totalizations makes him stand beyond the
fundamentaldifferenceprovidingtheenergytotheprocessintheDuat,namelyHorusversus
Seth,righteousnessversuswickedness,consciousgoodversusconsciousevil.Lastly,Osiristhe
king ascends to the heaven of Re and is assimilated by Re. This last phase was the sole
concernofAkhenaten,whowastheuniquesonofRewithoutreferencetoOsirisorAmun(the
"hidden"deities).
TooperationalizeandperformtheritualswithoutinitiatinganewEgyptianreligionisthetask
ofthephilosopherofreligioninterestedinthelivingspiritualrealitiesratherthantheirexoteric
cast.Inthecaseofadeadreligion,anexceptionalconditioncanbetested:aretheruinsofa
powerfulreligioneffectiveenoughtoallowittoworkitsmagic?Thisapproachismoreintune
withparticipantobservationthananyphenomenologicalreduction(ofthenaturalworld)could
be.Butifanesoteric"lodge"beguilesthephilosopher,tohima"church"isanathema.
And Hermeticism ? Can egyptomania contribute ? Maybe to warn future Kemetists of the
dangersoffusingtraditionsaswellasthefutilityofcomparingsystemsintheactualpractice
of religion (in ritual, magic & prayer) ? Even in the Golden Dawn and its heir, Egyptian
elementswerecombinedwithBabylonian,Jewish,Greek,ChristianandHermeticistsources.
TheultimatespiritualsystemisnoQabalahofQabalah,asabstractionandrationalitysummon,
but the articulation of a clean, pure and efficient celebration of the fundamental mystery of
religion.InEgypt,thismysteryoflifeinvolvesconstantrejuvenationandthespiritualizationof
allthingsmaterial(andviceversa).Thisrejuvenationisbroughtbyaninundationguaranteed
by HorusPharaoh, the eternal witness. The "black land", the residue left after the waters
receded,isthefertilegroundfeedingthenewcycle.Becauseoftheirsyncretism,Hermeticists
have depleted the original thought form and were blind for the ecology and economy of the
Kemeticintention.Becauseofthemeddle,egyptomaniaistobeavoided.
What is the form of the basic ritual matrix provided by the historical reconstruction ? The
various ritual activities have been discussed elsewhere. Let us summarize the overall
intentionsofKemetism.RitualisnottheretoescapelifeonEarthortocompeltheDeities(the
GreekflawatworkinHermetism).Ritualisnotareenactmentofacovenantandmanisnot
calledtorectify("tikun")theflawsofnature(asinJudaism).Noristhereaspecial"orderof
grace"installedbytheCrossofChristandaddressedbyritual(asinChristianity).Thecreator
godisnotevil(asinGnosticism).
ThisbringstotheforethefundamentaltraitoftheOrientalconceptoftheDivine.TheDeities,
the dramatis personae of nature, are a series of "powers" or natural differentials with fixed
laws in their retinue. They are born, culminate, withdraw, die and are reborn every day
together with Re (cf. Amduat). They are the recurrent cycles of nature given form in
symbolical, analogical and visual ways. Rituals are then a series of "natural operations" with
automatic results "de opere operato". Once these natural powers are understood and
available, an efficient and irreversible (magical) outcome ensues which no force stops. The
"willofthe gods" is therefore the sum total of natural processes and their inevitableresults.
Nosupernatural"orderofgrace"isposited,forthedeitiesthemselvesparticipateintheeternal
cycle of AtumRe (who destroys creation to start it all over again ad infinitum). There is no
apocalypse,fortheultimatestateiseternalrecurrence.IdenticalideasarefoundinBuddhism
and Taoism. By contrast, the GraecoAbrahamic tradition has elaborated on a monolithic,
ontological&moralconceptofGod.Insuchamoralizingsystem,whatismoresubtleisalso
better(cf.evilas"privatioboni").Theviolentfinaloutcomebeingthe"NewJerusalem",anew,
idealworldorder...
"Kemetism"(from"kmt",thenativenameofEgypt)referstorevivalsoftheAncientEgyptian
religion developing in Europe and the United States from the1970s.Theseapproachesoften
involveahistorical"reconstruction"ofAncientEgypt,fillingintheobvious"gaps"withmaterial

whichantedatesthetradition,likeHermetismand/orHermeticism.Newgrammaticalinsights
&bettertranslationspointthewaytodifferentreconstructions,andtheprocessisongoingand
perdefinitionincomplete.
Clearly contemporary Kemetism cannot just reproduce the Ancient Egyptian tradition.Firstly,
because only a basic outline of it is left, and secondly because Kemetism embraces rational
thought. Lastly, Pharaoh is reinterpreted as representing the individual, witnessing "Higher
Self",andsoaccommodatesapersonalapproachofthemysteries(nolongertheprivilegeofa
smallnumberofpriest).
Kemetic spirituality attunes with and benefits from natural cycles. Three fundamental
movementsarethusintegrated:thedailymovementoftheEarth(HorusPharaoh)aroundits
axis(causingdiurnalandnocturnalhemispheresaswellastherisingof36decans,starsand
planets), the monthly movement of the Moon (Osiris) around the Earth and the yearly
movement of the Earth around the Sun (AtumRe). In fact, all Kemetic rituals follow these
rhythms,whichprovidetheformorsyntaxoftherituals (as well as their timing). The Lunar
ritesgiverisetowhatcouldbecalledthe"CeremonyofBecomingOsiris",whereastheSolar
ceremonyisoneofAscensiontoRe.
Qua content, the fundamental operation consists in returning to the "first occurrence", the
goldenageoftheDeities,andharvesttheenergysurplusavailablethere.Onlyinthistimeof
no time will common offerings and voiceofferings, as Maat herself, be truly effective. This
pleases the Deities enough for them to dispatch their souls and vital power. Every time this
happens,natureisrejuvenatedbytheadditionalenergyenteringcreation(andthebody)from
the surrounding lifeless eternal waters (Nun) and their autogenous potential (Atum). One is
thus more and more perfected (made more and more efficient) and this natural process
continues, here and in the hereafter, until one becomes a God, i.e. one of the Powers of
nature.
"DonotrevealtheritualsYouseeinallmysteryinthetemples."
HorusTempleEdfuChassinat,1928,p.361.

At the ultimate point where Deities produce Deities, the Kemetic intention has been fulfilled
andonlysilenceprevails.

initiated:12III2005lastupdate:02XII2010versionn2

WimvandenDungen
Antwerp,20052015.