RA; the Path of the Sun God

Before all time,

there was the Nun,

the Sea of Chaos,

where all forms of what was to be

lay hidden.

Within the heart of the living Nun

stirred the Spirit of the Waters,

the great snake Apep.

From the coils of Apep sprang Atum,

the first God of Creation,

and the One became Two.

Apep embraced Atum in his coils

binding tightly to his second nature

trying to become One

with himself again.

But Atum transformed himself

in the the folds of Apep

into the Scarab God of Becoming

and broke free of his embrace.

Apep, the Serpent of Chaos

fought to return with Atum

to the heart of the Nun.

But Atum overpowered Apep.

Lying now alone in the waters,

Atum thought of his Children to be.

In his Heart,

he created their names

and spoke them -

Shu – the Air

Tefnut – the Moisture

and they were given form.

Shu and Tefnut

embraced their father Atum,

then left him to explore

the limits of the Nun.

Alone once more

in the Dark Waters of the Nun,

in his Mind's Eye

Atum watched the Children lose strength

as they ventured too far.

Atum took the Divine Power of his Eye

and sent it to light their way home.

Atum could not be

without the light of his Eye.

A new eye grew in its place

and in this new eye

Atum saw the return of his Children.

When the first Eye returned,

she was in fury at the one

who had taken her place

and tried to destroy it,

but Atum placed her on his brow

as his Royal Protector.

In his heart,

Atum created the first dry land

– the Mound –

and with his Children, Shu and Tefnut,

brought it into being.

From the Mound,

Atum spoke the name of his soul bird

– Bennu, the Phoenix.

Bennu landed on the First Dry Land

and laid his Egg,

which was the Lotus Bud

of the Dawn of Creation.

From the Heart of the Lotus

were born the many forms of the Sun God,

the Divine Light.

Atum joined with the Light of his Creation

and Ra came into being.

The Light of Ra

dispelled the Darkness of the Nun.

On the Mound,

Shu and Tefnut gave rise

to Geb, the Earth,

and Nut, the Starry Night Sky.

Nut swallowed Ra,

who came between her

and the embrace of her brother Earth.

Together, Geb and Nut conceived five Children,

but they could not be born

till Shu, the air,

raised his daughter, the Night Sky,

from the Earth,

so that the Star Children

could break free.

The Star Children were Osiris,

God of the Corn and of Renewal

and his sisters Isis and Nephthys

and their jealous brother Set.

Osiris was beloved of his sisters

but Set claimed Nephthys for his own.

Osiris and Isis were lovers.

Osiris lay as the earth, full of seeds

and Isis nourished the seeds.

From the Divine Corn

sprang the First Seeds of Creation,

which landed in the Black Earth

and the Land of Egypt

came into being.

Isis drew down the Waters of the Heavenly Nile

to give life to the Land of Egypt.

The Waters rose

and Osiris called forth the First Garden.

Osiris and Isis were Lord and Queen

of this Divine Garden

and their sister Nephthys

came to be with them there.

But Set was jealous

of the creative powers of Osiris

and of the love Nephthys bore him.

He blasted the Garden with a raging sandstorm,

turning the good Black Earth into desert.

Set wanted also to destroy his brother Osiris

and they fought.

When Osiris rested in his form of Lord of the Corn,

Set cut him to pieces

and scattered the pieces

to the four corners of Egypt.

One piece of Osiris fell in the Waters of the Nile

and was swallowed by a Fish,

but the rest

were gathered up by Isis and Nephthys,

who sprinkled the dismembered body

of their brother

with the Water of Life.

Isis invoked the jackal-headed god Anubis,

Lord of Embalming,

to come and restore the form of Osiris.

Anubis tightly bound the flesh of Osiris

and created the First Mummy,

which was covered by the First Coffin.

Isis sent her sister and Anubis away,

so that she could be alone with Osiris.

She transformed herself into a Kite

and with her wings,

fanned life into Osiris

and through her Magic

restored to him for one night only

the Vitality of his Manhood.

They embraced once more

and their son Horus was conceived.

Set learned of the conception of this son

and came to disrupt the union.

But Isis escaped.

She flew to the Hidden Waters of the Delta

to keep her unborn child safe

from the destructive powers of Set.

...and Horus was born.

As he grew,

Isis told Horus of the death of his father

at the hand of his own brother.

And Horus vowed to avenge Osiris.

Horus faced Set

– two equally-balanced forces –

and they fought.

Horus took the Divine form of Falcon

and Set transformed himself

through all the Aspects of his Nature

to find a form that would conquer Horus.

The eyes of Horus were the Sun and the Moon.

Set destroyed the Moon

and all was in darkness.

Horus broke free.

And hunted Set

through the length of Egypt

with his Divine Harpoon.

But in the end there was no victor –

Horus and Set were too evenly matched.

So they called upon Thoth,

Lord of Sacred Knowledge

and Keeper of the Scales of Justice,

to pronounce upon the Winner.

The hearts of Horus and Set spoke of all things

and the Divine Scales could not settle on a Balance.

Atum was called upon to be the Final Judge.

Set could not resist a last attack on Horus.

And the Royal Protector of Atum dispelled him,

leaving Horus as the Chosen One.

Horus was Crowned

– the first Pharaoh of the Land of Egypt.

And with the help of his mother Isis,

raised up Osiris

and performed the Rights of the Dead.

Horus Opened the Mouth of Osiris

to let in the Breath of Life.

Osiris was transfigured

and in his Resurrected Form

became the Lord of the Underworld.

Through his Resurrection

Osiris brought Divine Truth and New Life,

lighting the Underworld

as Ra lights the Heavens.

The Light of Ra,

the Light of Osiris

is swallowed by the Divine Mother of Night.

At each Dawn,

she gives birth

once more to the Sun,

the Light and the Life of Egypt.

Oh Ra, let your Rays descend,

let your Divine Spirit fill the Queen,

let her conceive.

Oh Ra, let the Queen breathe in

the Spirit of Life.

Let her see the Twin Souls

of the Divine Pharaoh

take form on the Potter's Wheel.

Let her conceive.

Oh Ra, let the Queen see Isis

on her journey to the Delta.

Let her be present

at the birth of Horus.

Let her be full of her Divine Child.

Oh Ra, let the Gods of Childbirth

attend at the Queen's chamber.

Let Isis protect the Queen in her confinement.

Let the Pharaoh be born.

Let the Child go to his Father to be blessed

so that he may receive his Divine Nature

from the Breath of Ra.

Let the Child be suckled

– his human nature by his mother Queen,

his Divine Nature by Lady Isis.

Let the baby Pharaoh keep his Divine Nature.

May the Divine Child grow

at his mother's breast

till he comes of age

and the priest comes

to take the young Pharaoh

to the Temple,

so that he may come

to learn of the Mysteries.

The columns of the Temple rise

at the priest's command,

like papyrus from the Waters of the Nun.

[kheper-a, kheper, kheper-u, kheper ku-i,

mm khepr-u, mm khepri, kheper mm, sentom-i]

The young Pharaoh enters the Temple

and he grows in learning of the Mysteries of the Creation

and the Passions of the Gods.

In the still of the Inner Temple,

the priests of Horus and Thoth

cleanse the young Pharaoh

with the pure Waters of Life

so that he may approach

the Shrine of the God.

Oh Ra, give a sign

so that the Pharaoh may be confirmed.

The Pharaoh is Blessed,

he is the Divine Horus

– first of the Pharaohs

at the Beginning of Time.

Let Isis and Nephthys

bring down the Divine Crown of Osiris.

Let them bring down

the Double Crown of North and South.

May the land of Egypt be united

and the people rejoice.

May Osiris bless the land with corn.

The Pharaoh is Horus,

who Raises his father Osiris

and gives him Life

and gives life to the Land of Egypt.

Let the Pharaoh go in procession

through the Land of Egypt.

What the Sun encircles is under his care.

Let the Sacred Nile

take the Boat of the Pharaoh

through the Land of Egypt.

He makes the Nile rise,

he makes the land green.

Oh Divine Horus,

protect the Pharaoh

from the dark powers of Set

– let your Divine Harpoon

strike the enemy of the Pharaoh.

Let the Pharaoh be in the First Garden.

Let him cut the First Corn.

The Body of Osiris is cut

– the body of the Pharaoh is cut

in the Cornfield.

Ah, the Pharaoh dies.

He goes to join the Horizon.

The Soul Bird of the Pharaoh

flies from him

and the Pharaoh is dead.

Let Horus and Thoth cleanse the body of the Pharaoh.

Oh Ra, let Set not take the body of the Pharaoh.

Come to the Pharaoh,

oh, Lord of Embalming.

Oh, Anubis, let the Pharaoh be preserved.

Let Anubis take the intestines of the Pharaoh

and place them

in the jar of Qebehsenuef.

Let the stomach of the Pharaoh

be in the jar of Duamutef.

Let the lungs be in the jar of Hapi.

Let the liver be with Imsety.

The Pharaoh sleeps in his Death

and he dreams.

He dreams of the First Time

– of Atum and Apep in the Waters of the Nun.

And he is as Atum,

the first Spirit, the first Flesh.

And Atum in the depths of the Nun

sees all things in his Divine Eye.

All times, all places are as One.

Atum sees the flesh of Osiris

and the god Anubis binding him tightly.

The Osiris Pharaoh has his mouth Opened

– his senses are restored

and he is given Breath.

The Pharaoh lies in his coffin

and his Soul Bird departs to return to the Divine Father.

And the Soul of the Pharaoh

joins Ra in his Sun Boat.

In his Boat of Millions of Years,

Ra is swallowed by the Night

and descends to the Rivers of the Underworld.

At the setting of the Sun,

Ra enters the Caverns of the Underworld.

The god Mind,

the thinking heart of Ra,

stands in front of him.

The Serpent who guards the Desert of the Underworld

swallows the light of the dying Sun

and the Sunboat of Ra

enters the cavern of the Great Snake Sawdesheret.

Ra takes on his nightly form of Flesh

and the Protecting Serpent Mehen

envelops the Ram-headed Ra

in his Coils.

The Guardian Serpent of the First Gate of the Underworld

challenges the Great God in his journey.

The god Mind says:

Oh, Flameface,

I know thy name

– I have power over thee.

Mind says:

Oh gate Shining One

– I know thy name.

Open the Underworld for Ra.

Throw open the Doors

for the One of the Horizon.

Those who lived in Truth on earth

are summoned to this Gate.

Oh, come to us, oh Light of the Earth.

Ra speaks:

Oh, you Justified

– the Truth is yours that you may Live.

Oh, enemies of Ra,

your evil deeds turn against you

and you are destined

for the Place of Destruction.

All acts spring from the Will of Ra.

He sees all things.

All thoughts are in the Heart of Ra.

The Spirits of the Justified Dead

join with the Heart of Ra

and he gathers strength.

In the darkness of the Heart of Ra,

the enemies are cut down,

they are cast out.

Oh, Gate of Sharp Flames,

I know thy name,

open thy doors

for the One of the Horizon.

Ra lightens the Complete Darkness

and makes the Hidden Chamber bright.

The Holy Ones are in their Shrines.

Open your Shrines,

so that my Rays may penetrate your Darkness.

The doors close upon them

when Ra has passed

and they wail forever.

These are the gods in the Lake of Fire,

which is refreshment to the Just

and destruction to the Sinful.

Ra arrives at the Barge of Earth.

The Barge of Earth gives way before Ra

– the Barge of the Underworld

carries his Forms.

Behold, he passes

through the Mysterious Region

– the earth quakes,

the earth quakes.

The Eye of Ra lights up the Mysterious Region

and awakens the Hidden Forms of the God within.

Oh, Serpent Apep,

the great god Atum cuts thy folds

– the Flame comes out against thee

from the Mysterious Region.

Oh, Stinging One,

open thy doors

for the One of the Horizon.

Hail Ra of the Horizon.

These are the Jackals

round the Lake of Fire

– the souls of the dead

dare not approach

because of the Holiness within.

These are the Guardians of the Flame

which destroys the enemies of Ra.

Listen, you Goddesses of the Hours,

swallow what the serpent Hereret gives birth to,

and give Order to Chaos.

Osiris is in his Shrine

– the Light of Ra awakens the Limbs of Osiris.

And Horus comes forth

to raise the Spirit of his Father.

Oh FlameEyed,

open thy doors

for the One of the Horizon.

Oh Serpent Mahu,

whose coils surround Ra in the Darkness,

you shall not overcome him.

Your forms are swallowed

by the Justified Dead

and your coils are straightened

by the Gods

who dwell in this Gate.

The Living Cobra is in the Pool of Fire

– the Souls of the Gods dare not approach.

Ra embraces the Elements

– the Earth,

the Waters,

the Fire

and the Air.

This is Ra who comes to rest in Osiris.

This is Osiris who comes to rest in Ra.

The Soul of the Pharaoh is alone in the Underworld.

He approaches the Guardians of the Gateway.

Kekes net pehetwee eff

– let the Pharaoh pass.

Sepet hehr

– let the Pharaoh pass.

Werr

– let the Pharaoh pass.

The Pharaoh confesses:

Oh, Swallower of Shades,

I have not stolen.

Oh, Breaker of Bones,

I have not lied.

Oh, Dangerous One,

I have not killed men.

Oh, Nefertum, I have done no wrong

– I have seen no evil.

I am pure,

I am pure,

I am pure.

This is the Hall of the Double Ma'at

– the Hall of Truth,

where the Goddess receives her Own.

The Heart of the Pharaoh is set in the Scales

and the Feather of the Goddess judges the Balance.

The Heart of the Pharaoh is True.

Thoth records:

The Gods are satisfied.

Oh, Osiris, bless the justified Pharaoh,

his Heart is True.

The Divine Light envelops the Pharaoh.

I am Osiris in the Underworld

– I am Ra in the Heavens

– I am Atum in the Beginning,

the First One

and the Last One.

At the darkest point of the Night,

the Great Snake Apep returns

and embraces Atum in his Coils.

These are the Gods who straighten the Coils of Apep,

removing his power.

Set and Horus are as One

– behold his Two Faces in the Mysteries.

In the Womb of Night,

the Great God is transformed.

The Great God of Becoming

emerges at the Dawn.

He is raised up by the Nun.

And the Light of Ra fills the World.....

Oh, FlameEyed,

open thy doors

for the One of the Horizon.

whose coils surround Ra in the Darkness,

you shall not overcome him.

Your forms are swallowed

by the Justified Dead

and your coils are straightened by the Gods

The Living Cobra is in the Pool of Fire

– the Souls of the Gods dare not approach.

Ra embraces the Elements

– the Earth, the Waters, the Fire and the Air.

This is Ra who comes to rest in Osiris.

This is Osiris who comes to rest in Ra.

The Soul of the Pharaoh is alone in the Underworld.