Modern Egyptian Ritual Magick
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An Explanation of This Material
This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list of all of the gods who were at one time or another worshipped or feared in Egypt. Instead, I have endeavored to provide insight into the characters of those gods which I myself, in my own personal practise and/or study, have been fortunate enough to be touched by. The only exceptions to this are those gods which, either by accident or by inquiry from a visitor such as yourself, I have been inclined to research from a strictly academic bent. In general it should be easy enough to distinguish the two from the tone of my text alone.
If there is some divinity which you do not see here, but feel should appear on this site, do not hesitate to contact me and let me know.
Do bear in mind that my relationship with the Egyptian mythos is ever expanding as the Great Work goes on. It is my belief that through offerings and supplication we are gradually awakening those who once ruled over the entire earth, but now slumber and starve; and that time will bring the triumphant return of maat to this world of ignorance and injustice.
Nuit
The lady of the stars, the arch of the sky, Nuit is the ineffably cold mother of creation. She watches over her children with her million distant but sparkling eyes, seeing everything at once but never intervening. She is not lazy, but simply incapable of movement: for though she contains infinite potentiality within her aethyric body, she possesses no will of her own to set her in motion. Rather she glides and swirls in an eternal dance toward complete entropy, drifting in the currents that the movement of her blood (the astral wind) creates.
The art of astrology is nothing more or less than the study of Nuit's physiognomy. But the wisdom gleaned from her laconic, cyclical dance speaks more to the fate of the universe than to the fate of a given person or nation, which sorely renders this art beyond the interest and the grasp of all but a few extraordinary souls. Her grace becomes useful to her worshippers through her capacity to provide access to an infinity of potential worlds. Every visible star within her body is a world, a dimension, a plane, or an aethyr of its own, inviting the exploration of the microcosms within ourselves and the macrocosm that is our limitless universe.
One has but to call upon his or her own will to command the vast, whirling potential of Nuit's manifold gates. The energy that plays above us is ours for the taking, if we but learn to speak the names to which it responds. In time we too could escape the fetters of the shallow gravity well of our world, and be re-born through Nuit to become as gods in some distant world.
Though her face changes nightly, Nuit's alien beauty, her cold yet somehow passionate observation, and the ceaseless evocation of her mysterious eyes are irresistably familiar beacons to all who have stared into the night sky, and let themselves see it for what it could be.
Theory on the Origin of Nuit's Children
How can it be that the gods Ast (Isis), Asar (Osiris), Suti (Set), and Nebt-Het (Nephthys) were born as mortals according to some legends, yet born divine (from the union of Nuit and Geb) according to others? This apparent paradox, the logical result of the process by which local legendary/mythical figures became nationally recognized gods, requires reconciliation and explanation within the mythos itself. For the sociological/historical explanation forces one to view the Egyptian religion from the outside, which is contrary to our desire to work WITHIN the mythos and to develop a personal relationship with these gods and goddesses.
For explanation, we turn to the goddess Nuit herself. She is the arch of the sky above us, the vast aethyr whose body glistens with the dewdrops that are the stars. We know now, and the ancient Egyptians surely suspected, that other worlds drift among those distant stars. Paradise, or Pet as it is called, lies above the sky, on a huge plate of iron. It is clear that Nuit herself is both the guardian and the manifestation of the gate between Pet and our world, and it only follows that she would serve as the gate or conduit to other worlds as well.
So let us suppose that her children were born and lived as ordinary mortals on some other world within the vastness of space, until the moment that, for whatever reason and by whatever means, each in turn 'ascended' to divinity-- escaping the gravity well of their own native world-- and were born, or rather bourne, through Nuit's gate to become as gods in this world. It is said that Asar was the first born of Nuit, followed in turn by Suti, Ast, and Nebt-Het. Taking the lifestories of each of these four and assembling them chronologically allows for the maintenance of the order of ascension that this new theory suggests.
The theory is also harmonic with what appears to be a cross-cultural constant relating to the origin of many other gods as supraterrestrial. The gods of many ancient religions were often depicted as having wings, implying their ability to travel through the 'sky'; that is, through space itself, from world to world, according to their whim. From the Dagon tribe, whose elders believed that they were the descendents of a god-like race from the binary Sirius, to the Mayans, who taught of three worlds that the gods dwelt on before coming to this one, the idea of extraterrestrial divinities seems to be deeply rooted in the stores of the collective human subconscious. Even today, groups such as the Scientologists believe that the salvation of the human race lies in contacting superior lifeforms from distant worlds that oversee and influence human history.
None of these other cultures or religions seem to invest their deities with the level of alien beauty and depth of character that the Egyptian gods possess, however. The elegance of Ast, the glory of Heru (Horus), the tragedy of Asar, the cold logic of Djehwty (Thoth); these are obviously living, breathing entities, sentient metaphors waiting to be reinstated within the language of the mystic. Whatever their origin, whatever the mechanism of their arrival on our world and in our minds, the fact that the Egyptian gods are here among us in some form is indisputable.
Ast (Isis)
Ast, the Queen of Heaven, is the perfect combination of a pure heart with pure ambition. Like her husband Asar (Osiris), whose trials opened and smoothed the way for those who follow him through death's gates into the underworld, Ast nurtures and protects those who struggle through life, following her path to success and immortality. All life that is fragile and new falls into her care, and it is she who watches over children as they sleep and keeps them from harm. She ensures that those who are just are not devoured by the perils of existence; for to Ast, all children are her children, are Horus; all husbands are her husbands, all wives her sisters.
But she is much more than this-- not just a passive protectress, or some sort of "guardian angel" or fertility goddess. She is at least as wise as Asar, as mysterious as Nebt-Het (Nephthys), and even as cunning as Suti (Set). The subtle difference between Ast and her siblings is the unique blend of brilliance and strength that she employs as she pursues her ends.
Her role in the trials of Asar is well documented in the texts known as the Sorrows of Isis. A less frequently told story that may shed more light on Ast's character is the story of her ascendence to divinity.
Ast began her life as a mortal woman, endowed with miraculous (but not unbounded) powers of sorcery and healing. But she felt that to fulfill her destiny, she had to somehow transcend the limitations of her mortality. One day she set out to follow the chariot of Ra (which appears to us as the sun) along its course across the sky. She saw that Ra aged incredibly during his daily journey, so that even though he began each day young and strong, by the advent of sunset he was a frail and doddering old man. She returned day after day, watching and waiting carefully. At last her patience was rewarded: for near the end of the fifth day, the enfeebled god let fall drool from his gaping mouth; Ast collected the spittle of the god and returned home with it. She took a handful of the dusty earth of her land and combined it with the spittle, working it into clay which she shaped into the form of a serpent. She worked through the night on the serpent, reciting spells and words of power of it and making it an instrument of her will.
The next day, she waited near the western horizon for Ra's chariot to approach. As it did so, she placed her serpent in its path, so that as the god approached, the serpent came to life and struck at him, sinking its clay fangs into his flesh. Ra, as the ultimate progenitor, was immune to the bites and stings of all of the natural animals of the earth; but as this serpent was created by sorcery, and from the very fluids of his own body, the poison of its bite spread like fire through his blood. Ra fell instantly ill, and the chariot of the sun was stopped dead as his court gathered around him, shaken and fearful. They each tried in vain to heal his wound and stop the spread of the poison, but Ra grew only weaker and closer to death. Ast then seized her opportunity and spoke in the voice which the gods cannot help but hear, declaring that she could and would cure him-- but only if he gave to her his most secret name.
After feeble and hurried attempts to bargain with the sorceress, Ra came to the realization that his time was near, and having tried all else he agreed to assent to Ast's offer. He removed himself and Ast to a place outside of this universe, where nothing and no-one had ever been or would ever be again. In this void he revealed to her his True and Secret Name. The power of the knowledge of this name instantly transformed Ast into an immortal being. She reversed the sorcery of her clay serpent and Ra was renewed. His gratitude to her secured her place among the other gods and goddesses of the world.
Thus we see that through Ast the impossible is attainable.
Asar (Osiris)
In Asar we have the embodiment of the god of our fathers, the since-deposed ruler of a kingdom that predates our birth. He is the king of a Golden Age that lives solely in the memories of the aged. As such we can endow him with the wisdom and introspection of the ancient of years, the passive intelligence of the father of our father, the benevolent but impotent role of a kindly former head-of-state.
His impotence in this world is plainly communicated to us in the myth of the Sorrows of Isis. When Suti (Set) tore Asar asunder and scattered his fourteen pieces to the far reaches of the world, the one piece that Asar's wife, Ast (Isis) was unable to locate was his phallus. This she had to fashion from wood herself in order to impregnate herself with their child, Horus.
But in the underworld, Asar is not at all impotent; rather, he is the explorer who first discovered and revealed the intricacies of the nether world, and now leads those who find themselves in that dark realm through the many vaults and chambers to the afterworld. When one dies, one is completely removed from the present, dwelling for evermore in the increasingly dim past. And in that shadow realm, everything that ever WAS, IS. Thus Asar rules there forever.
Nebt-Het (Nephthys)
Nebt-Het, last born of Nuit's children, is the sister and wife of Suti (Set). She represents the fecundity of death; not in the sense of rebirth, but rather that of the natural reclaimation of the physical remains by carrion and invisible scavengers. It is through her influence that the cycle of life and death is kept from grinding to an entropic halt.
The Egyptians occasionally used the name Nebt-Het as an expression for the barren territories surrounding their country, relegating her thus to the unknown and hostile wilds. This, in connection with her place among the remains of the dead, makes her well-suited for dwelling among the Qlippoth, the "shells" or "husks" of base, earth-bound spirits who wander the paths of the reverse Tree, the Tree of Death.
Nebt-Het is both the antithesis of her sister Ast (Isis) and her favourite companion. Where Ast is the goddess of birth, growth, and daylight, Nebt-Het embraces decay, death, and the night-- the unseen world that descends over half of our lives, half of all time, reminding us of its presence with the shrieks of night-beasts under the waning moon.
One significant but oft-overlooked aspect of Nebt-Het is her station as one of the Maat-goddesses. Maat is the concept of the Law behind the law, the Justice behind justice; the unquestionable Way that Things Must Be. The Maat goddesses decree the motion and positions of the stars and planets, the course of the sun and moon, and the very laws of nature. They also act as the confessors of the dead as the newly-freed Ka makes its way through the chambers and halls of the underworld. Through Nebt-Het and Tefnut the dead carry their secrets to the grave...
From the remains of the physical body, Nephthys fashions the Sahu, the spiritual body, which allows the soul, shadow, spirit, and name of the deceased to become one with the company of heaven.
Manifold are the forms and functions of the "goddess of that death which is not eternal."
Suti (Set)
Suti, master of darkness and the beasts that hunt by night-- advocate of the strong, devourer of the weak. With his legions of serpents and hordes of scorpions and spiders, he preys on the fallen and conspires against the pure. He is lord over every variety of rain and cloud, he brews the most potent storms, and he wracks the cities and the spirits of men with shrieking, violent winds. Suti is the eternal adversary, the shaitan.
At least, this is what his enemies and chroniclers would have us believe. On another level he represents the aspiration of the genetic drive for survival, the animal response, the raw instinct, the drive to ride the natural cycle of the hunter and the hunted. His tools include trickery, subtlety, the refined arts of guerrilla warfare and the silver tongue. His cunning is unmatched, as is his mastery of the nefarious disciplines of sabotage and deceit. He is an utterly immoral being, using whatever means will achieve his ends. In this light (or in the absence thereof), his evil is not that of a blind, raging monster, but rather that of the absence of emotion and conscience, the total domination of will and cold intellect over the other facilities.
Anpu (Anubis)
Anpu (Anubis) is the bastard child of Nebt-Het (Nephthys), born of her clandestine union with Asar (Osiris) but raised as the son of Suti (Set). As he grew to manhood it became obvious that Anpu was not of Suti's ilk, showing a streak of melancholic compassion that could only be attributed to the blood of his true and secret father. Anpu was cast out when his true nature was discovered, and left to his own solitary devices.
Now the haunter of dark and lonely places, a wanderer through the shadow-realm between life and death, Anpu bears witness to the darker side of mortality. He seeks out those lost souls who find themselves without guidance after their demise. All who die will eventually find themselves in the presence of this enigmatic god, who silently will lead them away from this world and to the gates of the next.
In the funerary ceremonies of the ancient Egyptians, a prayer/evocation to Anpu was recited. The face of the deceased was likened to the face of Anpu, and his voice to the voice of Anpu. Thus we learn that the true visage of the jackal-headed god was as a death-mask to behold, and also that in some sense Anpu may be thought of as a speaker for the dead, a courier of last words and final wishes. It would seem that in this respect, his duties are not dissimilar to those of Djhewty's profession; but rather than acting as a messenger and scribe to the gods themselves, Anpu serves the dead as a recorder of their deeds and as a final spokesman on their behalf in the halls of Judgement.
Djewhty (Thoth)
Ibis-headed enigma, inventor of language and writing, the Egyptian Prometheus. Djewhty descends gracefully, leaving his mark on the faithful with a few gentle strokes, then returns to his place of watching to witness our struggles, defeats, and triumphs.
Where Set is cold, calculating, and ambitious, Djewhty is the passionless watcher and chronicler of us all. It seems paradoxical that he should intervene on our behalf, but of all the gods, he is the most apt to come when (properly) called. In calling on him, however, one enters into something of an unspoken bond: for from that point on, Djewhty will record one's name and deeds in his great Book of Life; and one is then guaranteed to be subject to final judgement in that vast, dim hall in the Tuat that awaits us on our death. This is the price of evoking Djewhty to intervene in the affairs of a mortal.
Djewhty's wisdom and erudition are unmatched. Kings and queens, and even the other gods themselves, have sought his counsel and aid through the aeons. He has eyes that see both forward and backward in time, and is thus nearly omniscient. Perhaps it is this very omniscience that saps his own Will from his heart. He can see the end of the universe, and all the threads of action and reaction that lead from here to there. Knowing one's own fate, and the fate of all the others, how could one deign to act at all? Only with the courage that comes to one without fear, love, or any other emotion.
Maa-hes
Maa-hes seemed to be represented in one of two ways: either as a lion-headed man wearing a disk and a uraeus, or as a man (with an eye above his head) being devoured by a lion standing on its hind legs just behind him. This second representation is of especial interest, because it references another possible form of Maa-hes. The word 'maa' means 'vision', and there was a minor god with this name who ruled over the eyes and the sense of sight. Maa was usually represented as a man with a third eye in the air above his head. (Compare this image to that of the Magician in the traditional Tarot.) As a side note, 'hes' means fierce, which gives the name Maa-hes the meaning 'fierce sight' or 'fierce-eyed'. There seems to have been a female counterpart to Maa-hes, named Maa-hesa, who is related to the Greek goddess Miysis. The center of Maa-hesa's worship was at Bubastis, or 'Tall Bast', which was of course the location of the greatest temple to Bast in Egypt. It may be for this reason that Maa-hes was considered a relative of Bast. Although probably quite a minor god, figures of Maa-hes in clay and bronze have been found in the wrappings of mummies and in tombs, sometimes as amulets. These may have been used to insure that the deceased would have the power of sight in the next world, but that is just my conjecture. It is also possible that later in Egyptian history Maa-hes became confused with Maa-hef, who is some sort of ferryman in the underworld. (From the pyramid texts of Pepi: "Behold... they transport [me] with Maa-hef and he ferries [me] to that region of the imperishable stars so that [I] may be among them.")