Inspiration
My enthusiastic interest in ancient Egyptian mysteries fueled my inspiration to learn about the extensive artistic preparations, death rites, and ceremonies that were performed at the end of life. This process was guided to ensure that a persons soul, referred to as BA, would enter the Afterlife realm, where it would be reincarnated, at which time a new Spirit, KA would be born. The Merkaba is the ascension vehicle that surrounds our body represented with sacred geometry as 2 interconnected tetrahedrons. Mer meaning light, KA meaning spirit, and BA meaning soul. According to this ancient wisdom, we are light beings carrying the essence of a Spirt and Soul embodied in the physical form. The mythologies left me fascinated, from the elaborate symbolic stories left carved in stone, to the extensive mummification rituals and magickal seals.
The hieroglyphics told the story of how the soul was guided after death, on a solar barge by Anubis, the jackal-headed Neter(nature, aspect thereof) of the Afterlife and mummification, to meet Osiris, the Neter of resurrection, who weighed a persons heart to the feather of Ma'at, who represented truth, order, justice and harmony. Ma'at holds the Universal laws in balance within her wings and is depicted as a woman with a feather upon her head. If the heart weighed less than the feather, which was determined by their actions in that lifetime, it was recorded by Thoth the inventor, who was an Ibis-headed scribe, philosopher, mathematician, scientist, astronomer, astrologist, botanist, and alchemist. They were then escorted into the Field of Reeds by Hathor, the cow-headed Neter who's milk made the Milky Way galaxy, the most ancient of the female Egyptian Neteru, as Lady of the Necropolis, who opened the door to the Afterlife, where they would experience peace and tranquillity until reincarnation, if they chose it. Although these are myths, they echo on thousands of years after being scribed by Thoth and recorded in the Pyramid Texts c. 2400-2300 BCE, the Coffin Texts c. 2134-2040 BCE, as well as the Book of the Dead c. 1550-1017 BCE.
Often their meaning was symbolic in nature and meant to guide the reader to existential questioning of life and death and how to live more present in each moment, honoring ourselves as Divine beings not separate from Source/Creator. The exact re-enactment of these rituals would not be possible during our current timeline due to them likely being mistranslated, as well as not having accurate recipes for preparations of such alchemy available to carry them out.
It only serves as inspiration and a reminder that long long ago, death was honored in a way which has been forgotten. Our ancestors are not remembered and honored as they once were. It is rare to have a conversation with anyone who can remember the names of any relative past a great grand parent. The lineages are not often recorded and passed down as heirlooms along with crocheted lace handkerchiefs, sets of china, or silver coins. Thanks to ancestry.com and other websites now available, some of us are utilizing these tools to remember where we have come from, but it is not the responsibility of the future generations as it once was, to be a record keeper of their lineage.
It is my intention to create ceremony around death again, and to use it as a catalyst for the Spiritual evolution of the Soul, in an applicable way for our modern times. Indigenous tribes and peoples have always paid their gratitude and attributed the knowledge of their practices to the wisdom of the elders (and sometimes the "Star People"), who were the ones who had last been in contact with the generations past. They were revered and respected, honored and admired. The storytellers passed on oral traditions to ensure the longevity of their culture, medicines, songs, recipes, hunting skills, crafts, spiritual practices and so much more. Now, more often than not, we search the internet on our phones, tablets, or computers to get the answers we seek, and our elder populations are being forgotten as wisdom-keepers. We wonder why dementia and diseases of memory loss are so prevalent. No one is asking them to remember!
I realized that as a civilization, we have become very good at "processing" the physical body after death, holding a funeral to acknowledge the deceased, scattering the ashes, but not so good at tending to the Spirit/Soul at the end of life. I wondered why we have become so disconnected from death and focus more on what to do with the physical element of dying, not taking into consideration that the Spirit/Soul may need guidance. In a ceremonial setting, I can help guide them wherever their belief system has them set to go. Especially in cases of sudden death, the Spirit can easily be disoriented and may need a guide to facilitate the transition and light their way to the Afterlife, Creator, Great Spirit, Goddess, God, Heaven, or nowhere at all if you're an atheist. Regardless of your spiritual or religious beliefs, someone should be holding space for those moments at the end of life, who can connect with your energy and make you feel safe and protected.