ANCIENT EGYPT In the Book of the Dead the ancient Egyptians left humanity one of the most comprehensive views of the death experience and the afterlife. Without sacrificing any of the rich complexity of pharaonic thought, Becoming Osiris provides a detailed examination of this major religious text, making it easily accessible to the modern reader. This is a thought provoking account of the numerous initiatory stages of the immortalization process and the magical self-defense techniques necessary for the soul to achieve its ultimate objective of becoming a luminous being. But the true significance of the ancient Egyptian view of death cannot be entirely comprehended without knowledge of the practices that preceded those described in the Book of the Dead. Becoming Osiris gives an incisive account of both The Ritual of Embalming, which transforms the dead individual into a latent Osiris, and The Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth, which restores to the dead person his faculties. Though thousands of years old these texts have an astounding contemporary relevance. Filled with illustrations from the rich field of Egyptian funerary art, Becoming Osiris is a fascinating look at the Osirian odyssey that was the ancient Egyptian death experience. STePHANE ROSSINI is a professional illustrator and the author of Reading and Writing Hieroglyphs. RUTH SCHUMANN-ANTELME is an Egyptologist, an emeritus researcher of the CNRS in France, and a professor at the School of the Louvre.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Translator’s Preface
Hymn to Osiris
1. Ancient Egypt in Context
The Effect of Geography on Egyptian Thought
The Concept of the Eternal Return
The Ritual Integration of the Deceased and the Tomb in the
Cycle of Everyday Life
The Constituent Elements of the Individual
The Texts and Rituals of Immortality
FIRST STAGE: THE EMBALMING
2. The Transformation of the Deceased into a Latent Osiris
The Preparation of the Body to Be Embalmed
The Intervention of the Deities
SECOND STAGE: THE OPENING OF THE MOUTH RITUAL
3. The Restoration of the Deceased’s Faculties
The Place and the Protagonists for the Opening of the Mouth Ritual
The Enactment of the Opening of the Mouth Ritual
The Funeral Banquet
THIRD STAGE: THE BOOK OF THE DEAD, METHODS OF OBTAINING IMMORTALITY
4. The Return to the Universal Matrix
The First Contact of the Deceased with the Beyond
The Magic Funerary Statuettes
The First Obstacles to Entering the Dwat
Guardian Deities, Hope, and Adoration of Ra
5. Teachings for Coming Forth by Day
Summary of Essential Knowledge
Accompanying Prayers for the Deceased and the Litany to Thoth
Mystical Restoration and Reactivation of the Individual
6. Magical Self-Defense
Invocation to the Heart
Places and Forces Hostile to the Deceased
Magical Protection for the Deceased
The Mystical Food for the Departed
Mastery of the Elements
7. Transformations and Solarization of the Deceased
General Program for the Coming Forth by Day and Practical
Recommendations
Alleged History of Chapter 64
The Transmuted One Takes Cosmic Flight to Meet the Divine Powers
Return to the Tomb and Provisions for the Solarized One
The Twelve Avatars of the Glorified Individual
8. Magical Integration of the Transfigured One within the Cosmic Framework
The Dead Individual Assures Himself of the Presence of His Soul,
His Shadow, and His Ka
Thoth Hands over the Magic Palette to the Deceased
Formula for Bringing the Ferry in the Sky to
Oneself and Voyaging with Ra
Invocation to the Ka and to the Souls of the Holy Cities
9. The Vindicated Explores the Cycle of the Beyond
Travels and Works in the Land of Abundance
Stellar Take-Off and the Return to the Tomb
The Tribunal of Osiris
The Vindicated, Osiris-Ra, Travels through the Hereafter
10. Accompaniment of the Deceased and Geography of the Beyond
Prayers and Magic Practices Based on Lunar Rhythms
The Deceased in the Service of Ra: Solar Destiny
Ritual Furnishings for the Tomb and Its Safeguards
The Four Secret Books
11. The Mystical Labyrinth and the Glorious Arrival
The Geography of the Beyond
Dangers of the Beyond and Protective Amulets for the Dead
The Opening of the Sky to the Four Cosmic Winds
The Radiant Glorification of the Deceased, Osiris-Ra
12. The Additional Chapters
Preservation of the Body and Soul of the Deceased
Homage Paid by the Deceased to the Deities of the Caverns and to Osiris
The Destruction of the World and the Cosmic Renewal
Glorification of Osiris-Ra
Epilogue
Appendix: Were the Ancient Egyptians Familiar with Near Death Experiences?
Deities and Guardian Spirits Cited
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
