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The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 53 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 6 (part 9)

lxvii} supported by a passage in the XCIInd Chapter of the Book of the Dead,[1] where it is said:-- em xena ba-a sauti xaibit-a un uat Let not be shut in my soul, let not be fettered my shadow, let be opened the way en ba-d en xaibit-a maa-f neter aa for my soul and for my shadow, may it see the great god. And again, in the LXXXIXth Chapter the deceased says:-- maa-a ba-a xaibit-a May I look upon my soul and my shadow.[2] the khu or intelligence. Another important and apparently eternal part of man was the khu , which, judging from the meaning of the word, may be defined as a "shining" or translucent, intangible casing or covering of the body, which is frequently depicted in the form of a mummy. For want of a better word khu has often been translated "shining one," "glorious," "intelligence," and the like, but in certain cases it may be tolerably well rendered by "spirit." The pyramid texts show us that the khu's of the gods lived in heaven, and thither wended the khu of a man as soon as ever the prayers said over the dead body enabled it to do so. Thus it is said, "Unas standeth with the khu's ,"[3] and one of the gods is asked to "give him his sceptre among the khu's ; "[4] when the souls of the gods enter into Unas, their khu's are with and round about him.[6] To king Teta it is said:-- [1. Naville, Todtenbuch , Bd. I., Bl. 104, ll. 7, 8. 2. Ibid. , Bd. I., Bl. 101. 3. Recueil de Travaux , t. iii., p. x 88 (1. 71). 4. Ibid. , t. iii., p. 215 (l. 274). 5. Ibid., t iv., p. 61 (1. 522).] {p. lxviii} nehem-nef maat-f maf er ta-nef nek seba-k He[1] hath plucked his eye from himself, he hath given it unto thee to strengthen thee am-s sexem-k am-s xent xu therewith, that thou mayest prevail with it among the khu's .[2] And again, when the god Khent-mennut-f has transported the king to heaven, the god Seb, who rejoices to meet him, is said to give him both hands and welcome him as a brother and to nurse him and to place him among the imperishable khu's .[1] In the XCIInd Chapter the deceased is made to pray for the liberation of his soul, shadow, and khu from the bondage of the tomb, and for deliverance from those "whose dwellings are hidden, who fetter the souls, who fetter souls and khu's cc and who shut in the shadows of the dead";[4] and in the XC Ist Chapter[5] is a formula specially prepared to enable the khu to pass from the tomb to the domains where Ra and Hathor dwell. The sekhem or form. Yet another part of a man was supposed to exist in heaven, to which the Egyptians gave the name sekhem. The word has been rendered by "power," "form," and the like, but it is very difficult to find any expression which will represent the Egyptian conception of the sekhem . It is mentioned in connection with the soul and khu , as will be seen from the following passages from the pyramid texts 1.
Themes
Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The passage is excerpted from the Book of the Dead and explicitly details rituals and prayers intended to guide the soul, shadow, and khu through death.

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Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

[auto] The khu is defined as a 'shining' or translucent eternal part of man residing within or associated with the body.

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Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

[auto] The deceased petitions for the way to be opened for their soul and shadow to proceed to the great god.

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Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

[auto] The passage quotes specific ritual formulas and spells intended to effect ontological changes for the deceased.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

[auto] The khu is described as wending its way to heaven where the gods reside after prayers enable it to do so.

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Tripartite Soulanthropology

Division of the human being into three principles: spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche), and body/matter (hyle or soma).

[auto] The text distinguishes between the soul (ba), shadow (xaibit), and khu as distinct eternal parts of the human being.

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Related passages · 4 parallels
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2.) "The inner man stood in heaven; his essences were the Paradise; his body was indestructible. He knew the language of God and the angels, and the language of nature, as may be seen by Adam giving names to all creatures, to each accordin…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul and its various aspects or manifestations, exploring the idea of an eternal, intangible part of a person that exists beyond the physical body. They also touch on the theme of the soul's journey or existence in a higher realm or heaven.
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The wrath must kill and consume the external image that has grown in the wrath, but from its death springs forth the eternal life." ( Mysterium , xxviii. 14.) "Abel, representing an antitype of Christ, who was to suffer death for humanity,…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul and its various components or aspects, exploring the idea of the soul's journey and its liberation. The Egyptian Book of the Dead describes the soul, shadow, and khu, while the Mysterium text discusses the spiritual aspects of humanity and the soul's role in divine contemplation.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 13 (part 4)
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of My Father in heaven." It would seem self-evident that no being inferior to the Father in heaven can possibly do the will of the Father, because no one can do the will of God unl…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul and its journey after death, highlighting the idea of liberation and transformation. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of the soul and its connection to divine realms, though they come from different religious traditions.
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter XXII (part 1)
XXII. Sheol, or the Underworld . CHAPTER XXII. 1. And thence I went to another place, and he showed me in the west ⌈ another ⌉ great and high mountain [ and ] of hard rock. E 2 And there was in it †four† hollow places, deep and wide an…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul and its journey after death, with the Egyptian Book of the Dead describing the khu and sekhem, and the other passage describing the spirits of the dead in Sheol. Both texts explore the idea of different parts or states of the soul and their respective fates.