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The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 61 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 6 (part 17)

Unas is in heaven, Unas is in heaven, in the form of air, in the form of air; he perisheth not, neither doth anything which is in him perish. He is firmly stablished in heaven, and he taketh his pure seat in the bows of the bark of Ra. Those who row Ra up into the heavens row him also, and those who row Ra beneath the horizon row him also." The life which the deceased leads is said to be generally that of him "who entereth into the west of the sky, and who cometh forth from the east thereof." In brief, the condition of the blessed is summed up in the following extract from the pyramid of Pepi I.:-- "Hail, Pepi, thou hast come, thou art glorious, and thou hast gotten might like the god who is seated upon his throne, that is Osiris. Thy soul is with thee in thy body, thy form of strength is behind thee, thy crown is upon thy head, thy head-dress is upon thy shoulders, thy face is before thee, and those who sing songs of joy are upon both sides of thee; those who follow in the train of God are behind thee, and the divine forms who make God to come are upon each side of thee. God cometh, and Pepi hath come upon the throne of Osiris. The shining one who dwelleth in Netat, the divine form that dwelleth in Teni, hath come. Isis speaketh unto thee, Nephthys holdeth converse with thee, and the shining ones come unto thee bowing down even to the ground in adoration at thy feet, by reason of the writing which thou hast, O Pepi, in the region of Saa. Thou comest forth to thy mother Nut, and she strengtheneth thy arm, and she maketh a way for thee through the sky to the place where Ra abideth. Thou hast opened the gates of the sky, thou hast opened the doors of the celestial deep; thou hast found Ra and he watcheth over thee, he hath taken thee by thy hand, he hath led thee into the two regions of heaven, and he hath placed thee on the throne of Osiris. Then hail, O Pepi, for the Eye of Horus came to hold converse with thee; thy soul which was among the gods came unto thee; thy form of power which was dwelling among the shining ones came unto thee. As a son fighteth for his father, and as Horus avenged Osiris, even so doth Horus defend Pepi against his enemies. And thou [1. Recueil de Travaux , t. iv., p. 74 (1. 602). 2. Recueil de Travaux , t. iv., p. 46 (l. 405). 3. Ibid. , t. iii., p. 202 (1. 209). 4. Ibid. , t. iv., p. 51 (1. 447 f.). 5. Ibid. , t. v., p. 53 (l. 340). 6. ###. Ibid. , t. 8, p. 104 (l. 665). 7. Ibid. , t. v., p. 159, (ll. 1-21).] "standest avenged, endowed with all things like unto a god, and equipped with all the forms of Osiris upon the throne of Khent-Amenta. Thou doest that which he doeth among the immortal shining ones; thy soul sitteth upon its throne being provided with thy form, and it doeth that which thou doest in the presence of Him that liveth among the living, by the command of Ra, the great god.
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Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

[auto] The passage describes deities and the deceased with human features such as faces, crowns, shoulders, and the ability to sing songs.

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Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

[auto] References to being glorious, a shining one, and association with Ra imply the presence of divine luminosity.

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Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] This text is explicitly from the Book of the Dead, providing instructions and declarations for the deceased's journey through the afterlife realms.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

[auto] The deities are depicted as active agents who row, come, sing, and dwell in specific locations.

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Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

[auto] The deceased is described as taking a seat in the bark of Ra and sitting upon the throne of Osiris, indicating identification with the gods.

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Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

[auto] The deceased travels with those who row Ra's bark, implying a guided passage through the cosmic realms of the afterlife.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

[auto] The deceased enters the west and comes forth from the east, joining the eternal cycle of the divine gods in heaven.

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Sacred Namestheology

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

[auto] The invocation of specific names like Unas, Pepi, Ra, and Osiris serves to establish the ontological status and power of 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 text details the movement of the deceased rowing Ra up into the heavens and ascending to the divine throne.

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