The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 181 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge
Chapter 23 (part 3)
15) the deceased holds a heart to his left side and addresses a human-headed hawk emblematic of the soul.] coloured beads, the clasp of which is in the shape of a pylon or gateway, and to which is attached a pectoral bearing a representation of the boat of the sun, wherein is set a scarab, emblematic of the Sun.[1] Text [CHAPTER XXVII: (1) CHAPTER OF GIVING A HEART UNTO OSIRIS ANI (2) IN THE UNDERWORLD.
[Ani saith]: "May my heart be with me in the House of Hearts.[2] May my heart be with me, and may it rest in [me], or I shall not eat of the cakes of Osiris on the eastern[3] side of the Lake of Flowers,[4] (3) [neither shall I have] a boat wherein to go down the Nile, and another wherein to go up, nor shall I go forward in the boat with thee.
May my mouth be given unto me that I may (4) speak with it, and my two feet to it walk withal, and my two hands and arms to overthrow my foe.
May the doors of heaven be opened unto me[5](5); may Seb, the Prince of the gods, open wide his two jaws unto me; may he open my two eyes which are blinded; may he cause me to stretch out my (6) feet which are bound together; and may Anubis make my legs firm that I may stand upon them.
May the goddess Sekhet make me to rise (7) so that I may ascend unto heaven, and there may that be done which I command in the House of the Ka of Ptah.[6] I know my heart, I have gotten the mastery over (8) my heart, I have gotten the mastery over my two hands and arms, I have gotten the mastery over my feet, and I have gained the power to do whatsoever my ka pleaseth.
(9) My soul shall not be shut off from my body at the gates of the underworld; but I shall enter in peace, and I shall come forth in peace." [1.
A very fine set of examples of blue, green, and yellow glazed faïence pectorals inlaid with scarabs is exhibited in the Fourth Egyptian Room.
2.
I.e.
, the judgment hall of Osiris, in which hearts were weighed.
3.
Var.
"West." 4.
On the word ### see Brugsch, Wörterbuch (Suppl.), p.
1289, and Stern, Glossarium , p.
19, col.
2, where the various kinds of this sweet-smelling plant are enumerated.
5 Var.
### "May my two hands open [my] mouth in the earth": Naville, Todtenbuch , Bd.
11., Bl.
90.
6.
I.e.
, the heavenly Memphis.] Text: [CHAPTER XXX B .].
(I) THE CHAPTER[1] OF NOT LETTING (2) THE HEART OF OSIRIS, THE SCRIBE OF THE SACRED OFFERINGS OF ALL THE GODS, ANI, TRIUMPHANT, BE DRIVEN FROM HIM IN THE UNDERWORLD.
Ani saith: "My heart, my mother; my heart, my mother (3).
My heart whereby I come into being.
May there be nothing to withstand me at [my] judgment; may there be no, resistance against me by the Tchatcha; may there be no parting of thee from me in the presence of him who keepeth the Scales!
Thou art my ka within (4) my body, [which] knitteth and strengtheneth my limbs.
Mayest thou come forth in the place of happiness [to which] I advance.
Themes
◇Anthropomorphismtheology
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
[auto] Gods are described with human or animal physical attributes such as jaws, eyes, and legs.
All passages →◇Funerary Navigationpraxis
Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.
[auto] The passage is a spell from the Book of the Dead explicitly designed to guide the deceased through the underworld and secure privileges in the afterlife.
All passages →◇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 open jaws, make legs firm, and allow access to heaven.
All passages →◇Psychopomp Journeycosmology
Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.
[auto] The text invokes Anubis and Seb to assist the deceased in moving through the afterlife realms and ascending to heaven.
All passages →◇Sacred Namestheology
Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.
[auto] The passage relies on invoking the names of specific deities (Osiris, Seb, Anubis, Sekhet) to effect changes in the deceased's condition.
All passages →◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis
A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.
[auto] The text explicitly prays for the ability to ascend unto heaven and move forward in the boat with the divine.
All passages →Related passages · 4 parallels
◆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 describe the afterlife and the judgment of the soul. They share themes of the soul's journey, the importance of the heart, and the division of the righteous and the sinners in the underworld.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 302
“Section 15 15. The souls peering forth from the Intellectual Realm descend first to the heavens and there put on a body; this becomes at once the medium by which as they reach out more and more towards magnitude [physical extension] they pr…”
Both passages explore the journey of the soul or spirit in the afterlife or lower realms, emphasizing the importance of the heart and the soul's mastery over its own destiny. They share themes of judgment, transformation, and the soul's connection to its physical form.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 418
“Section 2 2. Let every soul recall, then, at the outset the truth that soul is the author of all living things, that it has breathed the life into them all, whatever is nourished by earth and sea, all the creatures of the air, the divine st…”
Both passages explore the concept of the soul's centrality and its role in the afterlife or the cosmos. Passage A focuses on the heart as the seat of the soul and its importance in the judgment and journey of the deceased, while Passage B discusses the soul as the author of all living things and its divine nature. Both emphasize the soul's eternal and honourable nature.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialoguea
“.
Interlocutors : Liberio.
Laodonio.
Lib.
Reclining in the shade of a cypress-tree, the enthusiast finding his mind free from other thoughts, it happened that the heart and the eyes spoke together as if they were animals and substances…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the heart and the soul, and the importance of the heart in the afterlife or spiritual journey. They share a common theme of the heart's role in one's existence and its connection to divine judgment or spiritual enlightenment.