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The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) · 197 of 357 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 28 (part 2)

May Ani (21) advance, even as thou dost advance; may he never cease [to go forward], even as thy majesty ceaseth not [to go forward], even though it be for a moment; for with strides dost thou (22) in one little moment pass over the spaces which would need hundreds of thousands and millions of years [for man to pass over; this] thou doest, and then dost thou sink down. Thou (23) puttest an end to the hours of the night, and thou dost number them, even thou; thou endest them in thine own appointed season, and the earth becometh light. (24) Thou settest thyself before thy handiwork[1] in the likeness of Ra;[1] thou risest in the horizon." [1. There is a play on the words ### and ###.] Osiris, the scribe Ani, triumphant, declareth his (25) praise of thee when thou shinest, and when thou risest at dawn he crieth in his joy at thy birth: (26) "Thou art crowned with the majesty of thy beauties; thou mouldest thy limbs as thou dost advance, and thou bringest them forth without birth-pangs in the form of Ra (27), as thou dost climb up into the upper air. Grant thou that I may come unto the heaven which is everlasting, and unto the mountain [where dwell] thy favoured ones. (28) May I be joined unto those shining beings, holy and perfect, who are in the underworld; and may I come forth with them to behold thy beauties when thou shinest (29) at eventide and goest to thy mother Nut.
Themes
◆Divine Marriagesoteriology

The reunification of complementary divine principles (male-female, spirit-matter) as a symbol of wholeness and salvation.

The vignette description mentions Osiris and Isis together in a shrine, implying their divine union.

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◆Maat Cosmic Ordercosmology

The Egyptian principle of truth, balance, and right order underlying both the cosmos and human conduct; the parallel to Zoroastrian asha and Greek dike.

The text references Ra's unchanging law and the orderly rising and setting of the sun as a foundation for Ani's triumph and peace.

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

The deceased prays to go forth with the god, suggesting a form of divine accompaniment or union.

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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.

The soul seeks to join the sun god's cycle, representing a return to the divine order and origin.

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◇Anthropomorphismtheology

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

[auto] The divine is described with human attributes such as a face, kingship, and the capacity to rejoice.

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◇Divine Lighttheology

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

[auto] The passage centers on Ra as the sun god, repeatedly invoking his rays, beams of light, and role as the lord of rays.

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◇Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The text is from the Book of the Dead and explicitly outlines rituals and wishes for guiding the soul through the afterlife journey.

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◇Living Godtheology

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

[auto] Ra is depicted as an active deity who rises daily, sheds light, and causes the gods to rejoice.

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◇Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

[auto] The passage is structured as a 'Hymn of Praise' and direct address ('Hail', 'Homage') to the deity Ra.

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◇Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

[auto] The text describes the soul's passage through the afterlife using specific vessels like the matet and sektet boats among the stars.

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◇Sacred Namestheology

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

[auto] The hymn invokes specific divine names and titles such as Ra, Horus of the two horizons, and Khepera in prayer.

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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 deceased expresses a desire to ascend and travel among the stars and heavens with the sun god.

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Related passages · 6 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 5)
“But when this took place the love in the light of God broke through that heaven of division and ignited the heat." ( Aurora , xxv. 68.) "God, the eternal light and the eternal will, shines within the darkness, and the darkness has captured…”
Both passages describe a divine light or sun that brings life and knowledge. The Egyptian text praises Ra, the sun god, for his daily journey across the sky and his role in the afterlife, while the Christian mystical text discusses the sun as a manifestation of divine wisdom and its role in creation and spiritual regeneration.
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document SECONDr
“But thou, thou shalt become having the authority to go up unto their twelve Aeons at the time which thou wishest, and also thou (wilt) return and come unto thy Place, this which is below the thirteenth Aeon, this in which thou art becoming…”
Both passages describe a journey or ascent to a higher realm or state of being, involving divine beings and the concept of light. They share themes of transformation, divine intervention, and the overcoming of obstacles, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document SECOND“
“This is the answer of the words after which ye seek. Now therefore also, Andreas, yet art thou being in unbelief and with ignorance? But whenever ye should come out of the body and go unto the Height, and arrive at the Place of the Rulers…”
Both passages describe a journey to a divine realm and the transformation of the individual through this journey. They share themes of transcendence, purification, and union with the divine, though they are rooted in different mystical traditions.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XI. HERCULES (part 2)
“127 hence the reason is obvious why Hercules is called "earth's best blossom." And we shall find that Saturn in the following hymn is called "blossom of the earth;" and Themis, in Hymn 78, "young blossom of the earth;" and the Titans, in Hy…”
Both passages are hymns praising a divine figure associated with the sun and its daily journey across the sky. They share themes of adoration, divine power, and the cyclical nature of celestial bodies, reflecting a common mystical reverence for the sun in different cultural contexts.
◆jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter LXII
“LXII. Judgement of the Kings and the Mighty: Blessedness of the Righteous . CHAPTER LXII. 1. And thus the Lord commanded the kings and the mighty and the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, and said: 'Open your eyes and lift up your…”
Both passages describe a divine judgment scene where the righteous are rewarded and the unrighteous are punished. They share a common theme of divine justice and the exaltation of the righteous, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆mandaean|Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth|Section 8
“[What follows is presumably the beginning of the Letter.] Gnosis of Life 8 who is far from the height [writes]: "I have come unto thee, O Soul, whom Life has sent into this world. In robes of the Eight 9 went I into the world. I went in t…”
Both passages describe a journey or ascent to a divine realm, with the protagonist seeking union with the divine or celestial beings. They also share themes of transformation and the triumph over darkness or ignorance.