← Home
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 in the likeness of Ra; 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.
§ Ask Guru about this passage →
Themes
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
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.

All passages →
Related passages · 3 parallels
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter III
“According to another order, however, he arranges the God Emeph prior to, and as the leader of, the celestial Gods. And he says that this God is an intellect, itself intellectually perceiving itself, and converting intellections to itself. B…”
Shared concept: Maat Cosmic Order — The Egyptian principle of truth, balance, and right order underlying both the cosmos and human conduct; the parallel to Zoroastrian asha and Greek dike. (derived)
western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|Qabbalistic Keys to the Creation of Man-i
“One school of thought affirms that the human soul was actually divided into two parts (male and female) and that man remains an unperfected creature until these parts are reunited through the emotion which man calls love . From this concep…”
Shared concept: Divine Marriage — The reunification of complementary divine principles (male-female, spirit-matter) as a symbol of wholeness and salvation. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology|Chapter I-a
“Wheat is the Divine Gloom. T rinty, which exceedeth all Being, Deity, and Goodness! 514 514 Lit. “Super-Essential, Supra-Divine, Super-Excellent.” Thou that instructeth Christians in Thy heavenly wisdom! Guide us to that topmost height…”
Shared concept: Prayer — Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward. (derived)