← Home
The Egyptian Heaven and Hell · 62 of 96 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 14 (part 3)

It is tolerably certain that the form in which they depicted it is much shorter than that in which it existed originally, and that the attributes and duties of many of the gods have been changed to suit the necessities of the cults of Osiris and Amen-Ra. Such changes have resulted in great confusion, and at the present time it is impossible p. 139 to reduce these most interesting, but at the same time most difficult, scenes and texts to their original forms. The priests of Amen-Ra found it to be impossible to ignore entirely SEKER and his Land, when they were depicting the various Underworlds of Egypt, but it is very suggestive that they make the path of AFU-RA to be over and not through his kingdom, and that AFU-RA had to go on his way without entering the pyramid beneath which reposed the IMAGE of SEKER in the deepest darkness of night, in fact without seeing SEKER at all. On the other hand, they attached the greatest importance to the knowledge of the pictures of the FOURTH and FIFTH DIVISIONS, and they believed that it would enable the body of a man to rejoin his soul, and prevent the goddess KHEMIT, from hacking it in pieces, and would secure for the believer a share of the offerings made to Seker. The Kingdom of Khenti-Amenti-Osiris According to the Book Of Gates
§ Ask Guru about this passage →
Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

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

[auto] Deities and sphinxes are described with human forms, flesh, members, and heads.

All passages →
Archonscosmology

Malevolent planetary rulers or demiurgic powers that govern the material world and obstruct the soul's ascent.

Gods guarding Seker's kingdom function as obstacles that destroy the dead who lack the necessary influence or knowledge to pass.

All passages →
Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

The text contrasts the dark, torturous realm of Seker with the light-filled abode of Osiris and distinguishes between the wicked and the righteous.

All passages →
Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The god Seker is described as living in 'impenetrable darkness,' suggesting a realm of concealment.

All passages →
Eschatological Judgmentsoteriology

Final, collective cosmic judgment as an event in which the wicked are sentenced and the cosmos restored; distinct from psychopomp_journey (individual passage at death) and emphasising verdict where Zoroastrian frashokereti emphasises restoration.

The passage explicitly describes a hell of fire and mutilation reserved for the wicked who lack influence or knowledge, contrasting with the rewards of the righteous.

All passages →
Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The passage is an excerpt from the Book of Am-Tuat, explicitly detailing the geography and path of the underworld for the journey of the sun god.

All passages →
Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

Salvation and passage depend heavily on the 'knowledge of mighty words of power' rather than mere existence or duty.

All passages →
Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The text notes that priests removed inconvenient texts and that 'mighty words of power' are required knowledge for passage.

All passages →
Living Godtheology

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

The gods are depicted as active agents who can be invoked, help the deceased, sing hymns, and consume the dead.

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 distinction between the righteous and wicked and the requirement for offerings reflects an underlying moral cosmic order.

All passages →
Pneumatic Electsoteriology

A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.

Those who possess the knowledge and influence of the gods succeed, distinguishing them from those who are destroyed.

All passages →
Prayerpraxis

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

The passage describes AFU-RA invoking gods and the gods singing hymns as part of the ritual landscape of the afterlife.

All passages →
Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

[auto] The text describes the Boat of AFU-RA being towed by gods and led by Isis through the afterlife realms.

All passages →
Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

Fire is a central element of punishment in Seker's kingdom, used to consume bodies and torture the wicked in lakes of liquid fire.

All passages →
Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

Success in the afterlife requires sacrifices and offerings made upon earth, implying a state of ritual correctness is necessary.

All passages →
Sacred Namestheology

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

[auto] Numerous specific divine names and titles for gates, gods, and hours are listed as essential identifiers within the text.

All passages →
Theurgypraxis

Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.

The deceased invokes gods and uses words of power to secure their help and passage, engaging divine power through ritual knowledge.

All passages →
Related passages · 7 parallels
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XXI
“I think, therefore, that all who are lovers of the contemplation of theurgic truth will acknowledge this, that the piety which pertains to divine natures ought not to be exercised towards them partially or imperfectly. Hence, since prior to…”
Shared concept: Theurgy — Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone. (derived)
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)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 2, Section 1g
“Their ultimate nature, which they possess in their own original being, is beyond Mind and beyond all Being and Knowledge. 203 203 Even the Differentiations finally lead us up into the Undifferenced Godhead Where they transcend themselves.…”
Shared concept: Divine Hiddenness — The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father. (derived)
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Page 3 (part 11)
“1-10, 18, 19 as a natural sequel, where p. xxvi [paragraph continues] Enoch summons his children to receive his parting words. Then comes the Apocalypse of weeks, xciii. 1-10, xci. 12-17. The original order of the text, therefore, was:…”
Shared concept: Eschatological Judgment — Final, collective cosmic judgment as an event in which the wicked are sentenced and the cosmos restored; distinct from psychopomp_journey (individual passage at death) and emphasising verdict where Zoroastrian frashokereti emphasises restoration. (derived)
theosophy|The Secret Doctrine|Page 42 (part 6)
“should have selected a god against whose commandments Jesus was the first one to rise in rebellion. The Planetary origin of the Monad (Soul) and of its faculties was taught by the Gnostics. On its way to the Earth, as on its way back from…”
Shared concept: Archons — Malevolent planetary rulers or demiurgic powers that govern the material world and obstruct the soul's ascent. (derived)
hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount|Section 1a
“The Key <This longer tractate presents itself explicitly as a summary or abridgement of the General Sermons (CH II-IX), and discusses the Hermetic view of knowledge and its role in the lives and afterlives of human beings. The attentive re…”
Shared concept: Pneumatic Elect — A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons. (derived)
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 67
“Section 6 6. For, as the ancient teaching was, moral-discipline and courage and every virtue, not even excepting Wisdom itself, all is purification. Hence the Mysteries with good reason adumbrate the immersion of the unpurified in filth, ev…”
Shared concept: Ritual Purity — The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine. (derived)