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The Egyptian Heaven and Hell · 93 of 96 · tr. E.A. Wallis Budge

Chapter 29 (part 2)

The mummified form in which the dead Sun-god travelled through the Tuat is now useless, and we see it cast aside and lying against the wall which divides the Tuat from this world; that there shall be no doubt about this it is described by the words "Image (or, form) Of AF." Turning now to the beings who are on the right and left of the path of the god, we see in the upper register twelve goddesses, each of whom bears on her shoulders a serpent which produces light by belching fire from its mouth (vol. i., pp. 265, 266); these drive away APEP, and frighten the beings of darkness by their fires. Next to these are twelve gods who sing praises at dawn to the god, whom they assert to be "self-begotten" and the author of his own being, and they rejoice because at his new birth his soul will be in heaven, and his body on earth. These gods are indeed spirits of the East, and they are declared to have jurisdiction over the gods of the "land of the turquoise," i.e., Sinai. In the lower register we have a company of twenty-three gods (vol. i., pp. 271-274) who stand in the sky ready to receive Ra when he appears, and to praise him; some of them drive APEP to "the p. 195 back of the sky," some support the Great Disk in the sky, and the duty of one of them, who is called SENMEKHEF and appears in the form of a serpent, is to burn up the enemies of Ra at dawn. Thus the Sun-god passed out of the Tuat even as he entered it, with praises, and as he did so he bade farewell to Osiris, the Lord of the Tuat, under one of whose forms he had completed successfully his journey, in these words:--"Life to thee, O thou who art over the darkness! Life [to thee]! in all thy majesty. Life to thee! O KHENTI-A-AMENTET-OSIRIS, who art over the beings of Amentet. Life to thee! Life to thee O thou who art over the Tuat. The winds of Ra are in thy nostrils, and the nourishment of Khepera is with thee. Thou livest, and ye live. Hail to Osiris, the lord of the living, that is to say, of the gods who are with Osiris, and who came into being with him the first time." Eastern Vestibule of the Tuat According to the Book of Gates
Themes
◆Divine Lighttheology

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

The text mentions the god appearing in the sky and references the Antechamber of the World of Light in the chapter header.

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◆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 references the punishment of enemies and the damned, contrasting this kingdom with others where such judgment occurs.

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◆Prayerpraxis

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

The text explicitly mentions invoking spirits and singing hymns to praise the god.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The narrative follows the progression from the Fourth Tuat up to the appearance in the sky of this world.

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◇Anthropomorphismtheology

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

[auto] Divine beings are described with human or animal forms, holding standards, hands, and disks within the narrative.

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◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

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

[auto] The text highlights the ongoing struggle between the order of the gods and the chaotic force represented by the fettered serpent Apep.

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◇Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The passage describes the Book of Gates, a primary text designed to guide the deceased through the specific divisions of the underworld.

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◇Living Godtheology

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

[auto] Deities are portrayed as active, dynamic agents who enter divisions, tow others, and prepare to attack enemies.

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◇Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

[auto] The god is depicted being towed by other deities and guarded by forms, illustrating a guided passage through afterlife realms.

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Related passages · 8 parallels
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XXXIX. CERES
“XXXIX. TO CERES. The FUMIGATION from STORAX. O Universal mother, Ceres fam'd August, the source of wealth, and various nam'd: 2 Great nurse, all-bounteous, blessed and divine, Who joy'st in peace, to nourish corn is thine: Goddess of seed,…”
Both passages describe mythological beings and their roles in the cosmic order, featuring serpentine or dragon-like entities and divine figures interacting within a sacred or otherworldly context.
◆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 journey of the soul or deity through an underworld, highlighting the presence of divine beings and the separation of the righteous and the wicked. They share themes of judgment, praise, and the structure of the afterlife, though they come from different cultural and religious 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 themes of divine glory, the exaltation of the righteous, and the downfall of the wicked, reflecting a conceptual parallel in their mystical traditions.
◆mesopotamian|Enuma Elish: The Epic of Creation|1a
“THE FIRST TABLET When in the height heaven was not named, And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name, And the primeval Apsu, who begat them, And chaos, Tiamut, the mother of them both Their waters were mingled together, And no field was…”
Both passages describe mythological realms and the interactions of deities within them. They share themes of cosmic order, divine hierarchy, and the struggle against chaos, which are common in many mystical traditions.
◆mesopotamian|Enuma Elish: The Epic of Creation|1j
“Tutu [Marduk] is "He who created them anew"; Should their wants be pure, then are they satisfied; Should he make an incantation, then are the gods appeased; Should they attack him in anger, he withstandeth their onslaught! Let him therefor…”
Both passages describe a divine being (AFU-RA in Passage A and Tutu/Marduk in Passage B) who is central to their respective mythologies and is accompanied by various deities and symbols. They both depict a structured cosmic order with specific roles for different divine entities, highlighting the importance of the central deity in maintaining that order.
◆platonism|Plato: Phaedrus|Section 1o
“Zeus, the mighty lord, holding the reins of a winged chariot, leads the way in heaven, ordering all and taking care of all; and there follows him the array of gods and demigods, marshalled in eleven bands; Hestia alone abides at home in the…”
Both passages describe a divine journey through a celestial realm, involving gods and divine beings who praise and support the central deity. They also highlight the concept of a higher, divine order and the interaction between the divine and the celestial spheres.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|13. Necromancya
“EX IPSIS MORS We HAVE said that the images of persons and things are preserved in the Astral Light. Therein also can be evoked the forms of those who are in our world no longer, and by this means are accomplished those mysteries of Necroma…”
Both passages describe the journey of the soul or divine being after death, involving transformation and judgment. The Egyptian text details Ra's journey through the Tuat and his interaction with various deities, while the Kabalistic text discusses the fate of souls in the Astral Light, including purification and the consequences of sin. Both share the concept of a post-mortem journey and the role of divine or astral forces in this process.
◇mesopotamian|Epic of Gilgamesh: Tablet V — The Fight with Humbaba|Tablet V, Section 1b
“(Then) [faded] the glare, (then) faded the fires, 20. Falling, [the brands] turn’d to ashes—[Come, let us go] down to the desert, That we may counsel together." Enkidu (now) to interpret his dream unto Gilgamish speaketh: . . . In the f…”
[auto] Solar chaoskampf (theomachy): the Sun-god's winds subduing Humbaba against Ra's nightly combat with the serpent Apep.