The Ancient Egyptian culture is rich in symbology. Symbols were used for religious and magical purposes. Amulets were constructed to ward off danger or things of a negative nature. Talismans were used to bring desirable things to the owner.
Symbols have the power to transcend time, language and borders and serve as multidimensional keys to unlocking timeless wisdom codes to those trained in their esoteric significance and alchemical semantics.
‘Mysticology’ has brought some of these to you in their range of Divine Jewellery, Arts/Handcrafts, and below is an explanation of the symbology.

Eye of Horus

The ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus or wedjat ('Whole One') is a powerful symbol of protection, and is also considered to confer wisdom, health and prosperity. Horus was one of the most important Egyptian Neters, a sun-neter represented as a falcon or with the head of a hawk, whose right eye was the sun and whose left eye was the moon. He was the son of Osiris (Neter of Divine Truth and Good) and Isis (Netert of Divine Love and Creation). Osiris was slain by his own brother, the evil Set (Neter of Opposition, Darkness/Chaos), and Horus (Neter of Return/Self Actualisation) fought Set to avenge his father's death, winning the battle but losing an eye in the process. The eye was restored by the magic of the Neter of Wisdom and the moon, Thoth, and this allowed Horus to grant Osiris rebirth in the underworld. The Eye of Horus symbol was used in funerary rites and decoration, as instructed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

This old Egyptian symbol actually appears on the Great Seal of the United States, and on every United States dollar bill. The reason is because the original designers of the Great Seal were influenced by Freemasonry, which has roots in Ancient Egyptian Mystery School teachings. The eye within a pyramid originally represented the god enclosed, during his "dead" period, awaiting rebirth. He was entombed in the underworld. Nevertheless, his soul remained alive and watchful, as indicated by the open eye. The physical eye is to humanity what the sun is to Ra. The eye is the part of the body able to perceive light and is therefore a symbol for the spiritual ability. This is equated to the Gospels "those with eyes to see".

Ankh

The Egyptian symbol of life, the universe and immortality is the tau or looped cross called the Ankh, which means both "life" and "hand mirror." It is symbolic of regeneration; as an amulet it protects against bad luck; and as a talisman it indicates good fortune. Also, it represents the union between the male principle (the staff) and the female principle (the closed loop). On an alchemical level, it symbolizes the merger of duality; The union of spirit (male principle) and matter (female principle) and the breath (life force) that unites the two.

Its other name was Key Of The Nile, because the sacred marriage between the Neteru (Divine Masculine & Feminine Principles) was supposed to take place at the source of the Nile each year before the flood. Egyptians regarded the ankh as a universal life-charm. In hieroglyphics (holy script), the ankh stood simply for the word "life". In ancient Egypt, the House of Life was a building or group of buildings housing the temple library, the repository of all magical lore that was available to magicians, priest, and laymen. In Egyptian art the ankh is shown as a scepter that was carried in the right hand of the neteru who would apply it to the nostrils of the dead to bring them back to life.

Ankh amulets were composed of faience, semiprecious and precious stones, wax, metal, and wood. Tutankhamen had a hand mirror fashioned in the shape of an ankh.

When the Egyptians were converted to Christianity in the first century AD, they used both the ankh and the Christian cross as their symbols of belief.

Cartouche (also spelt Khartoush)

The good luck charm of the Ancient Egyptians.

Originally, the Cartouche was worn only by Pharaohs or Kings of Egypt. The Pharaoh was considered a living God and his Cartouche was his insignia. The "Magical Oval" (representing infinity) in which the Pharaoh's first name was written was intended to protect him from evil spirits both while he lived and in the after-world when entombed.
Over the past 5000 years the Cartouche has become a universal symbol of long life, good luck and protection from any evil.

Scarab Beetle

A symbol of regeneration/resurrection because of the scarab's practice of rolling a ball of dung across the ground (symbolising the sun's rolling journey of birth/death and rebirth across the sky from sunrise to sunset to sunrise) and fertilising the soil for growth/creation. The female scarab beetle laid and buried her eggs in the sand. When the eggs hatched the scarab beetles would seem to appear from nowhere, making it a symbol of spontaneous creation.

The name Khepera is said to signify both ‘scarab’ and ‘he who becomes’. Khepera as a deity represented the rising sun which, like the scarab beetle ‘emerges from its own substance and is reborn of itself’. In other words, the scarab and it’s representative divinity epitomised the continuing cycle of birth, death and rebirth through which all living essences must inevitably pass.

Winged Sun Disk

The winged sun disk is a very ancient symbol. In ancient Egyptian symbology wings signify ascension.

In ancient Egyptian religion, the sun disk became a primary symbol of Ra, the sun Neter. He was called the Sun of Righteousness with healing in his wings," a title which Christians later adopted for Jesus Christ.

The sun disk was carved over the doorways of many Egyptian tombs and temples, and it appears on many papyri. In the illustration above, the sun disk is carried on the wings of Horus, and flanked by two uraeus.

Lotus Flower

The lotus flower appeared in legends originating both from ancient Egypt, then later India. The lotus flower has its roots in mud and reaches through the water to the sun. The symbology of the lotus flower represents spiritual growth and enlightenment.

The lotus flower played a prominent role in the version of the ancient Egyptian creation story. Before the universe came into being, there was an infinite ocean of inert water which constituted the primeval cosmic being named Nun. Out of Nun emerged a lotus flower, together with a single mound of dry land. The lotus blossoms opened, and out stepped the self-created sun neter, Ra. The petals of the lotus blossom enfolded him when he returned to it each night. The lotus is a flower which opens and closes each day.

The lotus flower has been featured extensively throughout the art of ancient Egypt. In various works of art, you may see it held in the hand of a neter or human, serving as a border to outline a section of the artwork, unfolding to reveal various neteru or humans, and many other depictions.

Lotus flowers and waterliles grew in the Nile and sacred pools around ancient temples. The blue lotus was considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians and associated with the Spirit of Nefertum and healing sciences.
In the Near East (Mesopotamia), the lotus was the flower of Lilith, the Sumero-Babylonian goddess that Jews claimed was Adam's first wife.

The Feather of Ma'at

Maat-the Netert of Cosmic Order, Balance, Truth and Justice. The hearts of the deceased were weighed against her feather in the Judgement Hall of Osiris.

The heart of a 'Truth Speaker' would weigh the same as the feather of Maat and he/she would then be permitted to enter the Kingdom of Osiris. The deceased whose heart was heavier than the feather of Maat was devoured by Ammut.
Maat personifies a cosmological principle that permeated all life in Ancient Egypt. She signifies all order, law, harmony, equilibrium and justice. The Egyptian texts recognise her cosmic power as the source without which the other neteru are functionless.

The Cobra / Uraeus

Serpent of Wisdom.

The cobra symbolized divine protection and Enlightenment.

Originally the cobra appeared on the red crown of Lower Egypt. When the Two Lands were united, their two crowns were also united. The red crown combined with the white crown of Upper Egypt to become the double crown of the Kings and Queens of Egypt (living Neter/Gods and Neterts/Goddesses) with the uraeus /cobra sitting on the sixth seal/third eye of the crown; representing their divine affinity and ascension.

On an alchemical level, the Black Serpent embodies the lunar circuit; the feminine mystery of creation and is related to the Void, the source from which all things are created (matter) The Gold Serpent, the solar circuit embodies the male aspect of creation and is related to light (spirit).

Uraeus occurs when the sekhem (life force) is brought up the djed (sacred pathway of the chakras) and into the brain. The movement creates a snake like energy form, known in the re-defined younger Hindu tradition as kundalini.

NETERU
(Divine Principles)

Isis

I am Nature, the Mother of All
Mistress of the Elements,
Sovereign of the Spirit
Queen of the Dead,
Queen of the Immortals,
The single embodiment of all Neteru.
My will governs the movements of the stars,
The winds of the seas
And the dread silence of the underworld.
I am worshipped under many aspects,
Known by countless names.
I am Isis.

Isis (Auset)– represents the Divine Feminine; the Cosmic mother has been worshipped from the origin of written history to the 5th century A.D. Her worship began in ancient Egypt and later spread to Asia Minor, Great Britain and Europe. Her religion was a mystery cult in which she was revered as Queen of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld.

Many elements of the Auset (Isis) legend and the story of the Virgin Mary are very similar, for both were able to conceive without male impregnation. Her son Heru (Horus) was conceived and born after the death of Auset's (Isis') husband Ausar (Osiris), and as such, she was revered as the Virgin Mother. Isis is the Greek translation of the Egyptian Auset. Auset in Egyptian means 'throne'.

Isis is related to the star Sirius, whose annual appearance ushered in the Nile's inundation and the Egyptian New Year. Isis is the feminine archetype for creation (Matter)-the Netert of Creation of All living things, fertility and motherhood. In the duality of our reality she represents our feminine aspects-creation, rebirth, ascension, intuition, psychic abilities, higher chakras, love and compassion.

Initiated Priest/esses of the Isis Mysteries reported powerful mystical experiences and were ensured of everlasting life by devotion to Isis. She is known as the Netert/Goddess of 10,000 names and has played many roles in history and mythology-as divine feminine creator.

Isis is the yin energies, the essence of the feminine energy, which is part of us all.

Her qualities of compassion, tenderness, love, healing and devotion have endeared her to many throughout the ages. Isis' attributes are echoed in all the Great Mother Goddesses throughout history, including the Chinese Kwan Yin, the Christian Mary (Incarnate of Isis) and Mary Magdalene (Initiate of Isis).

Osiris

Osiris (Ausar) represents the Divine Masculine-manifester of good and truth. Osiris is the masculine archetype for Spirit.

Husband of Isis, father of Horus and Anubis, brother of Set and Nephthys, son of Nuit and Geb. Osiris manifests the divine in mortal form.

Osiris represented the physical creation and its cycles of death and renewal / cyclic regeneration; and is connected to the cyclical number of 7 and its multiples-7 days of the week, 7 colours of the spectrum etc. Osiris’ sacred symbol is the Tet (Djed) pillar, which consists of seven steps. This is reminiscent of the doctrine of chakras in the Indian kundalini system of yoga, which is much younger than the Ancient Egyptian traditions.

The seven centres of the Tet (Djed) pillar represent the seven metaphorical rungs of the ladder leading from matter to spirit. Since humanity is a microcosm of the cosmic pattern, the Tet pillar represents a microcosm of the universe. Despite his mythical death and dismemberment, Ausar (Osiris) represents The Holy Spirit-mortal humanity carrying within itself the capacity and power of spiritual salvation.

Nephthys

Nephthys (Nebt-Het)-Sister of Osiris and Isis; Wife of Set; Mother of Anubis. Born on the 5th and last day of the epagomenal days. Sometimes seen as a Netert /Goddess of incredible sadness. She envied her sister Isis and her happy marriage so much that she attempted to look just like her. One night Nephthys sat weeping outside the home of Osiris and Isis. Osiris came upon her and mistook her for his wife, Isis. Anubis was born as a result.

Nephthys, the Hidden One, sometimes seen as the alter ego or dark side of Isis; ruler of the deep waters of the unconscious, the dark side of the moon. She is essentially a water netert, the feminine aspect of Neptune, and as such, she rules the emotions and relates strongly to the human condition.

Anubis

Anubis (Anpu), the Egyptian psychopompous (conductor of souls) is the patron deity of travellers, both in and out of the body. As the go between of this world and the next, he is portrayed as a jackal or dog headed neter.
As the offspring of Nephthys and Osiris, the psychology behind the parable becomes evident. Nephthys-the Hidden One and the Revealer-seen in psychological terms as the deep unconscious, was originally the wife of Set (Chaos), their relationship being a sterile one.

The result of her coupling with Osiris (Truth/ Order) was Anubis, the protector of the soul in the dark regions; implying that chaos presents no fear to he or she who has mastered the hidden aspects of the deep unconscious, and can face the stark reality of the revelation of truth and harmony.

Anubis is patron of anaesthetists, psychiatrists and psychologists. He is known as “The Opener of the Way” in which capacity he is invoked for guidance out of the labyrinth of confusion or doubt.

Horus

Horus (Heru)-"The Highest" (Number 10 representative of the highest number of the original unity. At Ten, Horus is the new One; the return to Source); His name means 'He who is above". He was the outcome of the heavenly marriage between Isis and the holy ghost of Osiris. The reverence of the Ausar/Auset/Heru (Osiris/Isis/Horus) Triad/Trinity was the focal point of the Egyptian theology. Horus is the Greek translation of the Egyptian Heru. Alchemically, Horus symbolises the joining of Spirit (Osiris) and Matter (Isis).

The legend of his miraculous conception goes as follows: The evil Set (representing darkness/chaos); brother of Isis -(representing creation/light)and Osiris-(representing truth/order) murdered Osiris, cutting his body into fourteen pieces dispersing them in various places. Isis, joined by her sister Nephthys, her nephew Anubis, and their uncle Thoth (God of Wisdom & Magic) travelled far and wide until she located every piece of the body except the phallus.

Isis fashioned a wooden facsimile of the missing member, pieced the body together, and brought it to Abydos fo burial. Together with Nephthys, Anubis and Thoth, Isis wept bitterly over her husband’s remains and chanted magically. Thoth made the full force of his magical powers available to her, and Osiris was temporarily restored to life so that Horus could be conceived.

The story of Horus is allegorical in the sense that his journey resonates with human ascension / alchemy; As we rise up the djed (sacred pathway of the chakras) to expanded states of consciousness.

Bast

Bast (Bastet) A Netert/Goddess of many things, including dance/music, reproduction, creativity, laughter, the household, protection and good luck. She is mainly depicted in her cat form. She was also depicted as a woman with a cat's head.

Her earliest depictions show her with the head of a lioness or sometimes a fierce desert cat. Her cult center was at Bubastis (Per-Bast in Egyptian). She is sometimes associated with the Neterts/Goddesses Isis and Sekhmet (associated with the feminine/lunar aspects)

Metaphysically, Bast represents the playful, creative, pleasure aspects/principles associated with the sacral centre .

Thoth

Thoth (Tehuti; Hermes; Enoch; The Thrice Born) Neter of Wisdom . His consort is often said to be Maat (Netert of Cosmic Order / Balance)

The Books of the Pyramids refer to him as the oldest son of Ra. His feats of magic and healing, usually achieved through the power of his voice (the word), and his teaching of the arts, sciences, arithmetic, sacred geometry, surveying, astronomy, magic/ medicine, surgery, music and writing are well recorded.

The pyramid texts indicate that he was regarded as a divinity who was self begotten and self produced; that he was One. He made calculations concerning the establishment of the heavens and the stars and the earth. He was the master of law both in its physical and moral conceptions, and that he had the knowledge of divine speech. Thoth was the Lord of Books and Scribe of the Divine.

Acknowledgements

Murry Hope - "The Sirius Connection"
Tom Kenyon and Judi Sion - "Magdalen Manuscript"
Moustafa Gadalla-"Egyptian Mystics", "Egyptian Cosmology", "Egyptian Divinities"
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