The Book Of Egyptian Ritual

A unique workbook detailing ancient Egyptian rituals from experts in the field.

This book is a vivid reconstruction of ancient Egyptian religious rituals that were enacted in temples, tombs, and private homes.

The religious and magical practices of the ancient Egyptians have had a profound and lasting effect on the world. Egypt has been described as the "mother of magicians." To appreciate the Egyptian view of magic, we need to accept that to the Egyptians magic was not considered strange or eccentric, but was a part of daily life, to which everyone resorted. Magic blended seamlessly with religion and medicine, being seen as part of a holistic worldview. In this volume these magical and religious practices are explored, from both a historical and practical perspective. The practices are explored from an ancient Egyptian worldview, taking into consideration that the Egyptian culture spread over a period of more than 3000 years. The Egyptians saw the universe as being made of four worlds - the everyday world we live in, the underworld, the sky and the heavens. Subject covered in this book include: -What is Heka? -Ancient Egyptian Worldviews -The Gods and Goddesses of Magic -Symbolism - Colours & Sacred Numbers -The Tools Used -Sacred Words & Gestures -Statues & Masks -Crystals & Other Materials used in Heka -Incenses & Perfumes -Food & Wine used in Offerings & at Feasts -The Ancient Egyptian Magical Calendar -Purification, Sacred Space & Rituals David Rankine is based in London (UK) and is a respected authority on spiritual & magical practices. He is the author of many books, including Climbing the Tree of Life, Circle of Fire & The Guises of the Morrigan. This book, HEKA - The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Magic, is the result of careful research & practical work and is highly recommended to students wishing to pursue practical work within this system.

Eternal Egypt: Ancient Rituals for the Modern World is the first comprehensive collection of important temple rituals performed throughout Egypt during the time of the pharaohs. The author presents seven key rites from official temple records and ancient esoteric texts for personal or group use. This guidebook also: - presents rituals in a form designed to assist initiates in restoring the ancient rites of Egypt; - provides for modern usage, key ritual texts coming solely from authenticated ancient sources; - contains easy to follow commentaries and background information on each ritual, including symbolism and mythology not previously available in one book; - gives text with commentary for the “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony; - offers practical information for conducting these rituals in today’s world. Formerly only available to the scholar and professional Egyptologist, these ritual texts reveal the deeply spiritual understanding of humanity’s relationship to divinity that characterized the ancient Egyptian sense of the sacred. This is a practical intermediate level text for those wishing to worship the great deities of ancient Egypt in as authentic a manner as possible, and by so doing tap into the great spiritual heritage that sustained Egyptian culture for over three thousand years.

Large state temples in ancient Egypt were vast agricultural estates, with interests in mining, trading, and other economic activities. The temple itself served as the mansion or palace of the deity to whom the estate belonged, and much of the ritual in temples was devoted to offering a representative sample of goods to the gods. After ritual performances, produce was paid as wages to priests and temple staff and presented as offerings to private mortuary establishments. This redistribution became a daily ritual in which many basic necessities of life for elite Egyptians were produced. This book evaluates the influence of common temple rituals not only on the day to day lives of ancient Egyptians, but also on their special events, economics, and politics. Author Katherine Eaton argues that a study of these daily rites ought to be the first step in analyzing the structure of more complex societal processes.

This unique book presents eight seasonal rites for performance at the solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarter days, for devotees of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses.

Everlasting Egypt: Kemetic Rituals for the Gods continues Richard Reidys groundbreaking work and collects more temple rituals from Egypt. The author presents rites for personal and group use, augmenting and updating those in his first volume, Eternal Egypt: Ancient Rituals for the Modern World. The guidebook: Presents over 37 rituals for Gods, Goddesses, and Annual and Lunar Festivals in a form designed to assist practitioners in restoring the ancient rites of Egypt; Provides for modern usage, with key ritual texts coming from authenticated ancient sources, as well as commentaries and background information; Includes a comprehensive Introduction with a model for organizing a modern Kemetic Temple or Group; Includes updated Egyptian vocalizations and a pronunciation key; Offers practical information for conducting these rituals in todays world. These ritual texts reveal once more the deeply spiritual understanding of humanitys relationship to divinity that characterized the ancient Egyptian sense of the sacred. Cover Image: Ritual scene from the Temple of Hathor at Deir el Medina. Ptolemaic Period. Matthew Whealton, 2018.

The composition, which the editors entitle the "Book of Thoth", is preserved on over forty Graeco-Roman Period papyri from collections in Berlin, Copenhagen, Florence, New Haven, Paris, and Vienna. The central witness is a papyrus of fifteen columns in the Berlin Museum. Written almost entirely in the Demotic script, the Book of Thoth is probably the product of scribes of the "House of Life", the temple scriptorium. It comprises largely a dialogue between a deity, usually called "He-who-praises-knowledge" (presumably Thoth himself) and a mortal, "He-who-loves-knowledge". The work covers such topics as the scribal craft, sacred geography, the underworld, wisdom, prophecy, animal knowledge, and temple ritual. Particularly remarkable is one section (the "Vulture Text") in which each of the 42 nomes of Egypt is identified with a vulture. The language is poetic; the lines are often clearly organized into verses. The subject-matter, dialogue structure, and striking phraseology raise many issues of scholarly interest; especially intriguing are the possible connections between this Egyptian work, in which Thoth is called "thrice-great", and the classical Hermetic Corpus, in which Hermes Trismegistos plays the key role. The first volume comprises interpretative essays, discussion of specific points such as the manuscript tradition, script, and language. The core of the publication is the transliteration of the Demotic text, translation, and commentary. A consecutive translation, glossary, bibliography, and indices conclude the first volume. The second volume contains photographs of the papyri, almost all of which reproduce their original size.

As early as 4000 B.C., ancient Egyptians wove magic and religion into whole cloth, wrapping themselves in ritual and symbolism that ranged from simple charms and protective hieroglyphs, to the towering monuments to immortality that are the pyramids of the Nile Valley. The rich religion and mythology of ancient Egypt is vividly documented here, with descriptions of the panoply of deities and their complex hierarchy, along with comprehensive explanations of the sacred oils, crystals and plants used in the many rituals that were an integral part of everyday life. Natural healing, magic, power animals, chants, prayers, and the Pyramids are covered in detail, backed by the author's unparalleled access to rare manuscripts and original images taken from Britain's National Witchcraft Museum.

Deciphering the secret rituals celebrated in honour of the falcon-headed god Horus.