Was Pharaoh a God? Is the Pharaoh a God? Depending on your perspective, that is do the Neters (gods) live forever?
In ancient Egyptian spirituality the Pharaoh was thought of as a Divine embodiment of the Neters, in his being he held the harmony and balance of the gods both in self and in nature.
Click here to check out this book on Amazon
“Understand that these ‘images of the gods are archetypes of a deeper power existing in nature and within the self...because the gods can present in a series of manifestations and forms...indicates the Magickal nature of the energy and power which holds ever transforming yet consistent traits centered in nature and the human mind-body-spirit.”
Necrominon- Egyptian Sethanic Magick.
Therefore, we can see the archetype of the Pharaoh as a model, a structure of the gaining of spiritual knowledge and magical power we can utilize on our quest for our unique, personal powerful path of spirituality and magic, that is a human being that can become a living god that E A Koetting talks about in his book of the same name.
So what has this to do with sacred sites?
Our understanding of why we are commenting on sacred sites here on Magic Self and Spirit is evolving as we write.
It’s evident that when you visit a temple, mosque, a sacred isle (like Avalon) you’ll likely experience divine energy that could be transformative. If you were to attend a spiritual ritual in one of those places this may be even more true.
Amanda, co-owner of this website, when she visits sacred places around the world asks the place what it is she can give in exchange for what she experiences.
This, for me, is more a statement of personal, spiritual power than an ethical pronouncement , for if we experience the gods as archetypes of the magic in nature (place) and in self (our temples within) then as magicians we bring balance to those raw magical forces and have greater access to them in the very places (sacred sites) that come to symbolize those energies.
Working, as we are, with sacred sites we are coming to see that we have another powerful possibility, that of seeing them as divine and magical symbols on the astral plane that we can visit via pathworking (shamanic-type journeying) through our meditative practices.
If, when considering sacred sites, their symbolism and stories we recognize that:
“...we need to approach them as spiritual and religious phenomena that reveal the extraordinary possibilities of human consciousness.”
Shamanic Wisdom in the Pyramid Texts - The Mystical Tradition of Ancient Egypt
We have an initiatory opportunity here, a conscious and focused opening to accelerate our spiritual and magical growth.
The CN Traveler blog 15 Beautiful Sacred Sites Around The World I’ve written about before in relation to Varanasi, India. Yet here we have 15 sacred sites worth visiting and the temples of Abu Simbel in Egypt with their connection to Ramses ii ‘the great ancestor’ Pharaoh is delightful. The blog opens with the lines:
“Whether you’re interested in spirituality, are a history buff, or are simply curious, these destinations offer something for every traveler.”
And so they do on our spiritual journey to divinity and perhaps beyond to Apotheosis.
The Encounter With The Sacred
As Jeremy Naydler opens his introduction with in his rigorous and powerful book Shamanic Wisdom in the Pyramid Texts - The Mystical Tradition of Ancient Egypt:
“Many people today find themselves by one route or another drawn to ancient Egypt. It is a civilization that seems to have the ability to ‘come alive’ for us...to invite us to live imaginatively into the life of its people; we feel the magic of its landscape, we are awed by its monumental architecture… when it comes to ancient Egyptian religion, however, we can have an additional feeling. Something can stir in us … We can feel that we touch a dimension of human experience that directly, perhaps disturbingly, impinges upon us today.” Ibid.
It is said that the Neters Osiris, Isis and Horus ruled Egypt for thousands of years before the human Pharaohs took over. The Pharaohs were at the peak of a deeply spiritual experience that was ancient Egypt, its culture from top to bottom infused with religious or spiritual awareness that experienced the spirit worlds interpenetrating every part of existence. The Pharaoh was the embodiment of the whole spiritual journey of this ancient nation, man becoming god.
The Temples of Abu Simbel were built during the reign of Ramses ii 1279 - 13 BCE. Both the Great Temple and the Small Temple were carved into sandstone cliffs. The Great Temple has four statues of Ramses ii himself and are depicted as gods, the structure itself is dedicated to the great sun gods Amon-Re and Re-Horakhte...the four statues are placed at the entrance.
Ramses, ‘The Great Son of Egypt’ ruled for 60 -70 years and was considered to be the most powerful Pharaoh of the New Kingdom. That’s the equivalent of becoming one of the world’s most powerful leaders in the Second World War and reigning until President Obama took office in 2008.
He was buried in his own tomb with all the pomp and religious ceremony in the Valley of the Kings - The Castle of a Million Years during his embalming the priests were said to have installed papyrus and amulets infused with magic. The Psychopomp Dog god Anubis presided over his ritual until his soul could take wing to the sky beneath the earth and he could at last realize his godhood.
The life of Ramses ii was incredible but beyond the scope of this blog. For more information research the following:
- What is Ramses ii best known for?
- What were Ramses ii accomplishments?
- How long did Ramses ii rule?
- Is Ramses ii the Pharaoh of Moses
Check out the video below for a more in depth study
I am encouraging this research so when you reach part 2 of this blog you have have a greater sense of this incredible Pharaoh, that way the activation of your imagination and the recognition of the symbols involved will help unlock the magic of these journeys.
I’d also encourage a little research into the following Neters:
The Triangle of Light - Ra, Osiris and Isis
The Dark Triangle - Set (Seth) Sekhmet and Anubis.
Part Two
Inner Ritual: Encounter With The Sacred
Let’s now investigate the Temple of Ramses ii Abu Simbel on the astral plane and build spiritual and magical experience, for we share racial memory (human race) deep in the collective unconscious.
The Grand Temple itself, particularly with its statues of Ramses can work as a powerful symbolic connection to the Pharaoh and the other gods present. Ramses is a spiritual mask, an archetype, that can now be assumed, part of the process of claiming your power.
Click here to learn more
There are two different paths we can take here, the first we call the right hand path - the spiritual aim is to release all of who you are (your personality, your ego) and lose your identity as you become one with divinity.
So why would you choose Right Hand Path Magic?
Ultimately the magic of the Right Hand Path is a tool that promotes your ascension and the union with the divine being, RHP magic is really the logic of religious belief, the living eternally in harmony with the gods, the all.
The second we can call the left hand path, the object of the ritual is Apotheosis, to build your energy, spirit and magic to realize your own personal godhead. It is the process of creating reality in accordance with your will and design
Obviously the definitions I have offered here are simplified. For a more detailed discussion on the Right and the Left Hand Paths see our blog: Is Magic Real: The Key To Spiritual Power
The first part of the journey/meditation for each ritual is the same:
There are a whole number of magical and spiritual symbols attached to ancient Egyptian magic which all can play powerful roles in your experience. The purpose here, though, is to introduce you to ideas of how you can work with sacred sites to empower your magical and spiritual path. For more in depth approaches to this kind of magic see Michael W Ford Necrominon- Egyptian Sethanic Magick referenced above.
Both Right Hand And Left Hand Path Rituals
Build an altar in your physical space or just imagine it, on the altar have an athame (ritual knife) some candles, incense and goblets of water for libations and a small hand bell.
Right Hand Path Ritual
*A note on invocations, either state them aloud or in your mind. Imagine the words you’re saying visually and/or with your other senses as you call divinity. For the purpose of this blog I will only introduce small invocations, feel free to research information on each Neter and Pharaoh and create longer invocations for yourself.
Face North And Say:
Turn clockwise within the triangle to face the south-eastern point of the triangle:
Face South East And Say:
Turn clockwise within the triangle to the south-west point.
Face south-west and say:
Turn clockwise within the triangle until you face the altar in the East, reach out and pick up a goblet of water and pour the liquid to the ground and say:
Imagine each divine being emanating fire towards the other around the edges of the triangle so they create a triangle of fire.
Stand at the center of the triangle and face north again and say:
Imagine the great Pharaoh manifesting inside the triangle with you. Allow your being to meld into and become one with his and the other gods.
Allow yourself this experience of magic and light and when ready take the hand bell from the altar and ring it three times to banish the energy, return to ordinary reality, eat and drink something.
Book a private reading with Steve here
Left Hand Path Ritual
Turn counter clockwise and face the South, the apex of the triangle and say:
Turn counter clockwise within the triangle to the north-western point and say:
Turn counter clockwise to the north-east of the triangle and say:
Turn counter clockwise within the triangle until you face the altar in the East, reach out and pick up a goblet of water and pour the liquid to the ground and say:
Stand at the center of the triangle and face south again and say:
Imagine the great Pharaoh manifesting inside the triangle with you.
In your minds eye see/feel your body and being transforming into a great snake or dragon
Consume and devour the four Neters sensing their magic, essences and knowledge metamorphosise your core being.
Radiate your energy and magic towards your life and spiritual goals. Stay in this energy until your intuition has had its fill, take the bell from the altar, ring it three times to consolidate the energy in yourself and then return to ordinary reality.
Neither of these rituals are designed or meant to be a definitive experience of magic. They were created to demonstrate how you can use sacred sites for your own spiritual growth.
Working with this Pharaoh as a god, as a way to encounter the sacred both within yourself and as part of your spiritual and magical inheritance demonstrates the potential of sacred sites when on your unique personal and powerful spiritual and magical journey.
Want to learn More about Sacred Sites?
Check out our other Sacred Site Blogs:
Stonehenge And The Pagan Celebration Of Yule