A podcast about the book The Faith of Ancient Egypt which deals with the Egyptian afterlife can be accessed above. Transcript with light editing below.
This podcast is about the 1913 book, The Faith of Ancient Egypt. The author attempts to demonstrate that ancient Egyptian civilization was far older and more advanced than contemporary scholarship acknowledges. He does this by drawing on the ancient Egyptian calendar, specifically the zodiac and the precession of the equinoxes. Coryn argues that this astronomical knowledge, coupled with the Egyptian concept of eternal life and reincarnation, provides a foundation for a deeper understanding of their religious beliefs. He argues that the Egyptians had a profound grasp of spiritual principles and cosmic cycles, which are reflected in their art, mythology, and practices like initiation rituals. Coryn ultimately concludes that ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs and spirituality can offer insights into the human condition and the pursuit of spiritual development, even today.
[Tammy]
Okay, are you ready to dive into ancient Egypt?
[Joe]
Always ready.
[Tammy]
Me too. It’s so fascinating, all their stuff about eternal life and the Egyptian afterlife, like really living forever.
[Joe]
Right, it wasn’t just, you know, a vague afterlife for them.
[Tammy]
Right, right.
[Joe]
It was this continuous existence, a journey for the soul.
[Tammy]
Exactly, so much more than just building pyramids and hieroglyphics, right?
[Joe]
Yeah, it was their worldview, this idea that eternal life wasn’t just a hope, it was like built into everything.
[Tammy]
Yeah, yeah, it was like fundamental for them. They had this certainty about it, this soul journey, you know, something we’ve kind of lost touch with. You see that symbol everywhere, the circle on top of a cross, on their tombs, scrolls, jewelry, everywhere.
It’s like, what, their version of a hashtag? Hashtag eternal life.
[Joe]
Exactly, and it wasn’t just about existing forever either.
[Tammy]
Okay, so what else?
[Joe]
Reincarnation. They believed in the soul going through multiple lives.
[Tammy]
Whoa, so like learning and evolving over time.
[Joe]
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
[Tammy]
I mean, it makes you think, doesn’t it? Like, what if we have these echoes, you know, of those past lives within us? Like, what if we’re carrying these whispers of experiences we’ve forgotten?
Could that explain, like, deja vu and stuff?
[Joe]
Yeah, maybe.
[Tammy]
Pretty mind-bending, right? Okay, so we’ve got eternal life, reincarnation, but how did they actually think it all worked, this whole afterlife thing? That’s where the Book of the Dead comes in, right?
[Joe]
That’s right, yeah. Now, when you hear Book of the Dead, it sounds kind of ominous.
[Tammy]
Yeah, a little bit.
[Joe]
Yeah, but it’s really more like a guidebook for navigating the afterlife.
[Tammy]
Right, like a roadmap, okay.
[Joe]
And some scholars even think it might contain secrets about higher consciousness, too.
[Tammy]
Oh, wow, okay, so it’s even deeper than just the afterlife. Right, yeah. And some of the chapter titles, just the titles, I mean, they sound like, what, an adventure movie or something, like beating back the crocodiles?
Not letting your head be cut off, acquiring a tongue to speak in the presence of Osiris. It’s like wild stuff. You realize, like, they didn’t see death as the end at all.
It was this whole new chapter.
[Joe]
Yeah, it was just the beginning for them. And there’s this one copy of the Book of the Dead called the Papyrus of Ani. It’s beautifully illustrated.
And the colors, they’re still vibrant.
[Tammy]
Really, after all this time?
[Joe]
Thousands of years, really incredible.
[Tammy]
Wow, that’s amazing. Okay, so we’ve talked about the book, The Journey, but what about the gods? I mean, ancient Egypt had a lot of gods, a whole pantheon.
[Joe]
They did, they did. But think about it this way. Each god or goddess, they represented a specific principle, a force, cosmic force.
[Tammy]
Okay, so, like, archetypes, like things that are in us and also what in the universe.
[Joe]
Yeah, yeah, exactly. So, like, for example, you have Ra, the sun god. He embodied this idea of eternal journey, progress.
[Tammy]
So, Ra is, like, what, the drive for growth, enlightenment. I like that.
[Joe]
Exactly, exactly. And then you have Thoth. He was the scribe, the Ibis-headed guy.
He recorded everything, every thought, every deed.
[Tammy]
Okay, sounded like he was keeping track of things.
[Joe]
He was. He’s often seen as the embodiment of karma, you know, divine justice.
[Tammy]
Wow, so nobody gets away with anything, huh?
[Joe]
Nope.
[Tammy]
Okay, what about Anubis? The jackal-headed god. Always see him guarding the tombs.
[Joe]
Anubis, yeah. He was the guardian of sacred mysteries, protector of those seeking initiation.
[Tammy]
Oh, wow, okay. So, like, the protector of our inner truth or something like that.
[Joe]
Yeah, like the part of us that, you know, guides us on our path.
[Tammy]
Okay, I’m getting this. So, these gods, they’re like reflections of parts of us, basically.
[Joe]
Yeah, yeah, that’s a good way to think about it.
[Tammy]
It makes the whole mythology much more relatable.
[Joe]
Yeah, definitely. And they didn’t just see these principles, you know, at play in human lives. They saw them in the cosmos, too, like the precession of the equinoxes.
[Tammy]
Okay, the precession of… What was that again?
[Joe]
Imagine the Earth wobbling like a spinning top over, like, 25,920 years.
[Tammy]
Okay, okay, so it’s a really long cycle.
[Joe]
Really long. And that wobble, it changes how we see the stars. The Egyptians noticed this.
They noticed it. And they believed this massive cycle, it influenced, well, everything. Civilizations rising and falling, spiritual energy shifting on Earth, the Egyptian afterlife.
[Tammy]
Oh, wow. So, they were basically saying that even the gods and goddesses were subject to these cycles.
[Joe]
In a way, yeah. They believed that each zodiacal age, which is a smaller cycle within that big precession, it brought different energies.
[Tammy]
Oh, okay, different energies each time. Got it.
[Joe]
So, it was like the universe itself was evolving.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
And that impacted us here.
[Tammy]
That’s amazing. Okay, so they were observing these cycles, but could they, like, influence them, do anything about them?
[Joe]
Well, that’s where things get really interesting. Let’s talk about the Great Pyramid.
[Tammy]
Okay, the pyramid. Always a good topic.
[Joe]
Right. What if it wasn’t just a tomb?
[Tammy]
Okay, I like where this is going. What if it was, like, an initiation chamber?
[Joe]
Exactly.
[Tammy]
Oh, okay. Now I’m really intrigued. Tell me more about this initiation chamber idea.
[Joe]
So, imagine someone, they want to become an initiate, right? And they go into the pyramid, into the darkness, solitude. And they’re there for days, deep in the heart of the pyramid.
[Tammy]
Wow, that’s intense.
[Joe]
It is. And it’s a symbolic death and rebirth and the Egyptian afterlife. Like, they have to die to their old self to be reborn.
And some people believe that mimicked the journey of the soul that’s outlined in the Book of the Dead.
[Tammy]
Wow, so the pyramid itself was a tool, like a cosmic womb for rebirth. Amazing.
[Joe]
That’s a powerful idea.
[Tammy]
Okay, but did they, like, was this all about personal enlightenment? Or was there a, you know, a moral code, too?
[Joe]
Oh, there was definitely a moral code. That’s where the negative confession comes in.
[Tammy]
The negative confession, what’s that?
[Joe]
It’s in the Book of the Dead.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
And it’s where the deceased, they plead their case, they stand before Osiris, but it’s not about rituals or offerings. It’s about how they lived their life, their ethical conduct.
[Tammy]
Oh, wow. Okay, I like that. So it’s about actions, not just beliefs.
[Joe]
Exactly.
[Tammy]
Okay, I have to hear this. What kind of things were they not confessing?
[Joe]
Some of the lines are pretty powerful. I have committed fraud and evil against no man.
[Tammy]
Oh, wow. Okay, that’s a big one.
[Joe]
I have never caused a slave to be ill-treated. There is not through fault of mine a suffering one, nor a sinful one, nor a weeping one in all the world.
[Tammy]
Wow. They really set the bar high. So basically, true spiritual progress, it wasn’t just about, you know, personal enlightenment, but about how you treated others, your impact on the world.
[Joe]
Exactly. They believe that actions had ripple effects. They affected everything, not just the individual. And they impacted the Egyptian afterlife.
And that ties into this image we see a lot, the judgment scene. The heart being weighed against the feather of truth.
[Tammy]
Right, right. I’ve seen that. So it wasn’t just symbolic.
Like, they actually believed that.
[Joe]
They did. They believed that the weight of your heart, it determined your fate.
[Tammy]
Oh, wow. So it wasn’t enough to just say the right words. You had to live them, live a life that aligned with those words.
[Joe]
That’s right. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? What would your heart weigh?
[Tammy]
It does. That is a good question. Okay, this is also fascinating.
I could keep going, but I think we’ve covered a lot already. Should we maybe pause here?
[Joe]
Yeah, we can pick it up in part two. We’ve only just scratched the surface. So that image of the heart being weighed against the feather, it really shows a key difference between how the ancient Egyptians saw judgment and, well, what a lot of people think about the afterlife.
[Tammy]
Okay, so what makes their view of judgment so different?
[Joe]
Well, it wasn’t about a vengeful god waiting to punish you. It was more like a self-evaluation, understanding the consequences of your actions.
[Tammy]
Oh, okay. So more about accountability than punishment.
[Joe]
Exactly, yeah. And remember, they believe in reincarnation.
[Tammy]
Right.
[Joe]
So any unresolved issues, imbalances from this life, they’d carry over to the next one.
[Tammy]
Oh, wow. So it’s not about escaping judgment at all. It’s about learning from it, evolving.
[Joe]
Exactly.
[Tammy]
Wow. It’s like having this built-in system for personal growth. You can’t just sweep things under the rug.
You have to face yourself eventually. Right. It’s a powerful concept, and it connects back to, you know, what we were talking about with the cosmic cycles.
It’s like just as the stars and planets move in these patterns, so does the soul. There’s this, like, sense of order and purpose to it all.
[Joe]
Okay, but some of this stuff, I’ve got to admit, it sounds pretty…
[Tammy]
Esoteric.
[Joe]
Yeah, esoteric. Like, did the average Egyptian really get all this, or was it just, you know, the priests, the initiates?
[Tammy]
That’s a good question. I mean, it’s likely that, you know, like in any society, the level of understanding varied.
[Joe]
Right.
[Tammy]
But certain principles, like living an ethical life…
[Joe]
Okay, yeah.
[Tammy]
The belief in eternal life, that seems to have been pretty widespread.
[Joe]
So it wasn’t just, like, a religion for the elite.
[Tammy]
Right.
[Joe]
It was woven into daily life.
[Tammy]
Yes.
[Joe]
For everyone.
[Tammy]
Exactly. Think about it. If you truly believed that your actions, like in this life, had repercussions after death…
[Joe]
Oh, yeah.
[Tammy]
Wouldn’t it, like, wouldn’t it change how you treated people?
[Joe]
Right, right, totally.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
How you did business, even raised your kids.
[Tammy]
Absolutely. It’s like, you’d always be aware of the bigger picture, the interconnectedness. There’s a real sense of responsibility with that.
[Joe]
Exactly. And don’t forget the power of stories, myths, and symbols. That played a big part…
[Tammy]
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[Joe]
…in transmitting these ideas.
[Tammy]
Right, because stories, they stick with you.
[Joe]
They do.
[Tammy]
Even if you, like, don’t get the deeper meaning right away, take the myth of Osiris, for example. It’s more than just a dramatic story, right? It’s symbolic of the soul’s journey, death and rebirth, the struggle between good and evil, and it echoes those, you know, those myths in other cultures, too. The Egyptian afterlife beliefs impacted a lot of other cultures.
[Joe]
It does, yeah.
[Tammy]
Like, a dying and resurrected god.
[Joe]
Right.
[Tammy]
That’s pretty universal.
[Joe]
Yeah, it is.
[Tammy]
Makes you wonder, right? Like, what if there’s this, like, collective human unconscious? Interesting.
Like, a shared memory we’re all tapping into. Maybe the ancient Egyptians were onto something with that divine memory idea.
[Joe]
It’s a fascinating thought.
[Tammy]
It is. It speaks to something, you know? Like, deep in us, the search for meaning, the longing to connect to something bigger.
[Joe]
Right, right.
[Tammy]
It’s easy to look at ancient Egypt and think, like, oh, wow, they were so different from us. But the more we explore their beliefs, I see how much we actually have in common. This quest for eternal life, this fascination with cycles, their focus on being ethical, it all still resonates today.
[Joe]
Absolutely. I mean, their answers may have been different.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
But I think their approach, it has this timeless wisdom.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
They were grappling with the same big questions we ask.
[Tammy]
Right.
[Joe]
The purpose of life, what happens after we die, how can we live a meaningful life? It’s pretty amazing.
[Tammy]
They were asking the right questions.
[Joe]
Yeah.
[Tammy]
So what can we learn from them? Besides, you know, that they were great at astronomy and architecture.
[Joe]
Well, I think, for one, they remind us that spirituality, it’s not just about, you know, rituals.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
Dogma.
[Tammy]
Right, right.
[Joe]
It’s about aligning ourselves with the cosmos.
[Tammy]
Okay.
[Joe]
Understanding our place in it all. And striving to live a life of purpose.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
Integrity.
[Tammy]
They also remind us that death isn’t the end.
[Joe]
Right.
[Tammy]
It’s just a transition.
[Joe]
Another phase.
[Tammy]
A new chapter.
[Joe]
Exactly.
[Tammy]
In the journey of the soul.
[Joe]
The ongoing journey.
[Tammy]
Right. You know, sometimes I think, like, have we lost something?
[Joe]
Hmm.
[Tammy]
Like, with our modern obsession with all the material stuff.
[Joe]
Yeah.
[Tammy]
Have we been blinded to those deeper truths? The things the Egyptians just, like, seem to understand.
[Joe]
It’s possible.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
But the beautiful thing is, those truths, they’re still there.
[Tammy]
Okay.
[Joe]
We just have to, you know, be willing to look deeper beyond the surface.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
To delve into that wisdom.
[Tammy]
Yeah. Rediscover what’s eternal within ourselves.
[Joe]
Exactly.
[Tammy]
You’re making me want to book a flight to Egypt.
[Joe]
Uh-huh.
[Tammy]
Explore the pyramids. Can you imagine, like, standing inside one of those massive structures, feeling the weight of history, the energy? That would be amazing.
Yeah. But even if we can’t, you know, physically travel back in time.
[Joe]
Right.
[Tammy]
We can still journey through their writings, their art, their myths. It’s all right there.
[Joe]
Who knows? Maybe we’ll unlock some of those divine memories.
[Tammy]
Yeah. Can never know.
[Joe]
Maybe something else. But even if we don’t remember past lives, I think the Egyptians remind us, you know, that we’re all part of something bigger, a cosmic dance that’s been going on forever.
[Tammy]
That’s a beautiful way to put it. And each lifetime is a chance to play our part in that dance.
[Joe]
Yeah.
[Tammy]
To learn, to grow, to contribute.
[Joe]
I’m having one of those ah-ha moments right now.
[Tammy]
Ah-ha.
[Joe]
It’s all clicking into place.
[Tammy]
What stands out to you most?
[Joe]
I think it’s that idea that our actions have consequences that ripple out.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
Affecting not just us, but the world around us.
[Tammy]
Right.
[Joe]
And even future lifetimes.
[Tammy]
Mm-hmm.
[Joe]
It’s kind of daunting, but it’s also inspiring.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
It makes you want to live more consciously, knowing your choices matter, like, way more than you ever imagined.
[Tammy]
That’s a powerful realization.
[Joe]
It is. And it brings us back to that question, you know?
[Tammy]
What would your heart weigh?
[Joe]
Yeah. How do your actions measure up?
[Tammy]
Against the feather of truth. Yeah. It’s something to think about.
And it leads us back to the Book of the Dead.
[Joe]
Right.
[Tammy]
Those initiation rituals. We were just getting to that. Those three days and nights in the pyramid.
[Joe]
Right. The symbolic death and rebirth.
[Tammy]
Yeah. That’s where things get really interesting.
[Joe]
They do. So let’s imagine ourselves as initiates now.
[Tammy]
Oh, God.
[Joe]
Entering that passage. Leaving the world behind.
[Tammy]
Okay. Into the unknown. Okay.
So we’re in the Great Pyramid, right? We’re initiates now. It’s dark, narrow, and we’re leaving the world behind, like you said.
So, what happens next?
[Joe]
Well, it’s like a descent, you know?
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
A descent into the underworld.
[Tammy]
Mm-hmm.
[Joe]
A symbolic death. Like, you’re stripped of everything. All those things that make you…
You. Your identity.
[Tammy]
Intense.
[Joe]
It is. It’s about facing those deepest parts of yourself.
[Tammy]
The good and the bad.
[Joe]
Yeah. The light and shadow.
[Tammy]
I remember those chapter titles from the Book of the Dead. Like, beating back the crocodiles, not letting the head be cut off.
[Joe]
Yeah.
[Tammy]
They weren’t just metaphors, right?
[Joe]
Not really. They were challenges. Psychological and spiritual challenges.
[Tammy]
Oh, okay.
[Joe]
Yeah. The crocodiles, the serpents, the demons, all those things, they were symbols of the inner obstacles, the things that hold us back.
[Tammy]
Fears, desires, all that.
[Joe]
Exactly. And the initiate, they had to face those things, prove they could overcome them.
[Tammy]
To continue on the path. Makes sense. What about that part where they’re, like, laid in the sarcophagus for three days?
[Joe]
Oh, yeah. I remember that though.
[Tammy]
Was that just physical? Right.
[Joe]
Or was it more than that? Oh, it was definitely more than physical. I mean, the sarcophagus, think about it.
It’s a symbol of death, containment. You have to surrender completely, let go of your old self.
[Tammy]
Yeah.
[Joe]
So something new can emerge.
[Tammy]
Like a caterpillar in a cocoon.
[Joe]
Yeah. Like that. Death and rebirth.
[Tammy]
Makes you think about those near-death experiences people talk about, where they come back totally different.
[Joe]
Right. And what’s interesting is, the Egyptians, they seem to understand that. The power of those experiences.
So they created these rituals to, like, induce them.
[Tammy]
Wow. So the pyramid, it was like this giant tool.
[Joe]
Yeah, a cosmic womb for rebirth.
[Tammy]
And then, after those three days, boom, you’re back. Greeted by the rising sun?
[Joe]
Exactly. Like a new beginning.
[Tammy]
A new consciousness. Okay, I get it. But what about those who weren’t initiates?
Did they believe that everyone went through this? This death and rebirth?
[Joe]
Well, it’s hard to say for sure. You know, their beliefs probably changed over time. And different groups might have had different ideas.
But some things, those core things, like the judgment, the weighing of the heart, the possibility of entering the fields of Anaru, those seem to have been pretty common beliefs.
[Tammy]
So even if you didn’t go through a formal initiation, you still believed in consequences. And that your soul would be judged.
[Joe]
Right. Right. And that emphasis on ethics, living a good life, that’s what I find so powerful about them.
[Tammy]
Yeah, I get that. This whole deep dive has really given me a lot to think about.
[Joe]
Me too. There were thousands of years ago, but we can still learn so much from them. Their wisdom, it speaks to us today.
[Tammy]
It does. It’s like they understood these universal truths about life, death, reality, things we’re just starting to figure out again.
[Joe]
So, as we wrap up this exploration of ancient Egypt, let’s remember what they taught us. Their wisdom, their connection to everything, their belief in the eternal journey.
[Tammy]
Beautifully said. And who knows, maybe this deep dive, it’s planted a seed, you know. A seed that will help us understand ourselves better, and our place in it all.
[Joe]
I hope so. And as the ancient Egyptians would say, may your heart be light as a feather when you stand before the scales in the Egyptian afterlife. Until next time.
Leave a Reply