Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts

Egyptian Holidays

Posted by Witch of the West | Labels: ,
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The calendar system of ancient Egypt is unique to both the cosmology of the Egyptians and their religion. Unlike the modern Julian calendar system, with it's 365 days to a year, the Egyptians followed a calendar system of 360 days, with three seasons, each made up of 4 months, with thirty days in each month. The seasons of the Egyptians corresponded with the cycles of the Nile, and were known as Inundation (pronounced akhet which lasted from June 21st to October 21st), Emergence (pronounced proyet which lasted from October 21st to February 21st), and Summer (pronounced shomu which lasted from February 21st to June 21st).
The beginning of the year, also called "the opening of the year", was marked by the emergence of the star Sirius, in the constellation of Canis Major. The constellation emerged roughly on June 21st., and was called "the going up of the goddess Sothis". The star was visible just before sunrise, and is still one of the brightest stars in the sky, located to the lower left of Orion and taking the form of the dogs nose in the constellation Canis Major.
Though the Egyptians did have a 360 day calendar, in a literal sense they did have a 365 day calendar system. The beginning of the year was marked by the addition of five additional days, known as "the yearly five days". These additional five days, were times of great feasting and celebration for the Egyptians, and it was not uncommon for the Egyptians to rituals, and other celebratory dealings on these days. The Egyptian calendar also took on other important functions within Egyptian life specifically in dealing with the astrology of the people.
Offerings: Honey, raw grains, prepared meats (Goose was a favorite, as was beef. However, avoid pork. It was considered unclean because of its connection to Sutekh. Also, avoid fish if you honor Osiris.) other offerings were fruit, flowers, oils (scented and olive) bees wax, bread (all kinds, plain or fruit filled, often in special shapes: pyramids or sacred objects) and incense, along with scented candles.
Beer was an important offering. Unlike modern beer, it was, to the Egyptians, a food group. Their beer was thicker in character, and cloudy, since filtering was used only to remove larger grains. The yeast to ferment it was the same yeast used in bread. The wild yeasts in sourdough bread are close relatives.

Month: Thuthi
Netjer of the Month:Thoth Akhet (winter)

Season: Innundation
Netjer of the Season: Hapi

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 July 19
 Month of Thuthi begins. Feast of Thoth; Also Opet Festival: marriage of Wasir & Aset (Isis & Osiris)
3
July 21
 Birthday of Aten
7
July 25
 Feast of Anket: welcoming the rising of the Nile
9
 July 27
 Queen Hatshepsut's Birthday
10
 July 28
 Festival of the Goddess of Weaving (Hedjihotep)
17
 August 4
 Festival of the Dead: Sunset Ceremony
19
 August 6
 Festival of Nut & Ra; Chief Festival of Thoth
25
 August 12
 Day of Sekhmet's repulsion of Set; Also Wasirian (Osirian) Mysteries: Feast of Lights of Aset (Isis)
26
 August 13
 Day of battle between Heru (Horus) and Set; Aset gains the Horns of Het-Hert (Hathor)
27
 August 14
Day of Peace between Heru and Set
30
 August 17
 Rituals in the Temples of Ra
Heru (Horus) and Wasir (Osiris)
There is evidence that indicates that this Festival is the true "Festival of Intoxication." The possible mistaken belief that it honors Thoth not Hathor/Sekhmet stems from the fact that the feast falls in the month of Thoth. Strong evidence points to the myth recounting the destruction of mankind as the basis for this festival. According to this story, in order to end Hathor’s bloody rampage, Re tricked her into drinking beer laced with mandrake and red ocher. He flooded Egypt with this drugged beer. Hathor/Sekhmet, thinking it was blood, consumed so much of it that she became drunk and passed out, and she lost interest in destroying humanity. The yearly Innundation by the Nile, with its rich, red silt, is the earthly re-enactment of this flood of beer. This feast of intoxication is the ancient Egyptian's "October fest."

Month: Paopi
Netjer of the Month:Ptah

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 August 18
 Month of Paopi Begins
2
 August 19
 Procession of Heru to Neith
3
 August 20
 Tehuti(Thoth) orders the healing of the eye of Heru (Horus)
5
 August 22
 Feast of Montu
6
 August 23
 Great Feast of the Netjeru (Gods & Goddesses)
9
 August 26
 Day of Jubilation in the heart of Ra
10
 August 27
 Procession of Bast; Birthday of Nut
12
 August 29
 Bithtday of Het-Hert (Hathor)
13
 August 30
 Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead
14
 August 31
 Day Heru receives the White Crown
16
 September 2
 Feast of Wasir (Osiris)
18
 September 4
 Ceremony of Transformation through Anpu (Anubis)
19
 September 5
 Ceremony of Raising the Djed Pillar
21
 September 7
 Neith Goes forth to Atum
27
 September 13
 Festival of lighting the fires of Nieth
30
 September 16
 Land in Festival for Ra, Wasir, and Heru

Month: Hethara
Netjer of the Month:Het-Hert (Hathor)

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 September 17
 Motnh of Hethara begins; Feast of Het-hert (Hathor)
5
 September 21
 Autum Equinox; Honors to Het-hert
6
 September 22
 Ritual of the Netjers of the Two Lands
7
 September 23
 Honors offered to Atum
8
 September 24
 The going forth of Aset (Isis)
12
 September 28
 Wasir (Osiris) goes forth to Abydos; Purification of the hearts of the Netjers; Feast of Hapi: Creatiing of the Nile
15
 October 1
 Contemplation of the Fertility of Min
16
 October 2
 Day of the appearance of the eight Great Netjers (Primordials)
17
 October 3
 Landing of the Great Netjers in Abydos; Lamentations of Aset (Isis)and Nebet-Het (Nephthys) for Wasir (Osiris).
18
 October 4
 Festival of Het-Hert (Hathor).
20
 October 6
 Bast appears to Ra.
21
 October 7
 Feast Day of Ma'at .
23
 October 9
 Ra judges the dispute of Set and Heru (Horus).
24
 October 10
 Aset (Isis) goes forth
26
 October 12
 The Black Land is given to Heru (Horus); The Red Land is given to Set
28
 October 14
 Festival of establishing Heru as King;The appearance before Ptah
29
 October 15
 Feast of the Three Noble Ladies

Month: Koiak
Netjer of the Month: Sekhmet

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 October 17
 Month of Koiak Begins; The Feast of Sekhmet
2
 October 18
 The Netjeru in festivity
4
 October 20
 Festivals for Sebek
5
 October 21
 Het-Hert (Hathor) goes forth to Her people
7
October 23
 Festival for Serquet (Selket); Ceremony of Thehuti (Thoth)
11
 October 27
 Feast of Wasir (Osiris) in Abydos
12
October 28
 Day of Transformation into the Bennu Bird (Phoenix)
13
October 29
 Going forth of Het-Hert (Hathor) and the Ennead
14
October 30
 Celebration of the Netjert of Weaving and Fate; Coming forth of the Bennu transformed.
15
 October 31
 Feast of Sekhmet Bast Ra
17
November 2
 Festival of Het-Hert (Hathor). The people and the Netjeru judge the speeches of the crew of the Solar Barge in Heliopolis
21
November 6
 Raising the Djed Pillar
22
November 7
 Ploughing the Earth
27
November 12
 Aset (Isis) seeks the body of Wasir (Osiris)
28
Nov. 13
 Aset (Isis) grieves the loss of Wasir (Osiris)
29
November 14
 Aset (Isis) rejoices as She finds Wasir (Osiris)
30
November 15
 Ennead feast in the House of Ra, Heru (Horus) and Wasir (Osiris); Invocation and offering to the Spirits (khu)


Month: Tybi
Netjer of the Month:Min Peret (Spring)

Netjer of the Season:Khepri
Season: Sowing

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 November 16
 Month of Tybi begins; Heb Sed Festival; Festival of Bast
5
November 20
Day of Sekhmet and the Purifying Flame
9
November 24
Day of Offerings to Sekhmet
13
November 28
Feast of Het-Hert (Hathor) and Sekhmet; Day of prolonging life and the goodness of Ma'at
18
December 3
Going forth of the Netjeru of Abydos
20
December 5
Bast goes forth from Bubastis
21
Dec. 6
 Bast guards the Two Lands; Day of offerings to the Shemsu (followers) of Ra
23
December 8
 Feast of Neith
28
December 13
 The Day of Tehuti's taking the oath
29
December 14
The appearance of the Hu and Sia; Tehuti (Thoth) sends Bast and Sekhmet to guide Egypt
30
December 15
Day of crossing before Nun in the Temple of Hapi



Month: Mechir
Netjer of the Month:Rekhur

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 December 16
Month of Mechir begins; Festival of the Little Heat; Day of Ptah lifting up Ra with His hands
2
December 17
Day the Netjers of Heaven receive Ra
3
December 18
Set goes forth
6
December 21
Winter Solstice; Feast of Aset (Isis)
8
December 23
Festival of the Great Heat; Feast Day of Het-Hert (Hathor)
10
 December 25
 Birth of Heru (Horus) the child of Aset (Isis) ; Going forth of Wadjet singing in Heliopolis;Day of Elevating the Great Netjert (Goddess) in all Her names & manifestations
11
December 26
Feast of Neith; Birth of Sebek (Sobek)
13
December 28
Day of Sekhmet going forth to Letopolis
16
December 31
Feast of Sekhmet
17
January 1
Day of keeping the things of Wasir (Osiris) in the hands of Anpu (Anubis)
20
 January 4
Day of Nut and Raet proceeding southward
22
January 6
Feast of Ptah and Heru (Horus) 23 January 7 Festival of Aset (Isis)
24
January 8
Festival of Aset (Isis); Birth of Aion
26
January 10
 Going forth of Min to Coptus; Aset sees Wasir's face
27
January 11
Feast of Sokar

Month: Pamenot
Netjer of the Month:Amun-Ra


Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 January 15
 Month of Pamenot begins; Feast of entering Heaven and the Two Lands
5
January 19
The brilliant festival of lights as Neith goes forth from Sais
6
 January 20
Going forth of Yinepu (Anubis); Festival of jubilation for Wasir (Osiris) in Busiris
8
January 22
Day of making way for Khnum
9
January 23
Day of Het-Hert (Hathor)
10
 January 24
 Day of coming of Tehuti (Thoth)
13
January 27
Tehuti and and the khu go forth
16
January 30
Day of opening the doors and courts at Karnak
18
 Feb. 1
 Feast of Nut
19
February 2
 Birthday of Nut
22
 February 5
Birthday of Apep (Apophis)
23
 February 6
Feast of Heru
26
February 9
Day of unseen in the Underworld
28
 February 11
 Feast of Wasir (Osiris) in Abydos
30
February13
Feast of Wasir (Osiris) in Busiris; The Doorways of the Horizon are opened

Month: Parmutit
Netjer of the Month:Renenutet

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 February 14
 Month of Parmuti Begins
2
February 15
Geb proceeds to Busiris to see Anpu (Anubis)
7
February 20
Min goes forth in festivity
8
February 21
Day of counting the parts of the Eye of Heru
13
 February 26
 Day of Nut
16
March 1
Going forth of Khepri
17
March 2
Going forth of Set, Son of Nut
19
March 4
Feast of Ra in His Barge at Heliopolis
27
March 12
 End of the World by Sekhmet
29
March 14
Adoration of Uneffer
30
March 15
Offerings to Ra, Wasir, Heru, Ptah, Sokar and Atum







Month: Pachons
Netjer of the Month:Khonsu Shemu (Summer)
Season:Harvest
Netjer of the Season: Khonsu-Ra

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 March 16
 Month of Pachons begins; Feast of Heru and His Companions
5
March 20
Feast of the good soul for sexual fertility
6
March 21
Spring Equinox; Harvest Festival; Festival of restructuring the Heavens; Coming forth of the Great Ones from the House of Ra
8
March 23
Festival of Aset (Isis)
10
 March 25
 Day the Shining Ones of Heaven move upstream
14
March 29
Day of the cutting out of the tongue of Sobek
17
April 1
 Day of Het-Hert (Hathor)
18
April 2
Day of Joy of the Ennead and crew of Ra
19
April 3
Day of the counting of Tehuti (Thoth) who heard Ma'at
20
Apr. 4
 Ma'at judges the souls before the Netjeru
30
April 14
 Celebrations in the House of Ra, Wasir (Osiris) , and Heru (Horus)

Month:Payni
Netjer of the Month:Heru (Horus)

Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 April 15
 Month of Payni Begins; Festival of Heru; Festival of Bast
2
April 16
Holiday of Ra and his Shemsu (followers)
7
April 21
Feast of Wadjet (Udjet or Buto)
13
 April 27
 The Ennead sails throughout the land
18
May 2
Wasir (Osiris) goes forth from His mountain
21
May 5
Day of the living children of Nut
25
May 9
The Akhet eye pleases Ra
26
May 10
 Going forth of Neith along the river
28
May 12
Day of purification of all things.
30
May14
Tehuti (Thoth) appears with Shu to bring back Tefnut

Month:Epipi
Netjer of the Month:Wadjet
Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 May 15
 Month of Epipi begins; Festivals of Het-Hert and Bast; Great feast of the Southern heavens
2
May 16
The Netjerts (Goddesses) feast in their temples
5
May 19
Het-Hert (Hathor) returns to Punt: the Netjers are saddened
7
May 21
Sailing of the Netjers after Het-Hert (Hathor)
12
 May 26
 Holiday of the receiving of Ra
15
May 29
Heru hears prayer in the presence of the Netjers
16
May 30
Ma'at is taken to Ra in Heliopolis
18
June 1
Ma'at and Ra go forth in secret
29
 June 12
 Festival of Mut: feeding of the Netjers
30
June 13
Ceremony of Heru the Beloved
Feast of the "Beautiful Reunion." Hathor’s barque was called the "Mistress of Love." During this festival, it was believed that Hathor left her temple in Dendera and sailed south to visit Horus in the city of Edfu. During her trip she stopped to visit Mut’s temple, the second day she visits Anukis, (A form of Nephthys, "Lady Of The House.") On the third day, she is joined by the Local God of Nehan (a form of Horus) before ending her travels in Edfu at the great Temple of Horus there. Horus would set out in his barque and meet Anukis outside Edfu. At this time, the two statues were enshrined together for fourteen days, and then the statues were taken to the temple roof to greet the sun god Ra.
Month:Mesore
Netjer of the Month:Heru-Khuiti
Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 June 14
 Month of Mesore begins
2
 June 15
 Ma'at unites as one with all the Netjeru of the heavens
3
June 16
Feast of Raet; Feast of Het-Hert as Sirius
4
 June 17
 Day of the procession of Sopdu, the Warrior
5
June 18
Day of appearance of Min
7
 June 20
Anpu travels to every necropolis
8
June 21
Summer Solstice; Wadjet ceremony
10
 June 23
 Anpu (Anubis) Ceremony
13
June 26
Holiday for the Shemsu of Heru (Shemsu-Hor)
15
June 28
Ra goes forth to propitiate the Nun
19
 July 2
 the Wadjet eye has returned complete
22
 July 5
 Feast of Anpu (Anubis) with the Children of Nut and Geb
28
July 11
 Feast of Min 29 July 12 Holiday in the Temple of Sokar; Festival of the Estate of Ptah
30
 July 13
 Birthday of Ra


THE EPAGOMENAL DAYS
Egyptian Calendar
 Gregorian Calendar
 Festival/Celebration
1
 July 14
 Birthday of Wasir (Osiris)
2
July 15
 Birthday of Heru-Dunawhy
3
July 16
Birthday of Set
4
July 17
Birthday of Aset (Isis)
5
July 18
Birthday of Nebet-Het (Nephthys)
Here are some interesting notes
on the Festivals of Opet and The New Year:
Opet or Ipet means "Harem," and the true name of the festival is "The Beautiful Feast." On this day the barque of Ammon-Re would be removed from its temple shrine, and, along with the image of Ammon-Ra, would journey up the Nile to the temple of his wife Ammonet. This was a serious party festival, lasting for twenty days, with a special ritual held at every stop of Ammon-Ra’s barque.
After nine months had passed Ammonet-Mut would ceremonially be taken into the Temple birthing chamber to give birth to Ammon-Ra’s son, Khonsu. Even today, remnants of this festival are still observed.
Today Opet has been renamed; it is now "The Festival of Saints," and is celebrated by Moslems. During the festival, a small boat is carried out of the Mosque of Abu El Haggag and paraded through the streets Luxor.
"The Feast of Sothis" (the heliacle rising of the star Sirius) was celebrated in every Temple in Egypt with a special ritual. Most temples housed more than one God or Goddess, and the normally secluded images of the temple’s Gods would be removed from their shrines, and taken to the roof of the temple so that the first light of the first day of the New Year would fall upon them.
The star Sothis (Sirius) is fundamental to the Egyptian religion. This importance is demonstrated in several ways. Both the star and the constellation Orion rise at the same time. The star is known as "The soul of Isis," and the constellation of Orion is the body of her husband Osiris, in heaven. The reappearance of both objects heralds the resurrection of the dead Osiris. Seventy days earlier, both the star and the constellation had disappeared from the sky, hidden by the sun’s light. All ancient Egyptians wanted to be "Osirified," and the seventy days of the mummification process reflected this time of the constellation's disappearance. The calendar and the mythology were intimately tied to the heavens.

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Egyptian Occultism

Posted by Witch of the West | Labels: ,
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Of all civilizations known to us through history, that of ancient Egypt is the most marvellous, most fascinating, and most rich in occult significance: yet we have still much to discover, and although we have the assurance of Herodotus that the Egyptians were "beyond measure scrupulous in all matters appertaining to religion," the ancient religions--or such fragments as survive--appear at first glance confusing and even grotesque. It is necessary to remember that there was an inner as well as an outer theology, and that the occult mysteries were accessible only to those valiant and strenuous initiates who had successfully passed through a prolonged purification and course of preparation austere and difficult enough to discourage all save the most persistent and exalted spirits.
It is only available to us to wander on the outskirts of Egyptian mythology. The most familiar symbolic figures are those of Isis the moon goddess, traditional queen of Egypt, and Osiris her husband; and when we read that Isis was the sister, wife, and mother of Osiris we must seek the inner meaning of the strange and impossible relationship. It has been lucidly explained by Princess Karadja in her King Solomon: a Mystic Drama, 1912, pp. 130 to 131:
"Originally the dual souls are part of the same Divine Ego. They are golden fruits upon the great Tree of Life: 'male and female He created them.'
Isis is the Sister of Osiris because she is of Divine origin like himself, and is a sprit of equal rank.
She is his Wife, because she alone can fill his highest cravings.
She is his Mother because it is the mission of Woman to restore Man unto spiritual life."
How Osiris was slain by his brother Typhon--or Set--the spirit of evil, and dismembered into fourteen fragments which were scattered and bidden by the destroyer; how Isis, widowed and broken-hearted, sought patiently until she found each fragment, and how Horus her son when he grew to manhood challenged and conquered Typhon--all this is the figurative rendering of the eternal battle between light and darkness.
Typhon or Set symbolises autumn, decay, and destruction, Osiris springtime, light, and the fertilizing and growing powers of nature. Isis is typified in many forms, but was especially revered as the goddess of procreation, universal mother of the living, and protectress of the spirits of the dead. Her symbol was the cow, and she is usually depicted wearing cow's horns, and between them the orb of the moon.
But more ancient and more exalted than Osiris was Ra, the sun god, whose worship was blended with that of Isis and her husband and son. The priests of Ra established a famous temple at Heliopolis, and founded a special system of solar worship. Just as the Emperor Constantine subsequently fixed as saints' days in the Christian church the days which had been dedicated to the ancient pagan gods, so the priests of Ra adapted their cult to the tastes and notions of the people, and a whole company of subordinate gods figured in the religions of lower Egypt for many centuries. Sometimes divine virtues were portrayed in very material forms.
Between 4000 and 2000 B.C., the worship of Amen, or Amen Ra, as the greatest god of the Egyptians, was established at Thebes, which became the centre of religious teaching. The priests grew more and more powerful until finally the high priest of Amen--whose name means the "hidden one"--became the king of upper Egypt. Amen was regarded as the creator, with all the power and attributes of Ra the sun god, and as ruler of the lesser gods.
It has been asked why the Egyptians, who had no belief in a material resurrection, took such infinite trouble to preserve the bodies of their dead. They looked forward to a paradise in which eternal life would be the reward of the righteous, and their creed inculcated faith in the existence of a spiritual body to be inhabited by the soul which had ended its earthly pilgrimage; but such beliefs do not explain the attention bestowed upon the lifeless corpse. The explanation must be sought in the famous Book of the Dead, representing the convictions which prevailed throughout the whole of the Egyptian civilization from pre-dynastic times. Briefly, the answer to our question is this: there was a Ka or double, in which the heart-soul was located; this Ka, equivalent to the astral body of modern occultists, was believed to be able to come into touch with material things through the preserved or mummified body. This theory accords with the axiom that each atom of physical substance has its relative equivalent on the astral plane. It will therefore be understood how, in the ancient religions, the image of a god was regarded as a medium through which his powers could be manifested. "As above, so below"; every living thing possessed some divine attribute.
Faith in prayer was an essential article of the Egyptian religion, and the spoken word of a priest was believed to have strong potency, because it had been the words of Ra uttered by Thoth which brought the universe into being. Amulets inscribed with words were consequently thought to ensure the fulfilment of the blessing expressed, or the granting of the bliss desired.
The Book of the Dead was not only a guide to the life hereafter, wherein they would join their friends in the realms of eternal bliss, but gave detailed particulars of the necessary knowledge, actions, and, conduct during the earthly life to ensure a future existence in the spirit world, where everlasting life was the reward of the good and annihilation the fate of the wicked, thus showing that the belief in the existence of a future life was ever before them. Various qualities, though primarily considered a manifestation of the Almighty, were attributed each to a special god who controlled and typified one particular virtue. This partly accounts for the multiplied numbers of the Egyptian gods, and with the further complications that resulted from invasions and the adoption of alien beliefs, the religious philosophy of Egypt is not easy to follow, and is often seemingly contradictory; but when we take into consideration the vast period during which this empire flourished it is natural that the external manifestations of faith should have varied as time went on.
A knowledge of life, death, and resurrection of Osiris is assumed, and his worship in association with Isis and Horus although not necessarily under these names, is continuous. Horus is frequently alluded to as the god of the ladder, and the mystic ladder seen by Jacob in his vision, and the ladder of seven steps known to the initiates of Egypt, Greece, Mexico, India, and Persia will be familiar to all students of occultism.
Throughout the whole of the Egyptian civilization, which lasted for at least 6000 years, the influence and potency of amulets and talismans was recognised in the religious services, each talisman and amulet having a specified virtue.
Certain amulets not only were worn during life, but were even attached to the dead body.

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Egyptian Magic

Posted by Witch of the West | Labels: ,
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To the peoples of antiquity Egypt appeared as the very mother of magic. In the mysterious Nile country they found a magical system much more highly developed than any within their native knowledge, and the cult of the dead, with which Egyptian religion was so strongly identified, appeared to the foreigner to savor of magical practice. If the materials of the magical papyri be omitted, the accounts which we possess of Egyptian magic are almost wholly foreign, so that it is wiser to derive our data concerning it from the original native sources if we desire to arrive at a proper understanding of Egyptian sorcery.

Most of what has been written by Egyptologists on the subject of Egyptian magic has been penned on the assumption that magic is either merely a degraded form of religion, or its foundation. This is one of the results of the archæologist entering a domain--that of anthropology--where he is usually rather at a loss. For example, we find Sir Gaston Maspero stating that "ancient magic was the very foundation of religion. The faithful who desired to obtain some favor from a god had no chance of succeeding except by laying hands on the deity, and this arrest could only be effected by means of a certain number of rites, sacrifices, prayers, and chants, which the god himself had revealed and which obliged him to do what was demanded of him." 1 Then we find Dr. Budge stating that in the religious texts and works we see how magic is made to be the handmaiden of religion, and that whereas non-Egyptian races directed their art against the powers of darkness, and invoked a class of benevolent beings to their aid, the Egyptians aimed at complete control over their native deities.

Let us glance for a moment at the question of the origin of magic. Considerable diversity of opinion exists regarding this subject among present-day anthropologists, and the works of Frazer, Marett, Hubert, and Mauss, etc., although differing widely as regards its foundations, have thrown much light upon a hitherto obscure problem. All writers on the subject, however, appear to have ignored one notable circumstance in connection with it--that is, the element of wonder, which is the true fount and source of veritable magic. According to the warring schools of anthropology, nearly all magic is sympathetic or mimetic in its nature. For example, when the barbarian medicine-man desires rain he climbs a tree and sprinkles water upon the parched earth beneath, in the hope that the deity responsible for the weather will do likewise; when the ignorant sailor desires wind, he imitates the whistling of the gale. This system is universal, but if our conclusions are well founded, the magical element does not reside in such practices as these. It must be obvious, as Frazer has pointed out, that when the savage performs an act of sympathetic magic he does not regard it as magical--that is, to his way of thinking it does not contain any element of wonder at all; he regards his action as a cause which is certain to bring about the desired effect, exactly as the scientific man of today believes that if he follows certain formulæ certain results will be achieved. Now the true magic of wonder argues from effect to cause; so it would appear as if sympathy magic were merely a description of proto-science, due to mental processes entirely similar to those by which scientific laws are produced and scientific acts are performed --that there is a spirit of certainty about it which is not found, for example, in the magic of evocation.

It would, however, be rash to attempt to differentiate sympathetic magic entirely from what I would call the "magic of wonder" at this juncture; indeed, our knowledge of the basic laws of magic is too slight as yet to permit of such a process. We find considerable overlapping between the systems. For example, one of the ways by which evilly disposed persons could transform themselves into werewolves was by means of buckling on a belt of wolfskin. Thus we see that in this instance the true wonder-magic of animal transformation is in some measure connected with the sympathetic process, the idea being that the donning of wolfskin, or even the binding around one of a strip of the animal's hide, was sufficient to bestow the nature of the beast upon the wearer. In passing, I may say, for the sake of completeness, that I believe the magic of wonder to be almost entirely spiritistic in its nature, and that it consists of evocation and similar processes. Here, of course, it may be quoted against me that certain incenses, planetary signs, and other media known to possess affinities for certain supernatural beings were brought into use at the time of their evocation. Once more I admit that the two systems overlap; but that will not convince me that they are in essence the same.

Antiquity of Egyptian Magic.
Like all magic, Egyptian magic was of prehistoric origin. As the savage of today employs the sympathetic process, so did the savage of the Egyptian Stone Age make use of it. That he also was fully aware of the spiritistic side of magic is certain. Animism is the mother of spiritism. The concept of the soul was arrived at at a comparatively early period in the history of man. The phenomenon of sleep puzzled him. Whither did the real man betake himself during the hours of slumber? The Palæolithic man watched his sleeping brother, who appeared to him as practically dead--dead, at least, to perception and the realities of life. Something seemed to have escaped the sleeper; the real, vital, and vivifying element had temporarily departed from him. From his own experience the puzzled savage knew that life did not cease with sleep, for in a more shadowy and unsubstantial sphere he re-enacted the scenes of his everyday existence. If the man during sleep had experiences in dreamland or in distant parts, it was only reasonable to suppose that his ego, his very self, had temporarily quitted the body. Grant so much, and you have two separate entities, body and soul, similar in appearance because the latter on the dream plane exercised functions identical with those of the former on the corporeal plane.

The Wandering Spirit.
But prehistoric logic did not stop here. So much premised, it extended its soul-theory to all animate beings, and even to things inanimate. Where, for example, did the souls of men go after death? Their bodies decayed, so it was only reasonable to suppose that they cast about them for other corporeal media. Failing their ability to enter the body of a new-born infant, they would take up their quarters in a tree, a rock, or any suitable natural object, and the terrified savage could hear their voices crying down the wind and whispering through the leaves of the forest, possibly clamoring or entreating for that food and shelter which they could not obtain in their disembodied condition. All nature, then, we see became animate to early man, and not less so to the early Egyptian than to others. But his hunting life had made prehistoric man exceptionally cunning and resourceful, and it would soon occur to him--in what manner we do not presume to say, as the point greatly requires elucidation--that we might possibly make use of such wandering and masterless spirits as he knew were close to his call. In this desire, it appears to me--if the statement be not a platitude--we have one of the origins of the magic of wonder, and certainly the origin of spiritism. Trading upon the wish of the disembodied spirit to materialize, prehistoric man would construct a fetish either in the human shape or in that of an animal, or in any weird presentment that squared with his ideas of spiritual existence. He usually made it of no great dimensions, as he did not believe that the alter ego, or soul, was of any great size. By threats or coaxings he prevailed upon the wandering spirit--whom he conceived as, like all the dead, cold, hungry, and homeless--to enter the little image, which duly became its corporeal abode, where its lips were piously smeared with the blood of animals slain in the chase, and where it was carefully attended. In return it was expected, by dint of its supernatural knowledge, that the soul contained in the fetish should assist its master or coadjutor in every possible way.

Coercing the Gods.
Egyptian magic differed from most other systems in the circumstance that the native magician attempted to coerce certain of the gods into action on his behalf. Instances of this elsewhere are extremely rare, and it would seem as if the deities of Egypt had evolved in many cases from mere animistic conceptions. This is true in effect of all deities, but at a certain point in their history most gods arrive at such a condition of eminence that they soar far above any possibility of being employed by the magician as mere tools for any personal purpose. We often, however, find the broken-down, or deserted, deity coerced by the magician. Of this class Beelzebub might be taken as a good example. A great reputation is a hard thing to lose, and it is possible that the sorcerer may descry in the abandoned, and therefore idle, god a very suitable medium for this purpose. But we find the divinities of Egypt frightened into using their power on behalf of some paltry sorcerer even in the very zenith of their fame. One thing is of course essential to a complete system of sorcery, and that is the existence of a number of spirits, the detritus of a vanished or submerged religion. As we know, there were numerous strata in Egyptian religion--more than one faith had obtained on the banks of the Nile, and it may be that the worshippers of the deities of another as magical on the first introduction of a new system; in fact, these may have been interchangeable, and it is possible that by the time the various gods became common to all the practice had become so universal as to be impossible of abandonment.

If our conclusions are correct, it would seem that Maspero's statement that magic is the foundation of religion is scarcely consonant with fact. We have seen that at least the greater part of barbarian magic so--called--that is, sympathetic magic--is probably not of the nature of magic at all, so that the scope of his contention is considerably lessened. Budge's dictum that the magic of every other nation of the ancient East but the Egyptian was directed entirely against the powers of darkness, and was invented to frustrate their fell designs by invoking a class of benevolent beings, is so far an error in that the peoples of the ancient Orient invoked evil beings equally with good. At the same time it must be admitted that Egyptian magic had much more in common with religion than most other magical systems, and this arose from the extraordinary circumstances of the evolution of religion on Egyptian soil.

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