The sacred tradition in ancient Egypt : the esoteric wisdom revealed / Rosemary Clark.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clark, Rosemary, 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hermetism--Egypt.

Hermetism.

Egypt--Civilization--To 332 B.C.

Egypt.

Civilization.

Physical Description:

xxxv, 455 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

St. Paul, Minn. : Llewellyn Publications, 2000.

Summary:

An Egyptologist who reads Egyptian hieroglyphics firsthand examines the esoteric tradition of Egypt in remarkable detail, exploring the dimensions of the language, cosmology, and temple life to show that a sacred mandate--the transformation of the human condition into its original cosmic substance--formed the foundation of Egypt's endeavors and still has great relevance today.

Contents:

Sacred Names xxvii

Chapter 1 A Sacred Science 1

The Neteru, the "vital idea" of ancient Egypt

The character of the Egyptian mind and its perception of life and the environment

The Sacred Science, its human goal and function in ancient society

Practicum: The Hermetic and Ceremonial Traditions 37

Chapter 2 The Cosmology 51

The four cosmological schools and creation myths of Thebes, Hermopolis, Memphis, and Heliopolis

The ten cosmic families and the forty-two Neteru contained within the scheme

The Neteru as both cosmic principles and innate human powers

Practicum: Attributes of the Dekans, Nomes, and the Neteru 112

Chapter 3 A Sacred Astronomy 123

The philosophy and practices of astronomy and astrology in ancient Egypt

The scope of the "sky religion" and its impact on every aspect of Egyptian life

The Neteru of the Zodiac as a metaphor of the twelve sacred processes in nature

Practicum: An Astrological Calendar of the Neteru 149

Chapter 4 The Divine House 181

The temple as the house of the Neter and the embodiment of the universe

The components of ancient Architectonics

The Solar, Lunar, and Stellar temple traditions and their religious functions

The sacred mandates of these temple traditions as expressed at Karnak, Dendera, and Djoser's Pyramid Complex

Practicum: Sacred Space 237

Chapter 5 The House of the Dead 263

Metaphysical ideas expressed in the literature of the Pyramid and Coffin Texts, and The Book of Going Forth

How the inter-relationship of human and divine life was maintained through the science of sacred anatomy

Mummification and the funerary tradition

Concepts of the inner/after life, reincarnation, and ancestral communication

Practicum: Funerary Magic 315

Chapter 6 The Masters of the Temple 327

The initiatory schools and the Mystery Tradition as recorded in ancient times

Moral and ethical training, temple literature

The acquisition and use of Sacred Science by members of the temple.

Classes of priests, functions of the priestess

Clairvoyance, prophecy, and healing

Practicum: Temple Ritual 376

Chapter 7 Initiation 379

The Egyptian concept of spiritual mastery and the elevated human being

The metaphysical view of magic, ingship, and personal power

Initiation as a process of "making gods."

Reestablishing our bond with nature through the ancient wisdom

Practicum: The Threefold Initiation 412

Appendix 2 The Mystery Tradition of Ancient Egypt 435.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 441-446) and index.

ISBN:

1567181295

OCLC:

44066946