The Divinities and their Metaphysical The Divinities and their Metaphysical
Picture 11: Goddess Maat
Order, Righteousness, Justice, Balance, Harmony, Truth
“Those who live today will die tomorrow, those who die tomorrow will be born again; Those who live Maat will not die.”
Who is Maat?
Maat is one of the most important divinities in respect to the promotion of the spiritual evolution of an aspirant. Even though the figure of goddess Maat is not usually seen in the Rau Prt m Hru, her presence is the most strongly felt of all. Her name is mentioned more than any other goddess and indeed, she is said to be an aspect of the all-goddess, Aset. Therefore, in order to understand the Prt m Hru, we must have a working knowledge of the goddess and her philosophy. When Ra emerged in his Boat for the first time and creation came into being, he was standing on the pedestal of Maat. Thus the Creator, Ra, lives by Maat and has established Creation on Maat. Who is Maat? She is the divinity who manages the order of Creation. She is the fulcrum upon which the entire Creation and the Law of Cause and Effect or Karma, functions. Maat represents the very order which constitutes creation. Therefore, it is said that Ra created the universe by putting Maat in the place of chaos. So creation itself is Maat. Creation without order is chaos. Maat is a profound teaching in reference to the nature of creation and the manner in which human conduct should be cultivated. It refers to a deep understanding of Divinity and the manner in which virtuous qualities can be developed in the human heart so as to come closer to the Divine.
Maat is a philosophy, a spiritual symbol as well as a cosmic energy or force which pervades the entire universe. She is the symbolic embodiment of world order, justice, righteousness, correctness, harmony and peace. She is also known by her headdress composed of a feather which symbolizes the qualities just mentioned. She is a form of the Goddess Aset, who represents wisdom and spiritual awakening through balance and equanimity.
In Ancient Egypt, the judges and all those connected with the judicial system were initiated into the teachings of Maat. Thus, those who would discharge the laws and regulations of society were well trained in the ethical and spiritual-mystical values of life, fairness, justice and the responsibility to serve and promote harmony in society as well as the possibility for spiritual development in an atmosphere of freedom and peace, for only when there is justice and fairness in society can there be an abiding harmony and peace. Harmony and peace are necessary for the pursuit of true happiness and inner fulfillment in life.
Maat signifies that which is straight. Two of the symbols of Maat are the ostrich feather (
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) and the pedestal (Õ
) upon which God stands. The Supreme Being, in the form of the god Atum, Asar, and Ptah, are often depicted standing on the pedestal.Õ p
Maat is the daughter of Ra, the high God, thus in a hymn to Ra we find:
The land of Manu (the West) receives thee with satisfaction, and the goddess Maat embraces thee both at morn and at eve... the god Djehuti and the goddess Maat have written down thy daily course for thee every day...
Another Hymn in the Papyrus of Qenna (Kenna) provides deeper insight into Maat. Qenna says: I have come to thee, O Lord of the Gods, Temu-Heru-khuti, whom Maat directeth... Amen-Ra rests upon Maat... Ra lives by Maat... Asar carries along the earth in His train by Maat...
Maat is the daughter of Ra, and she was with him on his celestial boat when he first emerged from the primeval waters along with his company of gods and goddesses. She is also known as the Eye of Ra, Lady of heaven, Queen of the earth, Mistress of the Netherworld and the lady of the gods and goddesses. Maat also has a dual form or Maati. In her capacity of God, Maat is Shes Maat which means ceaseless-ness and regularity of the course of the sun (i.e. the universe). In the form of Maati, she represents the South and the North which symbolize Upper and Lower Egypt as well as the Higher Self and lower self. Maat is the personification of justice and righteousness upon which God has created the universe, and Maat is also the essence of God and creation. Therefore, it is Maat who judges the soul when it arrives in the judgment hall of Maat. Sometimes Maat herself becomes the scales upon which the heart of the initiate is judged. Maat judges the heart (unconscious mind) of the initiate in an attempt to determine to what extent the heart has lived in accordance with Maat or truth, correctness, reality, genuineness, uprightness, righteousness, justice, steadfastness and the unalterable nature of creation.
Who is Maati?
Who are the Maati goddesses? In the segment above we introduced the idea of opposites in creation. The Hall of Maat, known as the hall of judgment for the heart, is presided over by two goddesses known as Maati.
Picture 12: The Two Maati goddesses preside over the judgment of the heart in the Prt m