The Path of the Goddess
The Path of the Goddess
The Path of the Goddess
The Goddess Aspect of Creation
The female principle is prominent in Ancient Egyptian mythology and religious iconography because there was a recognition that Creation is composed of complementary opposites. This means that Creation is a mixture of both male and female elements which cannot exist without each other. The Ancient Egyptian Sages discovered that when there is an imbalance between these principles, there is strife and unrest in human life. When there is balance and harmony, there is peace and prosperity. Therefore, the God must have his female counterpart, the Goddess, and vice versa. This teaching brings up many principles of tantric philosophy. Many of these will be discussed throughout this volume. For more information on this topic see the book Egyptian Tantra Yoga from the Egyptian Yoga Book Series by Dr. Muata Ashby.
An Ancient Egyptian Creation myth holds that all came into existence out of a primeval ocean of unformed matter, the Duat (Duat). The teaching of the fullness of the primeval ocean is to be found in the Book of Coming Forth By Day (xvii. 76,79; lxxi. 13; cxxiv. 17). The hekau- utterance in Chapter xvii gives an exact description of the concept of “fullness” and of the female nature of the primeval ocean. The initiate says:
“Behold Ra who was born yesterday from the buttocks of the Goddess Mehurt.” In the answer to the question: “What then is this?,” it is explained: “It is the watery abyss of heaven, or as others say, It is the image of the Eye of Ra in the morning at His daily birth. Mehurt is the Eye (Utchat) of Ra.”
Mehurt was originally the female embodiment of the watery matter, the primeval ocean from which the substance of the world was formed and from which Ra emerged. In other versions of the Creation story, the primeval ocean is referred to as Nu, a male form. Thus, the primeval ocean is seen as an androgynous essence from which all arose in the form of opposites. Mehurt, ‚‡Cv‰¯¿e, means “mighty fullness.” She symbolizes the infinite source of matter which is impregnated by the male spirit. This is one of the reasons why one of the symbols of Amun (Ancient Egyptian name for God-Supreme Being) is a pregnant woman \. Of course, the female primeval matter and the male spirit are both aspects of the same energy. This is expressed in the last line of the utterance where it is explained that Mehurt herself is the “image” of the “Eye of Ra.” The Eye of Ra is Ra’s own daughter, Hethor. She is his dynamic expression in the world of time and space which he projects from his abode which is outside of time and space. Mehurt is depicted as a cow Goddess brimming with life giving essence. The symbol of the cow is also common to Hethor, Nut and Aset. The Goddess in the form of a cow is often referred to as a “seven fold deity” known as the “seven Hethors” who preside over the life of each individual and the course of Creation. This title refers to the further differentiation of the three primordial principles of the Trinity (Asar-Aset-Heru) which is expressed as the phenomenal universe through a series of sevens. This number, seven, is expressed in all levels of Creation. It is expressed in the seven levels of the human subtle anatomy with the seven spiritual centers,8 and also as the seven primary colors of the rainbow. This principle of sevens translated into the Gnostic idea of the “seven planetary spirits,” and the Christian Archangels, known as the Heads of the Celestial Host, were titled the “Seven Archangels of the Presence.” Seven is also a special number to the Ancient Egyptian goddess Sesheta.
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Aset-Hethor in Ancient Egypt symbolized the source of Creation. Her udder produced the Milky Way. She was “the Great Cow which gave birth to Ra, the Great Goddess, the mother of all the gods and goddesses...the lady who existed when nothing else had being, and who created that which came into being.” The cow is therefore a prominent representation of Aset and Hethor. In her form as seven cows, Hetheru, an aspect of Aset, symbolizes the seven energies which course through the universe and which are engendered by the Bull (Osiris-male aspect of the Supreme Being). The Bull is a metaphor for the spirit. Just as the bull on a farm sires many cows, so to the “Bull” (Supreme Spirit) engenders all life in Creation.
In Indian Mythology, the cow holds a similar symbolism as that of Ancient Egypt. The cow is known as the “fountain of milk and curds.” In a mystical sense, the world is a curd of the milk which emanated from the Celestial Cow (Goddess).
The Eye of Ra (^) is Ra’s creative principle in the female aspect. Thus, creation itself is an image of God. The primordial essence from which creation arises and that which arises as creation are images of God in much the same way as your thoughts and dreams are images of your consciousness.
Through the interplay of the male and female principles, an infinite variety of forms can arise. This is the cause of the multiplicity that is seen in creation. The multiplicity of chemical elements and the infinite varieties, shapes and forms which are possible through their combinations are in reality expressions of the two principles, the opposites, duality, which are an expressions of the one, singular and non-dual essence. All of the multiplicity is in reality an expression of the two principles (duality) which, when examined closely with keen philosophical reason and an intuitive mind, are found to be in reality a singular or non-dual principle. This is the deeper meaning of the Ancient Egyptian teaching: I became from God one, gods three, which was presented earlier, where God tells us he was one essence and then transformed himself into three. These three constitute the basis of the multiplicity of creation; the duality, along with the interaction between the two, make three principles. However, the substratum of all creation (the trinity and duality) is oneness and this oneness has been translated into religion as the concept of monotheism and the Trinity. However, monotheism as it is understood in Western religions such as Orthodox Christianity, Orthodox Islam, Orthodox Judaism and others, is not the same monotheism implied in the teachings of Yoga and mystical religions such as the Egyptian Mysteries, Vedanta, Sufism, Buddhism, the Tao, etc.
In Western religion, monotheism implies that there is one God who exists in fact and is watching over his creation. God is conceptualized as a male figure who is separate from creation and manages it from afar. In the mystical sciences, monotheism implies that God is the only being that truly exists and therefore all that exists is an expression of the Divine. God expresses as nature, the stars, your body, your thoughts, your senses, all physical objects, all good and evil people, etc. God is everything, just as everything in your dreams is in reality an expression of your own consciousness. God is not separate from creation, but is immanent in creation. God is never far from you, but is as close as your every thought, every breath, every sensation, every feeling. Thus, that which transcends the phenomenal world of time and space is “full” and the phenomenal world which is an expression of the eternal is also “full." At every moment you are embracing the glory of God. At every moment , regardless of your life’s circumstances, you are full. Even if you were to become blind or to lose an arm or leg, you would remain full. Just as the injuries of your dream personalities do not affect you as you lay on your bed, so too your transcendental Self is unaffected by any condition that is experienced by your body or mind (ego-personality).
This exact teaching of the “fullness” of God and the “fullness” of creation may be found in the Indian Upanishads in the following prayer:
Purnamadah Purnamidam Purnat Purnamudachyate Purnasya Purnamadaya Purnamevavahisyate.
Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih.*
That (Absolute) is full, this (world, being a manifestation of the Absolute) is full. When this (world-process) is taken away (by transcending it through Self- realization), what remains is full (the Absolute). May there be Peace, Peace, Peace.
On the following page: From the Step Pyramid- Ra revives the body through the Serpent Power
The Illusoriness of Creation
According to Memphite Theology and to this Hymn of Amun which constitutes Theban Theology, what is considered as solid matter is in reality nothing more than the same form of matter which is experienced in the dream state of consciousness. Thus, the “physical” world is composed of the same material as the dream world and is therefore subject to vanish as surely as a dream. However, the phenomenal world, being part of God’s dream, or projection, as opposed to that of a human being, is longer lived. It may last billions of years from the standpoint of a human lifetime, however, it is only a flash in the realm of eternity. Thus, the human concept of “time” is only a minute segment within the stream of eternity. The concept of relativity of time is expressed in a hieroglyphic text entitled: The Songs of The Harper. In one verse, the relativity of the passage of time is explained as follows:
“The whole period of things done on the earth is but a period of a dream.”
Consider your dreams. They may seem to occur over a period of hours, days, months or years. Yet upon waking up, you realize that the entire time you were in bed asleep for a short time. In the same way, the entire period of the existence of the universe is nothing but the span of a short dream in the mind of God.
From an advanced perspective, neither time nor space can be said to exist as something which is real, just as time, matter, and physical objects within a dream cannot be called “real." The entire dream world exists in the mind and does not require real time or space. The phenomenal world which is experienced in the waking state of consciousness is also not real and does not exist except in the mind of God. This teaching is not only confirmed by the Hymns of Amun, but it is also a primary teaching of Memphite Theology presented in the Shabaka Inscription. In reality, only eternity is real, and God is eternity. Since all matter is in reality constituted of the thought energy of God, and changes in the matter are called time, it must be clearly understood that God is the only reality which exists.
God is eternity, and the limited perceptions of the mind and senses are what human beings refer to as “time” and “space” awareness. However, the perception of time and space is due to the limitations and conditioning of the human mind and body. If you had the ability to perceive the entire universe at once, an eternal view which is not restricted to time and space, then you would discover that there is only oneness. This is the view that the cosmic mind (God) has towards creation. Recall the teachings of Memphite Theology on the creation of the universe by Ptah through thought alone. Thus, the task of the spiritual aspirant is to grow out of the limitations of the mind and body and discover the cosmic vision which lies within. When this is accomplished, there is a new perception of the universe. This represents the death of the ego in a human being and the birth of the spiritual life in the human being.
God has assumed the form of the neters or Pauti (Company of gods and goddesses). These “neters” are cosmic forces and energies that sustain the universe and which constitute “physical matter." Therefore, this “physical” universe is in reality the body of God and everything in it is Divine, from the smallest atom to the largest celestial bodies in the heavens.
Picture 45: The Goddess Net