Notes: Christian Jaque

Kmt Magi

this is the more intereesting book from my list that I am reading.
the other tedious one is on hiadus

Eternal MagicMagick and Mystery in Ancient Egypt
by Christian Jacq

exerpts and notes

Desiccated theory is all that one can expect from a sceptical attitude
twoards Egyptian religion, and inevitable if an Egyptologist lacks
sympathy with its cilvilisation.

...iit is even more viltal in Egytptology if students are to avoid the
trap of examining thier subject with icy reasona nd historical
detachment alone.


[magick] many scholars have tried to weed it out of Egyptian religion
as irrevlevance, incompatible with the grandeur of the metaphysical
ideas found in the great texts. But magic is stupborn. It is present
everywhere in Egypt, in the turn of a story thought of as literature,
as much as in the interiors of the tombs and on the walls of the
temples. In the time fo the pharoahs, those who dealt with
.....magicians who had been initiated and were privy to a knoledge,
employing specific spells whose use demanded that they be very well
qualified.

Hermopolis, the acnient city sacred to Djehuti, patron of magician
priests., ....


.... the tomb of Petosiris... high priest of dhehuti, initiate of the
mysteries. This tomb is not sacred to death but to eternal life. Its
wonderful text were written to help man fulfil himself, to find deep
within himself the truth with out which there can be no happyness on
this earth.

For the wise men there was one essential truth, that magic understood
as a creative force, was created before the world as we know it. It is
the daughter of the sun god whose every ray of light is a
manifestation of magic, for it brings life. To the ancient egyptian,
everything has life. To think of something as inanimate proves that
our eyes are not truely open to reality.


The supernatural force which maintains life is not beyond the grasp of
human intelligence. It dwells int he hart of man's being, in his inner
temple. In descovering and using it, the magi is aware that his action
has repercussions in this world and the other, as if there were no
real barier between the two. By knowing the god of magic, he unveils
the power of powers and enters into the happy company of the gods. At
death, too he who passess to the otherside of the mirror must conserve
his magic power to attaint he ultimate reality.

This magic can be defined as the essential energy that flows through
botht the divine and human shere. There is no living and no dead, only
being s who are more or less able to caputere that energy wich is
contained in the secret names of the gods.

Spirit and matter are woven fromt he same substance. The important
thing in magic is to identify the thread that links everythign and
unites all creatures in a chane of cosmic union.

Human existence hangs in a precarious balane. Many perils threaten it
: demons, negative forces, zombies, many manifestations of the 'evil
eye' -in other words, a negative energy which, by its power alone,
destroys everything that exists. The first duty of a magi is to dam up
this negativity and to preserve life. But equally he must take care
that the moments of passege unfold correctly. Birth, marrage, death,
the ending of the old year, and the beginning of the new.

Each magic act is, by definition, an act of creation with its roots
deep in the beginning of the world. The magi remakes as it was int eh
begining, he places the first time in the present, her restors the
world in that time. Magic time is primeval time.

The god of magic Heka, wards off those things which must be kept at a
distance, to prevent evil and disharmony from disturbing the order of
things.

The magi is heru
the magi is Wst
the magi is Ra


Im looking at this pic and thinking whial reading the symbolism presant

Auset is the throne goddes from whom the kings are born, from her
right hand she pours a fluid onto the pharaoh's name, one of the vital
centers of his person. With her left hand she supports the kings rt
arm, ....

Im amased at how down played this symbolistic significance of this
is.... but its repeated often.

and then I wonder... would the Pharaoh even BE there if not for her...
standing in front of wsr? Could he stand? She is supporting the arm
that he uses to hold up the crook and flail... the symbols of
rulership... could he even cary them if not for her?
She is pouring nourishment on his vital center, could he live if not
for her? It is from her .... as she is the throne .from which he comes
forth to present himself.

why oh why... is this always just oh ... glossed over? oh look at the
pretty symbolism everyone ! nice picture !

where would the pharaoh be if not for Wst?

*giggle*
on page 20, Jaqc covers something I asked my teacher about. Mostly
concerning the text found w/Unas.

At the time I presented my "what do you think of this' (that was the
actuall question) I had reread that several times. To me the text
seemed more like when I eat my offerings....because we do not go
hungrey or thursty and as we ARE Ntr... we damn well better eat that
offering ... how else will Ntr receave it? So I kinda thought it was
rediculous to view it as a strictly cannabalistic text and was
increadbly releaved that my teacher agreed with me and we were able to
discuss the symbolic meanings behind the text.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIImagine ... symbolic meaning in kmt text... unheard
of rt?

And mr jacq sumes it up so nicely !!!!

"This text has been termed a cannibal hymn', in the beliefe that it
refers to very ancient rituals in which the kmts would have consumed
human flesh. However, it actually describes teh acquisition of magic
power by the straightforward ingestion of divine vitality seen as food.

(which of course is IN food... see above notes for explanation)

ok here is a spell from Imhotep

*teehee how exciting!!!*
Take an olive wood table with four feet. Place it in the centre of a
pure place; cover it completely with a cloth. Place four bricks
beneath the table, one on top of the other, and in front of the table,
a silver censer. Put charcoal made from ovlive wood in the censer and
goose fat minced with myrrh and shaped into small dumplings, and
recite a spell. Speak to no one throughout the night. You will see the
god in the form of a priest dressed in a linen robe.

(no the spell was not included, sorry. But I have noticed that if you
are a SERIOS practicioner. the ancient priests, and sometimes the
symbolic form of the Ntr will stop by and chat)


The book of two ways
middle kingdom sarcophigus
gives the dead man knowledge of the ways of the underworld. Two paths,
one of earth, one of water are sperated by a river of fire. These are
the symbolic ways to enter a country peopled by dreadful genies. A
kind of Grail is there, wich the just find after undergoing many
trials to which only knowledge of magic can provide the keys.

The Book of Hours are collections of spells wich the magi recites
throughout the hours of the day and night to placate the gods.

why do these people call Apophis a dragon? He is a snake? This is the
second author I have seen do this so far in my reading list.

ohhh found another neeto tidbit
The Bremner-Rhind Papyrus
... The Master of the Universe created all iving creatures at a time
when the earth did not yet exist. The plan of creation was conceived
in his heart. From being One, the architect of the worlds became
Three. He set in motion changes and transutations and made his abode
on primeval mound, the first land to emerge from the waters. As for
men (remetj), they were born from teh tears (remetj) of the god when
he wept over the world.

the closest is 'to cry' as the literal remjt is NOT found in eather my
text books or my dictionary... by the way....

oh wow I found a ritual that was liek that milk pouring / healing
thing... Healing statue of Djed-Her, the guardian of the doors of the
temple of Athribis. Discovered in 1918 and currently in Cairo Musium.

A guid of magi THe Saou -- the protectors ... was deputed to safeguard
those who followed the tracks accross the deasert.

HOLY GODssssssssss
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Usually when someone comes up to me blathering that they know
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllll
about "ancient egyptian' stuffything... esp neophyte pagans, I usually
ask to which family of Ntr do they associate themself. My answer has
remained unchanged. To my gleeful surpirse, in my first seminary
lesson (I think it was the first and my Tomb of Knowledge is way to
heavy for me to check rt now) I was asked the same question. My answer
has always been the Primordial Enead.

"In kmt, sacred writings are called Baou Ra, 'the powers of the god of
light'. Books, explains a papyrus, are the power fo the god of Light
wich Wsr lives. It is by means of these sacred archives that the great
divine powers, Ra the god of Light and Wsr, Lord of the Shadowlands,
communicate. Men are not the authors of the magic books, but Djehuti,
the master of Hekau (sacred words), Sha, the god of wisedom and Geb,
the Lord of earth. In thier writings, they pass on to makind the info
it is capable of using.

The magi must therefore have perfect knowledge of the divine world. At
the pinnacle of his art, he is regarded as the Master of the Ennead,
the primordial group of nine gods which was the start of all creation."


the magi swallows the texts, puts pieces of papyrus in a bowl, drinks
the magic word, ingests the words that hold meaning. This rite was
passed down to the guilds of the cathedreal masons.

each hyroglyph is regarded as a living being.

when the gods speak, they rend the void and open the way to the forces
of life. That is why the magi repeates the words of the gods such as
heru, which banish death, quench the poisons' fire, restore life and
save makind from an evil destiny. The words and spells used by the
magi are not a matter of chance; they are inspired by sacred legends,
by deeds from divine ages which are repeated in the world of men. The
most powerful spells are the oldest -those in fact that stem from the
dawn of life, and the greatest of all, peret kherou... that whhich is
spoken, The Word alone can give life to matter.

proper recitation includes proper gesture and all that other good
directional/corrispondial goodness.

speaking them four times is an assurance of effectiveness.

Ignorance nails man to the earth and reduces him to slavery

I need to remember that.

Sooooooooo what is a magi ? (he does say magician)

The magician is not a necromancer or a follower of the occult. To the
kmt he is a scholar and a priest. He reads and writes heiroglyphs and
knows that the spell 572 of the coffin text was written to give magic
power to him who travels in teh kingdom of the dead. He must appeal to
the group known as the Followers of Heru, the wisest of the wise, who
know the secrets of creation. They protect the magi where ever he may
be, so long as he is quick to learn and does not allow himself to
forget the books and spells of power. He is a priest because he knows,
and as an emblem of his official role he carries a papyrus scroll,
symbol of the abstract.

Khery heb - he who is responsible for the book or rituals

The house of life, near each temple is where all the scrolls/books
were kept.

the sistrum players, dancers and musicians who are on the staff, do
not spend thier lives indulging in sensual pleasure, but bathe the
souls of the gods in streams of harmony, so that they will care for
the balance and serenity of mankind.

The first revelation granted by the masters is that every human
problem which faces teh magi haas a counterpart in the divine world.
The same event has occurred on the cosmic ladder before it is felt on
eath. That is why the magi must know the genealogy of the gods,
theology, and the various myths of the creation of the world. In them
he will find a solution to every problem.

By identifying himself witht he four cardinal points, the graduate
becomes the cosmos ....


"It is not I who says this, it is not I who repeats it, but the god
who speaks and just as certainly the god who repeats it."

"You mingle with the gods of the sky and there is no discernible
difference between you and them. Your body is that of Atum for eternity."

A ritual declaration is made to the one who becomes a master magi.
"you mingle with the gods of the sky and there is no discernible
difference between you and them. Your body is that of Atum for
eternity." How better could one affirm that the magi attains the
higest sphere of the spirit.

"There is no part of me that is separate from a god.
Djehuti is the protection of all my limbs.
Every day I am Re... men, gods, the lessed,the dead, no noble, subject
or priest could lay hands on me."

THe magi's body is identififed with that of a divinity.

his head is that of Atum
his rt eye is of Amun (atum as he dissappears into twilight)
his left eye is that of Heru (who pushes back the day of the new moon
where there is a risk of a bad lunar month)
his nostrils are those of Djehuti and Nut
his mouth is that of the Ennead
his lips are those of Auset and Nebt-Het
his fingers are serpents of lapis lazuli
his vertebrae are the backbones of Geb
his belly is of Nut
his feet are the soles of Shu
"there is no part of him which can be separate from the god who sets
his seal on his ouliine even when the amulets of Heliopolis are laid
on him."

"There is in me no limb which is separate from the ntr and Djehuti is
the protection of my body; my flesh is in the fulness of life, every
day "he who endures for thousands of years' is my name. In every sense
I walk the heavens and dthe earth, the fear that I inspire rules over
the entrails of the gods. (goyon, rituels 257)

when a king makes a decision and seals it, he is aware of the outcome,
the consequences of his act.

the placing of the amultets of heliopolis refers to a key moment in
the initiation of the magi. Recognised as fit for office, his body is
reclothed in the insignia of power by the master who presides over the
ceremony. Heliopolis is the acient city of the sun ...the centre of
magic.


They are also put on the mummy to make it incorruptible. This is one
of the deep meanisgs of mummification: to identify mortal remains with
an immortal body so that the soul, armed with this support, can enter
the duat it a state of knowledge.

when the magi looks up at the sky, he sees Ra. When he looks down at
the earth, he sees Geb. There wo divinities helpl him to exorcise evil.

Ra has the power to chane death to life. Her repeats this act each
morning, in the lake of flames in a struggle against his enemies who
try to prevent the ligt h giving life anew.

The magi also wages war against the darkness, first during the
ceremony of initiation, then in his daily activities. He needs the
divine light to become the one who lights Kmt. When he opens his eye,
the light dawns. When he closes it night spreads.

Those who were initiated were called teh Enlightened.

The magi is always mindful of the relation bewtween his actions and
the planetary dispositions.

spell 144 of the book of the dead.. he watches the position of the
stars int he sky. He consults the books of astrology in silene in secret.

"this is a great secret. let o one see it, that would be a shameful
act. he who knows and guards the secret will continue to lilve. The
name of this book is the sovereign of the hidden temple.

these stictures, laid down for the attention of those who practise
magic as rash laymen, do not deny the intitiate access to the secrets.
They demand silence only in the case of those who are ill-qualified or
unskilled.

The first test to verify that the postulant has truly understood all
that has been entrusted to him, is for him to subdue a horne viper.

A cool headd, knowledge of the sonnorous spell, which will hypnotise
the reptile and a steady hand are all needed to deal with this; the
futre initiate is facing death.

Next the initiate is inforned that Ra the radiant one and Ausar the
dark are one and the same. This one god was summoned undert the name
fo the reunited soul inside of the house of life. he was sybmolised by
a mummy wrapped in a pram's skin.

In contemplating this, the new intitiate is united with his own spirit
and enters onthe road to resurrection.

Magic can not be praticed in any way one chooses or in any conditions.

"for a man to pronounce this spell in the right way, he must be
drenched in oil and ointments, with a censer filled with incense in
his hand; he must have natron of one quality behind his ears, and
natron of another quality in his mouth; he must be clothed n two new
vestmemnts, having washed in flood water and be shod in white sandles
and have a picture of the goddess Ma'at painted in fresh ink oon his
tongue.

this spell must only be read when one is in a state of purity, and
with out blemsish, and has not eaten small animals or fish and has not
had carnal relations.

(book of the heavenly cow)

... adorned in llinen clothing, daubed with glena, duly purified ,
anointed with myrrh, shod i white sandals, the magi makes offerings....