Pythagoras the Mathemagician

by Karim El Koussa

  His smile froze all of a sudden. He frowned. In a blast, he realized that there existed, undoubtedly, a major relation between Phoenicia and Egypt, be it religious, theological or spiritual. Amazing! He whooshed in astonishment.

  The voice of Sonchis whispered in his ears, “These powers that you are gaining now, Pythagoras, are very dangerous.”

  The sound and the warning propelled him back to the present. His body tensed in order to heed what his teacher intended to tell him. He abstained from turning to look at him. He just sat straight and waited.

  Sonchis pursued his arcane message, “You have to be extremely careful, Pythagoras, when using them. They could hurt as much as they could save. Behold nobility and high spirit always when enacting the splendid feats of such supremacy.”

  Pythagoras gave his teacher a courtly nod, somehow offended that Sonchis might assume that he would ever misuse such powers. He need not be told that if these acquired secrets were to be used in contradiction to their good principles, the negative ramifications would certainly rebound many times, and cause him major suffering.

  The Temple of Osiris received Pythagoras two years later for his Initiation into the 3rd degree level. The exterior of the Temple related to the Great Pyramid Khufu. The Greeks called it Cheops.

  There, in the secrecy of the Osiris shrine, Pythagoras submerged in the mysterious world of the science of Astrology. Known also as the Cosmic Magic, that discipline engrossed him in both its exoteric and esoteric perspectives.

  The exoteric side showed him the position of the planets and their harmonious movements in our solar system. The esoteric aspect unveiled the different vital forces that the planets emanate to ensure the perfect balance of their spatial existence. The science of Astrology, in fact, came to confirm his past revelation, in the mountain of Gebel, on the Harmony of the Spheres; the phenomenal balance between the Earth and the Heavenly Bodies. Thus, music and numbers appeared of sound value as well in the sacred sciences of Egypt.

  And furthermore, during the long years of intensive studies in the Hall of the Great Mysteries, as called by the Egyptian priests, Pythagoras reveled in being the disciple of Isis. He actually stood in front of the great triad of Horus, Osiris and Isis. Osiris, so regal, wore the most majestic of the Pharaoh’s crowns, the Atef white crown, and carried the royal crook and flail. To his left, the Patron of the Temple, the goddess Isis who was the holder of magical secrets, wore a disk on her head edged by two horns, those of a cow, and from the fingers on her left-hand dangled the Ankh. For these sacred moments in which he stood in the presence of these effigies, Pythagoras really felt like Horus the Elder, their only son, with a falcon head, standing to the right of his father.

  Three years later, Pythagoras entered the realm of the 4th degree through the science of the Celestial Magic. Consequently, he acquired the power that allowed him to perform magic on the living. This paranormal ability granted him authority over the spirits of the dead, as well, to help them in their final journey towards their spiritual resurrection into the sphere of consciousness.

  Inside the Place of Purification, the most mysterious and ritualistic chamber of the Temple, Pythagoras joined the priests for a cleansing sacrament. They surrounded a long wooden bier where the corpse of a recently deceased brother rested. Two statues of lions, with hefty tawny manes, stood on each side of the corpse; their heads bent, yet their huge eyes watchful in protection. Two other statues of lions, apparently alerted, crouched on their tufted tails. A flambeau on a lotus pillar provided enough light for the three priests, known as the embalmers, to operate. The Mystery Superior directed them.

  Profuse sacred incense burned from the four corners of the hall and wafted an intense fog and scent. The portrayed image of the Jackal-Headed god, Anubis, the divine embalmer, took one side of the wall. Priests, all in white, made their reverential way in, one after the other. They carried, with deference, precious funerary articles in both hands. They aligned behind the bald embalmers and waited. On a table, at the side of the corpse, surgical instruments and several Canopic Jars waited to be used.

  Specially built for such a funerary purpose, an underground duct, connected to the Nile, streamed water in through a canal, at the ground level of the Chamber. A basin received the water to be used by the embalmers, and so they did, washing the body with meticulous and measured gestures. Once the ceremony of sanitization was done, they used extreme caution in creating a sideway incision to remove the intestines and then the liver and the lungs. Through the nostrils of the corpse, they sneaked a sharp heated iron and cut the brains into segments which they extracted slowly through the same conduit. They then washed the organs in palm wine, covered them with perfumed gum and placed them, with reverence, in four different Canopic jars[23]. They kept the heart intact within the body, for they deemed it the Seat of Intelligence.

  In turn, the priests behind the embalmers stepped forward to pass on the precious funerary articles in their hands. At that, the embalmers filled the body cavity with myrrh, cassia, and other pungent zests. They anointed the corpse with sacred oil and resins. They then stitched up the notch and wrapped it tightly with fine white linen bandages.

  A mummy… the corpse laid dormant before them.

  A still moment of respect ensued.

  The embalmers ended the silent contemplation when they proceeded to place some sacred strange amulets, of their own preparation, on the body. A priest stepped forward and rested the Ankh, the Egyptian cross of immortality, on the forehead of the mummy. The older embalmer received from his assistant the Scarab. In the belief of the Egyptian mysteries, that talisman, which symbolized the soul, would stimulate birth into eternity from that very moment. Thus, the embalmer placed it, all too slowly, there where the heart is. Finally, the priest carrying the golden mask edged closer. The embalmer used it to cover the head of the dead.

  Forty days and nights later…

  Dressed all in white, Pythagoras accompanied the embalmers into the Mystery Chamber. He waited in reverence for them to lift the mummy, with utmost respect, on their shoulders, and then he continued the walk with them through a long corridor. They finally entered the Funeral Chamber situated by the side of the Nile.

  The Solar Disk, Ra, reigned in the centre of the painted ceiling; there, among the Heavenly bodies depicted in a quasi-rotational movement. The dark-blue hue gave a breathtaking impression of the real sky at night. The Solar Disk radiated its divine rays upon the mummy, as if meant to provide it with the heat of life.

  With the priests of Osiris around him, Pythagoras stood ready to perform his Celestial Magic ceremony on the mummy. He had religiously committed to guide the dead priest in his last journey through the after world. Incense burned heavily from all the corners of the Chamber and pervaded the air with holy fragrance.

  “In the name of the great Ra, and by the power bestowed upon me, I shall guide you, brother Uah-hotep, in your final journey!” Pythagoras started with the sacred ritual for the resurrection of the deceased into the netherworld.

  “The Ka, this spiritual vital force in you, represented by your two upraised arms, and your soul Ba, embodied by your human-headed bird, are about to separate now. Anubis, the guardian of death, expects you at the gate. You will meet him there and he will guide you with love. This is his name and, by the knowledge of the magical words, you will call upon him to unlock the entry for you and be your guide thereafter. Know that you will be the protégé of the goddess Isis from the very beginning, and all along your journey.”

  There was a long silence in which all there present envisioned the start of the journey of Uah-hotep.

  “On the western mountains,” Pythagoras intoned with a deep voice. “There, where the sun disappears from the sky, stands the gate to the world beyond. You are about to reach it, Uah-hotep,” he guided the soul with gentle authority, his voice confident and his faith strong. “Anubis lingers in wait for you, my brother. Do you see him? Call out his name! Fear him not!” He commanded in e
ncouragement. “Go ahead, Uah-hotep, cross the threshold to the Dark River in the Gallery of the Night. Sail with him, brother, sail on his boat!”

  Pythagoras paused with a frown of wariness. He suddenly sensed a danger. The priests around him waited in prayers.

  “Beware Uah-hotep!” He warned loudly. “You are crossing the gloomy Kingdom of Seth; the greatest enemy of Osiris! Move on! Move through! Fear not the evil ones; these gigantic baboons who will try to sink your boat to impede you from sailing farther!”

  He took a deep breath. Prayers intensified around him in the hall.

  “Uah-hotep!” He called out. “You must arm yourself with the will and the power to overcome these enemies of Osiris. Beware the Serpent Apophis who will attempt to block your way towards the free realm!” He warned the soul; his vision clear on the journey of the after-death.

  And then…

  “Yes, you made it!” He exclaimed in glee. “You have survived! But it’s not over… March now towards the Stairs of Justice.”

  Long minutes elapsed and, in the Funeral Chamber, only the hum of prayers reigned.

  Pythagoras raised his voice in sudden thrill, “You are there now! Go! Climb the Stairs of Justice ahead of you and behold the gods of creation. They are all present there, welcoming your arrival in the Hall of Justice.

  “Brace yourself, against the imminent trials of the seven gates of the House of Osiris, Uah-hotep, there in the Field of Reeds. Should you succeed to cross them, behold the trials of the ten pillars that should lead you to the Final Hall of Judgment! Good luck brother…”

  Uah-hotep knelt to kiss the threshold at the Hall of Justice. He stepped in with great reverence. The first part of his trial began with him reciting the ‘negative confessions’[24]. Three beings, or three gods, guarded each of the seven gates. Uah-hotep confided on each one of them in turn. He called them by their names to confirm his knowledge of each one, and prove that he had nothing to fear.

  Every guard assumed the responsibility of a particular sin. There, judged and assessed by each of these beings, Uah-hotep denied having committed any evil action or sin. Only then, did the gates open their access for him, one after the other. He proceeded his way inside until he halted in front of the ten pillars, each of which was in the care of a god and a doorkeeper. Again, he addressed them in turn with confidence, and called them by name. He proclaimed his innocence of any evil deed, affirmed his purity of any violation and dirt, and confirmed his accomplishment of all the rites of purification.

  “Uah-hotep!” he heard the voice of Pythagoras, his sacred guide, calling him from Earth.

  Pythagoras called the soul of the priest again, “Uah-hotep, hear me out! Anubis takes you now by the hand. Go with him, and proceed inside the Final Hall of Judgment. Osiris sits on his throne. Behold him anxious for your final judgment. Be ready to break through the second part of your trial. Be ready now, brother, to face your fate!

  “Your heart will be, at any moment now, weighed against the Feather of Truth of the goddess Maat. Behold her, Uah-hotep, as she stands for justice, harmony and balance. Thoth, the Ibis-Headed god, will record the result while Anubis will carry out the process with careful consideration. Beware the monster Ammut as he keeps also close watch. If your heart shows wrongness, the devil Ammut will devour it. So be careful Uah-hotep! I wish for your good deeds in life to save you now, and help your way out of the Circle of Necessity.”

  This time, the silence that downed on the Funeral Chamber bore the heavy tension and anxiety of the priests for the soul of their brother, and the result of the judgment.

  “Rightly! He was judged rightly!” Pythagoras proclaimed in glee. “He made it!”

  The sound of general relief gushed out softly along with the vibrations of the happy hearts of all the fraternity there present.

  Pythagoras closed his physical senses and opened the eyes of his soul to witness what dwelt above.

  Uah-hotep pursued his journey to the Lotus Lake for his eternal purification. In the Fields of Yalu, the blessed, the sanctified soul, gained its everlasting life in paradise. From now onward, the soul of Uah-hotep would continue its life working along the Celestial Nile.

  “Very well done, Uah-hotep, Congratulations!” Pythagoras praised him on behalf of all the priests there present. “This is indeed a great achievement!”

  In the Chamber, a general smile brightened all faces, but Pythagoras had still a major recommendation to convey. “Now, Uah-hotep, you must unite your spirit and vital force, the Ka, with your soul, the Ba, in order to form the Akh. This will be your fully resurrected and glorified form; your Spirit of Resurrection; the Akh symbolized by the crested god Ibis!”

  Time on earth seemed to freeze for a while…

  Then, in a high tone that resonated in the Chamber, Pythagoras commended, “Finish your journey now, Uah-hotep. Unify your mortal yet resurrected being with the Immortal Spirit, and by such, identify it with Ra, the Supreme Being!”

  The stillness that followed was soon broken by a soft voice whispering, in a breeze, a spiritual melody.

  “I was yesterday. I am today. And I know tomorrow. I am the beginning and I am the end… I am the master of my soul. I am Ra and the Supreme Being is in me. He embraces me deep inside his bosom. He is myself!”

  The beautified soul proclaimed as its final realization into the abode of Absolute Truth.

  As above, so below…

  Down on Earth, well equipped with the four degrees of Initiation, Pythagoras had certainly mastered his assignment. To succeed, he had allocated his long practice of all the four forms of Magic; the Natural, the Astral, the Cosmic and the Celestial. One more thing remained to end the sacred ritual of this spiritual resurrection of Uah-hotep’s soul. With great eloquence, he spelled out the final incantation as instructed by the Great Magicians of the Temple:

  “It is true, Osiris lives,

  It is also true, the dead live,

  Resurrect yourself,

  You have your soul,

  You, the reanimated one…

  Come, oh god,

  Isis is talking to you.”

  At this stage, the Ceremonial Magic ended. The priests placed the mummy inside a sarcophagus of stone. They added the four Canopic jars, and all the other belongings of the deceased to be used in his life beyond. They then carried the coffin out and buried it in the Grave Chamber.

  There, Pythagoras lingered alone with his thoughts for a while.

  His vital force had allowed him to see and commune with the gods. However, he recognized that he had succeeded because of the power of his consciousness, and his acting from the mental sphere. A Magician, yes indeed, he admitted, yet his journey to a higher degree did not end here. In the Egyptian system of Initiation, there remained in fact one more degree; the last one that would reveal the Sublime Truth.

  Pythagoras intended to achieve it!

  * * *

  Pythagoras spent most of his time meditating and reflecting alone. Silence escorted most of his next years through this 4th level of Initiation. Yet, he knew he was not totally alone since the Magicians and the Priests of the Temple surveyed him closely. He felt their vibrations around him at all times. In his many moments of qualm, pain and wonder, they would come closer to whisper words of encouragement in his ears, “Prevail… Be patient… Persevere!”

  However, in his quest for inner truth, Pythagoras began to doubt his powers ever more, almost to the point of mislaying them. Nightmares tortured his sleep. In fact, to dig into his depth resulted in hardship. Truth seemed to be a reality higher than he had expected, and its essence much more important than all his previous long years of studies.

  “What is Truth?” He would often shout in despair and his anguish would resonate in the cell where he resided like a hermit.

  The sages believed that man could not know and obtain Truth unless it became an essential part of his being. Pythagoras acknowledged that his connection to the Truth did not lay on what he had learned, but rathe
r on what he would become.

  In his quest, he persisted on that concept to lead him. His adamant will and strong faith contributed to his finding of the right way. He steadily experienced the reality of his inner realm, and endorsed a complete detachment from the world of senses. In consequence, Truth itself, like the early sunrays surfacing the face of the Earth, initiated a long journey into his own being.

  One day, walking with Sonchis in the Great hall of the Temple of Osiris, Pythagoras expressed his frustration, “When will Truth be entirely revealed to me? Will I ever come to know it?”

  In response, Sonchis stopped and pointed at a Lotus drawn on the side wall. With his usual poise, he said, “Look well at the lotus, Pythagoras, and meditate.” He gave him some time of silence then uttered, “Truth can not be given just to anyone. We usually find it in ourselves, or we simply don’t find it at all! We cannot make you see it. No one can! Actually, you cannot be taught how to perceive its sublime power, for it is, in fact, inside you. Therefore, my brother, you alone shall find it when you are able to recognize its radiance within yourself.”

  Pythagoras stared at him pensively then turned to scrutinize the Lotus again.

  What connects the Lotus to my goal at the moment? Where is the lead to my ultimate aim?

  As if reading his thoughts, Sonchis explained, “The Lotus grows inside water for a long time before it blooms out on the surface. This is the reality, I must say, of the great hidden matters. Don’t rush the blossoming of Truth, Pythagoras. It will certainly happen when the proper time comes.”

  “The Lotus is like you, Pythagoras. It contains the four elements. Remember! The four tests you undertook to enter the occult world have no other meaning than that of your desires, your passions, your doubts and your fears. Those four barriers are still holding you back from becoming what you are in reality,” Sonchis ended with finality.