The Ancient Egyptian Metaphysical Architecture

by Moustafa Gadalla

  The careful definition of the separate planes of this cubic universe is revealed in an art which is essentially two-dimensional. In order to represent three-dimensional objects on a plane surface, the Egyptians avoided the perspectival solution of the problem. That resulted in a two-dimensional profile with the exception of a few parts of the body, like the eyes and sometimes the horns.

  Practically all figures on the walls of the Egyptian buildings are in profile form, indicative of action and interaction between the various symbolic figures. A wide variety of actions in the forms are evident.

  One must view these depictions in the proper perspective—how does this series of depictions relate to each other; but first, how do these depictions fit in the overall picture, being in context?

  As stated earlier, the Egyptians proportioned the pictorial figures, as well as the hieroglyphs, by the application of generative dynamic design.

  The pictorial depiction both in hieroglyphs and figurative images are presented in animated, precise active modes.

  One may describe it as a form of body language.

  1. The immobile figure, a still profile, where the vertical axis passes through the ear (inner ear, equilibrium), hip joint, and ends in the heel of the foot.

  2. The same as #1, except that both shoulders are shown, with a front view of the chest indicative of restricted action.

  3. Same as #2, except that one foot is positioned slightly ahead of the other—the beginning of movement.

  4. The figure is in motion (the normal stride), when the axis of movement passes from the ear (balance) to the hip joint and ends at the ball of the rear foot. It is on the ball of the foot that one places one’s weight in order to move forward.

  5. The running figure (the long stride), as shown on this original Ancient Egyptian grid of the Bird Catcher, reminiscent of Papageno, in Mozart’s Masonic Opera The Magic Flute.

  6. The action of working together.

  7. Sitting broad-shouldered, in an active mode.

  8. Leaning.

  9. Kneeling and leaning.

  10. The dancing girl, a four-step animated motion.

  12.4 Metaphysical Meanings of Some Depictions

  In viewing the tombs and temples, it is worth repeating the point that, for Ancient Egyptians, every ‘physical’ aspect of life had a symbolic (metaphysical) meaning. But also, every symbolic act of expression had a ‘material’ background. As above so below, and vice versa.

  The familiar Egyptian scenes of daily life activities are never seen in the tomb of the king. The scenes of daily activities are portrayed in the tombs of nobles and high officials.

  The scenes of daily activities, found inside Egyptian tombs, show a strong perpetual correlation between the Earth and heavens. The scenes provide graphical representations of all sorts of activities: hunting, fishing, agriculture, law courts, and all kinds of arts and crafts. Portraying these daily activities in the presence of the neteru (gods, goddesses) or with their assistance signifies their cosmic correspondence—a strong perpetual correlation between the Earth and heavens.

  This perpetual correlation—cosmic consciousness—was echoed in Asleptus III [25] of the Hermetic Texts:

  …in Egypt all the operations of the powers which rule and work in heaven have been transferred to earth below…it should rather be said that the whole cosmos dwells in [Egypt] as in its sanctuary…

  Every action, no matter how mundane, had in some sense a cosmic corresponding act: plowing, sowing, reaping, brewing, the sizing of a beer mug, building ships, waging wars, playing games. All were viewed as earthly symbols for divine activities. In other words, to Ancient (and Baladi) Egyptians, every ‘physical’ aspect of life had a symbolic (metaphysical) meaning. But also, every symbolic act of expression had a ‘material’ background.

  The following are a few examples of the metaphysical meanings of earthly physical activities, as portrayed in the wall scenes in Ancient Egyptian tombs:

  1. The typical Egyptian tomb sowing and reaping scene parallels the biblical parable, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. This was intended to be a spiritual message, not agricultural advice.

  2. Cause and Effect: Both Horus and Thoth are shown in numerous illustrations in the Ancient Egyptian temples, performing the symbolic Uniting of the Two Lands. Horus represents

  conscience, mind,and intellect, and is identified with the heart. Thoth represents manifestation and deliverance, and is identified with the tongue. One thinks with the heart and acts with the tongue.

  3. Spiritualization of Wine: The wine-making process of growing, harvesting, pressing, and fermenting is a metaphor for spiritual processes which can be equated to the biblical wine symbolism.

  The walls of the Ancient Egyptian tombs show vintners pressing new wine [as per the Ancient Egyptian tomb scene shown above], and wine-making is everywhere as a constant metaphor of spiritual processes and the themes of transformation and inner power.

  The soul, or the portion of god within, causes divine ferment in the body of life. It’s developed there, as on the vine, by the sun of man’s spiritual self. The fermented potency of wine was, at its deepest spiritual level, a symbol of the presence of the incarnated god within the spiritually aware person.

  4. Odor of Sanctity: A woman/man sniffing at the lotus is a recurrent theme in Egyptian tombs. The perfume of the lotus is its spiritualized essence, similar to the “odor of sanctity” in Christian

  traditions. The depiction of the lotus is very common in Egyptian symbology.

  5. Playing Games—People of all classes and the neteru (gods/goddesses) are depicted on Ancient Egyptian tombs and temples as playing all types of games. Such games included board games as well as physical activities and sporting events.

  Ancient and classical writers affirmed that games owe their development, if not their very origin, to religious observances. Many accounts of games are mentioned by Homer as essential to the accompaniment of devotional ceremonies.

  The numerous Egyptian festivals include all types of games and activities that are an essential part of the festivities, and are as much a part of the festival as the religious processions and the visits to the holy shrines.

  6. The bird-netting scene and the various species of birds depicted on walls have specific metaphysical significance. In general, these wild birds represent “wild” spiritual elements that must be trapped, caged, sometimes tamed, or offered to the neteru (gods/goddesses) in sacrifice.

  A modern similarity in symbolism is found in Mozart’s Masonic opera The Magic Flute, where Papageno is the free spirit whose specialty is trapping wild birds.

  7. Fishing scenes are plentiful in Egyptian temples and tombs. In the Egyptian texts, Heru (Horus) assumes the form of a fisherman and his four disciples (“sons”) also fish with him.

  Christ used a similar symbolism by making his disciples fishers of men.

  8. King, subduing the forces—the scene on the outer walls of the temple and the walls of the outer courtyard show the battle of the forces of light (represented by the king) subduing the forces of darkness (represented by the foreign enemies). The same scene is repeated at temples throughout the country, which signifies its symbolism and is never a representation of actual historical events.

  9. Hands symbolism—the hand hand symbolized/symbolizes several concepts; one of which is action, and therefore of creation and latent creative power.

  An active right hand symbolizes giving. An active left hand signifies receiving.

  When the symbolic role of the person is wholly active, he is shown with two right hands. When his role is wholly passive, such as when he is receiving the gift of life from the neteru (gods, goddesses), he has two left hands.

  Chapter 13 : Human Activities

  13.1 Temple Organization

  The temple was a self-contained holy city that combined the functions of the medieval cathedral with the functions of all the guilds.

  The temple priesthood consisted o
f various grades, such as the chief priests or pontiffs; the prophets; sacred and royal scribes; and other support staff such as dressers or keepers of the sacred robes; the bearers of the shrines, banners, and other holy emblems; draftsmen; masons; and embalmers. Various other officers were in charge of processions and other religious ceremonies.

  The elaborate temple services required a variety of offerings. These provisions came from nearby workshops and kitchens.

  Kitchens and bakeries began their activity at dawn to prepare the day’s offering of breads, cakes, and sacrificial beef and fowl.

  13.2 Startup Activation of Images

  The Egyptian artist presented, in his work, the idea of objects rather than their exact realization in a spatial context. Their creative artistic concept is similar to God’s creative actions. As a result of God’s Word (utterance), the world was created. Similarly, every creative work of art, even a statue, has inscriptions describing the action or defining its purpose as well as the names of the actors.

  Additionally, each statue, painting, relief, or building had to undergo, upon its completion, the ritual of the Opening of the Mouth to ensure that it was transformed from an inanimate product of man’s hands into a vibrant part of the divine order charged with numinous power.

  13.3 Regular Temple Rituals

  As the interface between the divine and human spheres, the pharaoh and the priests who functioned as his appointed agents performed ritual services at the temple. In return, the neteru (gods, goddesses) gave life to the land and upheld Egypt’s ordained place in the cosmos. In one sense, the Egyptian temple was the source of power by which all of Egyptian society ran.

  The Egyptian temple had its own distinctive rituals. The most prominent aspect of the Egyptian rituals was the presentation of material offerings: bread, beer, rolls of linen, meat, fowl, and other goods. The offerings symbolize the man’s success in transforming raw matters into finished products-bread, beer, linen, etc. The Egyptian view was that all mundane activities were resonant of the cosmic process of transforming raw matters into perfected creations.

  The offerings are made to the neteru (gods, goddesses) who originally transformed the chaos of the primeval waters into the orderly world of creation. Ceremonies were performed throughout the day. There were two main services, in the morning and evening. Offerings were prepared at dawn in the kitchens and bakeries.

  The priests, meanwhile, purified themselves in the waters of the sacred lake outside the temple. The priests entered the temple and performed further purification in the temple’s outer corridors. They then led a long procession of offering-bearers, incense bearers, and a chorus of singers chanting hymns of praise. The procession proceeded deeper into the temple as a priest opened the successive doors one by one, up to the sealed sanctuary. The offerings were then laid out on tables and altars and the offering-bearers withdrew.

  The high priest then entered the sanctuary, which included its sacred ark and a little shrine of granite or basalt. The shrine contained the image of the neter. The priest held the effigy of the neter and then prayed towards each of the four cardinal directions. The platter of symbolic offerings was then presented.

  A short while later, other offerings were made to the subsidiary deities of the temple.

  The effigy was then washed and dressed again, in brand new fine linen. It was then anointed with precious ointment and placed back in the shrine.

  The rituals of washing and dressing the effigy of the neter were based upon and coordinated with the movements of the stars in heaven. Because these movements were the result of divine cosmic law, the rituals showed that Egypt was always attuned to the eternally-unfolding rhythms of the universe. The priest sprinkled the shrine with holy water and gave offerings of sacred resins and salts to the neter. He then veiled the effigy again, sealed the shrine, and retraced his way back out of the temple.

  A relatively short service was observed at noon. The evening service was longer. It was, however, the morning celebration that manifested the victorious spirit of light over darkness.

  13.4 The Temple’s Court of the Multitude

  The outer court was often accessible to the common people, at least in part or on special occasions, as can be seen from the Egyptian name for the outer court, ‘the court of the multitude’. Designated areas for ‘making supplication and the hearing of petitions’ were sometimes located within temple courts as well as on the temple’s perimeters. The populace was also able to meet priests on personal matters or temple business and to deliver offerings in the open courts of many temples.

  This court is usually an open court with portico-type columns on the perimeter of the court. In these courts, there are usually statues. This is reminiscent of the “statue room” in the U.S. Congress. The White House Colonnade is a portico where the president (officials) walks from public to private quarters. [For more information about the Egyptian festivals, read Egyptian Mystics: Seekers of The Way by Moustafa Gadalla.]

  13.5 Deactivation of Energy (Defacements)

  We have seen how the Ancient Egyptian temple was designed, in whole and in part, to be a living organic building; to communicate between Earth and heavenly powers that can produce energy for the benefit of people and the land. The divine energies flowed uninterrupted—through proper rituals—throughout the temple.

  The Hermetic Texts read:

  …in Egypt all the operations of the powers which rule and work in heaven have been transferred to earth below…it should rather be said that the whole cosmos dwells in [Egypt] as in its sanctuary…

  The Egyptians were masters in predicting events in the future, including the demise of the Pharaonic Era. The Hermetic Texts also told us:

  There will come a time when … the deities will return from earth to heaven; Egypt will be forsaken, and the land which was once the home of religion will be left desolate, bereft of the presence of its deities.

  Sensing the end of an era, the Egyptian priests used selective chiseling in monuments. The intent was to de-activate the flow of energy in the temples so that the subsequent dark forces are unable to abuse the cosmic energies.

  The defacement were selective—some of the defaced areas are very difficult to reach, which would have required extensive preparation and platforms so the defacer could carefully and selectively chisel certain portions so neatly.

  Here in the Edfu Temple, chiseling was so selective and was located so high up that it required special effort and many hours.

  Further south, in Aswan, we find a similar situation in the Philae Temple. Noteworthy are the perfectly and neatly chiseled figures on the outer pylon of the temple.

  The Ancient Egyptians buried thousands of statues, ritual tools, and vessels throughout the country to deactivate their temples. The noses on some statues were intentionally broken off, and are not the casual effect of rough handling or damage due to time. The statue was intended as a “living” representation. The statue, like the man, received the breath of life through the nostrils (a very common expression in Egyptian). By breaking off the nose, the statue was deprived of its “life”.

  The Hermetic Texts that predicted the demise of the Pharaonic Era also predicted its revival. For the text reads:

  But when all this has befallen, then the Master and Father, God, the first before all, will look on that which has come to pass, and will stay the disorder by the counter-working of his will, which is the good. He will call back to the right path those who have gone astray; he will cleanse the world from evil. . .

  Such is the new birth of the cosmos; it is a making again of all things good, a holy and awe-striking restoration of all nature; and it is wrought in the process of time by the eternal will of God.

  The Old Spirits will come back home.

  Appendices

  Appendix A: General Plans of Sample Egyptian Temples

  Egyptian temples are found throughout Egypt proper and beyond in Sudan as well as in the Eastern and Western Deserts and the Sinai Peninsula. The
y were built for various purposes and, accordingly, they vary in size.

  In addition to other temples discussed in the text of this book, we will show herein the general layout plans of several other Egyptian temples, including short descriptions of each.

  1. Classical Pyramid Complex

  The Egyptian masonry pyramids were harmonically proportioned to act/function in the same fashion as greenhouses, i.e. to attract and retain certain energies. These masonry pyramids were closed and sealed structures. They were not open for daily activities/rituals, which was the case in the Egyptian temples.

  Each of the stone pyramids of the 4th Dynasty (those at Meidum, Dahshur [Bent and Red Pyramids], and at the Giza Plateau) was part of a complex that contained some temples. So, all the rituals were carried out in these temples, and not in the pyramids.

  A small enclosure and a pyramid temple (erroneously known as mortuary) with a causeway to the river were constructed with all the 4th Dynasty pyramids.

  For more details about these pyramids, read Egyptian Pyramids Revisited or its older edition, Pyramid Handbook, both by Moustafa Gadalla.

  2. Luxor Temple [east bank of Luxor]

  Luxor Temple was called, by Ancient Egyptians, the Southern Harem (meaning ‘sacred’). It is located on the eastern bank of the Nile River in the center of the city of Luxor.

  The construction of this temple began in the middle Kingdom and was continuously added to until the end of the Pharaonic History of Egypt.