Some comments on the Neteru and the Ankh
I considered posting something on YouTube to a video I watched, but YT's comments do not seem the place for serious discussion. They also have a character limit to postings, which further contributes to the degeneration of almost any discussion there into flame wars. But, since I had thought about this for some time, I decided to write it up and put it out there for anyone who finds this subject of interest.
A poster in her video had made some comments about the Neteru as being immortal, and offered some information on the symbolism of the Ankh. Since she seemed both well informed sincere, and I have no wish to diss anyone just because I feel I understand certain things in a different light, she shall remain nameless. I do however want to use that as a starting point for my posting today.
I think it is important for us not to confuse eternal with immortal. This could occur just through sloppy translation from the source texts, but it is a common enough concern even when translation is not the problem. Part of the problem is that in these matters, we must use the philosophical definition of eternal, which is not quite the same as the word's usage in common language. In this senses, eternal means: "outside or beyond time or time relationships; timeless." (Webster's New World Dictionary, 1986 edition) Immortal has no special meaning, and in fact is rarely used, in mystical literature. The common usage of something that never dies, lives or lasts forever, is almost certainly how the YT poster and many other writers on these subjects use the word immortal. At first glance, this difference seems subtle or trivial, but it is not.
If we see the Neteru (often translated as 'Gods') as immortal beings, we are inclined to think of them as some sort special organically living beings in this material world. And from there it is only a short jump to looking for extraterrestrials, a la Sitchen et al, to explain them. Remember, however, that the world of our day-to-day conscious experience is called the temporal world in mystical literature, and we have a clue. Eternal beings live outside of time, and therefore outside of this world. They live in a realm outside of our normal consciousness of time, in an eternal realm. To those of ancient Khem, called Egypt by the Greeks, that realm was the Duat ( or Tuat), a 'starry' realm, from which our modern term Astral derives.
Which brings us to the Ankh. It is often said that the Ankh symbolizes eternal life, and if we remember the meaning of the word eternal in the proper context, then this is correct. It does not mean immortal life in a flesh and blood body however. One meaning of the Ankh is the union of the female and the male, of Yin and Yang, and this was the principal meaning mentioned by the YT poster. This is a perfectly acceptable interpretation, but that can be said of any cross, and a plethora of other mystical and religious symbols. The cross (again, among other symbols) is also a symbol of the sun. Now that must be understood in a mystical sense, but remembering the axiom "As above, so below" it would not be incorrect to also understand this in the sense of the sun, our star, in the sky. Just don't take that in too literal a sense.
I'm going to offer another interpretation of the Ankh. It symbolizes the womb of Ast (Aset, Auset, or, to the Greeks, Isis) giving birth to the sun. In the hand of a Neter, it represents the power 'to go,' as in 'to go forth as the sun.' ie. to travel in the Duat in the body of light. Note that the Neteru are always depicted holding the Ankh by the upper loop, not unlike holding a key. It represents their mastery of the realm above the temporal, and thus their 'eternal' nature and their ability 'to go.' They grasp the loop, the 'womb' that gives birth to temporal experience, because they understand the process of creation, and are 'grounded' in the Duat - hence are 'Gods.'
On the temple of Isis at Sais this inscription was written (Not in English, of course, this being a translation.):
I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal Man hath ever me unveiled. The fruit which I have brought forth is the 'Sun'"
If this suggests to you a connection between adepts and Gods, then good, think further on that. I concede that some reading this will wrestle meaning from it, and others will be shaking their heads wondering what the fuck I have been writing about. All I can say is that verbal language is not well suited to these things, which is the whole reason there is symbolic language to attempt to convey understanding.
A poster in her video had made some comments about the Neteru as being immortal, and offered some information on the symbolism of the Ankh. Since she seemed both well informed sincere, and I have no wish to diss anyone just because I feel I understand certain things in a different light, she shall remain nameless. I do however want to use that as a starting point for my posting today.
I think it is important for us not to confuse eternal with immortal. This could occur just through sloppy translation from the source texts, but it is a common enough concern even when translation is not the problem. Part of the problem is that in these matters, we must use the philosophical definition of eternal, which is not quite the same as the word's usage in common language. In this senses, eternal means: "outside or beyond time or time relationships; timeless." (Webster's New World Dictionary, 1986 edition) Immortal has no special meaning, and in fact is rarely used, in mystical literature. The common usage of something that never dies, lives or lasts forever, is almost certainly how the YT poster and many other writers on these subjects use the word immortal. At first glance, this difference seems subtle or trivial, but it is not.
If we see the Neteru (often translated as 'Gods') as immortal beings, we are inclined to think of them as some sort special organically living beings in this material world. And from there it is only a short jump to looking for extraterrestrials, a la Sitchen et al, to explain them. Remember, however, that the world of our day-to-day conscious experience is called the temporal world in mystical literature, and we have a clue. Eternal beings live outside of time, and therefore outside of this world. They live in a realm outside of our normal consciousness of time, in an eternal realm. To those of ancient Khem, called Egypt by the Greeks, that realm was the Duat ( or Tuat), a 'starry' realm, from which our modern term Astral derives.
Which brings us to the Ankh. It is often said that the Ankh symbolizes eternal life, and if we remember the meaning of the word eternal in the proper context, then this is correct. It does not mean immortal life in a flesh and blood body however. One meaning of the Ankh is the union of the female and the male, of Yin and Yang, and this was the principal meaning mentioned by the YT poster. This is a perfectly acceptable interpretation, but that can be said of any cross, and a plethora of other mystical and religious symbols. The cross (again, among other symbols) is also a symbol of the sun. Now that must be understood in a mystical sense, but remembering the axiom "As above, so below" it would not be incorrect to also understand this in the sense of the sun, our star, in the sky. Just don't take that in too literal a sense.
I'm going to offer another interpretation of the Ankh. It symbolizes the womb of Ast (Aset, Auset, or, to the Greeks, Isis) giving birth to the sun. In the hand of a Neter, it represents the power 'to go,' as in 'to go forth as the sun.' ie. to travel in the Duat in the body of light. Note that the Neteru are always depicted holding the Ankh by the upper loop, not unlike holding a key. It represents their mastery of the realm above the temporal, and thus their 'eternal' nature and their ability 'to go.' They grasp the loop, the 'womb' that gives birth to temporal experience, because they understand the process of creation, and are 'grounded' in the Duat - hence are 'Gods.'
On the temple of Isis at Sais this inscription was written (Not in English, of course, this being a translation.):
I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal Man hath ever me unveiled. The fruit which I have brought forth is the 'Sun'"
If this suggests to you a connection between adepts and Gods, then good, think further on that. I concede that some reading this will wrestle meaning from it, and others will be shaking their heads wondering what the fuck I have been writing about. All I can say is that verbal language is not well suited to these things, which is the whole reason there is symbolic language to attempt to convey understanding.