Ancient Egypt: Four Lessons We Should Learn From the Soul’s Journey to the Afterlife

Death is a temporary interruption to another world

Ancient Egyptians believed life on earth was only one part of an eternal journey.

To gain entrance to Paradise or as they called it, the Field of Reeds, it was essential to be a good human being.

We can learn a lot from ancient Egyptians, it is thus very interesting and inspiring to discover the soul’s journey to the afterlife.

The soul according to ancient Egyptians

They believed it was split in three parts. The Ka represented the spark of life. The Ba was linked to the heart and the Akh was the religious part of the soul.

The soul’s journey to the afterlife

When a person passed way, the soul faced challenges in its quest to eternal life. The Akh was the one who had to navigate its way through the underworld.

The path was very dangerous, filled with monsters, serpents and dragons. At the end of it, there were the twelve chambers of hell.

The soul had to be able to tell the secret name of various gods to pass each gate. Usually ancient Egyptians who studied the “Book of the Dead” managed to remember all the names and spells.

After going through all these tribulations, judgement was the final step before reaching paradise.

The hall of Ma’at was where the soul was deemed worthy (or not) of eternal life.

The weighing of the heart

Ma’at was the Goddess of truth, balance, harmony and justice.

The heart was put on a scale by Anubis, the God of mummification. If it was equal to or lighter than one of Ma’at’s feathers, the soul would move on to the second part of the trial led by Osiris, the God of the underworld.

The soul had to remain truthful and answer questions by 42 Gods.

Everything was recorded by Thoth, the God of writing. Those who were successful reached the Field of Reeds and felt everlasting joy.

Four lessons we can learn from this journey

Ancient Egyptians enjoyed life on earth and believed that death was a temporary interruption to eternal inner peace and happiness.

The four important points I take from reading about the afterlife and ancient Egypt are:

•Live by the truth

•Eat healthy food

•Be spiritual

•Practice mindfulness

It is presumptuous to think we will not be judged for our sins. I fear death and what comes after because I am terrified my past actions will come back to haunt me.

In the meantime, I believe in redemption so being kind to myself and others help alleviate this fear.

Conclusion

Many seem to think that ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death, this article shows that they were in fact obsessed with life.

Nobody knows what happens after death but I choose to learn from this wonderful civilisation because I am fascinated by their respect for life.