Egypt
Egypt, is a land of full of ancient wisdom and mystical traditions. Many western esoteric organizations claim to have origins in the Ancient Egypt Mystery Schools. Egypt birthed two of the first mystery schools which are those of Osiris and Isis. Manly P Hall has written about Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians and the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC traces its roots back to Ancient Egypt. Greek philosophers such as Thales and Pythagoras, the Roman philosopher Plotinus, and others, journeyed to Egypt and were initiated into the mystery schools. They then brought their advanced learning and wisdom to the Western world.
It is believed that Thutmoses III along with Hatshepsut unified all the mysteries schools and condensed them into one at Karnak. Pharaoh Amenhotep IV who later changed his name to Akhenaton, subsequently was initiated into the mystery school that Thutmoses III founded. During his reign in a he introduced monotheism to Ancient Egypt.
“O King, thou didst not depart dead; thou didst depart living, so thou sittest upon the throne of Osiris, thy sceptre in thy hand, thou commandest the living; Thy sceptres are in thy hand, commanding those of secret places.”
– Pyramid Texts (Old Kingdom – ca.2600-2400 BCE)
The Mysteries
Many ancient greek philosophers visited Egypt and have claimed that they were initiated into the mysteries there. Amongst these philosophers are Pythagoras, Plato, Herodotus, Democritus, and Plutarch to name a few.
Below is an excerpt from a manuscript by Thomas Taylor in which he describes Plato’s initiation;
“Plato was initiated into the ‘Greater Mysteries’ at the age of 49. The initiation took place in one of the subterranean halls of the Great Pyramid in Egypt. The ISIAC TABLE formed the altar, before which the Divine Plato stood and received that which was always his, but which the ceremony of the Mysteries enkindled and brought from its dormant state. With this ascent, after three days in the Great Hall, he was received by the Hierophant of the Pyramid (the Hierophant was seen only by those who had passed the three days, the three degrees, the three dimensions) and given verbally the Highest Esoteric Teachings, each accompanied with Its appropriate Symbol. After a further three months’ sojourn in the halls of the Pyramid, the Initiate Plato was sent out into the world to do the work of the Great Order, as Pythagoras and Orpheus had been before him.”
Initiation into the Mysteries
Mainstream scholars believe that the Great pyramid of Egypt was a tomb built for the Pharaoh Cheops. There is no evidence corroborating these claims, although accounts of initiations taking place there have been documented. Mystics claim that the sarcophagus, if you will, is used in initiation as the second death or the final phase. The neophyte lays int he so-called sarcophagus being neither in this world or another but he or she remained in between worlds. This achieved the separation of body and soul, it imprinted in the mind of the initiate the duality of man.
The Origins of Alchemy In Ancient Egypt
Alchemy, is one of the oldest sciences that originated in the land of Khem. The roots of alchemy are buried in the fertile black dirt of the Nile delta. In fact, the very word alchemy comes from the Arabic al-khem, which translates to “the black soil of Egypt.”
When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BCE, there began a fusion of the Hellenistic and Egyptian traditions. This fusion allowed the wisdom of ancient Egypt to be transmitted throughout the Western world. You can see how Thoth then becomes the Greek Hermes. From Alexandria the teachings of alchemy spread throughout the Mediterranean region, Arabia, Europe, India, and China.
Some Questions Remain
Did the ancient Egyptians adopt their expansive knowledge from the Atlantean priests of Atlantis? What exactly is the function of the Pyramids and built them?
Researchers have posited a wide range of theories about the pyramids of Giza, with the great pyramid as a power plant, a resonance chamber, or intiation chamber.
Want to deepend your understanding for the hidden mystery traditions of Ancient Egyot? CLICK HERE to visit Ancient Egypt Mystery Schools
For Adept Initiates wishing to further their studies see our list to be researched below:
Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi, with a new Preface by Harold Bloom
Apollonius of Tyana’s Book of the Secret of Creation
English edition of Hortulanus: The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, including the Commentary of Hortulanus, trans. Patrick J. Smith,
Book of the Dead, Chapter 135 (Saite Period Version)
E.A.WallisBudge.TheBookofAm-Tuat.
James H. Breasted. Ancient Records of Egypt. Vol 2: 374 section 915.
Iamblichus, Theurgia or the Egyptian Mysteries, trans. Alexander Wilder
Garth Fowden, The Egyptian Hermes
Jeremy Naydler, Shamanic Wisdom in the Pyramid Texts: The Mystical Tradition of Ancient Egypt
Mircea Eliade, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
Christian Jacq, Egyptian Magic, trans. Janet M. Davis
