Figure 73. The Libation of the Opening of the Mouth

from The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt by Rosemary Clark

Table 1. Principles and Functions of the Forty-Two Neteru

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Thet

The 'buckle" or knot of Auset represents the womb of the goddess, she who incubates the latent seed of Heru Ur. It is worn to protect the female generative organs. The knot is colored red, symbolizing the blood she shed after learning the secret name of Ra-a metaphor of the menses and its power of rejuvenation.

Sedge and Bee

t ~ The sedge plant (nesut) and the bee (bity) are pharaonic emblems. A legend tells that when Ra wept at the death of Asar, his tears fell to Earth and became bees. The bee's function in nature is pollination, an allusion to the king's potency to germinate divine life in his subjects. The sedge plant provides a rich mulch in the Nile Valley that optimizes fertilization, symbolizing the king's embodiment of the alchemical ferment that quickens organic vitality in the land.

TPapyrus Stalk The Wadj ("verdant") ensures the power to grow and flourish. Often carried by the female Neteru, it represents the nourishment received from spiritual sources that translates to fecundity in nature, the body, and society. Spell 159 of The Book of Going Forth specifies that the amulet be fabricated of green feldspar and placed at the throat of the initiate. The spell also promises that the amulet will "knit the spine together."

Figure 67-Amulets

Figure 73. The Libation of the Opening of the Mouth

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Table 1. Principles and Functions of the Forty-Two Neteru

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More articles from this publication:

Table 1. Principles and Functions of the Forty-Two Neteru

Figure 71. Sceptres for the Opening of the Mouth

Figure 67. Amulets

Figure 65. Offerings of the Hours

Figure 68. Slaying Apep

Table 2. The Seven Cosmic Powers

Figure 57. The Henu Gesture

This article is from:

The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt by Rosemary Clark