Ascension Texts WisdomKeepers

by William Henry

The oldest religious texts in the world are the ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts . Dated to c. 2400 B.C., they were written in hieroglyphs carved on the walls of the subterranean tomb of a pharaoh named Unas, located beneath a pyramid at Saqqara, Egypt. These texts are a collection of spells and utterances meant to protect and sustain the pharaoh during his afterlife journey and enable his spiritual transformation or transfiguration into an Akh . The akh is portrayed as a glorious being of light who, effectively, has the same personality as he did on Earth, but is freed from the body and now sits among the gods. Some believe the Akh body was earned by successive lives as a good person.

According to the Pyramid Texts, during a time called Zep Tepi the First Time or the Golden Age—civilization was established by intermediaries between the gods and men called the Urshu , a category of lesser divinities whose title meant “the Watchers.” The Urshu lived on the Earth as the guardians and guides of mankind. The great British Egyptologist, E. A. Wallis Budge, refers to them as “angels.”

The ancient Egyptians viewed their civilization as a legacy coming directly from these Divine celestial beings, who existed in Egypt thousands of years before the pharaonic dynasties that were established in 3100 B.C. It was they who established the first ascension schools on Earth. For thousands of years, the mystery schools of Egypt sustained the secret wisdom and knowledge of these ancient ascension masters. This knowledge was protected by being kept hidden and secret, and only revealed to initiates by a master.

The Pyramid Texts were intended as a guidebook for the ascension of the pharaoh’s Akh through the various stages of the afterlife journey. This journey included the resurrection of the Akh and its finding its rightful place among the gods and the stars. The ancient Egyptians believed that, without these texts, the pharaoh would not be able to ascend.

WisdomKeepers

The texts established the profound belief that death was not the end of one’s soul. Instead, death was seen as a step taken or a tool used by the soul to transition into another way of living. Interestingly, the Pyramid Texts describe the king ascending upon a throne. This motif of the flying ascension throne is common in many later ascension texts. Also, the soul is portrayed flying like a bird to higher realms.

These texts are the first written account of a celestial ascent. It is no coincidence that this first text is an ascension text, or that it was found near a stepped pyramid referred to as the “Stairway to Heaven.” As we will elaborate, Ascension was the singular pre-occupation of the ancient mystics and adepts. They planted the seed of the ascension tree upon which we feed.

I need to emphasize that these texts, and the extraordinary teachings they contain, were initially kept secret. Common people were not privy to these teachings, which were reserved for the elite initiates and priests. Scholars did not hear about them until they were discovered by

French Egyptologist Gustave Master in the early 1880s.

It is utterly remarkable that these secrets were preserved for all those thousands of years. From 2500 B.C. until the time of Moses (1300 B.C.), Pythagoras (600 B.C.), and Jesus, and continuing until the end of the Roman Empire (A.D. 400), initiates continuously made pilgrimages to Saqqara to learn ascension secrets.

A particular theme that originated in the Pyramid Texts is that of passing through gates into other realms. Specifically, there were seven gates. These later became associated with halls or holes in space through which the ascending soul travels. The ancient Egyptians considered it essential to know the names of the guardians of these gates, and/or the necessary passwords.

The Pyramid Texts introduced another core ascension concept or practice: the pure soul, or purifying the soul. To the ancient Egyptians, the object of Earth life was to pass the “weighing of the heart” test when, at Judgment Day, the heart was weighed against the feather of cosmic truth, righteousness, and balance, called the “maat.” If the heart was pure, it would balance with the feather. If not, the soul would be recycled until it attained purity.

Maat is a state of perfection to which all nature is called and for which everything strives. The quest for maat was at the center of the ancient Egyptian civilization. The pharaohs led by it. Individuals were expected to “do maat” in their everyday affairs. They felt that human beings should conduct their lives in a righteous manner so their hearts would weigh favorably on the scale of justice. Those who had lived righteous lives would be judged as able to move on or ascend to higher levels of existence.

Testing or judgment is not a oneoff experience. In spiritual affairs, our heart is constantly on the scale. The importance of purity of heart as a pre-requisite for Ascension was emphasized 1,500 years later in the Psalms of the biblical King David: “Who shall ascend the Mountain of the Lord?” the priests would ask. “Who shall stand in this Holy Place?”

The answer was clear and unequivocal: “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts” (Psalm 24:3-4).

Another core ascension tenet introduced by the ancient Egyptians was that ordinary people can ascend. This was demonstrated by the evolution of the Egyptian mummification rites, which emerged from Saqqara.

At first, only the pharaohs—who were considered incarnations of the gods— were afforded these elaborate rites and magical, spiritual procedures. Over time, the rites would be performed on wealthy individuals. As the process gradually became more affordable, even average people were mummified—and so were their pets, especially cats. This development demonstrates that the idea of the immortality of the soul and its ability to ascend to higher regions was known and accepted as a possibility for more than just the elite priests.

The Stairway To Heaven

The Pyramid Texts can be thought of as a code for the soul’s ascension. It is no coincidence that they were discovered near the stepped pyramid at Saqqara. This pyramid was built for King Djoser in c. 2600 B.C. and is said to be the oldest man-made stone structure on Earth. Its purpose was to facilitate the king’s journey to rebirth in the afterlife, which is why it was known as the “Stairway to Heaven.” The great Giza pyramid, which Egyptologists claim was constructed soon after the Saqqara stairway, was known as a transmutation machine and a place of Ascension.

Many similar step pyramids have since been constructed throughout the world, including in Babylon, Cambodia, and the Americas. These pyramids are extraordinary structures where the gods came down to meet, and sometimes mate with, humans. They were also repositories for the ascension knowledge bequeathed by the gods.

Imhotep built Djoser’s pyramid at Saqqara. An architect, master stone builder, magician, scientist, and medicine man, Imhotep was the first historical person to be deified. In the process, he became the first historical figure to ascend.

Imhotep’s name means “he who comes in peace.” He was known as a son of Ptah, the god whom the ancient Egyptians said came from the star Sirius and fashioned the human body. Interestingly, Ptah’s hieroglyph includes a string that resembles a double helix of DNA, as well as a compass and a square, the tools of transformation. He was known as the god of Egyptian stonemasons, craftsmen, scribes, and priests. He created technologies like a resurrection stick and the Ark of the Millions of Years, the ship upon which the throne of the pharaoh sailed across the waters of eternity. Imhotep wears a feathered cloak.

Imhotep's eminent position in Egyptian society is documented on the statue base of Djoser, which is now kept in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. That base contains the most important and only known titles of Imhotep: "prince, royal seal-bearer of the king of Lower Egypt, high priest of Heliopolis, director of sculptors." Given the extraordinary privilege of being named on a royal statue, it is supposed that Imhotep was, in fact, considered a respected member of the king's family. Some even think he was Ptah incarnated.

In the millennia after this transition, Imhotep’s influence grew. He was deified during the New Kingdom and a worship center and ascension school emerged at Saqqara. As noted, this center was in continuous operation for more than 2,000 years. By Roman times, Imhotep had acquired god-like status. The Greeks identified him as their god of medicine, Asclepius.

Archaeologists and Egyptologists fervently seek Imhotep’s lost tomb, certain it will contain immense secrets, and likely even lost knowledge about Ascension.

William Henry is author of ASCENSION: Divine Stories of Awakening the Whole and Holy Being Within, a book in the Common Sentience book series. He is an ascension scholar, author, investigative mythologist, art historian, and TV presenter. This article is an excerpt from: