So as you can see in my blog post I have finally decided on a name for the deck. I had gotten some ideas from my followers on FB and then my husband helped me finalize a name yesterday on our lazy Sunday day! I really like this one. Ka mean the spiritual part of our soul, this being that of a human or god, which lives past even death. Seemed fitting for this deck since I am focusing on the gods and goddesses of Egypt and this is a spiritual meaning of sorts. So below is History on the cards I have now completed or are in final stages of editing overall. I already did a post on Khepri so they are not included in this particular blog post. I am not including the symbolism or interpretations at this time as I would like you to experience those with the deck when its all said and done. The plan is hopefully to have this deck on its way to being finished by end year., hopefully.
Hope you enjoy a little bit on Egypt.
Ma’at- Justice
Ma’at is one of the original deities that was formed at the beginning of time along with Heka. She represented truth, justice, and the cosmic order of
things. She was a vital part of the reigning king. The king was to uphold the values of Ma’at. Truth and right was established at the time of creation.
Being the daughter of Re, the solar god, she was the guiding principle of Re at all times. At the time of a king’s death the council of Ma’at would judge
the king. The king’s heart would be weighed against the feather of Ma’at. If the king’s heart outweighed the feather of Ma’at the king could not gain
passage into The Field of Reeds, their version of paradise.
Thoth - Moon
Thoth, also known as Djehuty, originally associated with the moon god and then later became a symbol of writing and knowledge. Thoth was usually
depicted in two forms, one being an ibis and the other being a baboon. They were both lunar related, but the ibis was the primary depiction. Thoth was
mentioned frequently in the pyramid text and is mentioned as one of the two companions that cross the sky, traveling on his wings across the waterway
of the heavens. He was thought to act as a messenger between the gods and to have healed the injured eye of Horus who was associated with the moon.
Thoth was believed to have invented the art of writing and recorded the divine words. Thoth was the records keeper of all things, including the passing of time and the reign of kings. He was known to command magic and secrets that were even unknown to the gods. Thoth also is part of the Book of the Dead and when a king dies he is standing before the scales to record their judgments, which led to him having a reputation of upholding the balance of truth and integrity,
Benu – Death (Also a personal love)
Benu meaning “to rise” became an important figure of the aviation deity and to the solar connection. Later Benu came to represent the three major
gods, Atum, Re/Ra, and Osiris. Benu was believed to be the bird that had flown of the river Nun before the time of creation. When the bird finally landed it made a loud cry that determined what was and was not to become in the unfolding of creation. Benu would live for 500 years and then would fashion a nest of aromatic boughs and spices and then would be set on fire to be consumed by the flames. From the fire a new bird would be born and then the new bird would embalm its father’s body and flew the ashes to Heliopolis and placed the ashes at the altar of the temple of Re. Benu was typically
depicted as a heron with two feathers on its head and the plumage of its feathers would have red or gold to represent flames.
Re – Sun
Re/ Ra has an incredibly large amount of different interpretations of its origins so I will just be going into a small section of the god’s mythology
According to Egyptian myth, of Re in the Heavens, when Re became too old Nun had ordered Nut to turn herself into a cow to raise him above on her
back. When she lifted Re up she became the sky and Re became the king of the heavens. The name Re quite literally translates to the word sun and the
fiery disc in the sky was generally a depiction of him with a cobra protecting the disc with outstretched wings. In earlier periods there was also the depiction of outstretched rays as well. The term “Eye” also emerged as he could be represented by a vessel in his daily journey, noting the term “Eye of Ra” According to this same view the solar god would navigate the coastal ocean in his Mandjet (day barque) and cross the sky from sunrise to sunset every day. He was believed to be accompanied with his daughter Ma’at and various other deities on his travels and its mentioned in the Book of the Dead as being later depicted as a lion, or lion of Re.
Bastet – Empress
In original description of Bast she was a lioness deity, but over time had transformed into a cat or cat- headed goddess with a milder mannered,
nurturing mother personality. Bastet was the daughter of the sun god and could be associated as one of the “Eye of Re”, but she also had ties to the Moon making her also the “Eye of Moon”. Even though she had ties to both she was mostly aligned with Re and was the one who destroyed the serpent
enemy of Re. As time passed her more aggressive origins were replaced with a symbol of motherhood and was believed to protect women during their
pregnancy. She was also viewed as a protective deity against darkness that was associated with the end of the Egyptian year, “Demon Days”.
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