Product Description

The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt

In The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt, Rosemary Clark presents a comprehensive guide to a modern practice of ancient Egyptian theurgy. Included are daily rituals, annual ceremonies, and the founding of a temple tradition for either the sole practitioner or a gathering of celebrants. The dimensions of Sacred Science-esoteric architecture, cosmic resonance, and magical practice-are outlined in detail and demonstrated in a program for practical, everyday use. Authentic and richly detailed, this guidebook also:

- Presents beautiful rituals patterned on ancient Egyptian texts for modern initiates
- Serves as an excellent reference on many aspects of the Egyptian mysteries that have not been accessible elsewhere
- Contains a complete repertoire of ancient hymns, litanies, spells, and ceremonies that allows for reading in the ancient tongue


Enter the timeless realm of Egyptian sacred ritual.  Experience for yourself the ultimate realization of ancient Egyptian spirituality-the assumption of divine knowledge and grace.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #164962 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 383 pages

About the Author
Rosemary Clark is a writer and lecturer on the esoteric tradition of ancient Egypt and its religious, philosophical, and metaphysical legacy in modern times. Her continuing study in this field derives from a thirty-year background in historical research, travel throughout the Middle East, and the development of a repertoire of unique skills in recreating Egyptian ceremony and rituals. She has been a featured speaker on several tours of Egypt, and has acted as coordinator for on-site devotional temple activities. Ms. Clark served as exhibit leader for the Tutankhamun tour when it came to Chicago in 1977, and illustrated The Traveler’s Key to Ancient Egypt (New York: Knopf, 1985). She has appeared on NBC television in a feature broadcast on her work as founder of Temple Harakhte, a group of men and women devoted to the experiential religious practices of Egypt’s Old Kingdom. Above and beyond offering a thorough knowledge of Egyptian history and mythology, Clark is well versed in the hieroglyphic script, its transliteration and the translation of ancient texts, and in the nuances of Hermetic philosophy and Sacred Science.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One The Legacy of Ancient Egypt We shall omit from our history the stories invented by Herodotus and certain other writers on the affairs of Egypt, who deliberately prefer fables to facts, and who spin yarns merely for the purpose of amusement. We shall, however, set forth the things written by the priests of Egypt in their sacred records, which we have examined diligently and minutely. Diodorus Siculus: Bibliotheca Historica, Book I: 69 The story of Khaemwas, though written of events more than 3,000 years ago, still evokes our fascination with the mystic legacy of Egypt. It speaks of an arcane doctrine believed to be lost, of mysteries buried by time. We know that in ancient times, despite hardships we can only imagine, the established spiritual traditions endowed people with the guidance and skills needed to understand the powers of their environment and live in harmony with them. But we seem not to be so equipped in the modern age, despite the advances of science and industry.

This is undoubtedly why we look to past cultures like Egypt for the elusive powers and insights we miss. We are in many ways the same as Khaemwaswe desire to know our sacred heritage, to understand the secrets that everyday life conceals from us, and to discover the source of all wisdom. For these reasons, Egypts mystic legacy continues to summon our interest.

What is this legacy of which so many ancients spoke? The Egyptians freely passed their legends on to travelers, as the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (60 b.c.e.) noted. And similar narratives were consistently repeated in the literature and monumental writing of the temples and tombs. The legends pertained to their gods, royal persons, sages, and adventurersbeings who embodied the natural and supernatural forces of the world around them. Most were chronicles of metaphysical events, handed down from antiquity. But they differed from the myths of other cultures, including the Greeks, who viewed this heritage as symbolic or metaphorical imagery of natural phenomena and the universe, not factual events. The ancient Egyptians were not so philosophically rigid; they made no distinctions between legend and myth. The chronicles they inherited from antiquity were believed to be real occurrences, taking place either at an historical time when their gods inhabited the Earth or in a dimension they called timeless time, when divine powers are directly accessible by human beings. By virtue of this, their legends were both vital and practical, because they infused past, present, and future with meaning and purpose.

Moreover, Egypts narrative legacy embraces far more than the exploits of the gods and the acts they performed to create the manifest world. Within them are contained the canons of their art, architecture, language, and ritualthe foundations of a tradition that sustained their cultural existence for thousands of years.1 This is probably the most powerful dimension of Egypts legacy, because it appears to have defined the overall goals and mandates of her societyfrom the farm worker and fisherman to the scribe and temple priestess, and ultimately, to the seat of all temporal power, the Royal House. In all these realms, spirituality and science coalesced to produce a body of metaphysical knowledge that formed the underpinnings of Egyptian civilization.

Is it possible to retrieve this wisdom? Many have posed this question over the ages, and some of the answers have been discovered in the literary heritage of the Egyptians. Firstly, the ancient Egyptians did not see a rift between the workings of the divine and mundane spheres. The sacred encompassed the secular in their world view; the physical worldincluding natural phenomena and the plant and animal kingdomswas seen as a reflection of the divine world, and everything in it possessed a divine nature.

The gods manifested through the visible human beings, trees, stars, wind and storm, even though these living things possessed an identity of their own as well. If we could express the essence of Egyptian philosophy over the thousands of years it existed, it would indisputably reflect this doctrine. A sacred text from the time of Rameses II describes this immanence of divinity in nature: The soul of Shu is the air, the soul of Neheh is the rain, The soul of Ra is the primeval ocean. The soul of Asar is the ram of Mendes, The soul of Sobekh is the crocodile. The soul of every god resides in serpents, The soul of Ra is found throughout the land. The Book of the Celestial Cow, Dynasty 19 Secondly, the unity of the lifestreams, drawn together by divine vitality, is also described in many of the sacred texts at temples, tombs, and on ancient papyri and they disclose more than a glimpse of this doctrine. Unification of the soul with the gods and natural life was a vital approach to ones spiritual identity. An early funerary inscription delineates these associations succinctly: If I live or pass on, I am Asar. I enter you and appear through you, I decay in you, I spring forth from you, I descend in you, I repose on my side. The gods are living in me, As I live and grow in the emmer that sustains the exalted ones. Coffin Text #330

These beliefs were fundamental in their world view, but the mandate that arose from them was just as essential. Maintenance of the unity created by these relationships occupied the time and resources of all members of Egyptian society in a form that we most associate with Egyptsacred ritual....(Continues)

Customer Reviews

A Ancient Path Revitilized
THE
SACRED
MAGIC
OF
ANCIENT
EGYPT
Llewellyn Publications, 2003

BY
ROSEMARY CLARK

A REVIEW
H.H. Rev. Ptahmassu K.M. Nofra-Uaa
Nuhati Temple Fellowship
San Diego, California
www.thelivingnuhati.org

Once in a great while a new volume on the Temple Tradition of Ancient Egypt is released that not only sparks our interest, but demands our attention and holds onto it with tenacity. Rosemary Clark's book The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt: The Spiritual Practice Restored (Llewellyn Publications, 2003) is one such work- a work that should be considered mandatory reading for anyone who attempts to find meaning and a path of faith in the Wisdom Traditions of the Ancient Egyptians.

This is a large companion volume to the sizeable The Sacred Tradition in Ancient Egypt: The Esoteric Wisdom Revealed (Llewellyn Publications, 2000), a book that is highly recommended to readers before they attempt to apply what is presented in its sequel. For students of the works of renowned metaphysician-philosopher R.A. Schwaller De Lubicz (not forgetting those of his wife Isha Schwaller De Lubicz), Rosemary Clark's volumes will become indispensable research and study guides for the high science through which the Temples, monuments and theological works of the Ancient Egyptians were composed. Whereas the strictly scholarly works of R.A. Schwaller De Lubicz serve as a tool for mapping out what Egypt's Temples and tombs say to us on an intellectual (and some would say anthropological and / or philosophical) level, Rosemary Clark has given us a far less clinical, and much more practical method for approaching the beauty of the Egyptian Mystery Traditions preserved in the monolithic religious remains of Ancient Egypt.

From its beginnings, Sacred Magic asks us to open up the heart of devotion for the Force that truly made Kemet (Ancient Egypt) the forerunner of human civilizations. A Hymn to Harakhte immediately identifies for readers a book that strives to celebrate the Faith of Ancient Egypt, not merely dissect it through boring scholarship. Rosemary Clark, though bearing a gifted scholarly mind grounded in the "discoveries" of Egyptology, is clearly separated from academic Egyptology in her writings because she is not an outsider to the mystical tradition(s) she is trying to explain. It is apparent in the pages of this volume that Rosemary Clark is on the inside of the Ancient Egyptian Tradition, looking out through the eyes of a devoted scholar and teacher of the Sacred Science she helps us to investigate.

The first two chapters of Sacred Magic, "The Legacy of Ancient Egypt" and "Esoteric Architecture", dissect the crux of the ancient Temple and its environment, together with the ancient world view that gave birth to a highly complex system of cosmic investigation spanning more than 3,000 years of human history. Like the De Lubicz's before her, Rosemary Clark unfolds the Temple of Egypt as an Earthly replica of the Heavens and its solar, stellar and lunar harmonies. The Temple in Ancient Egypt was far from being a "church" or place of adoration for the masses. It was a machine in stone, whose minutest details in relief, writing and statuary functioned as a lens through which the Divine rhythms of Heaven were brought sharply into focus. In sections such as "The Worlds of Creation" and "The Powers of Creation", Mrs. Clark convinces us that such was the case throughout all of Pharaonic history, providing the reader with clear tables and diagrams mapping out the ancient realms of Creation as defined through Egypt's principal theological schools, and in the family systems of the Neteru- the "Gods and Goddesses" recognized by the Ancient Egyptians that truly embodied (and embody) the Cosmic Functions of Creation, the Universe and Nature combined.

What is at once so rewarding in Sacred Magic is its definition of the Neteru as more than just the focus of "cults" and "mythology", as is the rule of thumb in the sterile writings of Egyptology. In her significant contribution to the decipherment of the Ancient Egyptian Faith, Mrs. Clark brings out for us the true relationship of Egypt's Gods to Her people, and expresses to readers the Divine Science that eternally linked Kemet to its multitudes of Divinities. Throughout Sacred Magic, we have the opportunity to investigate the forms, functions and Rites (Khesu) of the Neteru as personal Gods and Goddesses, that is to say, as Saviors and Protectors that have tremendous power to transform devotees both psychologically and spiritually. This is accomplished with abundant responsibility as the author maps out for students and devotees a logical program for study, worship and ritual that includes complete liturgies in both Medu (hieroglyphics) and English.

In "Theurgy" and "Liturgy" this volume attains its chief objectives, which is to reestablish the great Temple Tradition(s) of Kemet in a contemporary environment, utilizing the Ancient Scriptures and ritual structures through programs that can be easily achieved in a group devotional setting today. Without lending herself to the New Age hokiness that most often accompanies the recreation of Ancient Egyptian ritual, the author gives us beautiful and traditional Rites paired with descriptive yet succinct instructions for carrying out the adoration of the Neteru. What becomes unarguably clear in reading these particular sections of Sacred Magic is that the Temple System(s) of Ancient Egypt is not only relevant to today's spiritual / religious practitioners, but essential to those of us who desire union with the Mystery Paths of the Neteru. Such a system as that promoted in Sacred Magic- that is, a system using Sacred Astrology, Theurgy and Liturgy as its basis for contacting and comprehending the Divine- forms the foundation for the reestablishment of the Ancient Temple of the Neteru today in a way that remains true to both individual and group dynamics. Although Mrs. Clark bestows the Temple setting with various ranks of Priests and Priestesses, she makes it painfully clear that there is no hierarchy necessary for the accomplishment of the Ancient Egyptian Temple Tradition in the present time. Each function of the Hem(t) Neter or Patron of the Divine House is regarded as essential to the overall function of the Temple, and each is a personal pathway leading ultimately to higher realization of the Temple goal, which is personal union with the Divine, Neter.

For those with a keen interest in the study of Sacred astronomy and astrology as it was perfected by the Ancient Egyptian Temple Tradition, the author's in depth treatment in "Cosmic Resonance" (Chapter Three) is a significant read. This is no light treatment of the subject of solar, stellar and lunar correlations and relationships, but a vast reservoir of dedicated research that deserves special attention for those who wish to pattern their Temple after the precise observations of the Ancient star-watchers and chroniclers. The solar and lunar calendars observed by the Ancients are fully detailed and brilliantly investigated, offering us important tables for carrying out lunar observances and / or Sacred Rites according to the phases of the moon and the Neteru Who manifest through each phase. Such a treatment can hardly disappoint, especially when the author has gone so far in her investigations as to explain the entire zodiac in its correlations with the various Families or Pantheons of the Neteru. Each sign and month in the zodiac is detailed with careful references to their corresponding Neteru, including scents, metals and other natural compliments. This insightful section leaves us with astrological "profiles" of sorts of the Neteru Whom Mrs. Clark asserts can be matched to each of the zodiacal signs. The result is a treatment of Temple Astrology and Astronomy that provokes greater awareness, and satisfies the student of the Heavens graciously.

"Ceremony" and "Transformation" (Chapters Six and Seven) offer one of the most significant contributions to the Temple Tradition(s) of Ancient Egypt I have read in recent years. This is where the author's narrative skill and meticulous research shine through with precise clarity and sensitivity, offering Temple practitioners today an illumination of the function of Rites to the Neteru and the Heka or "Power", "Magic" They embody as manifestations of Heaven on Earth. Rosemary Clark presents her readers with observations grounded in several Ancient Texts and observances, including the Hebu, the Book of Breathings, the Festival of the Joyous Union, the Invocation of Khons, the Book of Hours, and the Lamentations. Each Sacred Observance is carefully illuminated by Ancient inscriptions and thorough tables of comparative information, making an inexhaustible reference for any Servant of the Neteru, Whose aim is to consecrate a proper Temple to Neter that can function according to the multidimensional goals of several participants. Each prayer is accompanied by the appropriate Medu, with English to clarify, and translated from the original texts with obvious dexterity. In reading these sections of Sacred Magic it is more than obvious that Mrs. Clark is herself a dedicated Master and practitioner of the Ancient Egyptian Temple Tradition, and a devoted scholar of the Neteru who wishes to grant others the transformative experiences that such a great tradition has to offer the world of spiritual aspirants.

Much more could be said about Sacred Magic's contents, however, I sincerely feel that the volume speaks for itself, and beautifully so, from the first page to the last. A review of any length could hardly hope to capture the scope and depth of Rosemary Clark's intensely dedicated scholarship and research, so I will simply conclude by asking my readers to investigate this book, and diligently apply it to the uses for which it was intended. Mrs. Clark has effectively summed up the contents of both her tremendous volumes in a single, simple sentence: "...a sacred tradition must be lived to realize the benefit and vital power it possesses". I couldn't have said it better myself.

Religion of Ancient Egypt
This interesting work serves as a superb reference on various aspects of the Egyptian mysteries, presents beautiful rituals based on ancient Egyptian texts and provides a repertoire of ancient hymns, litanies, spells and ceremonies in the ancient language.

Chapter One deals with the legacy of ancient Egypt, the sacred tradition and its relevance to modern spirituality. Chapter Two looks at esoteric architecture, sacred geography and the ancient temple. Chapter Three discusses cosmic resonance, including sacred astronomy and the lunar, solar and stellar calendars.

Chapter Four deals with Theurgy (daily rituals, ceremonies and initiation), Chapter Five with Liturgy, Chapter Six with ceremony, including the 12 festivals celebrating the powers of the 12 Neteru in the solar cosmogony. Chapter Eight: Transformation, looks at the function of ritual in divination, execration and protection, including the Opening of the Mouth ceremony.

The text is enhanced by black and white figures, tables and 4 photographs and there is a section on Sacred Names in Greek and Egyptian. The book concludes with a bibliography and index.

The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt
I must admit that I was a bit skeptical when I
first received this book. I couldn't quite get my
mind around how this practice could be restored. After
reading Ms. Clark's work I can say without a doubt she
has indeed restored the spiritual practices of Ancient
Egypt. This work is a delight to read. The author has
taken an immense amount of research and layed out the
fundamental basis for an enlightened practice of this
sacred magick. I highly recommend this work to any student of the occult.
The work is concise and thorough. It is a fitting addition to
any occult library.