Page 62 - September 2022 Magazine - Bumper Edition

The ancients had a strong belief that life continued after physical death, whereby you could live out your eternity in the Field of Reeds, a perfect afterlife from whence you came. To get there, you would have to make the challenging journey through the underworld, which was blocked at every turn by gates, dead ends, caverns, demons, and guardians. Tests were set that must be passed before you were to continue your journey to the afterlife. The Book of the Dead contained all the maps, spells, and guides to effectively get you through those challenges, a little bit of a cheat guide, as it gave you all the answers.
It is like getting exam question answers before the exam, so you could pass with flying colours.
A typical journey to the afterlife would start with mummification, where all organs were removed except for the heart. The heart was left inside the body because the ancients strongly believed that before reaching the afterlife it would be weighed to see whether the person had led a good life. There was often a protective amulet placed over the heart for protection.
The brain was classed as useless so it was thrown away and the other organs (lungs, liver, intestines, stomach) were put into protective canopic jars, which were placed inside their tomb, to be taken with them to the afterlife. This was alongside all their personal and household items, with plenty of food and drink to keep their spirit nourished, and Shabti dolls.
Then the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, which is where the mouth is magically opened through touch by a special ritual tool to restore all the senses for the spirit in the afterlife.
Anubis has arrived to collect them as they are now ready to traverse through the underworld using their guide book (the Book of the Dead) to navigate the challenges, using the spells and charms to pass through and past the guardians until they reach the hall of Maat, the Goddess of Truth and Justice. There they were judged by 42 Gods, whom they must convince that they had led and lived a good and righteous life.
Each of the 42 Gods are addressed by their names, then told a sin they had not committed, for example; I have not cleansed my feet in the Nile, or I have not eavesdropped on my neighbour or made anyone cry. This is where the protective amulet over the heart plays its role, the amulet has spells inscribed upon it to make sure that the heart does not betray them by recalling their sins during this test, to ensure they pass!
Once through the hall of Maat they are met by Anubis, Ammit, and Thoth, for the ‘Weighing of the Heart’.
Here the heart is weighed against a feather, by Anubis, (the amulet will protect the heart to make sure it passes the test) but, if the heart is heavier than the feather, it will be devoured by the Goddess Ammit, who is part lion, part crocodile and part hippo and your soul ceases to exist, there is nothing, it is the complete end.
Papyrus of Ani, Egyptian Scribe of the 19th Dynasty (Thebes)
62 | The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - The Book of the Dead