The Egyptian Neters - Part I
by Billie Walker-John
Herodotus regarded the Egyptians as the most
scrupulously religious of mankind and, as is well-known, Egypt
has no end of gods and goddesses. In this series of articles we
shall look into not only the oft-studied religion, but also the
lesser-known esoteric foundation that lay behind the public face
of faith in Pharonic Egypt.
If it is true to say 'The Greeks
had a word for it' meaning that their language was expressive
enough to embrace even the most abstract of concepts - and even
some that were not so abstract, then it would be equally true
to say 'The Egyptians had a god for it'. Yet the Egyptians did
not call their deities 'Gods' but Neters (ntrw). This word is
usually translated as 'god(s)', but from the Egyptian point of
view, this is an unsatisfactory rendering. The ancient concept
of Deity was/is greater than our normal modern grasp of the word;
it encompassed both the well-known exoteric facade of the religion
plus a more elusive esoteric dimension as well. In the modern
treatment of this concept, this latter dimension is usually either
ignored, considered primitive superstition or misunderstood. Yet
even a cursory study of this subject would be incomplete without
considering the esoteric or secret dimension. This unseen aspect
will often provide both insight and understanding of the Neters
that the strictly exoteric cannot.
If the Neters are not gods as
such, then what where they? One answer to this can be found in
Symbolism, from the Symbolist School which choose to consider
as an Egyptian parallel to the Qabalah. This analogy is entirely
my own and it is not exact, but there are enough similarities
between the two systems to permit a brief comparison. 'Symbolist'
is the name that has been applied to the writings of R A Schwaller
de Lubicz, his wife Isha and others such as Lucie Lamy, John Anthony
West and Bika Reed. As the name implies, Symbolism is a medium
of interpretation; in this case of the secret wisdom of ancient
Egypt. Its modus operandi is through the most Egyptian mode of
expression, the hieroglyphs (the sacred writing) plus that other
most enduring of ancient Egypt's achievements, her monuments,
ie., architecture. Both the written word and 'monuments for eternity'
were regarded as eminently worthy channels for expressing what
could be conveyed of the esoteric doctrine.
Symbolism's almost Qabalah-like
concept of the universe can be stated concisely as 'That which
is in Heaven, on Earth and in the Dwat' [1]. This formula provides
a framework of Three Worlds - the Celestial, the Terrestrial and
an Intermediate World between Heaven and Earth, through which
the Divine descended or emanated, the causal powers manifesting
as the Neters. In the Terrestrial World, or Earth, the Neters
manifest as Nature.
In addition, a Mystery element
was further understood by the Egyptian initiates. The Neters were
also within humanity - 'the Kingdom of Heaven is within'. A conscious
awareness/awakening of this Mystery could be achieved through
an effective rite [2]. This was one of the objectives of the priestly
sages with their Temple neophytes.
The Three Worlds can be very
roughly (and I emphasise 'roughly') parallelled with the Tree
of Life:
- The Three Supernals = The Celestial, or Heaven,
World
- Da'ath = The Dwat (or Duat), the Intermediate
World
- Malkuth = The Earth, or Terrestrial World
The ordinary non-sacerdotal Egyptian - the man in the flelds,
the woman at her loom, the children tending flocks - were not
admitted within the deep interior of the Temples. In such a case,
they were not expected to understand the esoteric teachings of
the Temples, even though these same people worked directly with
the uncomprehended principles and functions represented by the
Neters in their daily lives and tasks.
Yet the uninitiated were not
excluded from their part in the all encompassing round that was
religion in ancient Egypt simply because they could not participate
in the Temples rites or teachings. Just as the priests realised
different levels of causation and consciousness so, too, were
the Neters able to convey instruction on different levels. This
is very similar to the way Jesus used parables to address varying
states of comprehension in his listeners. In Egypt, the parables
were stories about the Neters in their various roles as Dead and
Reborn King, Jealous Brother, Faithful Wife, Avenging Son, Arbitrator/Reconciler
and so on.
In this way, the greater realities
behind these very human stories were accessible to everyone -
according to each person's capacity to understand what was being
revealed. The hieroglyphs and temples spoke to the intitiated
priest of that which found expression through these channels;
to those outside the Temples the same revelations were refracted
like light through a prism via the earthed statue or painting
or story of the Neters.
In esoteric terms, the Neters
are not the lifeless idols they are so often accused of being
by the spiritually blind and ignorant. The Symbolist sees these
images as reflections of a greater Unseen.
In the second article of this
series, we shall see for ourselves how the Neters manifested through
the Three Worlds in the god triads in the cities and temples of
ancient Egypt, beginning with Heliopolis.
Next
Sources:
[1] Isha Schwaller de Lubicz - Her-Bak: The Living Face of Ancient
Egypt, Vol. I,
Inner Traditions International Ltd, New York, 1978, page 340
[2] Isha Schwaller de Lubicz - Her-Bak: Egyptian
Initiate, Vol II,
Inner Traditions International Ltd, New York 1978, page 30
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