Egypt: Masonic Wasteland or Treasure-Trove?

IT HAS LONG BEEN my opinion that there is a linkage between Freemasonry and the ancient Egyptian culture, and that masonic roots go back beyond England, spanning 5,000 years of recorded history into the primeval past of the River Nile. When we describe Freemasonry to the uninitiated we often hear something like, "Freemasonry is a beautiful system of moral veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols..."

My case is not a presentation that can be proven beyond a reasonabl doubt, but rather one that presents circumstantial data starting with the question, "How could the tribes of Israel who had a history of following their herds from pasture to pasture carry out the directions of their king Solomon, in building a great temple to their god if not for their Egyptian experience?" To answer this question I have read much material and have had the good fortune to visit Egypt in November, 1984, for ten days. Given the above I would like to draw a connection between our present day masonic beliefs and the ancient Egyptian past in a circumstantial way. Are there squares and compasses in Egypt? Yes, there are!

To those of us who subscribe to the King James version of the Holy Bible we would be prone to say, "in the beginning was the void." The ancient Egyptians would say, "in the beginning there was the Ben." The Ben was a mountain that rose from the midst of a primordial sea. From inside the Ben issues forth the sun god, Re, separating darkness from light. Re would return inside the Ben while creating the world and ultimately mankind. Re takes direct credit for the creation of the first nine gods and to lesser extent all the gods.

They are in order: Geb, Nut, Shu, Tefnut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephty who are nature deities and are collectively referred to as the "Ennead.' The ninth god is Ptah, who is referred to as the artificer, a craftsman who worked with metals, patron of the arts, and the principle deity of Memphis - that was to become the first capital of unified Egypt. Ptah possessed qualities of Apollo and Prometheus, in that he gave to mankind the tools and skills necessary to advance civilization. Ptah's high priest would maintain his post only by demonstrating his proficiency as an artisian.

The next god to heighten masonic curiosity is Osiris - a god given dominion over earth and mankind, slain by his brother, Seth, who would rip his body into 43 pieces and scatter them throughout Egypt. Isis would find all of the pieces except one and would reassemble them on the island of Philae, but because of his sterility, Osiris would be given dominion over the dead. Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis, would avenge his father's death by defeating his uncle (losing an eye in the process) and bring him to justice.

This phoenix-like quality of Osiris coupled with the belief that the soul of the deceased must pass through the great hall of judgment where Osiris reigned had a great impact on the ancient Eyptians. Osiris became identified with the planting season and ultimately with the lifegiving inundation of the Nile itself during the Empire phase of Egyptian history. While Osiris would still reign supreme in the hall of judgement his priests would make the judgment encounter easier by wrapping on the inside of the mummy linen a scroll with the proper answers and incantations permitting a safe passage through questioning by the judges and demons. We call this scroll "The Book of the Dead." The main temple of Osiris would be located at Abydos and would be one of the important stops in the seventy-day funerary rites of the pharaoh.

Much comes to us from what is referred to as "The Osirian Myth" - the triad of sacrificing father, faithful wife, and dedicated son; the emergence of a moral code that one must answer for any wrong-doing in the next world; and the concept of Maat or justice. The eye that the falcon god, Horus, loses fighting his uncle is repaired by Thoth and has superman-like qualities that allow nothing to be hidden from view while he circumnavigates the sky during daylight hours. Seth is the embodiment of evil jealousy, and treachery—the forerunner of our concept of Satan. While Osiris is feared in the first four dynasties of Egypt, he is almost an equal of Re by the 19th and 20th dynasties. Death has become the great equalizer and the real fruits worth having are those of the next world, after receiving the blessing of Osiris in the great Hall of Judgement. Osiris would become known as Tammus or Adonis in other middle eastern cultures.

The ancient Egyptians observed the sun set in the west and felt that the entrance to the domain of Osiris must surely be located in the west. Whenever possible the dead were buried in the west, beyond the tillable land. Until Egypt embraced Christianity the dead were buried in this manner. It is believed that as many as two hundred million people were so interred in Upper Egypt.

The pharaohs of the fourth dynasty would build their tombs in the form of pyramids to simulate the Ben, and like the sun god, Re, lie safe and protected inside throughout eternity. The great pyramids were located at Giza and were close to the first capital of unified Egypt, Memphis which is present day Cairo. So feared and resented was Osiris in the beginning that Cheops gave orders that no priest of Osiris was to be allowed inside his pyramid on the day of his interment.

By the Empire Age the heart was removed, preserved separately, and replaced by a scarab beetle—made of stone of standard weight bearing the inscription, "might not arise up as witness." This substitute heart insured safe passage to the fields of Yaru where wheat stalks were twelve feet high. Yaru was, oddly, located in the northeast corner of heaven. While the pharaohs of the fourth dynasty found security in identifying with the sun god, Re, and the imposing mass of their pyramids, the pharaohs of the Empire Age would lean more toward an acceptance of Osiris and choose to be interred in the side of a mountain.

Pharaohs throughout ancient Egyptian history would record their deed on obelisks—tall shafts resembling a beam of light from the sun god or perhaps a heaven-like plumb line. These were often encased in electrum and would shine so brilliantly that it could scarcely be viewed by the naked eye. Electrum would also be used to cap the pyramids, with an eye inscribed theron, so that a dead monarch could still make his presence known and continue to observe the activities of his people. Electrum was a mixture of 85% gold, 10% silver, and 5% copper.

The square would not only depict the Ben but would be the symbol of a judge when the apex is pointed downward. The sign of Osiris which resembles the cross of St. Andrew, incorporates both of the above, the beginning (Ben) and the end (Judgement.)

Dictionary of names:

I. The ENNEAD (Nature Deities)

Nun
God of Chaos, the ocean (Mediterranean Sea); the mother of Re.
Ben
Primeval mountain; father of Re.
Re
The sun god; represented by the solar disk.
Keb (Geb)
God of earth.
Nut
Goddess of the firmament.
Shu
God of air.
Tefnut
Goddess of the atmosphere.
Osiris
God of the underworld; patron god of Abydos.
Isis
Goddess of healing arts; goddess of the moon; sister-wife of Osiris; patron of the Island of Philea.
Set(h)
God of the North (Delta region,) represents evil.
Nephyts
Goddess that was the sister-wife of Set.

II. Alphabetical

Amon (Amun)
Principle god of Thebes; ultimately the high god of Egypt.
Annubis
Jackal-headed god; patron of embalming; affiliated with the Osirian Temple at Abydos; the bastard son of Osiris.
Atum
Another name for Re; principle god of Heleopolis (On.)
Bastet
Principle goddess of Bubastis.
Chnym
Ram-headed god; principle deity of Esneh, Edfu, and El Kab.
Hathor
Goddess of joy and love; wife of Re; identified with the moon; referred to as the "eye of Re;" principle deity of Denderah.
Horus
Son of Osiris; depicted as a falcon; Lord of the North (Memphis to 1st Cataract.)
Isis
Goddess of healing arts; goddess of the moon; sister-wife of OsiTōkyōris; patron of the island of Philea.
Keb (Geb)
God of earth.
Maat
Goddess of justice; depicted as a feather.
Min
God of the feast and enjoyment; protector of the traveler; principle god of Koptos.
Neit
Goddess with a vengeful-like nature; principle deity of Sais.
Nephyts
Goddess that was the sister-wife of Set(h).
Nun
Goddess of the firmament.
Osiris
God of the underworld; patron god of Abydos.
Ptah
An early form of the sun god; principle god of Memphis; patron of the arts, particularily metal (an artificer).
Re
The sun god; represented by a solar disk.
Sechnet
Goddess of war; depicted as lion-headed; another name for Hathor.
Set(h)
God of the North (Delta Region); represents evil.
Shu
God of air.
Sobek
Crocodile god; principle god of Kom Ombo.
Tefnut
God of the atmosphere.
Thoth
God of wisdom; scribe of the gods; principle god of Chnym.

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