ANCIENT EGYPT

People who lived during Ancient Egypt’s 3000-year existence built their entire society around their religion and belief system. They believed that their existence on earth was only one part of their eternal journey, the second part of their journey took place after death to the afterlife. They deeply believed that to gain entry to the afterlife, they had to lead a life on earth that was worthy, and that had harmony. People followed the principle of ma’at, they understood that their actions impacted themselves along with other people and the universe. People believed that everyone was connected and dependant on each other to keep balance and harmony just as the gods expected. To make the successful trip to the afterlife their ‘ka’, the life force that they only had while alive, and their ‘ba’, which was basically their inner soul, had to unite in the afterworld as ‘akh’ to be able to live in the afterlife. In order for the ‘ka’ and ‘ba’ to join, their bodies needed to be preserved to make the journey to the afterlife. This is why Ancient Egyptians used techniques like embalming and mummification to preserve the dead in temples. If a person’s body was intact and preserved and they successfully honored the principle of ma’at and lived their life according to the balance and harmony principles, they were able to enter the Hall of Truth after death. They then received a gentle judgment by Osiris, the Lord of the Dead for entry into the afterworld. 

 

The people of Ancient Egypt believed in gods and goddesses, there was a representative god for almost everything from dangers to even chores. Each god needed to be respected and worshipped to ensure life was always kept in balance. There were over 2000 gods, also known as deities. The Pharaoh was considered a human and a god. The Pharaoh was the link between the gods of the afterlife and human existence who made sure the rules to keep harmony and balance in the present were being followed.  Interestingly, Ancient Egyptians believed that the earth was flat and made of clay and floated on top of a big sea. The Nile River was believed to be a spring from the big sea that fed the river. They also thought that Egypt was the reflection of the cosmos and that the night stars and constellations impacted directly on a person’s personality and future fortunes. It was believed that the gods could tell or even travel through the night sky to determine one’s fate. The gods or deities apparently weren’t believed to live in the heavens, the people actually believed they lived amongst them in Egypt and interacted with them on a daily basis. This is why Ancient Egyptians were known to be law-abiding and peaceful people.