Egyptian Ka
(Information about the
Egyptian Soul and Spirit)
Egyptian Ka
The beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians
concentrated not only on their daily life but also the prospect of life
after death - the afterlife, and eternal life. The Ancient Egyptians
believed that death occurred when a person's life-force (ka) left their
body. Ceremonies conducted by priests after death, including the
"opening of the mouth' ceremony was aimed not only to restore a man's
physical abilities in death, but also to release the entities known as
the Ka, Ba and Akhu which were united in the afterlife. The Ancient
Egyptians regarded man as composed of various different entities, or
elements, each having its separate life and functions.
-
The Kha, Ha or
Haw - The Body
-
The Ka a
person's life-force or double
-
The Ba - the
Soul
-
Akhu (Akh, Khu,
Ikhu) - the immortal part which emerged after the
deceased passed judgement after death, and the Ka and Ba
united
Definition of the Egyptian Ka
The Ancient Egyptians believed that
the Ka or double was a less solid duplicate of the body,
a coloured but ethereal projection of the individual,
reproducing him feature for feature. The Ka of a child
was therefore as a child; the Ka of a woman was
therefore as a woman; the Ka of a man was therefore as a
man. The Ka, or double, stayed in the tomb inhabiting
the body (mummy) or even statues of the deceased. The Ka
was believed to be independent of man and could move,
eat and drink at will. The Ancient Egyptians belief that
the ka was sustained through food and drink resulted in
offerings of such being presented to the dead. Their
beliefs were that the 'kau' within the offerings
was consumed - not the physical aspect.
Definition of the Egyptian
Ba
After the Ka came the Soul ( the Ba
), which was popularly represented as a human-headed bird. The human
-headed bird flew around in the tomb during the day bringing air and and
food to the deceased. The Ba was able to leave the tomb and revisit the
dead person's haunts in the mortal world. During the evening the human
headed bird Ba joined the entourage of the Sun God Ra travelling across
the heavens and at dusk descending into the underworld. Like a soul, the
'Ba' is a part of a person that lives after the body dies.
Definition of the
Egyptian Akhu (Akh, Khu, Ikhu)
After the Soul came the Akhu (Akh,
Khu, Ikhu) or "the Luminous" a spark from the divine fire - a divine
spark. This was the immortal part of man which emerged after the
deceased passed judgement after death, and the Ka and Ba united thus
creating an entity known as the Akhu (Akh, Khu, Ikhu).
The Egyptian Ka at
risk
None of these entities, or elements,
including the Ka were in their own natures imperishable. Left to
themselves, they would hasten to dissolution, and the man would thus die
a second time and he would be totally annihilated.
The Egyptian Ka, Ba
& Akhu saved by embalmment
The piety of the survivors found
means, however, to avert this terrible catastrophe and the loss of the
Ka. By the process of embalmment, they could for ages suspend the
decomposition of the body; while by means of prayer and offerings, they
saved the Ka, the Soul, and the "Luminous" from the second death, and
secured to them all that was necessary for the prolongation of their
existence.
The Journey of the Egyptian Ka
The Ka never left the place where
the mummy reposed: but the Soul and the Akhu embarked on a journey to
follow the gods. They, however, kept perpetually returning, like
travellers who come home after an absence. The tomb was therefore a
dwelling-house, the "Eternal House" of the dead, compared with which the
houses of the living were but wayside inns; and these Eternal Houses
were built after a plan which exactly corresponded to the Egyptian idea
of the after-life.
The Eternal House
of the Dead
The Eternal House must always
include the private rooms of the Soul, which were closed on the day of
burial, and which no living being could enter without being guilty of
sacrilege. It must also contain the reception rooms of the Ka, where
priests and friends brought their wishes or their offerings; the two
being connected by a passage of more or less length. The arrangement of
these three parts varied according to the period, the place, the nature
of the ground, and the caprice of each person. The rooms accessible to
the living were frequently built above ground, and formed a separate
edifice. Sometimes they were excavated in the mountain side, as well as
the tomb itself. Sometimes, again, the vault where the mummy lay hidden,
and the passages leading to that vault, were in one place, while the
place of prayer and offering stood far off in the plain. But whatever
variety there may be found as to detail and arrangement, the principle
is always the same. The tomb was a dwelling, and was constructed in such
a way as to best promote the well-being, and ensure the preservation, of
the dead and the Ka, Ba and Ahk.
Other Elements of the
Egyptian Soul
The Ancient Egyptians believed that the
Ha, Ka, Ba and Ahku were all important elements
of the soul and spirit of the dead. But the concept of the soul and
spirit extended still further:
-
The heart
(called the Yb, Ib or Ab) was believed to be the seat of the
Ka and the source of good and evil. The heart held a far
greater significance than the brain as it was of immense
importance when the dead person faced the Judgement of the
Dead and his heart was weighed against the deeds of the
lifetime. During the process of mummification the embalmers
took great care to leave the heart in place whereas the
brain was discarded
-
The Shadow
(called the Khaibit ) - A person's shadow was always present
therefore Egyptians surmised that the shadow, or Khaibit,
contained an element of the person it represented. The the
shadow, or Khaibit was deemed to be a spiritual essence that
was capable of freeing itself at the moment of death
-
The Name (called
the Ren) - The Ren was the true name given to them at birth
during the naming ceremonies. The Ancient Egyptians also
believed that the person would live for as long as that
name, Ren, was spoken. A person would be destroyed if his
name, Ren, was obliterated and great efforts were made to
protect it. The survival of the name, or Ren, and its
protection is illustrated by the use of the cartouche (a
magical rope) which was often used to surround the name and
protect it. In documents and monuments the name, or Ren, of
Akhenaten the Heretic Pharaoh, were hacked out of monuments
and deleted from documents to destroy all memory of this
hated king of Egypt
-
Sahu - The
phantom spiritual body of man that was released after the
judgement of the dead into the afterlife
Egyptian Ka
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