This is a description of the spirits departure and arrival in the afterlife. Better yet we discover the rational for mummification. They thought that a ghost remained behind to trouble people and this is separate from the living spirit. These ideas remain extant but not so clearly realized as with the Egyptians.
This work clarifies what we presently understand about Egyptian funeral practices.
There was much poorly understood but this short piece does make good sense of it. Close reading of this and other sources should allow a full reconstruction.
CHAPTER TWO
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 2
The writings of Garmi were brought by the hands
of Nadayeth The Enlightener, of the twin cities whence come the Sons of Fire,
when he fled the wrath of kings. He spread out before the Learned Ones
beauteous things of many colours and spoke to them after this fashion, and I,
Lavos, recorded it in the tongue of the Sons of Fire:
Behold this, it is the Land of the Dawning. It
stands between the Land of Light ever splendid and the Land of Darkness ever
gloomy. They are the lands beyond the veil, before the veil is the Land of the
Living.
[ a simple enough description of the afterlife without the detail and is noted. arclein ]
[ a simple enough description of the afterlife without the detail and is noted. arclein ]
The Aspiring One has embarked on the waters of
illusion, his craft is afloat but it has not yet reached the shores where the
promise of new life is fulfilled. Now he is guided by two beings, one a lovely
maiden and the other an ill-visaged man. These two strive one with the other,
each grasping one side of the craft, now it overturns. The maiden seeks to drag
the Aspiring One dovm, while the ill-favoured man seeks to keep him afloat. But
the Aspiring One struggles against him. They come to the sands of the shining
shore where the Light of Truth turns the maiden into a vile-faced hag and the
man into a handsome youth. The Aspiring One lies on the sands of Shodew as one
dead, for he had fought against the man who sought to save him.
[ the aspiring one is a newly departed soul or spirit. - arclein ]
[ the aspiring one is a newly departed soul or spirit. - arclein ]
The Beauteous One comes attended by handmaidens,
and with them are the companions of the Aspiring One's earthly life. There,
too, is his soulself, awaiting his embrace. The Aspiring One lies as dead, for
he did not know his saviour. They who stand about, who are The Welcomers, wait
in uncertainty. The Beauteous One bends over the prostrate man and says,
"Revive, this is not a place where death rules". He moves and she
says, "Raise yourself and cast away the residue of your mortality".
The Aspiring One opens his eyes, he sits up, he
shields his eyes before the vision of beauty, he is blinded by it and she gives
him his heart. The handmaidens weep and their tears are the blood of the
Aspiring One's life. The Beauteous One says, "I have come that you who
were dead might live, that you who were blinded might see, that you who were
deceived might know Truth". The soulself says, "I have come to
embrace you, I have come to protect you, I have come to shield you, I am your
refuge".
That which is the Kohar says, "I have come
to brighten up your face, I am you as you are me. I have waited for you, I have
wept for you and rejoiced when you rejoiced. I have never forgotten you while
we have been apart. I have heard every word spoken and these are recorded for
you. I have recorded every sight. I have recorded every sound. I have recorded
every smell and every taste. Every memory is secure for you. Here I give you
form and substantiality".
This is The Herald, he stands between this man
and his Kohar, and they, together with The Adjuster and The Welcomers, go to
the Hall of Judgement and stand before The Lord of Life, The Master of
Destinies. Now come The Lords of Eternity who are The Lesser Gods, and they
enter the Gates of Splendour. The Balancer comes from his secret place. The
Greeter to Darkness stands at his door and The Greeter to Splendour stands at
his door, they face each other. The Welcomers, compatible companions of this
man's earthly life, stand about, they are there, in the Hall of Judgement.
The Balancer causes two fluid-like, fluctuating
columns which stand on either side of the Kohar and one takes the form of the
Aspiring One, but it is horribly malformed because it mirrors all his
wickednesses and weaknesses. The other shines brightly, for it mirrors all his
goodness and spiritual qualities. Then the two columns merge back into the
Kohar and The Adjuster adjusts with justice and mercy. Then the Aspiring One stands
forth in his Kohar and in his true likeness, whicn is a blending together of
all his incamational likenesses.
The Aspiring One is drawn towards the right hand
door, he passes through and sets foot on the rainbow road. He is accompanied by
The Welcomers, the companions of his earthly life who are now revealed to him
in their true likeness. They sing, they dance, they rejoice, and there is much
gladness in the reunion. The word of Truth is established, it is fulfilled. The
ancient promises are fulfilled. He who departs shall return, he who sleeps
shall awaken, he who dies shall live. The Aspiring One has passed into the
Regions of Glory.
[ a seriously remarkable narritive that takes full stock of our present knowledge of NDE and other reports from the other side. It both conforms but also glorifies the experience itself beyond what we have understood. This may well be an artifact of the writing and oral tradition. - arclein ]
[ a seriously remarkable narritive that takes full stock of our present knowledge of NDE and other reports from the other side. It both conforms but also glorifies the experience itself beyond what we have understood. This may well be an artifact of the writing and oral tradition. - arclein ]
Now, behold the body vacated by the vehicle of
life. It slumbers in its death wrappings, for the enlivening spirit has flown.
The earthly body alone stays and cannot hold itself together. It prepares to
fall apart and decay. The Companions of the Dead take it into their company, it
will be made incorruptible and become a communicating door. It is given the
things which rightly belong to the dead.
Those who remain on Earth fear the Life Shadow
of the One who has gone on before them. The body is bandaged in its death
wrappings. It is purified, it is made clean, it is provided with the
necessities. Thus, the Life Shadow shall dwell at peace within the empty body,
it believes it to be its abode. It shall not wander. O Shadow, do not wander,
remain within the tomb, seize any who come to steal, seize any who would break
the body, seize any who would open that which is closed. Seize and haunt, seize
and haunt!
The Companions of the Dead speak thus, "The
Life Shadow of this man who was is never restless, it never wanders, it is ever
protecting, it is ever watchful. It remains, for it is bound to the empty
corpse by the restraining throngs".
They say, "The spirit of this man has
awakened in the Land of Immortality, it rejoices in the Land Beyond the Horizon.
He is a Hero of the Horizon. Offend him not by thinking that he is dead, he
cannot die, for he is with the Ever Living. He has not gone away to die, he has
departed to live elsewhere. Let the moisture of his body return to the waters
of the Earth from whence it came. Let the things of hardness in his body return
to the dust from whence they came. Let his bones rejoin the stones which once
they were".
"Weep not, for your tears and lamentations
restrain his eager spirit. Sing the death dirge, that its echoes may sound the
toscin in the Region of Light and The Splendid Ones and The Welcomers come to
the place of appointment. It is unfitting to force gladness on a sorrowful
heart, but be sad only for a temporary parting".
"Let not the earthly body of this man who
was, become destitute, surround it with care and affection, so that it may
transmit the substance of life. Sustain it, so the Life Shadow remain
within".
"What see you now? Gaze upon it, the frail
mortal remains enwrapped and silent, unresponsive. Ponder, this you see with
the eyes of the body, which cannot perceive things of the spirit. Were the eyes
of your spirit opened but a brief moment, you would perceive something entirely
different and then you would know that his shining, immortal spirit walks in
the company of those risen to glory."
" It is the time for parting, the time for
farewell, for the closing of the door."
"O departed one risen to glory,who has left
us to sorrow. As we have helped you and surrounded you with the protection of
our love and our offerings, so now help us in the days of life left to us on
Earth."
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