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Spiritual Egypt Tours Mazagine Nov/Dec 2011 Excerpts from Carla & John’s Spiritual Awakening Travel Diary – visiting the Luxor Markets and the Luxor Temple Astrology in Ancient Egypt Must See Places to Visit in Egypt – Temple of Philae Highlights from the Journey to Spiritual Awakening Tour Dec 2012 Egyptian Gods & Goddesses – Anubis – God of the Dead

Spiritual Egypt Tours Nov 2011 Magazine

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online magazine for people who have a fascination for ancient Egypt and for Travellers with Egypt on their "must go to" list

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Page 1: Spiritual Egypt Tours Nov 2011 Magazine

Spiritual Egypt Tours Mazagine

Nov/Dec 2011 1

� Excerpts from Carla & John’s Spiritual Awakening

Travel Diary – visiting the Luxor Markets and the

Luxor Temple

� Astrology in Ancient Egypt

� Must See Places to Visit in Egypt – Temple of

Philae

� Highlights from the Journey to Spiritual

Awakening Tour Dec 2012

� Egyptian Gods & Goddesses – Anubis – God of the

Dead

Page 2: Spiritual Egypt Tours Nov 2011 Magazine

Welcome to Spiritual Egypt Tours Newsletter

"Hello I'm Rhonnda Fritz and welcome to our Newsletter! This newsletter is for anybody who is on their spiritual path or who has Egypt high on their wish list for places to visit. Each month I will bring you articles about Ancient Egypt and modern day Egypt as well as information about our upcoming tours and events. I will also be including articles and information designed to uplift your spirits. Our Journey to Awakening Spiritual Tour that departs on the 8th of December 2012 and ends in Cairo on the 22nd of December 2012, is attracting a great deal of interest. We already have a number of bookings for this tour which will be a once in a lifetime experience. Don’t forget with our early bird booking offers you can save up to $US2,500. Unfortunately the first early bird price has now closed but you can still save $US1,500 if you book and pay your deposit by the 8th of January 2012. Other savings can be made by booking before the 8th of March 2012. I am in the process of organising an optional 3-4 day tour prior to the start of the main tour taking in Tel el Amarna and Ottoman Cairo for those of you who want to really make the most of the long flight to Egypt. I am also organising another optional 4 day tour at the end of the main tour to Sharm el Sheikh for those who are not in a rush to get home for Christmas. The Red Sea resorts are breath taking and a perfect way to wind down after the main tour. Included in this tour will be a visit to the St Catherine’s Monastery and Mt Sinai overnighting in a fantastic rustic hotel with all the mod cons in the desert. I hope to have details for you in the next couple of months. On the cover of the e-magazine is a wonderful photo I took at the Temple of Kom Ombo at sunset. For me this image represents the gateway to enlightenment which is what the Journey to Awakening tours are all about. In this issue check out the ongoing travel diary and spiritual awakening for Carla and John as they travel on their own journey to awakening through Egypt. In these diary entries they visit the markets in Luxor and take a night visit to the beautiful Luxor Temple. Also in our regular feature of "Must Visit Places in Egypt" we go to the Temple of Philae in Aswan which is one of my favourite places to visit in Egypt. In our regular feature on the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, read about Anubis the Gatekeeper of the Underworld who plays a major part in the mummifying process as well as the opening of the mouth ceremony and the weighing of the heart. Quite a scary fellow if you didn’t live a life that was pure. Read also part 1 of an article giving an overview of Egyptian Astrology.

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I welcome your feedback and if there is anything special you would like me to include in the newsletter please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. If you would like to contribute an article email it to me. Please share the newsletter with your friends.

Journey to Awakening Tour December 2012

Spiritual Egypt Tours is hosting a group of people on a special and amazing 15 day journey to awakening through Egypt in December 2012 culminating in a 2 hour private visit to the Kings Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza beginning at sunset. Check out the websites for more information, full itinerary as well as lots of articles and videos.

www.SpiritualEgyptTours.com www.SpiritualEgyptTours2012.com

I have had a number of enquiries from singles who are interested in the tour who want to avoid paying the single supplement. The good news is if you are a single and are happy to share with someone we will make every endeavour to provide you with a roommate. Just let us know at the time you make your booking and we will see what we can do for you.

Summary of the Tour Highlights:

• Be pampered like a Pharaoh in 5 star luxury all the way

• Enjoy the services of expert Egyptologists and Guides

• Private and exclusive access to most of the sites we visit

• Luxury Nile Cruise visiting the temples and tombs of Luxor and Aswan Regions

• Visit the White Desert and camp out overnight under a blanket of a million stars

• Visit to Abu Simbel • Stand between the paws of the

mighty Sphinx at Sunrise – a magical experience that is not offered to many who visit Egypt

• Explore the chambers of the Great Pyramid at Sunset and enjoy a guided meditation and channelling in the Kings Chamber on your 2 hour private access visit

• Visit the Cairo Museum when it is closed to the public – a truly awe inspiring experience

• Most meals are included • All transport including air travel

within Egypt is included • Discover an Egypt that most

tourists never find • Program of optional lectures,

guided meditations and discussion groups included

• Travel with like minded people and spend 15 days sharing this spiritual journey

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Early Bird Specials for Journey to

Awakening Tour 8th to 22nd December 2012

Book Early and Save!!! Book & pay your Deposit of US$2,500 by

the following dates

• 8th

January 2012 - US$10,497 (save US$1,500 per person)

• 8th

February 2012 - US$10,997 (save US$1,000 per person)

• 8th

of March 2012 - US$11,497 (save US$500 per person)

Discounts also for Groups of 4 or more people travelling together

(Please note prices are quoted in US dollars because our Egyptian

Tour Operator uses US dollars as their international currency. When

you are ready to book contact us for the Australian exchange rate.)

Call and Book Your Tour Today and Save!!!

To Book Your Tour of a

Lifetime, Email us or call us on

(07) 5450 1597

[email protected]

The Sun God Akhenaton with his Wife Nefertiti

Page 5: Spiritual Egypt Tours Nov 2011 Magazine

Regular Feature

Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Anubis – God of the Dead

In Egyptian mythology, Anubis is known as the jackal-headed god of Egypt. Of all the ancient Egyptian Gods, Anubis is frequently the deity referred to as the funerary god. He played a significant role in the journey of the dead on their journey to the afterlife through the Underworld.

Anubis in Hieroglyphics

The Underworld was called the Duat and was believed to be full of great dangers. Anubis greeted the souls in the Underworld and protected them on their journey.

The deceased were also accompanied by a guidebook known as the “Book of the Dead” which contained spells and instructions to

ensure their safe passage through the dangers of the Underworld. The final place in the Underworld was the Judgement Hall where the Court of Osiris decided on their fate. Anubis would lead the dead to the Hall of Two Truths to a set of scales where his or her heart was weighed against the feather of truth and their fate would be decided - either entrance into the perfect afterlife or to be sent to the Devourer of the Dead. On one side of the scales rested the heart and on the other a feather. If the heart was lighter than a feather, the deceased would be led by Anubis to Osiris to continue their journey to the afterlife through the Underworld and on to paradise. If the heart was heavier than the feather, their soul would be destroyed.

Anubis and the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony

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In the legends and myths of the Ancient Egyptians, Anubis had three important functions. He supervised the embalming of bodies. He received the mummy into the tomb and performed the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and then conducted the soul in the Field of Celestial Offerings. The priests who officiated at the 'Opening of the Mouth' burial ceremony wore a jackal mask emulating Anubis.

Anubis and the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony

It was also believed that Anubis held the important role of overseeing the embalming and mummification of the dead. Some versions credit the mummification of Osiris' body following his death, to Anubis. When Osiris was murdered, Anubis felt it necessary to do something special for his mentor/father. Anubis decided to help Isis and Nephthys bury him. At this time, Anubis made the choice to embalm and wrap Osiris to keep him from getting corrupted by the air. This process was forever known as funeral rights. Anubis was known thereafter as "The Lord of Mummy Wrappings." The people of Ancient Egypt thought, if it was good enough for the gods, it would be good enough for them. They also thought, that if a body wasn't embalmed or mummified properly Anubis would sense this, then dig up and eat the body. The Ancient Egyptians also believed that a physical body was essential for an eternal life for the deceased. Without a physical body the soul had no place to dwell and became restless forever.

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Anubis Attending the Mummy

The daughter of Anubis, Kabechet, is frequently seen as Anubis’ assistant in the mummification process of the dead.

Anubis is portrayed either as a man with the head of a jackal holding the divine sceptre carried by kings and gods; or simply as a black jackal or as a dog accompanying Isis. His head may actually be a mixture of dog and jackal, either one of which could have been found at the edge of deserts by the cemeteries. The god of embalming is probably associated with the jackal due to the habits of jackals to lurk about tombs and graves. One of the reasons the early Egyptians sought to make their tombs more elaborate was to keep the bodies safe from the jackals lingering about the graves. It is only natural therefore that a god of mummification would be connected with them. By worshipping Anubis, the Egyptians hoped to invoke him to protect their deceased from jackals, and later, the natural decay that unprotected bodies endure.

His symbol was a black and white ox-hide splattered with blood and hanging from a pole. Its meaning is unknown.

The early Egyptian priests evolved a creation myth, or Cosmogony, to explain how some of the Gods and Goddesses came into being. The early Egyptian priests then evolved a Family tree, the relatives of the main Egyptian Gods, like Anubis, to explain how some of the Gods and Goddesses were related. The Ennead was the collective name given to the nine original deities (Gods and Goddesses) of the cosmogony of Heliopolis (the birthplace of the Gods) in the creation myths and legends.

The parentage of Anubis is sometimes unclear. Some versions credit his father as Ra, while others state he was sired by Seth, the adversary of Horus and his father, Osiris. The identity of Anubis' mother also varies from tale to tale and region to region. Some folklore stories tell that Anubis was born to Bastet, while others indicate it was instead Hesat. In versions involving Osiris as his father, Anubis' mother is Nephthys; wife and sister of Seth. Regardless of his parentage, Anubis achieved fame throughout Egypt.

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It is believed that of all the ancient Egyptian gods Anubis is perhaps one of the oldest. Many tales suggest that Anubis might even outdate Osiris; one of the most prominent of the Egyptian deities. References to Anubis are found even in texts dating back to the Old Kingdom. Despite all the other ancient Egyptian gods, Anubis received the most cult worship in the city of Cynopolis. Anubis Temples The Temples dedicated to Anubis, the God of the Dead, Tombs and Embalming, were believed to be the dwelling place of this famous Egyptian God. Only the Pharaoh and the Priests of Anubis were allowed inside the temple and the priests would undergo ritual purification in a deep stone pool before they entered the Inner Sanctum of the Temple. This not only cleansed them but also gave them contact with the primeval moisture of life. Ordinary Egyptians were only allowed to come to the gates, or forecourt, of the temple of Anubis to pay homage and offer gifts to the God / Goddess. The Priests of Anubis would collect the gifts and say prayers on behalf of the person in the confines of the temple. The priests of Anubis, the God of the Dead, Tombs & Embalming, would conduct ceremonies, sacrifices and chant magical incantations, sometimes referred to as spells. The temple of Anubis would consist of heavy gates which accessed a massive hall with great stone columns, and then a series of many other rooms through which processions of priests would pass. These rooms, or chambers, were lit by candles and incense would be burnt to purify the air of the Temple. The chambers gradually decreased in size, the lighting in the temple was deliberately and significantly reduced to create an atmosphere of deepening mystery until the priests reached the chapel and the shrine which contained the Naos. The Naos was the stone tabernacle inside the shrine which housed the great Statue of Anubis, the God of the Dead, Tombs and Embalming. The Statue of Anubis The large statue of the God Anubis, the God of the Dead, Tombs and Embalming was situated in the inner sanctum of the Egyptian temple. The statue of Anubis would have been depicted with the body of a man and the head of Jackal. This sacred statue, in the dwelling place of the God, was the embodiment of Anubis. Food and drink would be offered to the God. The High Priest of Anubis, would conduct ceremonies and offer prayers and incantations but there was another important priest, called the Medjty, who was responsible for the toiletries. The statue of Anubis would have been washed and oiled. The statue was then dressed in fine linen and eye make-up, powder and rouge was applied and sacred oil rubbed on the forehead of the statue. The statue of Anubis, with its head of the Jackal, was only seen by ordinary Egyptians at important festivals when the effigy was paraded in magnificent processions.

Look out for information on the Gods and Goddesses every month as a regular feature of the E-Magazine.

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Regular Feature

The Spiritual Awakening Travel Diary for John & Carla – Day 3 A Visit to Luxor

I am truly amazed at how healthy and happy Carla is. Yesterday we ventured into the chamber of the Red Pyramid at Dashur and I have to admit that once I'd taken a few photos and allowed myself to notice what was around me, I began to feel a calmness. I even sat in on the meditation and actually felt myself being transported to another world as I followed the words of the guide. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed the experience. I've always thought that meditation was something new age hippies indulged in but this experience really was an eye opener for me. Carla has been telling me now for ages that there is more around me to see, feel and experience than I am aware of. Perhaps she is right - we shall see. But from the way Carla is smiling, my sister's advice to check out spiritual tours to Egypt was exactly the right thing for Carla.

This morning we took an Egyptair internal flight to Luxor. Our tour guide took care of everything like tickets and luggage for us - all we had to do was get on the plane. Once we landed, our modern tour bus transported us to the private Dhahabeya named The Afandina. Dhahabeyas have travelled the Nile for thousands of years. It is said that the famous Queen Cleopatra and Julius Caesar conceived their son on a journey up the Nile River on a luxury Dhahabeya.

We unpacked and explored this truly beautiful boat. This is the part of the tour to Egypt that I have been looking forward to. She has two sails to help her glide through the blue water of the Nile and yes the water of the Blue Nile River is in fact blue. The Afandina has been built in traditional style but has a steel hull to withstand the strong currents of the Nile River which I'm old can be very strong in places. Apparently the captain has been sailing the Nile since he was a young boy so I should imagine there is quite a lot he can tell me about sailing the Nile - one sailor to another.

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Lounge Area Afandina

Our Cabin on the Afandina

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This afternoon we ventured into Luxor and took a carriage ride to the markets.

So many stalls selling everything from watches, luggage, clothes, pots & pans, spices and food - you name it and it was there. Our guide was with us and he taught us the basics of bartering. Egypt commerce thrives on the bartering concept. Inevitably the first price will be wildly expensive but that is part of the game. You need to counter with a ridiculous low price and you then meet somewhere in the middle. But with the exchange rate, prices are really cheap anyway. I was mindful that Egyptians, just like the rest of us in the world, are simply working hard trying to make a living to feed their families.

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After dinner, we travelled by coach to the Luxor Temple. This temple is massive and you are greeted by an avenue of Sphinxes and towering statues of Ramses II. Our guide was actually born in the temple and I was surprised to learn that there was a time when people lived within the walls of the Luxor temple complex. There was so much to see and so much to learn. Our guide was a well of information and his passion for his birthplace was clearly evident.

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Right now I am sitting on the deck of the Afandina collecting my thoughts. All I can hear is the gentle lapping of the water against the hull. It occurred to me that not once today was I tempted to call back home to check on the business. Maybe there is something to be said for taking holidays in exotic locations - although Egypt is not exactly cut off from the world. Mobile phone coverage is excellent and I've seen many internet cafes around.

Tomorrow we visit Karnak Temple and the Temple of Sekhmet.

In the next Issue we will continue with excerpts from the Travel Diary of Carla and John where they talk about their journey through Egypt and about their personal Journey to Spiritual Awakening. Next month, read about their visit to Karnak and especially their visit to the Temple of Sekhmet.

Page 14: Spiritual Egypt Tours Nov 2011 Magazine

Regular Feature

Must See Sites in Egypt

Temple of Philae

On a small island in the Nile River near Aswan stands the amazing Temple of Isis at Philae. Philae was begun by Ptolemy II and completed by the Roman Emperors.

The ancient island of Philae was a sacred centre for the cult of Isis and the location of a great temple complex now known as Philae Temple. For millennia, Philae Island attracted pilgrims from all over the known world and continued to be a pagan centre of worship even after the arrival and spread of Christianity.

Isis is a very important figure in the ancient world. She is associated with funeral rites but as the enchantress who resurrected Osiris and gave birth to Horus she is also the giver of life, a healer and protector of kings. She was known as 'Mother of God' and was represented with a throne on her head. During the Roman period her cult spread throughout Greece and the Roman Empire. There was even a temple dedicated to her in London.

The goddess Isis, was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. These three characters dominate ancient Egyptian culture and their story possesses all the drama of a Shakespearian tragedy. The god Osiris is murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth. Isis searches for the fragments, collects them together and with her magic powers brings Osiris back to life. They then conceive the god Horus. Osiris becomes god of the underworld and judge of the dead -

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who must answer to him for their deeds on Earth. Meanwhile Isis gives birth to Horus and protects the young god. Later when Horus is grown he avenges his father by defeating Seth in combat.

One of the main sites visited by almost every tour to Egypt is what is billed as Philae, but Philae is actually a nonexistent island now buried beneath Lake Nasser. The island was sometimes visible and sometimes not after the Old Aswan Dam was built, but was permanently submerged by the High Dam.

What we refer to today as Philae is the main temple complex relocated from that island, after the High Dam was built. The temple at Philae was nearly lost under water when the high Aswan dam was built in the 1960s. Fortunately the temple was rescued by a joint operation between the Egyptian government and UNESCO. In an engineering feat to rival the ancients the whole island was surrounded with a dam and the inside pumped dry. Then every stone block of the temple complex was labelled and removed later to be assembled, like a giant jigsaw puzzle, on the higher ground of Agilka Island. The whole project took ten years and has saved one of Egypt's most beautiful temples from certain destruction.

The temple languished in the water for several years and with each flooding of the Nile more of the colourful paintings on the walls were washed away. Fortunately, the artist David Roberts made some wonderful paintings of the Isis Temple in 1838. He recorded details of the building and the then surviving decorative colours.

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On the right side of the temple precinct stands Trajan's Kiosk. This beautiful building was where the sacred barge with the statue of Isis landed during its annual precession down the river. The Kiosk, rebuilt by the Roman Emperor Trajan, consists of 14 columns with screen walls which are decorated with scenes of Trajan making offerings to Isis, Osiris and Horus.

Page 17: Spiritual Egypt Tours Nov 2011 Magazine

Trajan's Kiosk

The monuments on the island are dominated by the great temple of Isis and its associated structures, which are concentrated in the west and centre of the island, on, or adjacent to, a granite outcrop which must have been originally chosen as an embodiment of the primeval hill on which the first temple was said to have rested. This hill was reproduced on the new location of the monuments. But the earliest known cult building in honour of Isis, known to the Ancient Egyptians as Aset, was a small shrine erected in the Saite period by Psamtik II. This was followed by a further small temple on the granite outcrop erected by Amasis.

From Nextanebo’s monument north, there are two colonnades, one on the east side and another on the west of an outer courtyard that leads to the first temple pylon. The western half of the colonnade is the more complete, and is pierced with windows originally looking toward the island of Biggeh. A Nilometer descends the cliff from here. The colonnade is about one

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hundred metres long and contains thirty-one of the original thirty-two columns. The column capitals tops are floral and remarkable in their variety with no two being alike. Most of the columns show carvings of Tiberius offering gifts to the gods. The ceiling, which is mostly destroyed, is decorated with stars and flying vultures, while the rear wall has two rows of bas-reliefs of Tiberius and Agustus offering to the gods. There is so much to see on the Island of Philae and I could go on forever about what you could see there. Come with us on the December 2012 tour and see it for yourself!!

The Goddess Hathor was also honoured with a shrine at Philae. (Isis was also worshipped at Hathor’s cult centre at Dendera) In later ancient Egyptian history the two deities were often regarded as one because they were both principally mother goddesses. From the New Kingdom (c.1550 – c.1069 BCE) both were depicted wearing the same headdress – a pair of cow’s horns with a sun disc between them. Hathor is strongly depicted on many of the columns in the colonnade.

It is a truly beautiful experience to visit the temple of Philae before Dawn. The journey up the Nile to the Island is in itself an adventure but seeing the Sun rise is awe inspiring and a photographer’s dream. For those of you who are going on the Journey to Awakening Tour in December 2012 you will be visiting the Temple of Philae before Dawn and will be exploring the island as the Sun comes up as well as enjoying a rather beautiful meditation in the temple of Isis.

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Astrology in Ancient Egypt

By Rhonnda Fritz

Say the word “Egypt” and it immediately conjures up images of the Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza. Millions of people around the world have a fascination with Egypt and the mysteries that are waiting there to be uncovered.

Some people are passionate about wanting to visit Egypt “some-day”. For me, Egypt was just an exotic destination I wanted to tick of my list. It held no real heart- felt fascination. But six years ago, I embarked on a journey of a lifetime to Egypt. I was lucky to stumble across a tour that took me to many sites not on the usual tourist map and gave the group exclusive access to many other sites. Within days of being in Egypt, I discovered that I did indeed have a very strong connection to Egypt. As the tour progressed, I found I did not only understand the paintings and hieroglyphs I was seeing, but I was experiencing what seemed like flashbacks of unexplained memories. My psychic powers seemed to kick into high gear, and in three weeks, I was an Egypt convert. I tapped into a wealth of energy and knowledge and it changed me forever. About 15 years ago, I began my studies in astrology and metaphysics and 10 years ago, I added Neuro Linguistic Programing (NLP), Hypnosis and Time Line TherapyTM to that mix along with a wealth of other alternative studies. When I began my astrology studies I had a goal to be an international astrologer and when I began my NLP studies I had a goal to work in the Middle East. In 2009 year my goal to be an international astrologer reached fruition and then in April 2010 my goal to work in the Middle East also came to fruition. Interestingly my two goals collided in that it was astrology that took me to Egypt. In April 2010 I held my first trainings in astrology in Cairo with students very eager to learn everything that I had to teach them.

What we have come to know as Western Astrology was born in Egypt over three thousand years ago. However, astrology in Egypt has become caught up in religious debate and in some sectors the study of astrology has been outlawed. However, there are aspects of astrology that are accepted. The areas of astrology that deal with personality profiling and psychological analysis and even to some extent using astrology to plan a better life are allowed but predicting the future and knowing about the future isn’t. Despite this, astrology remains a fascinating subject for many Egyptians particularly when it comes to their horoscopes. So teaching astrology in Egypt, to those who want to learn, is an exciting venture for me as it is re-introducing lost information. Interestingly, when Europe was in the depths of the dark ages and the Holy Inquisition where everything that didn’t conform to the teachings of the church was burned or destroyed (including people), it was the Egyptians who preserved the esoteric knowledge and returned it when the threat was over.

While in Egypt recently, I became intrigued, not with modern astrology, but with the astrology of the ancient Egyptians. Not a lot of information is available and because it is now associated with the “old religion” it is difficult to find anyone who is a real expert. But I’d like to share with you the little that I have uncovered because it is a fascinating subject.

The ancient Egyptians were fascinated by the stars and the planets and were able to track them with a startling degree of accuracy. They firmly believed in the adage of “as above, so below” to the degree that they oriented their buildings to the positions of the stars. In fact, if you were to overlay a map of the sky thousands of years ago over the map showing the many

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buildings on the Giza Plateau, you would discover that they are aligned within a hare’s breath of accuracy. Astronomy was important to them. Every building they built was coded with information.

For instance, the pyramids are built to a specific scale and aligned to the star system of Orion. The height of the great pyramid is in scale to the distance of the Earth to the Sun. I recently discovered from an Egyptologist who I spent a day with in Cairo, that the great pyramid is in fact not 4 sided but 8 sided. There is a slight indentation in each side of the pyramid and on certain days when the Sun is at the right angle, it is revealed. This turns the pyramid from a 4 sided triangle to a 4 pointed star. There is so much to tell about the Great Pyramid and the experts are still in the process of uncovering its secrets.

The Birth of Egyptian Astrology

The ancients not only observed the skies but also each other. Over a long period of observation they came to the conclusion that what was happening above also had an effect on the Earth and the people of the Earth. The life blood to Egypt is the Blue Nile River and it therefore features in many of the ancient rituals. Until the Aswan Dam was built on the Blue Nile in the 1960s, the Blue Nile flooded every year bringing fresh nutrients to the Nile River Delta and therefore to the ancient Egyptians bringing new life. This is why Egyptian astrology is based on agriculture and the cycle of the seasons. Predicting the date for the commencement of the yearly flood was of vital importance. From their observations, the floods usually began when the fixed star of Sirius appeared on the eastern horizon at the same time as the sun. The Fixed star system of Orion was also extremely important.

In order to explain their observations they created Gods and Goddesses who ruled over specific things. These Gods and Goddesses held an important place in the lives of the Egyptians for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians believed that a person's personality, behaviour, power, skills, emotions and fortune in life is generated by the different influences of the ruling god or goddess of the sign under which they were born.

The early Egyptians were fascinated by the sun because of its regular cycle. They noticed that there were different influences that occurred within its cycle. The yearly cycle was divided into 12 months, each of which was then divided into 3 periods of 10 days. These periods were known as decans. Decanate astrology is still practiced by some astrologers to this day. They observed that people born in the various decans share similar characteristics.

In the next issue I will continue the article and give you an overview of the astrological signs used by the ancients.

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““““How You Choose To Live Your Life Lies Within Your Own HandsHow You Choose To Live Your Life Lies Within Your Own HandsHow You Choose To Live Your Life Lies Within Your Own HandsHow You Choose To Live Your Life Lies Within Your Own Hands””””

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