Temple of the Cosmos : The Ancient Egyptian Experience of the Sacred

For the ancient Egyptian, the fabric of everyday life was sacred: the presence of the gods was keenly felt, time was interpenetrated by the transtemporal world of myth, and causation was essentially magical. In this groundbreaking new guide to the esoteric qualities hidden in the surfaces of ancient Egyptian life, Jeremy Naydler recreates the spiritual life of. another time and place. 'Temple of the Cosmos' is a profound exploration of an ancient consciousness more in tune with the rhythms of the earth, more open to the internal dimensions of time and space, less cut off from the sources of life. The author argues that the true source of Western civilization lies just beyond the horizon of Greek rationality and Judeo-Christian monotheism in the blazing light of Egyptian culture, and that we still have a good deal to learn from this ancient civilization. Building on the insights of scholars, and looking anew at the Books of the Dead, Naydler reinterprets the compelling imagery of the soul's journey through the Underworld as a description of spiritual initiation and awakening. Jeremy Naydler is a philosopher and cultural historian. He is a freelance lecturer at a variety of colleges and educational institutions, including the universities of Oxford, Reading, and Southampton, England.

In this guide to the cosmology of ancient Egypt, Jeremy Naydler recreates the experience of living in another time and place. Temple of the Cosmos explores Egypt's sacred geography and mythology; but more importantly, it reveals with unprecedented clarity an ancient consciousness in tune with the rhythms of the earth. The ancient Egyptians experienced their gods not as remote beings but rather as psychic and natural forces, transpersonal energies that played a part in everyday life. This direct experience of the gods shaped the Egyptian concepts of human development, healing, magic, and the soul's journey through the Underworld as described in the Books of the Dead. While building on the pioneering efforts of R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz and others, Temple of the Cosmos is much more than a recapitulation of previous theories of Egyptian spirituality. Rather, this book breaks new ground by placing the work of other Egyptologists in an original, magical context. The result is a brilliant reimagining of the Egyptian worldview and its sacred path of spiritual unfolding.

Cover Half title Imprint Contents Preface 1 A Metaphysical Landscape 2 Interpenetrating Worlds 3 Myths of Cosmogenesis 4 The Marking of Time 5 The Marriage of Myth and History 6 The Theology of Magic 7 The Practice of Magic 8 The Soul Incarnate 9 The Soul Discarnate 10 Orientating in the Underworld 11 The Travails of the Underworld 12 The End of the Underworld Journey Epilogue Notes Illustration Credits Index