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| | From:  _vixedjuju_ (Original Message) | Sent: 6/6/2007 2:04 AM |
Egypt was shaped by magick; nowhere else the barriers between the worlds, the past and present, the dead and living, the gods and men are so weak and convoluted. Through millennia the Nile valley has been shaped by gods and mages as well as the beliefs of sleepers. Prehistory
The prehistory of Egypt is only conjectural. According to the technocratic archeologists, there were humans there 250,000 BC. The Order of Hermes instead speak of how the Creator (either Atum, Chnum or Ptah) and the Pure Ones created the world from the first mound of order in the sea of chaos, and then created mankind. Some mages speculate that the secret of creation still exists hidden somewhere in the Nile Valley, and eagerly seek any hints of forgotten truths. Many mages believe that what made Egypt unique was the closeness between the inhabiants and the gods; this explains the sometimes confusing mixtures between different gods and myths, since most umbrood have a very tenuous individuality and change appearance and properties depending on the viewer and his beliefs. In Egypt, human mages interacted freely with the gods, blurring the line between man and god. In these mythical times, time, space and individuality were still undefined and liquid, a state not unlike the Australian concept of the Dreamtime. There was no contradiction between seeing the sun as the eye of Horus, a sphere of gold rolled by a scarab or twelve gods ruling over each hour of day - all were equally true. Everyone consisted of an agglomerate of souls that could move apart and meld together. To bring order and structure to the world the humans developed ritual and eventually magick. According to the old myths the sun god Ra ruled both gods and men in the beginning. But the humans rose up against the gods, destroying their statues and upsetting the Law of Maat. Angered, Ra first intended to destroy the cosmos, but relented and led the gods to a voluntary exile in the worlds beyond the heavens. This may correspond to the first severing between the worlds of spirit and matter, and the creation of the Gauntlet. Needless to say, neither the gods or the humans could survive without each other and soon the temples were yet again inhabited by the manifestations of the gods and prayers rose to the sky, but gods and men no longer lived in the same world. Predynastic Egypt
Predynastic Egypt is largely unknown, but it is known that there were several smaller kingdoms, which were eventually united into Upper and Lower Egypt, which in turn were united by Menes of the first dynasty. Mages believe this corresponds to the mystical battle between Set and Horus, were Set represents Lower Egypt and Horus the victorious Upper Egypt. The struggle between the two gods continued for a long time, and the second dynasty swore allegiance to Set rather than Horus, but eventually Horus became the dominant god and the worship of Set declined.
Much of Egyptian dynastic history is influenced by the complex politics between the various priesthoods. These mage-priests had significant political power, and politics, religion and magick was intimately interwoven. Usually the priests of one city would work together against the priests of other cities, but sometimes political marriages between their respective divinities were arranged. Sometimes the Pharao would be weak enough to be influenced by the priests, sometimes the rulers were strong enough to make the priests obey and support him. The priests of Hermopolis, whose chief divinity was Thoth (by the Greeks identified with Hermes), would latter influence the Order of Hermes, although the Order drew on knowledge from many other priesthoods too. They envisoned the creation of the universe as he interplay between the eight gods of the Ogdoad (representing unformed reality) initiated by the divine word of Thoth. The solar priesthoods of Heliopolis and especially the priests of Amun influenced the Celestial Chorus, although to a much lesser extent. And the priestesses of Isis would secretly influence Egyptian history for millennia. The other priesthoods would play various roles in history, but in the end they died out or were assimilated into later magickal/religious traditions. The Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom (2682-2181 BC) began with the third dynasty and represented the pinnacle of magickal power of Egypt. The magick of pyramid building was developed during the third dynasty; earlier the egyptian kings and nobility had been buried beneath rectangular monuments called mastaba. But the influential priest- and architect-mage Imhotep realized that by building monuments in the right way, with the correct consecrations, the flows of quintessence could be diverted into magick. He built the staircase pyramid of Netjerykhet Zozer at Sakkara to give his king immortality in the next world. The natural flow of quintessence along the Nile was led into a complex enchantment to provide the dead king with a worthy afterlife and reflect his majesty back into the world. It seems that Imhotep had found the secrets of redirecting ley-lines with the help of architecture and using Quintessence to strengthen the empire by locking the paradigm in a certain shape. After the ascension of Imhotep, the mage was himself worshiped as the son of Ptah and became the patron of scribes and doctors. Mages have sought for his vanished temple near Sakkara for millennia to divine its secrets. During the fourth dynasty, Egypt had become a powerful and unified empire. The art of pyramid building had developed, and through temple complex and arcades the lifegiving quintessence of the Nile was channeled into the afterlives of the kings. But an unnamed priest-mage, possibly Imhotep himself, had seen further. He had a vision: an immense plan to create a great hieroglyph across the land, invoking the great god Horus, the god of the kings, to protect and empower for all eternity. Each pyramid, housing one of the decendants and incarnations of the God would be a part of this pattern, a kind of huge figurine for the god to inhabit. When he described his great vision to king Khufu (Cheops), the king listened. He ordered the construction of his own great pyramid to act as the center for the Pattern. The successor of Khufu, Redjedef, was not as enthusiastic and built only a minor pyramid at Abu Roasch in the north, accepting but not encouraging the Great Plan. The next king, Khafre (Chefren) was more loyal to the priests of Horus, and built his own sizeable pyramid alongside Khufu. But the Plan had also set dark powers in motion. Set, the ancient enemy of Horus, had awakened to this new threat. If the pattern was completed, the warrior-god would be invincible. But the god of the desert silently reached out with his unseen power and touched the land. He made people see the waste of building the huge monuments and the cruelty of their masters. He undermined the harvests with storms and drought. And he subtly corrupted the priests of Ra with ambition, forcing a subtle conflict between the priesthoods and a greedy amassing of wealth in the temples, undermining the power of the kings. Khufu was warned by the mighty mage Djedi of Djed-Sneferu. The mage prophecied that in three generations time the chest holding the number of the secret apartments in the sanctuary of Thoth would be brought from Heliopolis to the palace by a wife of the priest of the sun god, who would bear three children of extraordinary power - which will inherit the throne of Egypt. But the king accepted this destiny and did not challenge it, thus making it real. The successor of Khafre, Menkaure (Mycerinus), could not afford to create a pyramid as great as his predecessors, it was not finished at his death and instead of granite it was covered with bricks. After him strife and internal struggles followed, until the priests of Ra finally won and put the fifth dynasty onto the throne. Horus was no longer the god of the pharao, and Ra took his place. The great plan was forgotten, and while the next dynasties built pyramids none were as great or sacred as the old, and none were part of the Plan which was forgotten. Most of them crumbled after a few centuries, and the once great empire gradually desintegrated as Set spread dissent. The New Kingdom
During the New Kingdom (1567-1085 BC) beginning with the eighteenth dynasty, glory returned to Egypt. The kingdom expanded into an empire stretching from the Euphrates in the east to Kush (Etiopia) in the south, its enemies were crushed and wealth from foreign lands accumulated along the Nile. The Priestesses of Isis began to assert themselves, and under their guidance Makare Hatshepsut (1503 BC) rose to the throne in the 18th dynasty. Queen Hatshepsut was a formidable woman, probably secretly initiated into the priesthood or even a full mage herself, who had helped her lethargic father Akheperkare Tuthmosis I rule the land even as a small girl. She married her easily manipulated half-brother Tuthmosis II, and ruled through him until he died in 1501 BC. At this point she married away her daughter Neferure with Tuthmosis III, the nine year old son of Tuthmosis II with a concubine and ruled in his place until he came of age. Unwilling to let go of her power she proclaimed herself King and Tuthmosis III as her co- regent. Their relationship was strained, to say the least, but she kept the reins of power. Under her leadership Egypt prospered, although she let the army gather dust while she and her architect-mage Senenmut built a series of temples and monuments of uncertain use. It appears as the Priestesses of Isis were cooperating with the remaining architect-mages to develop a new occult pattern across Egypt, especially focussed in her famous temple complex in the Valley of Kings. This complex represents one of the major brekthroughs of sacred architecture, and links through a powerful ley-line to the nodes at Karnak. It appears likely that this temple was intended as a sanctuary and stronghold for the priestesses of Isis and Hathor (in later eras a coptic monastry was built in the vicinity, probably to exploit the powerful node). But the cooperation eventually turned into distrust, and other fractions began to support Tuthmosis III. Senenmut fell out of favor, and in 1482 Hatshepsut died. Her son systematically tried to erase her name from all monuments and inscriptions to obliterate her entire existence, possibly as a part of an occult purge against the priestesses. Little is known of the real conflicicts at this time, but it appears that while the kings grew in power and glory (the rulesrship of Amenhotep III is often regarded as the zenith of the new kingdom) other forces were upsetting the magickal balance of the Empire. The nephandic Servants of Nun grew in power, Set was once again worshipped and several magickal traditions were weakened due to vicious infighting. In 1379 the son of Amenhotep III, Amenhotep IV, took the name Akhenaten and retired to his city Akhetaten (²The Horizon of the Aten²). He denounced the worship of Amun and the priesthood of Thebes, and tried to replace it with the monotheistic worship of Aten, the disk of the sun. This was one of the major junctions in the history of magick; the conflict was not only about political power, but also about the paradigm itself as the priests of Amun sought to retain the old system and the priests of Aten to unify all gods, all existence within Aten (it is uncertain how much these ideas influenced the later Celestial Chorus, although many chorist scholars claim it proves that their tradition existed in this era or were founded here by Mentu-hetep the blind priest-seer). The king and his priests isolated themselves to invoke the powers of the new unitary god, but at the same time other groups opposed him and the disturbances in the law of Maat caused instability, invasion and plagues. Eventually the chaos rose to crush the king, and he died of plague. ... the temples of the gods and goddesses... were in ruins. Their shrines were deserted and overgrown. Their sanctuaries were as non-existent and their courts were used as roads ... the gods turned their backs upon this land ... If anyone made a prayer to a god for advice he would never respond - and the same applied to a goddess. Their hearts ached inside them and they inflicted damage left right and centre. Stela from the temple of Karnak
The priests of Amun siezed the opportunity and began to influence the young son of Amenhotep III, Tutankhaton (who now took the name Tutankhamun), using him to restore the kingdom. Slowly the strength of Egypt was restored, but the magickal power of the priesthood had been broken, possibly as a result of Sleepers witnessing the conflict. While the 19th dynasty rose to great power, the kings lacked the mystical leadership of earlier ages. The priesthood of Amun became a power equal to the king (during the 21st dynasty the priest-kings ruled Upper Egypt), but seems to have become corrupt and just another mundane power. Gradually the Empire began to decline, and foreign powers conquered the land - the libyans, the etiopians, the assyrians and the persians. During the second Persian invasion in 343 BC the Cult of Nun took the opportunity of the unrest and vandalized the temple of Hermopolis and managed to steal some of the shards of the world- egg that were hidden in an enclosure of the temple. What happened to them nobody knows; it appears likely that the cultists didn't manage to exploit the powerful relics, but their current wherabouts are completely unknown. The Hellenic Era
Alexander the Great freed Egypt from the Persian rule in 332. Many mages have tried to fathom the true designs of Alexander the Great. It is unknown how much he knew of the nature of reality (although his teacher Aristotele is regarded as one of the major philosopher- mages of his time), but it is clear that his conquests served to bring together the disparate traditions of the orient and occident. It is known that the priests of Amun pronounced him divine, which may mean that he was a powerful true mage (or that the corrupt priesthood simply tried to survive). His ability to cross huge distances safely and quickly, together with the widespread belief in his invincibility gave him an immense tactical advantage. Regardless of his true aims, he died like any other man during his campaign against India and was buried in Egypt. As his empire was split between his underlings, the Prolemies ascended to the egyptian throne, ushering in the new era of magickal cross-fertilization initiated by Alexander. Ptolemy I Soter began the building of the Library of Alexandria, and his successors continued the work. Hellenic Alexandria became world capital of magick and philosophy, a meeting place for different traditions and the home for some of the most famous mages of all time. This was a golden age for Egypt, both magickally and mundanely. But Rome grew in power, and it was clear that sooner or later Egypt would succumb to the new political and military power of the mediterranean. At the same time there was a resurgence of the Cult of Nun, and the rulers became weaker. The Alexandrian Mob (a mixture between a lynch mob and a political protection racket) became a very real power, and even deposed some rulers; various groups did their best to influence it. The Ptoleies became more and more puppets of Rome and the Mob. Cleopatra used the situation for her bid to the throne, seeking to both protect her land and to achieve her personal goals. She was an initiate of the Priestesses of Isis, but far too ambitious for their taste - while they wanted to spread the cult across the empire, she wanted it to rule the empire. One fraction tried to depose her and force her into exile, but she began to rally an army in Syria to re- take the land from her brother, who was their puppet. Then Ceasar arrived, and she quickly made sure he became her lover and deposed her brother. "As surely as I shall yet dispence justice on the Roman Capital" Cleopatra Several fractions of mages used the unrest to further their ends, including the Cult of Nun who in 47 BC used the Mob to burn part of the Library of Alexandria during Caesar's war. For a while it looked like Egypt and Rome would be united as equals. Cleopatra was preparing to start a new dynasty with Caesar, a dynasty that would rule the entire world. But in Rome she had fewer allies, her grandiose plans were anathema to many of the roman customs and ideals. A counter-conspiracy emerged, and Caesar was murdered to prevent the dictator from officially marrying the New Isis, a marriage that would have had profound political and magickal consequences. She had to flee back to Egypt, politically weakened just as the land was suffering from plagues and famines. She did a second attempt with Mark Antony but after his defeat at Actium in 31 BC the dream shattered. Cleopatra comitted suicide in 30 BC, and Egypt became a Roman province. The Priestesses and many other mages retreated to the shadows, and spread away from their enemies among the mystery cults of the empire. The Roman Era
The next centuries were a relatively peaceful period, when Egypt acted as the granary of first the roman and then byzantine empire. The Library continued to act as the premier center of learning and philosophy. But the developing christian faith began to cause trouble during the second century AC. Alexandria became a central point in the growing church, the place where many influential choristers gathered to define the new faith. At first, many of them were allied with the library (the jews of the Library played a significant role in both translating the scriptures into latin, and in uniting greek philosophy with christian faith), but more and more the choristers began to regard the library as unnecessary and pagan. The Library was eventually forced underground, and the choristers stood triumphant. But internal schisms weakened them, and while the Church became stronger many chorist groups were thrown out, including the Coptic choristers of Egypt. As Constantinople grew in power, Alexandria began to decline. The Arabs
In 639-642 the arabians led by Amr ibn al-As invaded and conquered Egypt. The Copt chorist groups in Egypt aided them, happy to overthrow the corrupt rulership of Constantinople. A secret treaty of mutual tolerance was forged between the coptic choristers, the moslem choristers and the batini which still partially holds. The different groups had completely different goals, and went along with them without disturbing each other. While the copts tended their people and the moslems spread the faith, the Architects of Divine Measure, a group of mystical architects, explored the ancient ruins and buildings, doing their best to learn their secrets. In time the kaliphate weakened, and the administrator of Egypt, Ahmad Ibn Tulun, became de facto ruler of the land. Although he was eventually murdered, the system he instituted went on and Egypt remained one of the major kingdoms of the arab world. The Fatimids
A group of the Ahl-I-Batin, the Brethren of Purity, desired Egypt's occult power to fulfill their esoteric goals. Their founder, the Persian occultist Abdallah Ibn Maymun, laid down a subtle plan to gain control and defeat the Kaliph in order to set up a more mystical society. He established himself in Tunisia, allied with some of the Berbers, and helped set up the fatimid direction of Shi'i Islam; even as he died in 875 his followers bided their time while the Fatimid dynasty grew in power. They secretly made contact with the Architects of Divine Measure and other groups. In 969, as they had predicted, the ruler of Egypt died and a series of low niles, defections and famines appeared; this was their signal to attack. They met little resistance. The very night after General Gawhar had conquered the old capital, he founded the new capital. The reason for the speed was astrology: the Brethren had great plans for the new city and planned to use a powerful conjunction together with sacred architecture to make it the most powerful city in the world. The general placed workmen along the poles and ropes marking the planned walls, waiting for a bell signal at the exact moment of conjunction. Suddenly the bells started ringing without anybody giving the signal - a raven had landed on the ropes connected to the bells, and the diggers started digging. Instead of being founded at the supreme conjunction they had intended, the city was founded when Mars was ascendant. Since Mars in arabic is El Kahira, the new city was named El Kahira, "the victorious". Although the founding of the city had been a partial fiasco, the Architects continued their long work of re-channeling the quintessence of the Nile valley. They built the Al-Azar mosque for the Brethren, one of the most powerful nodes ever constructed. The coptic choristers allied with them, and for a time the Batini of Egypt were united and in harmony with the dynamic spread of Shi' i. When contact was made with the Library of Alexandria in 970 it seemed that even the Highest was supporting their plans. But gradually corruption set in, possibly due to influence from the Cult of Nun or opposing batini groups that exploited a series of incompetent or insane rulers (Kaliph al-Hakim was so bizarre that many mages believe he was not human). The Brethren finally lost their grip on power 1074 when the commander of Acre, Badr al- Jamali moved in to restore order, and eventually he and his descendants became viziers. His son al-Afdal destroyed the spiritual leadership of the Shi'i by choosing the younger son of the kaliph as successor instead of the elder son, thus making the spiritual succession of the movement go to Hasan-i Sabbah of Alamut. The purists among the Brethren followed the leadership into the east (where they eventually became the power behind the Aga Khans of India), while the more pragmatic Brethren stayed behind or joined up with the Library. The Ayyubids
In 1169 Salah al-Din (Saladin) became ruler of Egypt, and formally abolished the Shi'i rulership once and for all. He also opened up the royal city, allowing common people to live and work in Kahira; Cairo began to emerge. Egypt began to prosper, and other groups of batini supported the spread of trade, science and culture. During this time the Templars came into contact with the batini and Library. An exchance of secrets occured, and some of the knowledge of the Architects came to europe, where it helped found the Craftsmasons. The Ayyubids fought off several christian invasions, but grew more and more dependent on their mamluk slaves (slaves mainly from Turkey) as they weakened. In 1249 al-Salih Ayyub died, but his favorite wife Shajar al-Durr kept this secret, and ruled in his name. It appears likely she was yet another of the Priestesses of Isis who got too ambitious; although she had showed her competence and had the support of the mamuluks who proclaimed her sultan, the kaliph and the ortodox were angered by this and forced her to re- marry. When her attempt to re-gain power failed, she was arrested and was thrown under mysterious circumstances from the red tower of the citadel. The Mamuluks
The Mamuluk era was a slow decline for magick in Egypt. The Mamuluk system was based on slavery. Young slaves were converted to Islam, educated and given a military training. If they managed to work their ways up the ranks they were eventually freed and pledged their loyalty to their former masters. Most high government posts were open only to the former slaves. To support their private armies they imported more slaves, creating a hotbed for intrigue, power struggles and violence. The batini tried to use this to regain power, but instead fragmented and became part of the confusing and deadly infighting, sometimes dragging other groups into the struggle. It was a slow descent into chaos, and the Cult of Nun ruled. The Nile shifted, the black death ravaged the land. When the Ottoman empire invaded in 1517, little changed. During this time some of the mages had become aware of the changes in Europe, and decided to deliberately ignore them. They instituted a policy of closedness, stopped the spread of the printing press and planned to let the european mages fight their own battle; Egypt seemed safe from the Order of Reason.
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Heka: Egyptian Ceremonial Magick Heka is the general term for Egyptian magick. The rites listed below provide a core foundation in Egyptian ritual magick for the esoteric practitioner.
The Opening of the Mouth
The Opening of the Mouth derives its name from its use in the funerary liturgy. It was recited before the mummy as its mouth was forcibly opened so that the deceased would be given voice in the underworld. Its usefulness to the living is that it helps develop the power of Maa Kheru, or 'right speaking'. This is a power that is essential in the mastery of Heka, or practical magick.
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Begin facing west, with the ritual dagger in hand. Un re-a an Ptah, uau netu, uau netu, aru re-a an neter nut-a.
I arefm Djewhty, meh aper em heka, uau netu, uau netu, en Suti sau re-a.
Khesef-tu Tem uten-nef senef sai set. Un re-a, apu re-a an Shu em nut-ef tui ent baat en pet enti ap-nef re en neteru am-es.
Nuk Sekhet! Hems-a her kes amt urt aat ent pet.
Nuk Sakhu! Urt her-ab baiu Annu. Ar heka neb t'etet neb t'etu er-a sut, aha neteru er-sen paut neteru temtiu. May Ptah give me voice, remove the wrappings! Remove the wrappings which the lesser gods have placed over my mouth. Come unto me Djewhty, bearer of Heka, full of Heka, remove the wrappings! Remove the wrappings of Suti which fetter my mouth. May Tem turn back those who would restrain me. Give me voice! May my mouth be opened by Shu with that divine instrument of iron with which the gods were given voice. I am Sekhet! I watch over the heaven of the west. I am Sakhu! I watch over the souls of Annu. May the gods and their children hear my voice, and resist those who would silence me.
Take the ritual dagger and trace a vertical line in the air to the west, in a smooth downward motion.
Qebhsennuf! Turn to the south and trace a vertical line in the air. Amset! Turn to the east and trace a vertical line in the air. Tuamutef! Turn to the north, and trace another vertical line from top to bottom. Hapi! I am the flame which shines upon the Opener of Eternity!
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The Opening of the Mouth was traditionally used to begin every religious and magickal ceremony. Its practise was universal and continuous throughout Dynastic Egypt.
The practice of magic
The [magician Horus-son-of] Paneshe returned [quickly]; he brought his books and his amulets to [where Pharaoh] was. He recited a spell to him and bound an amulet on him, to prevent the sorceries of the Nubians from gaining power over him. He [went] out from Pharaoh's presence, took his offerings and libations, went on board a boat, and hastened to Khmun. He went to the temple of Khmun, [made his] offerings and his libations before Thoth, the eight-times great, the lord of Khmun, the great god. He made a prayer before him saying: "Turn your face to me, my lord Thoth! Let not the Nubians take the shame of Egypt to the land of Nubia! It is you who [created] magic [spells]. It is you who suspended the sky, who founded the earth and the netherworld, who placed the gods with ....... Let me know how to save Pharaoh [from the sorceries of the] Nubians!"
From the story Prince Khamwas and Si-Osir
Preparations
In order for magic spells to succeed elaborate preparations had to be made at times: It was generally wise not to choose an unlucky day, the time (dusk and dawn were especially auspicious) and place (often a dark chamber, a dark recess, a clean dark cell or a secret dark place) had to be appropriate, and, as is only proper for such spiritual endeavours, the ingredients, the medium and the magician had to be suitable, which generally meant that they had to be ritually pure: If it be that you do not apply purity to it, it does not succeed; its chief matter is purity .
Thus in one divination spell a boy who has not been with a woman as medium was required, in another one could address the moon after being pure for three days.
Implements and ingredients too needed to be acceptable, either new or carefully cleansed:
You go to a dark chamber with its [face] open to the South or East in a clean place: you sprinkle it with clean sand brought from the great river; you take a clean bronze cup or a new vessel of pottery and put a lok-measure of water that has settled (?) or of pure water into the [cup] and a lok-measure of real oil pure ....
The Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leiden
One's own semen, a new brick or even milk of a black cow were relatively easy to come by, a two-tailed lizard on the other hand needed some searching, and Alexandrian weasels or hawks were becoming quite rare in the late first millennium BCE: in a temple which specialised in mummifying hawks there was a major scandal when it was discovered that the mummies contained anything but hawks.
Spells
The word, spoken or, perhaps even more potent, written down and read out aloud, was the means to influence other beings and bend them to one's will. Speech was often accompanied by actions, precisely prescribed rituals for which there were no obvious reasons and which frequently were repeated:
...... you take a vine-shoot before it has ripened grapes, you take it with your left hand, you put it into your right hand - when it has grown seven digits (in length) you carry it [into your] house, and you take the [fish] out of the oil, you tie it by its tail with a strip (?) of flax,you hang it up to . ..of(?) the vine-wood......
The Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leiden
Execration rituals included piercing of a figurine with needles or knives, spitting, or burning. Some pharaohs asserted their dominance over their enemies by symbolically trampling on them: they had their foes' pictures painted on the soles of their sandals.
Talisman facilitating the process of childbirth
Ptolemaic Period
Source: © Georges Poncet / Musée du Louvre Many spells required the use of special foodstuffs, magical implements, figurines, talismans and the like. During the Middle Kingdom magic knives, sometimes also called apotropaic wands, were made of carved hippo tusks and often decorated with animal depictions. One of them carried the words Cut off the head of the enemy when he enters the chamber of the children and the spells were hoped to afford protection from snakes, scorpions and other dangers. Animal figurines were among the equipment of tombs. Very popular were hippo talismans. Hippos are fiercely protective of their young and dangerous to man, the dead were therefore frequently endowed with figurines which had a leg purposely broken off to prevent them from hurting the tomb owners.
Vessels, lamps, knives and other utensils were used. Blood (of smun-geese, hoopoes, nightjars, worms, puppies, humans etc), semen, oil and water were mixed with other animal or plant matter (shavings from the head of a dead man, hawk, ibis or crocodile eggs, gall of a gazelle, ankh-amu plant, [senepe plant], 'Great-of-Amen' plant, qes-ankh stone, genuine lapis-lazuli, 'footprint-of-Isis' plant). Myrrh and frankincense were burned as was the Anubis-plant. Turpentine and styrax (storax), a fragrant gum, were added to the incense.
In execration rituals figurines were made of wax which could then easily be destroyed by force or by fire
Magic figurine
Ancient Egypt Magazine, Issue Nine - November/December 2001
This spell is to be recited over (an image of) Apophis drawn on a new sheet of papyrus in green ink, and (over a figure of) Apophis in red wax. See, his name is inscribed on it in green ink ... I have overthrown all the enemies of Pharaoh from all their seats in every place where they are. See, their names written on their breasts, having been made of wax, and also bound with bonds of black rope. Spit upon them! To be trampled with the left foot, to be fallen with the spear (and) knife; to be placed on the fire in the melting-furnace of the copper-smiths ... It is a burning in a fire of bryony. Its ashes are placed in a pot of urine, which is pressed firmly into a unique fire.
Nine Measures of Magic; Part 3: 'Overthrowing Apophis': Egyptian ritual in practice
Ancient Egypt Magazine Issue Nine - November/December 2001
Things were often chosen for their colour. Black, mentioned twenty times in the Demotic Magical Papyrus, and white, twelve instances, dominated: milk from a black cow, blood of a black dog, a new white lamp etc.
Great importance was attached to the names of the invoked gods or spirits, names which were hidden from the uninitiated. The very knowledge of their true names as opposed to those more widely known (Sarpot Mui-Sro is my name, Light-scarab-noble (?) is my true name), gave one considerable power over them. These appellations had to be pronounced properly, in the right sequence and in their entirety:
'........ Io, Tabao, Soukhamamon, Akhakhanbou, Sanauani, Ethie, Komto, Kethos, Basaethori, Thmila, Akhkhou, give me answer as to everything about which I ask here to-day.' Seven times.
The Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leiden
This invocation was to be repeated seven times. Often a simple two-fold repetition seemed to suffice, but three-, four- and even nine-fold reiterations were also frequent. In Ani's Book of the Dead, the deceased reaffirms his innocence four times:
I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. Budge The Book of the Dead, Chapter 125
These magical numbers were also important in other contexts. A certain love spell required nine apple-pips together with your urine, another a Kesh...-fish of nine digits and black. For a vessel divination three new bricks were needed and one was supposed to pour an unsavory concoction of semen, blood and other ingredients into a cup of wine and add three uteh to it of the first-fruits of the vintage. Other numbers like five, six or eight were rarely used
When the life of a patient was in danger because of a snake bite, a sekhmet priest might threaten to cause the solar barque to run aground on a sandbank, describing the dire consequences to the very fabric of the world that would ensue: The sun barque is at rest and does not proceed,
The sun is still in the same spot as yesterday.
The nourishment is without ship, the temple is barred,
There the disease will turn back the disturbance
To yesterday's location.
The daemon of darkness is about, the times are not separated.
The shadow's shapes cannot be observed anymore.
The springs are blocked, the plants wither,
Life is taken from the living
Until Horus recovers for his mother Isis,
And until the patient's health is restored as well.
After Jan Assmann Ägypten - Theologie und Frömmigkeit einer frühen Hochkultur, p.85
The need of the deceased for magic was perhaps even greater than that of the living. After dying they were completely helpless until their faculties had been restored by the ritual of the Opening of the Mouth and they had been equipped with the knowledge needed to address gods and daemons by their hidden, true names and the spells necessary to ward off the dangers they would encounter. Homage to thee, O great God, Lord of Maati! I have come unto thee, O my Lord, and I have brought myself hither that I may behold thy beauties. I know thee, I know thy name, I know the names of the Forty-two Gods who live with thee in this Hall of Maati, who live by keeping ward over sinners, and who feed upon their blood on the day when the consciences of men are reckoned up in the presence of the god Un-Nefer. In truth thy name is "Rehti-Merti-Nebti-Maati."
The Papyrus of Ani, translated by E.A.W. Budge
But not all was gloom in the Netherworld. The duties a person had to perform by himself in this world, could be attended to by a stand-in, a shawabti in the next, if you knew how to make him do it
Spell for causing a shawabti to work for its owner in the underworld. To be recited over the shawabti, which will be made either of tamarisk or thorn wood. This shall be carved to resemble its owner as he appeared in life, and placed in the tomb.
Look upon this man, ye gods, transfigured souls and spirits of the dead,
for he has acquired force, seized his moment, taken on royal authority,
he's a pharaoh, ruling mankind, controlling them like cattle.
They were created to serve him. The gods themselves ordained it.
Now, shawabti:
If, in the world of the dead, X is ordered to perform the yearly stint of public work all Egyptians owe their pharaoh,
be it to move bricks, level off a plot of ground, re-survey land when the Nile-flood recedes or till new-planted fields,
you will say; "Here I am!" to any functionary who comes looking for X while he is trying to enjoy his meal of funerary offerings.
Take up your hoe, shawabti, your pick, your demarcation pegs, your basket, just as any slave would for his master.
O shawabti made for X, if X is called for his obligations to the state you will pipe up: "Here I am!" whether X is summoned to oversee workers in the new-planted fields, tend to irrigation, move sand from East to West or vice versa
"Here I am!" you will say and take his place.
Coffin Text 472, translated by Jacob Rabinowitz
Addressing supernatural powers
Prayers and offerings
In dealing with the gods care was required. They were powerful and, consequently, highly respected: Mut carried the epithet Great in Magic, the vulture-headed Heknet was Mistress of Spirits, the hippo goddess Taweret was called Great of Sorcery and Sekhmet was the Powerful One. Their nature was often dual: Taweret was a protectress against Typhonic powers, carrying an ankh or a burning torch, but she had the form of an extremely dangerous animal [13]; Sekhmet, a ferocious lion goddess, brought death and destruction when she accompanied the pharaoh on his campaigns of war, but was the main support of the healers in their fight against disease. It was best to treat them with reverence.
Many people today may see practices such as prayers and offerings to gods as distinct from magic, it was not to the Egyptians. Both the living and the dead went to great lengths to receive the blessing of the gods. Hymns of praise were composed and recited, written down on papyrus and put in the tombs. Offerings of food, real or carved on walls, were supposed to satiate the god's hunger and thirst.
Just as the statue of the god Amen for instance was the god himself, a magician, by identifying himself with a god, was transformed into him
'I will say: "Come to me Montu, lord of the day! Come, that you may put N born of N into my hand like an insect in the mouth of a bird". I am Montu whom the gods adore. I will sever your bones and eat your flesh.' Ostracon found at Deir el Medine
19th dynasty
Ancient Egypt Magazine: Nine measures of magic
Invoking and dismissing
Lesser magical beings like demons, spirits or the deceased did not quite warrant the same amount of respect. But they were the main agents of magic and could be invoked by simple means:
Prescription to make them speak: you put a frog's head on the brazier, then they speak.
or
Prescription for bringing the gods in by force: you put the bile of a crocodile with pounded frankincense on the brazier. If you wish to make them come in quickly again, you put stalks (?) of anise (?) on the brazier together with the egg-shell as above, then the charm works at once. The Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leiden
If they did not obey they (even lamps) could be threatened:
I will not give thee oil, I will not give thee fat. O lamp; verily I will give thee the body of the female cow and put blood of the male bull into (?) thee and put thy band to the testicles (?) of the enemy of Horus. The Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leiden
Once one had received their services it was best to send them away as they could be unpredictable
His dismissal formula: 'Farewell (bis) Anubis, the good ox-herd, Anubis (bis), the son of a (?) jackal (and ?) a dog . . . another volume saith: the child of . . . Isis (?) (and ) a dog, Nabrishoth, the Cherub (?) of Amenti, king of those of.....' Say seven times.
or
The charm which you pronounce when you dismiss them to their place: 'Good dispatch, joyful dispatch!'
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THE TOOLS OF MAGIC
Amulets
An item, worn, hung from a chain or cord or bound to the body, thought to enhance positive forces and ward off evil influences. (the djed pillar (Osiris), scarab (Khephre), Isis knot, see the pectoral, left)
Gold and Precious stones
Gold was thought to be the skin of the gods, silver represented the bones of the gods and precious stones, such as lapis lazuli, was the hair of the gods. In general, things of beauty, were considered to be pleasing to the gods.
Knots and Numbers
A magic knot is the convergence of the forces of the earth and the divine. A number is considered to be an abstraction of a knot. In the Leyden Magical
Papyrus seven is the number that has a particularly compelling power.
The substitute Body
Wooden models of humans, who would be entombed with royalty and nobles to perform duties for the dead in the next t world. These are shabtis or those who answers. Waxen figures would be used as the objects of hatred and anger.
Letters to the Dead
These are communications from the living to their deceased relatives, asking them for forgiveness, help and assistance and guidance.
The Lamp
A special light used to divine the existence of good or evil forces.
ncient Egyptian Magic
Ancient Spells
Scorpion Magic
In ancient Egypt, special knowledge of the properties of powerful elements-- the sun, the earth, water and fearsome animals-- the snake, the crocodile, the scorpion, and therapeutic essences-- the poppy, the acacia, and honey, was the province of magicians. Magic was part and parcel of the ancient religion. Egyptian magic was not to display psychic powers or perform fantastic feats, but rather, it had a practical purpose in the civilization. Magic was the way by which one extended and eased life,
relieved physical and emotional pain and, generally, advanced individual well-being and benefitted society. Egyptologists have unearthed thousands of scrolls and texts, documenting innumerable, healing prayers and spells against evil. The ancients saw magic as a creative force that bound spirit and matter together. Magicians sought the thread of spirit, that connected to any actual object (or in the case of illness, a condition), then addressed intervening energies to that connection.
Purification From the Book of the Heavenly Cow
to pronounce this spell in the right way
(one) must be drenched in oil and ointments,
with a censer filed with incense in hand;
he must have natron of one quality
behind his ears,and natron
of another quality in his mouth;
he must be clothed in two new vestments,
having washed in flood water,
be shod in white sandals
and have a picture of the goddess Ma'at
painted in fresh ink on his tongue.
This spell must be read
when one is in a state of purity
and without blemish
and has not eaten small animals or fish
and has not had carnal relations.
Egyptian Alchemy
by Michael Poe
There are some definite misconceptions expressed on Alchemy. Alchemy is not about transmuting lead into gold, does not involve using electricity, and is not part of tantric. Alchemy is a spiritual experience that is a combination of two things, the transmutation of the workers spirit with the transmutation of physical substances; which creates the Elixir of Life. While in the broad sense that Alchemy is a transmutation. The source of the word "alchemy" has had a lot of discussion among alchemical writers and alchemists. The most agreed upon definition of the term Alchemy is this: "Al" an arab word meaning THE and "Khemia" meaning Egypt, which comes from the ancient Egyptian word for Egypt meaning "black land" thus: "The Black Land". The physical and metaphysical process has always been described in allegories, hence the confusion of work with metals. Gold of a Thousand Mornings is a non-fiction book describing alchemy by a man and wife team in France. It dwells on both the spiritual and physical aspects and describes the work that they did. An Alchemists Handbook has a brief description of the meaning and the "Great Work describes in great detail how to do the physical work. In order for alchemy to work, you need to do both at the same time as you need self transformation to work in order for the physical transformation to work. The chemical side of work delves mainly into herbs, and if you use herbs in your regular work, then you will have real use with alchemy. In the chemical aspect, the herb's essence is extracted (the gold from the dross), as well as yourself (your essence is purified). To do so, you usually need chemical glassware such as a condenser, or soylent extractor. This is a typical operation when making perfume from flowers or making an herbal extraction. The main difference is that the extraction takes place with a magical bent to it. Rituals are done during the extraction process, timing is essential (astrological, lunar, and solar, and seasonal timing) . One of the aspects in alchemy is to gather certain herbs, minerals to produce an elixir that will extend life. Before ingesting it, an alchemist would sometimes test it by adding a pinch of it to lead, and if it turned into gold, then the elixir is finished and can be used. However, turning lead into gold was never the end product for the work, but merely a test. Other useful herbal/concoctions can be made without achieving the 'Elixir of Life.'
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Rituals To the major ancient Egyptian temple colleges, the elements of ritual were emphasized. A magician, priest/ess, magic worker at home would end up with several invocations to the four quarters, several closings, etc. The magician at home would have more of a recipe collection of ritual elements rather than a book of Shadows of complete rituals, and would have the know how of how to put them together. I personally have about 3,000 such recipes, from astral projection to zoomorphic projections, including blessings, opening and closing rites, spells, divination, consecration, initiation, weather, tantric, etc. The Pyramid Texts contain about 700 more, and the Coffin Texts, over 1,200 more. To the Egyptian; The Way of the Ritual; it's chief god/dess to be invoked and the way the ritual is to be directed (weather magic for example) will determine which other ritual elements are used. Also remember that the Egyptians had generic ritual elements, usually blessings, consecrations and hymns. A generic hymn to a goddesses will have spaces in which the goddesses name, titles and some of her powers would be included. There were more than one set of god/desses for the four directions; and even the direction that you started your ritual changes with the orientation of the ritual. For example; if you wanted to do a ritual for fertility of the land, you start off facing south the Life Giving Nile, then West to appease the desert, then North symbol of fertility, then the East rising sun, cosmic fertility, then back to South. Naturally if you are solar oriented using gods like Amon, Ra, Horus, and goddesses like Sekhmet or Bast, you started with the east and work your way clockwise. Ritual Music
Egyptians used a 5 note scale, and had such instruments as lutes, pipes and flutes, drums, zills, tambourine, and sistra. The sistra or sistrum was the most magical instrument used, based on three horizontal metal bars with round metal clappers sliding on them. These were used by women only, and only during ceremonies and ceremonial singing. We have made several reproductions, most don't sound very good. But I was able to "rattle" an original and it sounded wonderful. Something of a cross between a babbling brook and wind chimes. Developed by the Egyptians to help bring on trance states and whatever other emotional responses prior to and during ritual, it may very well have worked, especially with half a dozen or more going at once.
Egyptian Sun Meditation
Find a place in the sun; if it is possible this works best outdoors, if not a sunny spot by a window works well too. Get a comfortable chair and sit with your back straight, your legs together and your palms resting on your thighs. Close your eyes and feel the warmth of the sun on your body let it relax you. When you feel relaxed, imagine the sun as a glowing golden ball floating just over your head, feel that this ball has a strong masculine personality that knows and loves you. When this feeling is strong, imagine a beam of light shooting out of the ball and entering your head through your third eye (middle of the forehead) feel the light entering your head and cleansing your mind of negative thoughts and energy. Next, imagine a second beam coming from the ball and entering your throat. This beam cleanses your aura, burning negative energy and outside unbalances away.
Now you should imagine a third beam entering your heart. The energy should warm and comfort you, bringing your emotions into harmony. Imagine a fourth beam entering your stomach, this beam energizes your body, providing nourishment and leaving you feeling healthy and invigorated. Now raise your hands to the ball, palm up in the Egyptian sign of worship. Imagine a fifth and a sixth beam piercing your palms. The energy that flows here should bring you in tune with nature and the universe. Rest in this position as long as you feel comfortable, allowing the sun's energy to cleanse and invigorate you.
When you feel ready to stop, cross your arms over your chest and gather the beams to your body making them one with your essence.
Imagine the golden ball gently withdrawing and drifting back to its place in the sky. When it has completely retreated open your eyes.
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Recommend Delete Message 9 of 14 in Discussion
From: LadyCinnAine Sent: 3/1/2006 9:30 AM
A Meditation on Nuit
by Frater Shadow
Blessed be She, who gave birth to the universe, blessed be She.
Blessed be She, who gave birth to all things in the beginning.
Blessed be She, who fulfills Her promises.
Blessed be She, who carries out Her decrees.
Blessed be She, who is merciful toward the earth.
Blessed be She, who is merciful toward Her creatures.
Blessed be She, who rewards those that revere Her.
Blessed be She, who lives forever and exists to all eternity.
Blessed be She, who redeems and rescues, blessed be Her name.
Blessed be Thou, O Lady, our Goddess, Mother of the universe. O Goddess, O merciful Mother, Thy people ever praise Thee; Thy faithful servants ever glorify Thee. With songs of Thy servants will we praise Thee, O Lady, our Goddess. With hymns and psalms will we acclaim Thy greatness and praise Thy name. We shall acknowledge Thy sovereignty, declaring that Thou alone gives life to the universe. Thou art the Queen whose great name is to be glorified to all eternity. Blessed be Thou, O Lady, Thou Queen, who art ever to be adored with psalms of praise.
The Passion of Ast and Nebt-Het This rite is inspired by the Coffin Texts, Spell 74. There are two celebrants, each taking on the role of Ast or Nebt-Het.
Together:
Come! Live! Arise!
Hak-iri Asar! Hak-iri Asar! This helpless one, asleep
This helpesss one, silent
We alone know how to find you
We alone know how to wake you Come, lay us on his bones
Come, let us lift his head
Come, lay us in his arms
Come, let us wake him. For Asar, the seasons turn
For Asar, the moist kisses Ast: I am Ast.
Nebt-Het: I am Nebt-Het.
Heru will avenge you, Djhewty will protect you.
The earth will see, the gods will hear.
Give your rule over to your son, as we give ourselves over to you,
And let us tend to your weary bones.
I am Nebt-Het. Ast: I am Ast.
Pour into us, bring on your flood!
Your enemies are on their faces, as we are on our backs.
Fill the world with your gifts, as you fill the banks of eager rivers,
And let us tend to your weary bones.
I am Ast. Nebt-Het: I am Nebt-Het.
Your son obeys you, as you obey your father.
You obey your heart, and your body obeys your will.
Spread the gift of eternal life, as seeds are spread over fertile fields,
And let us tend to your weary bones.
I am Nebt-Het. Ast: I am Ast.
Together: Come! Live! Arise!
Hak-iri Asar! Hak-iri Asar! Ast: I am Ast.
You are beautiful as you descend, even as the sun
At the gates of the mysteries of the shining ones.
You pour forth the light of our yesterdays, even as you pour your love into us,
And let us tend to your weary bones.
I am Ast. Nebt-Het: I am Nebt-Het.
The trembling of your flesh is at end,
The troubles laid to rest as the veil of night is parted.
The Ways are opened once more, the banks of the rivers are swollen,
And the world dreams of your eternal slumber, even as you dream of us.
I am Nebt-Het. Ast: I am Ast.
Together: Come! Live! Arise!
Hak-iri Asar! Hak-iri Asar!
The Dedication of the Temple This rite is a general-purpose evocation that can be used to dedicate a room as a ritual space. It can also prove useful as a sort of cleansing ceremony to be performed in each room of a residence, to remove any latent energies remaining from previous magickal work.
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Begin by facing west, the ritual knife sacred to Djewhty in hand Praise be unto Asar Un-Nefer, king of eternity, lord of the everlasting, whose forms are manifold, whose works are mighty. The point of the dagger is thrust westward, while vibrating the name Hutchaiui! Turning counter-clockwise to the south Praise to you who created the gods, who raised up the sky, who spread out the ground; who made those below and those above, he who lights the two lands. Open the doors of heaven, throw open the sky to me. The dagger is thrust to the south, while vibrating the name Shehbui! Turning counter-clockwise to the east O Ra, the womb of Nuit is filled with the seed of the Spirit which is in her. The earth bends beneath our feet. O ye who rise and rejoice, carry us with you; let us live forever. The point of the dagger is thrust to the east, while vibrating the name Henkhisesui! Turning counter-clockwise to the north O grant unto me a path whereon I may journey in peace. Thy water is to thee. Thy flood is to thee. The doors of heaven are open to thee, the doors of Nuit are open to thee. The point of the dagger is turned to the north, while vibrating the name Qebui! Turning counter-clockwise to the west, thereby completing the circle Praise to the lord of truth, whose shrine is hidden, from whose eyes mankind issued, and from whose mouth the gods came into being. As high as is the heaven, as broad as is the earth, as deep as is the sea. The dagger is thrust westward a final time, with SILENCE being vibrated in place of a name. Eyes and arms are raised to the sky. Above me stretches Nuit, the Lady of Heaven. Beneath me lies Geb, the Lord of the Earth. At my right hand Ast, Lady of Life. At my left hand Asar, the Lord of Eternity. Before me rises Heru, the beloved Child and the Hidden Light. Behind me shines Ra, whose names the gods do not know.
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The Gathering of Heka This recitation is to be memorized and repeated as an oath and dedication to the practise of Heka. It is most effective as a sort of mantra, and as such should be spoken in the Egyptian, rather than English. The translation is given only to elucidate the meaning of the spell. This spell is from Chapter 24 of the Papyrus of Ani, the "Chapter of Gaining Power."
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Nuk Tem-Khepera kheper t'esef her uart mut-f. Ertau unsu en ami Nu, behennu en amiu t'at'at. Ask temt-na heka pen entef, kher se entef kher-f, betenu er thesem, khak er sut. A anen makhent ent Ra! Rut aqi-k em mehit em khent-ek er Se-mesert em neter-khert. Ask temt-na heka pen em bu neb enti-f, kher se entef kher-f, betenu er thesem, khak er sut. Arit kheperu em ertu mut em qemam-tu neteru em sekeru. Erta-entu mut seref en neteru. Ask erta-na heka apen kher enti-f betenu er thesem, khak er sut, khak er sut.
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Translation: "I am the uncreated god. Before me the dwellers in chaos are dogs, their chiefs merely wolves. I gather the power from every place, from every person, faster than light itself. Hail to he in the heavens who is strong even before the terror of the darkness. He gathers the power from every place, from every person, faster than light itself. He restores the giver of life. He creates the gods from silence alone and comforts them. He bestows upon me this power from every place, faster than the shadow follows the light." SPELLS Headache Take equal parts of the following:
berry of the coriander,
berry of the poppy-plant,
wormwood,
berry of the sames-plant,
berry of the juniper-plant,
honey. Mix the ingredients together and a
paste will form. Smear the afflicted person with the paste.
Indigestion
Crush a hog's tooth
and put it inside four sugar cakes. Eat for four days. Diarrhea Mix 1/8 measure of figs,
1/8 measure of grapes,
1/32 measure of bread dough
1/32 measure of pit-corn
1/64 fresh lead-earth
1/32 measure of onion
1/8 measure of elderberry. Sing: O, Hetu!
Again: O, Hetu! Constipation Mix half an onion
in the froth of beer.
Drink it. This is also a remedy against death. (the above spells from The Ebers Papyrus). To Tell if a Child will Live on the Day it is Born If it cries "ni: it will live.
If it cries "ba" it will die. Papyrus Ebers Spell to Become a Child Again I have indeed become a child,
whom my father begot
and of whom my mother spoke.
such am I. Book of the Dead, Spell 291 Burns Make a mixture of milk of a woman who has borne a male child, gum, and ram's hair. While administering to the patient say: Thy son Horus is burnt in the desert.
Is there any water there?
There is no water.
I have water in my mouth
and a Nile between my thighs.
I have come to extinguish the fire. To Drive off a Cockroach Keep away from me,
lips of crookedness,
I am Khonsu,
lord of the circuit,
who brings the words of the Gods
to RE;
I report the message
to it's Lord. -Book of the Dead, Spell 36 To Get Out of Jail Ho [name}! You shall not be examined,
you shall not be imprisoned,
youo shall not be restrained,
you shall not be fettered,
you shall not be put under guard . . . -Book of the Dead, Spell 23 Spell to Be a God Ho [name]! You are a god
and you shall be a god,
you shall have no foes
or opponents with Re
who is in the sky
of with Osiris the great god
who is in Abydos. Coffin Texts, Spell 19 |
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Homework Exercises
Lesson 6 Egyptology
1) What is the term for general egyptian magick?
2) Hippos are fiercely protective of their young and dangerous to man, the dead were therefore frequently endowed with figurines which had a leg purposely broken off ...why?
3) The Opening of the Mouth derives its name from its use in the funerary liturgy. It was recited before the mummy ...why?
4) One of the aspects in alchemy is to gather certain herbs, minerals to produce an elixir that will do what? Before ingesting it, an alchemist would sometimes test it by adding a pinch of it to lead, and if it turned into _______, then the elixir is finished and can be used.
5) Egyptian magic was not to display psychic powers or perform fantastic feats, but rather, it had a practical purpose in the civilization. What was it?
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