Egypt Legends

The Magician's Journey to the Duat (continued)

Se-Osiris, Egypt's Greatest Magician, Travels to the Land of the Dead

Inside the Third Region the boat drew up to the bank and the souls climbed up and walked in procession through the outer court of the Hall of Judgement. Once all aboard were left to their fate, the Boat of Ra moved on through the next region and the next, until it had completed it's journey through the Nine regions of the Night and Ra was reborn in the East with the rising of the Sun.

Setna and Se-Osiris followed the souls of dead to the portal of the Hall of Osiris where each answered the challenge of the Door-Keeper as they had been taught in life.

"You cannot pass unless you know my name. What is my name?" the Door-Keeper cried.

"Understander of Hearts is your name and Searcher of Bodies," each soul answered in turn.

"Who should I tell of your coming?" demanded the Door-Keeper.

"Tell the Interpreter of the Two Lands that I come," replied the souls.

"Who is the Interpreter of the Two Lands? asked the Door-Keeper.

"It is Thoth the Wise God."

So each filed passed the Door-Keeper in turn.

Thoth greeted each one saying, "You can come with me, but why have you come?"

"I have come to be announced."

"What is your condition?"

"I am pure of sin."

"Who do you wish to see?"

"The one whose ceiling is of fire, whose wall are made of writhing serpents and whose floor is flowing water, for he is Osiris."

"Very well," answer Thoth and led them before Osiris upon his throne. Osiris was wraped as a mummy is in death with the Uraeus on his forehead and the crook and the scourge crossed his breast. Before his throne stood a huge balance to weigh the heart of the souls.

As each soul stood before Osiris each proclaimed his defense: "I am pure! I am pure! May purity is an that of the Bennu Bird, whose nest rest upon the stone persea-tree, the obilisk at Heliopolis. I have come without sin, without guilt, without evil. I live on trueth and eat of truth. I have given bread to the hungry..." Each soul continued until the proscribed speach had been completed.

Annubis then took each heart out of the Ka of the soul and placed it on one Scale. On the other scale, was set the feather of Truth. The heart of the evil doer was heavy with sin and sank low on the balance. Waiting below the balance was Amemt the Devourer of Hearts. Amemt waited to reach the sinking scale and grabbed the hearts weighted with sin. He bore the heart away and the evil doer was forced to walk into the flickering darkeness of the Duat where Apophis dwelt in the Pits of Fire.

But the good man's heart rose in the lightness of his good deeds and Thoth cried out to Osiris, "This man has spoken truth. Let not the Eater of Souls have power over him. Grant him a place in the Fields of Peace with the the companions of Horus."

Horus then took the good man's hand and bade Osiris grant the soul a place in the Fields of Peace. And Osiris nodded his consent. The good man ran rejoicing into the Fields of Peace to await the time when Osiris returned to earth to live with the righteous.

Setna and Se-Osiris watched silently as the good and the evil were sorted into their just destinations.

"See, Father, the rich man's fate is not affected by his wealth or the splendor of his funeral procession, but the gaining of that wealth may place a heavy burden of sin on his heart. Even the poor man can attain the rewards of the Fields of Peace, and the wealth or poverty of his life has no bearing on his judgement. As the poor man's life is simple and unburdened by the practices of gaining and keeping wealth and status, his heart too is unburdened."

With that, Se-Osiris led this father soaring through the night back to reclaim their bodies at the Temple in Thebes.

Together they watched the sun rise from the forecourt of the temple and contemplated the judgement of Osiris in the Underworld.