Symbolism (ePub)

From the Preface: 'Standing behind the words in this book, like the falcon god Horus enclosing Pharaoh in his wings, is the leitmotif of man's consciousness. After much study, reflection, and also visits to many ancient Egyptian monuments, I have come to the conclusion that the development of consciousness was the essential project of the priests of ancient Egypt, and that one of the means they used to achieve this end was the expression of spiritual truths by means of symbolism.' Modern thought and ancient Egypt are both based on symbolism. While we think that our science is 'true,' in reality it is a symbolism of mathematical equations based on theories that may or may not conform to reality. The creation of the universe by the 'Big Bang' is no more 'true' than the creation by the Egyptian 'god' Atum creating the world from Nun, the chaotic watery abyss. Their conception of creation was just as true for them as our conception is for us. Both are symbols of a reality unexplainable by the reasoning mind. The symbolism of ancient Egypt, contrary to what most Egyptologists say, has to do, we believe, not only with the afterlife, but with the development of man's consciousness in this life. Modern science only deals with what can be measured, thus limiting itself to the physical plane of existence and ignoring higher levels of consciousness that cannot be measured. Ancient Egypt did not have this limitation: their so-called 'gods' were actually symbols for cosmic functions or laws that operated on every level of existence including that within man.