Ancient Egyptian religion Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with many deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature. The practices of Egyptian religion were efforts to provide for the gods and gain their favor. Formal religious practice centered on the pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Although a human, the Pharaoh was believed to be descended from the gods. Individuals could interact with the gods for their own purposes, appealing for their help through prayer or compelling them to act through magic. The religion had its roots in Egypt's prehistory and lasted for more than 3,000 years. Theology The beliefs and rituals now referred to as "Ancient Egyptian religion" were integral within every aspect of Egyptian culture. Deities The gods Osiris, Anubis, and Horus, in order from left to right Associations between deities Atenism
Geographic Distribution of Religious Centers in the U.S. These maps were generated from the listings in the Pluralism Project's Directory of Religious Centers and reflect the distributions as of August 2006. Click on the thumbnail to view a printable, full-size map in a new window. Interfaith: 604 Centers Jainism: 94 Centers Sikhism: 244 Centers Hinduism: 714 Centers Buddhism: 2150 Centers Islam: 1583 Centers Sphinx Perhaps the first sphinx, Queen Hetepheres II from the fourth dynasty (Cairo Museum) A sphinx (Greek: Σφίγξ /sphinx/. Bœotian: Φίξ /Phix) is a mythical creature with, as a minimum, the body of a lion and a human head. In Greek tradition, it has the haunches of a lion, sometimes with the wings of a great bird, and the face of a human. In European decorative art, the sphinx enjoyed a major revival during the Renaissance. Generally the role of sphinxes is associated with architectural structures such as royal tombs or religious temples. Back of Sphinx, Giza Egypt Egyptian sphinxes[edit] The largest and most famous sphinx is the Great Sphinx of Giza, situated at the Giza Plateau adjacent to the Great Pyramids of Giza on the west bank of the Nile River and facing due east ( WikiMiniAtlas 29°58′31″N 31°08′15″E / 29.97528°N 31.13750°E / 29.97528; 31.13750). Perhaps the first sphinx in Egypt was one depicting Queen Hetepheres II, of the fourth dynasty that lasted from 2723 to 2563 BC.
The strange star that has serious scientists talking about an alien megastructure A long exposure image showing an airplane passing in the sky during the Perseids meteor shower over the remains of a centuries old Christian basilica near the town of Pirdop, Bulgaria, early on Aug. 12. (Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images) “It was kind of unbelievable that it was real data,” said Yale University astronomer Tabetha Boyajian. “We were scratching our heads. She was talking to the New Scientist about KIC 8462852, a distant star with a very unusual flickering habit. Boyajian wrote up a paper on possible explanations for the star’s bizarre behavior, and it was published recently in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. To Wright, it looked like the kind of star he and his colleagues had been waiting for. Aliens. Or, to be more specific, something built by aliens — a “swarm of megastructures,” as he told the Atlantic, likely outfitted with solar panels to collect energy from the star. [No, we haven’t discovered alien megastructures around a distant star]
Maat The earliest surviving records indicating Maat is the norm for nature and society, in this world and the next, were recorded during the Old Kingdom, the earliest substantial surviving examples being found in the Pyramid Texts of Unas (ca. 2375 BCE and 2345 BCE).[2] Later, as a goddess in other traditions of the Egyptian pantheon, where most goddesses were paired with a male aspect, her masculine counterpart was Thoth and their attributes are the same. After the rise of Ra they were depicted together in the Solar Barque. After her role in creation and continuously preventing the universe from returning to chaos, her primary role in Egyptian mythology dealt with the weighing of souls that took place in the underworld, Duat.[3] Her feather was the measure that determined whether the souls (considered to reside in the heart) of the departed would reach the paradise of afterlife successfully. Maat as a principle[edit] Winged Maat Maat and the law[edit] Maat wearing feather of truth See also[edit]
Planet Tozer Creative Review commissioned photographer Jason Tozer to shoot these pictures on behalf of Sony using its new Alpha 350 digital camera. They are, in fact, all common-or-garden soap bubbles, shot in-camera. We'll be revealing more on how Tozer obtained these stunning images later in the week. The full series is shown below and to see them at a larger size simply click on each image. Alternatively you can check out the Flickr set we've created for the project at CR's photostream page. Click here for more details on the new Sony Alpha D-SLR. For more of Tozer's work, see jasontozer.com Seshat In Egyptian mythology, Seshat (also spelled Safkhet, Sesat, Seshet, Sesheta, and Seshata) was the Ancient Egyptian goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and writing. She was seen as a scribe and record keeper, and her name means she who scrivens (i.e. she who is the scribe), and is credited with inventing writing. She also became identified as the goddess of architecture, astronomy, astrology, building, mathematics, and surveying. In art, she was depicted as a woman with a seven-pointed emblem above her head. Usually, she is shown holding a palm stem, bearing notches to denote the recording of the passage of time, especially for keeping track of the allotment of time for the life of the pharaoh. She is frequently shown dressed in a cheetah or leopard hide, a symbol of funerary priests. As the divine measurer and scribe, Seshat was believed to appear to assist the pharaoh in both of these practices. Seshat assisted the pharaoh in the "stretching the cord" ritual. See also[edit] Gallery[edit]
Evidence for God from Science Egyptian mythology Egyptian mythology is the collection of myths from ancient Egypt, which describe the actions of the Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the world. The beliefs that these myths express are an important part of ancient Egyptian religion. Myths appear frequently in Egyptian writings and art, particularly in short stories and in religious material such as hymns, ritual texts, funerary texts, and temple decoration. These sources rarely contain a complete account of a myth and often describe only brief fragments. The details of these sacred events differ greatly from one text to another and often seem contradictory. Egyptian myths are primarily metaphorical, translating the essence and behavior of deities into terms that humans can understand. Mythology profoundly influenced Egyptian culture. Origins[edit] The development of Egyptian myth is difficult to trace. Another possible source for mythology is ritual. Definition and scope[edit] Content and meaning[edit] Sources[edit]
This Year’s Finest Conjunction: Venus and Jupiter Two brightest planets Venus and Jupiter come as close as a third of a degree apart as seen from North America. It will be easy to spot them in the western sky as no other celestial body will outshine the beautiful tandem when the sun and the moon are down. “To the eye they’ll look like a double star,” said Kelly Beatty, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine. “Anyone who hasn’t glanced at the evening sky for a while will be surprised by how dramatically tight the pairing is.” The closest conjunction will happen on June 30th and July 1st, 2015. Star Walk is available worldwide on iOS, Android, Kindle and Windows Mobile.
Arabic phrasebook The following phrasebook deals mostly with Modern Standard Arabic. See the Lebanese Arabic phrasebook, Jordanian Arabic phrasebook or the Egyptian Arabic phrasebook for Arabic dialects relating to those regions/countries. Arabic is the fourth most widely-spoken language in the world and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is spoken in many popular destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. Arabic is written from right to left. For communication purposes while travelling and using this guide, it is very important to note that Arabic is divided into Classical Arabic (mostly used in print) and Colloquial Arabic. Pronunciation guide[edit] Arabic pronunciation varies widely from place to place, almost to the extent of making it unintelligible even for native Arabic speakers. Standard Arabic will be understood by most educated people, as it is what they hear frequently in news casts. As a general rule: . , or kh while using the voice box. Phrase list[edit] Please.
The Multidimensional Human There is evidence to suggest that other worlds or dimensions exist just beyond the range of our normal perception, but we remain unaware of them because our minds are not objectively conscious at these higher levels. Our normal level of consciousness is restricted in some way, preventing us from tuning in to these subtler realms. If you have young children you might have noticed them looking a things that don't appear to be there or talking to "imaginary friends". Very young children can actually see into these hidden worlds, but they lose the ability as they grow older. In altered states of consciousness the censorship of the physical mind ceases. What am "I"? Dr Evan Harris Walker, author of The Physics of Consciousness, is regarded as one the pioneers of the modern consciousness research. In his book World of Psychic Research, Hereward Carrington describes how Dutch scientists succeeded in weighing the physical body before, during and after out-of-body experiences. Human Experience
Edgar Cayce on human origins People usually demand a beginning, so in the beginning there was a sea of spirit and it filled all of space. The spirit was static, content, and aware of itself. It was a giant resting on the bosom of its thought and contemplating what it is. Then the spirit moved into action. God desired self-expression and desired companionship; therefore, God projected the cosmos and souls. Each design carried within it the plan for its evolution - both physical and spiritual. All things are a part of God and an expression of God's thought. All things, including the souls of individuals, were created as "fractals" of God for companionship with God - the "Whole." The pattern God used to create souls was the pattern of God's own Spirit. The spirit of the individual existed before the soul of the individual was created. Thus, new individuals issued from God and remained dependent upon God; but individuals were also aware of an existence apart from God. But these things could happen.