Relativos al Uso de la Orientación en la Enseñanza Reglada

The science of archeology is barely over one hundred years old. Until recently, it had been mostly enshrouded in the conventions of methodology, with many professionals in the field struggling to reconcile the data of ancient Egypt with either biblical history or Darwinian theory. Fortunately, some independent approaches have emerged in modern times, fusing the data of archeology, anthropology, and the emerging science of archeoastronomy to explain some of the ancient mysteries that remain unresolved.

Along with the scholarly approaches, speculative views have been postulated that place the answers far from the realm of the Egyptians themselves. Some propose that influences outside of human civilization are the forces behind the legendary esoteric tradition of ancient Egypt. Theories from intergalactic space­

ships to secret political hierarchies from the mythical Atlantis have been earnestly forwarded, none of which have brought us any closer to comprehend­

ing the ancient legacy. Still, an alternative interpretation of the known facts, alluded to by various proponents of the esoteric tradition throughout the ages, offers tremendous insight into the situation; this has been discounted by acade­

mia for obvious reasons that we will examine later.

A most unique and thought-provoking study of this esoteric tradition was accomplished by the Alsatian mathematician, philosopher, and orientalist Rene Schwaller de Lubicz, a scholar whose views formulated a "symbolist" interpre­

tation of Egypt's legacy-a term borrowed from the late nineteenth century French literary and art movement that rejected academic and realistic modes of representation. De Lubicz spent a significant part of his life in Egypt studying its monuments and culture, and his work has only in recent times become accessi­

ble to English-speaking students. Initially met with scholarly derision and rejec­

tion, de Lubicz's ideas have nevertheless been gradually and clandestinely incor­

porated into mainstream egyptology, almost as if they had been a part of it from its earliest days.

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As expected, the symbolist approach of de Lubicz departs from the conven­

tional posture of early egyptology that viewed Egypt's spiritual framework as a crude precursor of Western monotheism. It begins with the acceptance of Egypt's ancient chronology as legitimate record, albeit couched in arcane lan­

guage, and then looks at the supporting evidence of ancient historians as a valid account, examining the remnants of Egyptian civilization-art, architec­

ture, literature, and science-in the symbolic language of the Egyptians them­

selves. De Lubicz's interpretations are neither subjective nor speculative, they are delivered in light of what we are beginning to discover about the ancient disciplines integrally, in line with cosmology, physics, anthropology, and genet­

ics. He says, "The symbol is a sign that one must learn to read, and the symbolic is a form of writing whose laws one must know."4

This groundbreaking work was one of the precursors of a modern egypto­

logical renaissance that has dispelled a narrow, literal interpretation of Egypt's legacy. Until recendy, this narrow interpretation was the source of a tremendous amount of confusion about ancient philosophy, science, and religion. Thanks to the enlightened views of de Lubicz and other modern scholars, we can become empowered with the knowledge that the human race has possessed-and still could possess-the wisdom to build monuments that will endure for millennia and the insight to coexist harmoniously with the natural environment. This prospect, if explored seriously, could revolutionize the education, science, reli­

gion, and philosophy of our time.

The key to making this prospect a reality is in the rediscovery of what the symbolists call the Sacred Science, a body of knowledge from which all of Egypt's endeavors arose. Through the prodigious studies that de Lubicz com­

pleted-of temples, literature, and art-he revealed that the use of this science was a conscious, deliberate effort to apply the deepest spiritual wisdom to human life. This was effected through the use of what we would today call magic, but which to the Egyptians was a natural technology of transformation.

De Lubicz also proposed that this knowledge is tremendously archaic-possibly predating Egyptian civilization itself-and that it is a discipline which melds sci­

ence, the arts, religion, and philosophy.

4 De Lubicz, Symbol and the Symbolic. New York: Inner Traditions International, 1978.

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reli-One objection that conservative scholars have to interpretive views on al}cient Egypt such as this arises from the fundamental religious prejudices that most of us hold but fail to recognize when examining other civilizations. For example, the symbolist view departs from the common monotheistic and materialistic inter­

pretation of the world that prevails in Western creeds. Instead, it articulates a polytheistic, metaphysical approach that is necessary to understanding the world of the ancient Egyptians, who produced a scheme of the universe populated by innumerable divine powers interacting on numerous planes of manifestation.

The symbolist view, as the name implies, also emphasizes the symbol as expo­

nent of divine principles at work in the mundane sphere, in addition to its literal description, artistically and linguistically. We know that the Egyptians utilized symbol extensively in their art, architecture, writing, and science-in a manner that often confounds the student. This is because the symbol in Egyptian think­

ing stands for more than an idea: it also represents a state· of being. And most importantly, the critical element of their use of symbol is that no condition, con­

cept, or element is without its corollary in the natural world. In this respect, the ancient Egyptians excelled in communicating ideas that intertwine with the rhythms of nature, plant, animal, and even human life. Hieroglyphic writing is an outstanding example of this.

Although hieroglyphic writing shows no real evolution and appears fully developed from the most archaic times, it did acquire elaboration as time passed, until three distinctive forms came into use: hieroglyphic (comprised of signs), hieratic (a cursive form of hieroglyphic), and demotic (a late vernacular also in cursive form). We ^will look at how three archaic and recurrent hieroglyphic signs illustrate the manner in which the Egyptian symbol serves to convey both con­

crete and abstract ideas. By happenstance, all three represent a particular aspect of "universal protection," and all three also share common symbols but use them in unique ways.

The drele universally signifies a unity, or a continuous, eternal principle in motion. The horizontal line is commonly used to signify the plane of reality or sequential, linear phenomena such as the measurement of time. The vertical line commonly denotes an energetic principle in ascent or descent. These ideas have been expressed from time immemorial in the arts and sciences of diverse human cultures, but in Egyptian symbolism they are associated with forms

Shen: A hollow sphere bound by a rope to a horizontal base, reminiscent of the Greek ouroboros. The circle represents the continuance of natural forces through cyclic periods, tied to the plane of manifestation. It refers to timeless time, endless peri­

ods, and eternity in hieroglyphic writing. In art and architecture, the Shen was presented to those-both divine and human beings-who had completed a series of transformations. It is most commonly seen surrounding the names of royal persons as the cartouche.

Ankh: A representation of the umbilicus, which connects new life to its source of nourishment and growth. In its archaic form, the loop, and its tail are connected to the arms with a length of rope tied in the center. The Ankh symbolically represents life and the living, and the endowment of the life force. When delivered by a divinity, the transference of the god's living principle to the recipient is denoted.

Sa: The sign is associated with an ancient device constructed of woven rushes, worn by boatmen of the Nile as a flotation device. The woven cylinder was folded and bound by a rope, and slipped over the shoulder as a life preserver. As a symbol, it is a representation of cosmic energy, which is shared by both human and divine beings. It is also used to signify magical and intangi­

ble strength and spiritual protection. In religious texts, it refers to "the fluid of life."

Figure !-Hieroglyphs of Protection: The common elements in these images-the circle, horizontal line, and the rope-are fused to represent a particular aspect of the universal pro­

tective functions.

found in natural life. The uniqueness of the Sa, Ankh, and Shen, however, is that the figures are composites of the circle and line-"tied" together or 'joined" by woven rope-a device associated metaphorically with the action of knotting, consolidating, or drawing together multiple states of being.5

Sa represents divine protection, and is used in the context of "constituting" or

"establishing" an action or a place. The Sa figure is shown in some of the earli­

est tomb inscriptions of ancient Egypt depicting everyday activities, revealing

5 Guenon, Rene: Fundamental Symbols: The Universal Language of Sacred Science. Cambridge: Quinta Essentia, 1995, p. 278.

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that the symbol is derived from a floating device used on Nile vessels to protect boatmen from drowning. At the same time, it is used in written form to indicate protection by means of the universal force that binds all things together. The Sa figure comes into being when the horizontal plane of reality is fastened by the cosmic cord to form a protective coil. A number of divinities are shown using the Sa as a sceptre or a "marker." In representations of the sky, the Sa is often shown at the center of the pole, to represent the "mooring post" or place of stability in the heavens .

Ankh, simply meaning "life," has been the subject of much speculation: it is believed to represent everything from a penis sheath to a sandal strap. In the con­

text that it is used, however, some scholars postulate that it represents the fun­

damental connection to life that all the living have from the beginning-the umbilicus. It is used in pictorial inscriptions to show how life is conveyed from divine to human beings, and how life is infused from one form to another to ensure vitality. In written form, the Ankh refers to that which is protected, vital­

ized, and renewed. The most ancient inscriptions of the Ankh show the loop and its tail joined to a horizontal bar with wound rope, suggesting the descent of an eternal principle to the physical plane.

Shen represents the idea of protecting life through isolating and defming what it surrounds. The Shen surrounds the written name of royal persons as a cartouche, symbolically fortifying the person with the power of continuance.

The circle symbolizes the unbroken circuit of natural forces; it is "tied" to the plane of reality by the cosmic tether.

Thus, Sa, Ankh, and Shen each express how we are tied to the universe, to each other, and to natural forces. When considered in this light, Egypt's reli­

gious and philosophical mysteries as expressed in their writing can appear less baffiing, as literal translations fail to elaborate on such possibilities of meaning.

The combination of human and animal images as spiritual ideas, for instance, opens up a fascinating world of metaphors rather than a per verted convolution of nature. And while the Egyptian language does have rules of context implied, the symbolic nature of its words, signs, and levels of meaning have not yet been fully explored.