Ancient Egyptian Temples,

And Sanctuaries and Shrines….

Author: Rev. Michael Poe

 

                We are all familiar with those large, imposing Egyptian temples, Temple of Isis at Aswan, Edfu, Esna, Luxor, Karnak, Abydos and others, many gone or currently underneath present-day towns.   All of those originally operated under 100's if not thousands of staff.   But even among those temples, notably in the Karnak and Luxor area were smaller temples, small three room types that probably didn't have more than a dozen staff associated with it.   Lesser known were other temples, sanctuaries and shrines scattered throughout Egypt, some we know only by name, some we have excavated that have no name.  This article explores different types and who used them.

 

          Mystery Temples:

 

         First and foremost and the most enigmatic of them all were the "Mystery" temples.   Yes, the ancient Egyptians had temples that they called

 

"Mystery Temple" or "Temple of Mystery" but with no other words about what they were, how they were used, where they were located, and

 

occasionally not even whom (god or goddess) they were built for.   These temples  are found mentioned on temple rolls or offering dedications.  

 

Some or all of them may actually refer to temples that we already know of by other names, some are so nebulous that they could be "Astral" temples. 

 

This would make sense since the Ancient Egyptians regarded most of the heavens to be exactly like the physical Egypt but with perfect inundations,

 

overabundance of crops a perfect life.  However in all material that the Egyptians do mention about the Egyptian heaven and how it is a perfection of

 

the physical Egypt they never mention any temples being in the heavenly Egypt, yet you would think that there would be.  Did they perform mysteries in

 

them, hence their  name?  We don't know.   Did they have a temple staff, we don’t know.   For now they will remain the mystery temples, something we

 

are intrigued to know more of, and if you excuse the phrase, may remain one of the great "mysteries" of Ancient Egypt.

 

          Temples:

 

         The great Temples which we all know and love include Karnak, the Temple of Hathor at Denderah, and the Temple of Isis at Aswan.  The Temple of

 

Heru at Edfu gives a complete list of its morning, afternoon and evening ritual, a list of all of its festivals, a list of the books in its

 

temple library, and even had a laboratory for making incense and oils.   Each temple was surrounded by a wavy shaped wall, denoting Nun, the watery

 

abyss and made the distinction of sacred space within the walls to the outside world.  Each temple had Pharaohs depicted on the outside walls (along

 

with god/desses) who defended the temple within.   Each temple had at least 1 courtyard, an inner courtyard and a sanctuary within.  A lot of what we

 

know about what went on in the temples is actually inscribed on its walls.   Some temples had secret chambers and hidden passageways (the Temple of

 

Denderah is notable for its secret chambers with its fantastic carvings).   While almost all temples followed a general architectural pattern there

 

were also variants.  The temple at Abydos had 5 sanctuaries and an underground passageway to the Osirian, a large underground chamber that had

 

water surrounding its floor (originally it had a hill over it with a sacred grove of trees).   The temple of Bast at Bubastis was actually lower than the town

 

and people could look into it (at least the courtyard) and see the sacred grove of trees growing in the middle of the courtyard.  The temple of Ra at

 

Annu of the North (called by the Greeks Heliopolis) may have had an entranceway on the East and the West opening into courtyards and leading to a

 

central open air sanctuary.    The Solar temples of the 5^th and 6^th Dynasty were open and did not have roofs over the altars.  For every preserved

 

temple you can find today there are probably 5 more that are not well preserved or still hidden under fields and today's towns and villages.   In some

 

cases the temples were dismantled and hauled away for another building project (in ancient Egypt the old temple was dismantled and incorporated in a

 

new bigger temple, but in the Greco-Roman to Islamic period they were hauled off to be incorporated in regular buildings which is why in some Islamic

 

mosques and forts you find blocks from old Egyptian temples.)   Obviously we know more about what went on in those well preserved temples than we

 

do with the dismantled ones but they did similar rituals in most of them.  In all cases the general public was not allowed any further than a certain

 

section of the outer courtyard (as indicated by a certain bird carved into the columns), everywhere else was for the temple staff only.  Some temple

 

precincts such as Karnak and Luxor has smaller ancillary temples, sanctuaries and shrines within its grounds.   Karnak and Luxor had small

 

sanctuaries/temples to Ptah and Sekhmet for example.

 

          Sanctuaries:

 

There were two types of sanctuaries.  The first was the room in the Egyptian temple that the shrine sat within.   There were also those outside of

 

temples that were small, usually consisting of a courtyard, inner courtyard and sanctuary.  The courtyard would do good to hold 30 people who

 

were very familiar with each other (or would be after gathering there).   Sanctuaries could be built within another temples precincts (such as

 

Karnak and Luxor as stated above, or the Sanctuary of Hathor just outside the Temple of Ptah in Memphis), and a Sanctuary of Renenutet-Isis or

 

Thomuthis at Dedera, or they could be stand-alone sanctuaries.    The sanctuaries within other temple precincts probably had a standing

 

priesthood and staff while the sanctuaries that were scattered around the countryside were more likely to be staffed by a family of

 

priests/esses that inherited the job.  Here things were a little more informal.  In some cases (from records of the Greco-Roman period mainly) the laity

 

or general public was allowed all the way into the sanctuary during certain periods.   The temple staff may have one "High" priest (generally from the

 

family that inherited the office) but other magical workers occasionally were from a select group of villagers who got together for ritual (think coven in

 

this). 

 

          Some sanctuaries were not dedicated (we assume) to any particular god/dess since the sanctuary itself had no decoration.  It is possible that

 

rituals were performed for the god/dess "of the moment" and depended more on what the ritual was about than who ran the sanctuary.  There are a

 

small few Greco-roman references to some sanctuaries that were open to dedicated groups of people (here again, think coven more than temple staff)

 

during certain times and everyone during the other times.

 

Shrines: 

 

         There were two types of shrines as well.  The shrine inside a temple was a small stone or wood shrine that housed the statue of the resident God

 

or Goddess inside the sanctuary of the temple.  There were also small shrines that were occasionally found within temple precincts as well as

 

scattered about the countryside and even in the courtyard of estates (or any home that had a walled garden around it).  Being smaller, generally of 1

 

room size or even just a standing stone or mudbrick shelter for a god/dess there was usually no temple staff to go along with them.  Some shrines had

 

a resident or part time priest/ess (usually of the inherited family type) or had absolutely no person in charge at all and anyone or everyone could go

 

and do their own rituals.   Those shrines in courtyards of family estates were for the family (and probably any invited friends) and were usually run by

 

the eldest son or any family member who also was a priest/ess.

 

Sacred Groves:

 

        Sacred Groves:  Even the ancient Egyptians had sacred groves of trees, and why not, it's damned hot in Egypt during the summer and trees

 

were highly valued.  Osiris had a sacred grove of trees over the Osiriseion.   Trees were also sacred to Bast (the sacred grove in her temple

 

courtyard), to Hathor (who nourished the dead from a tree), in Heliopolis (the Temple of Ra had a sacred tree in the courtyard), Isis and others.   There

 

are no known temple staffs assigned to the sacred groves and were probably used by individuals, informal group get together, and maybe the

 

Occasional formal group (or circle they were usually called in ancient Egypt).  Other that having sacred groves really nothing is known of their use.

 

 

 

 

 

Ancient Egyptian Ritual Calendar

What to do, what to do?

 

Author: Rev. Michael Poe

 

If you have ever seen an ancient Egyptian ritual calendar on the web?  Have you noted that not all the calendars start on the same day, even on the same month?  Does that leave you wondering which one, if any, is right?   And what do you do on the holidays/ritual days it names? 

 

First to clear up things, or make them muddier, there were at least three different calendars being used throughout most of Egypt at any one time.   The agricultural calendar is moon based and gets wonky because a lunar year rarely lines up with the solar (or Civil) year and could get progressively further away from the start dates of the solar (Civil) year.  That calendar you don't normally find on the web and so we will ignore it.   Then there is the Sothic calendar based on when Sirius is visible just before sunrise after the period it has been invisible.   Most Egyptologists think the Sothic calendar started when it coincided with the solar calendar (or civil calendar) in mid July or when it occurred when the inundation started on July 19th.  Since Sirius (Sothis in Egyptian) has a celestial progression (meaning each year the star is seen on a slightly later time), the Sothic calendar gradually starts farther away from the Civil Calendar.  I'm not sure when it does "its thing" now, but it may be as late as mid or late December.  Plus, add to it that it occurs slightly differently in Egypt then say in Portland Oregon on any given year.   Many of the calendars you see on the web are based on the Sothic year and explains why the beginning of the year (and hence the holidays as well) is different.

 

The Solar or Civil year is based on the Inundation of the Nile, which happily is fairly consistent when it rises.  The civil year starts on July 19 each year with 12 thirty-day months and 5 extra days.  While some festivals and events may have used the Sothic or Lunar year and therefore changed dates from year to year, many of them are celebrated on the Civil calendar and occurs on the same date each year.  We think.  We’re not positive since many of the festivals are listed on temple walls and they don’t refer to which calendar system they are using.  The problem you have on the Internet is that you might find a ritual or festival that you like but don't know if the date given (such as September 10) is based on the Sothic, Lunar or Civil calendar unless the web site specifies.  If it is based on the Sothic or Lunar calendars then the question is, does the date on the web site correspond to the date it was celebrated in Ancient Egypt at the time (at which case it would be a different date now) or the date given for the year the web site was published?   Such a quandary, especially since most sites don't tell you which calendar the date is based on.

 

However, if you find the civil calendar starting on July 19 (although I have seen a couple of web sites that start the Civil calendar as July 21^st start date and I don't know why), then you know that the date of the event listed there is accurate each year, regardless of it being 2009 BCE or 2009 AD.   This is the one the CES uses and you can find it at some other places on the web as well.  You can find the civil calendar on our newletter under calendar.

 

Holidays, ritual days, what are they?  Kind of a combination of both, most of the days were holidays for the common Egyptian, and ritual days for the priest/esses.  Some days are more of one than the other so excuse me if I use both terms.   Later in the article I will distinguish between the two.

 

Now that you are either more confused or slightly more enlightened the question arises, just how does someone celebrate these ritual/holiday dates?   Unless you are rich enough to not work or you are retired, there are just to many ritual days to celebrate and besides I am sure that many may hold no interest to you anyway.  So check over the calendar and note that ones that you are interested in.  For instance Isis worshippers would have a fairly easy time of finding ritual holidays sacred to Isis or Isis/Osiris.   Note that the Festival of Bast the Cat Goddess is held on the Celtic Hallows! Meow!

Some people, who shall remain nameless, insist that all rituals were held on the full moon, presumably because so the ancient Egyptian people don't stumble on their way back from the temple.  I find that incredible to believe as many of the ritual dates are for solar deities so the Egyptians would celebrate during the day (and who doesn't want a holiday off work.

 

Once you find the events listed on the calendar it's then pick and choose.  There are a multitude of holidays, some are specific to god or goddess, some are not specific such as the Festival of all the Gods and Goddesses, and some don't appear to relate to any god or goddess.   That’s okay.  Those of the latter may be more oriented to the Pharaoh such as the Heb-sed festival or to the dead (think of an Egyptian Cinco de Mayo).  One book, by Normandie Ellis titled "Egyptian Festivals" may be of some help but her book is strictly Goddess oriented, and even on those festivals she listed, her slant is Isis oriented, even if some of the festivals she has were not Isis oriented at all.

 

So here is a way to approach the holidays or ritual days that I use that is probably close to what the ancient Egyptians did.

 

Seasonal rites: the Egyptians had their harvest festivals in February through April and planting in October and November.  Isn't that backward to our seasons?   Yes it is, and here you can make an exception, or stay with the traditional Egyptian seasons or Gasp!  Do both!  Unless you are in Alaska, and even that may be possible you can have a planting ceremony in late fall, just find plants that do well as late plants such as bulbs and any winter vegetables. In February through April you can harvest the bulbs (flowers are especially welcomed by any god/dess as an offering).  Think also beyond the tulips and daffodils to other bulbs such as garlic (another ancient Egyptian must have).   Also think about growing some plants indoors, some herbs may do well, consult your local kitchen witch or plant nursery.  These rituals can be done by individuals or a small group.  You can plant a figure of Osiris, Min, Isis or Renenutet in the garden as part of your ritual.

            Social Interaction: low, how many people want to plant or harvest, depends on how much land you have to do it. 

            Food:                           maybe after the planting ceremony, definitely after the harvest rituals.

            Music:                          perhaps, probably chanting and singing

            Ritual                            yes, small, simple prayer or ritual for sowing or the complete Sowing of the Earth Ritual.  Harvest festivals can be

                                                     Boisterous happy events during the harvest, solemn during the ritual, and boisterous during the feast.

 

Feast days: Such as the Feast of Isis and others. The main emphasis is FEAST.  It is a time of rejoicing and eating (and usually drinking as well).  Some of the ancient feast got quite Bacchanalian such as Hathors feast or Basts feasts.  Music is also very appropriate.   To do a feast day, plan a good meal or potluck, throw on some music (ritual or belly dancing or middle eastern), plan on a small ritual.

            Social Interaction:    high

            Food:                        a lot of it and a major part of the ritual is the offering

            Music:                        ritual music during ritual, something gay afterwards (belly-dancing)

            Dancing:                   if you want

            Ritual:                       yes but small, it doesn't have to be perfect or formalized.

            Magic:                       little to none, more of a brief honorary to that god/dess

 

Festival Days:  Similar to the Feast days.  Make the ritual a little longer. Example Festival of Renenutet (a harvest festival)

            Social Interaction:     high

            Food:                          a lot of it and a middl’in part of the ritual as an offering

            Music                          see Feast

            Dancing                      if you want

            Ritual:                        medium

            Magic:                        little to medium/honors the god/dess/ you can do things like make individual offerings or requests

 

Birthdays:  Even gods and goddesses have birthdays in ancient Egypt.  There are no descriptions that I have yet found that describe what goes on a deity’s birthday, even though there are many birthdays listed in the calendar.  I would assume it would be similar to a Festival or Feast day.   In a modern setting you could do a festival or feast and make a cake for the god/dess.

 

Days of the Dead: There are numerous days to honor the dead on the Egyptian calendar.  If you don't feel any deceased relatives may like being honored in an Egyptian ritual, expand your scope to those pagans that you knew or knew about that may be honored.   Scott Cunningham would, our CES has several "old guard" original founders who have died, and surely there must be somebody in magic that you would like to honor.   Also you can further expand it to ancient Egyptians, a queen or king that you admire, an ancient Egyptian priest or priestess, or Egyptian person you also liked.

            For honoring an ancient Egyptian priest or priestess or Egyptian people here are some suggestions.  Imhotep, a Leonardo D'Vinci in his day, priest of just about everything and deified by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.  Amonhotep-son of Hapu is another that was deified by the ancient Egyptians.  Maybe one of their philosophers such as Ptahhotep.  On the web you can probably find some ancient Egyptian priest or priestesses of your particular god/dess that you can honor.  In these cases you can consider many of them to be a kind of Ascended Master and call upon them to guide or help you. 

            You could even honor a pet cat (sacred to Bast) or dog (sacred to Anubis) that you care for.

            Social Interaction:       Low

            Food:                            yes, first to the deceased, and then consumed (assuming it’s not  Kibbles for the cat)

            Music:                          optional

            Dancing:                      no

            Ritual:                           yes, small to medium, honor them, offer the food, maybe ask for assistance or guidance

            Magic:                          Medium.  Hymns, asking for them to be a guardian spirit (if you feel safe with that), but never assuming the Godhood.

 

Ceremony of …….:   There are a few ritual days starting out as Ceremony of …..  Depending on what else it says this could be a full-blown ritual and may involve an elaborate ritual.  It could also be a drama/mystery play, depending on what it is.

            Social Interaction:      Low at first, if you have a lot of preparation for it, more after the ritual.

            Food:                           Occasionally, usually some offering (flowers, incense, bread, beer or wine, but the offering is usually not the emphasis)

            Music:                          Ceremonial music usually a must, or tambourine or sistrum during part of the ritual

Ritual:                            Ceremonial rituals.  Some of the holidays list what the specific ritual is, such as “Priests and Priestess’es help maintain      order through Ma’at,” or “Opening of the Mouth Ceremony” or “Osiris Mystery” These are the most magical or ceremonial of the

                                                    Holidays.  Here you may be able to add a specific ritual type in such as initiation, dedications, divinatations, assumptions,

                                                    Astral temple building, purification or deification of the body.

               Magic:                           On many of these rituals you can perform a lot of magic.  See some suggestions in Ritual above.

In conclusion:  Pick a calendar that is right for you (ours listed here in Papyri is one of the most complete I have found, since I have spent years developing it), experiment with some of the holidays.