( Extract from the book - "Heka - The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Ritual & Magic by David Rankine - for more information on this book click here)

Although different gods were worshipped in different parts of Egypt, and rose and fell in significance, the children of Re were of central importance to the daily cycle of life. Amongst the gods present in the solar barque with Re were various deities he was said to have fathered in one manner or another.

Amongst these were Heka, Hu and Sia, providing the magical energies and their means of manifestation. Also present was Maat, said to be his daughter, who was central to the whole Egyptian worldview. To indicate why this is so, I shall consider her nature and roles in more detail.

Maat embodied the concepts of truth, justice and cosmic order. She is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts as standing behind Re, implying that she is the source of his power. In this context she is described as giving delight to Re and giving "life to his nostrils" (note the importance of breath again). As time passed she became seen as the daughter of Re, and also as the wife of Thoth, God of Magic, who put the laws of Maat into writing. Maat was also sometimes partnered (though not as wife) with Heka.

Maat was usually depicted as a beautiful young woman with wings and her symbol of the white ostrich feather on her head. The feather implies air and the breath of life, implicit in terms found in ancient Egyptian texts like breathing in Maat.

The term upholding Maat was sometimes used to describe the practice of heka. Maat is central to the practice of Egyptian magic and religion, and in some respects can be seen as the most important deity of the whole pantheon.

Maat had several major roles in the continued well-being of Gods and men. One of her symbols was the hieroglyph of the plinth on which statues stood, implying the supremacy of Maat, representing the order that even the gods strive to perceive. This may be seen through Maat shrines usually being present in the temples of other gods rather than being distinct, and also statements like "the gods live on Maat.

The most significant role of the Pharaoh was to uphold Maat, and the success of his reign would be measured by how well he did this. Many of the Pharaohs took the title "beloved of Maat" to emphasise their position. One of the most important ceremonies performed by the Pharaoh was the presentation of Maat, where he would make a ritual presentation of a Maat statue in the Temple of the Gods, saying "I give you Maat with my left hand, my right hand protecting her". The presentation was most often made to creator gods, like Amun, Re and Ptah.

As the goddess of justice Maat was the patron of judges, they wore small gold pendants of her as a sign of their authority. Reference is made to magicians painted depictions of Maat as a feather onto their tongues with magical ink to demonstrate they spoke only words of truth when performing their spells.

In her role of goddess of the balance in the underworld, Maat was the central figure of this rite of passage. Her feather of truth was weighed on the scales against the heart, and she also presided over the weighing with Osiris in his role as Lord of the Underworld. The weighing took place in the Hall of Two Truths, and Maat was often depicted in twin form here. The gods who acted as the judges of the divine tribunal of the soul were called the Council of Maat.

The soul of the deceased had to recite the Negative Confessions, forty-two statements of good conduct that were seen as guidelines to living a balanced life, a life of Maat. If the heart of the deceased then balanced against the feather, the deceased was judged to be "true of heart and voice" and would live with the gods. If not they were fed to Ammut, the devourer of souls, and annihilated.

A clear parallel can be seen between the forty-two pylons or portals to be passed through on the journey to the Hall of Two Truths, the forty-two judges of the Divine Tribunal and the corresponding number of negative confessions that had to be made. Due to her role in the underworld, the term "joining Maat" came to be used as a euphemism for dying.

Maat had a variety of titles, which emphasise her roles in the ancient Egyptian cosmology.

These epithets include:

" Directress of the Underworld.
" Justice.
" Lady of the Hall of Judgment.
" Lady of the Heavens Queen of Earth.
" Law.
" Maat the Beautiful.
" Perfect Measure.
" Right Order.
" Sustainer of the Sun.
" The Changeless.
" The Good Gift.
" The Undeviating.
" That which Is True.
" Tracer of the Course of the Sun.
" Truth.
" Twofold Truth.
" The Measure of the Heart.

 

( Extract from the book - "Heka - The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Ritual & Magic by David Rankine - for more information on this book click here)