What is Heka (part 2)

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

Continued from "What is Heka" (part 1)- Click Here

Another title of the god Heka was Lord of Ka's, referring to the soul. This is a significant title, as all mankind and even the gods have ka's. In the Middle to Late Kingdom Heka becomes seen as the ka of Re, with Re declaring, "Heka is my ka." From this perspective Heka can be seen as being as significant as Maat as part of the underlying force and flow behind the whole of the cosmos.

Coffin Text spell 648 stresses not only the role of Heka as Lord of Ka's, but also as the power the gods used, and the inherent magic of the word:

"His powers put fear into the gods who came into being after him, his myriad of spirits is within his mouth. It was Heka who came into being of himself, at seeing whom the gods rejoiced, and through the sweet savour of whom the gods live, who created the mountains and knit the firmament together."

In conjunction with Sia (Perception) and Hu (Creative logos), Heka was involved in the creation of the first time and the separation of heaven and earth. This is one of the reasons why these deities are shown in the solar barque of Re, as they are all part of the process of first creation, which the magician returns to by creating a sacred space and performing magic (heka).

This is also why he is "Heka who opens his two eyes that the two lands might see", for he is the agent of Re, whose perception (Sia) and utterance (Hu) empowered by magic (Heka) ensures the continuances of the cycle of daily creation.

Heka is also referred to as the Elder Magician, emphasising his primal nature as the first child of Atum-Re, and distinguishing him from younger deities of magic who draw ultimately on his power, like Isis.

As has already been mentioned, Re declares that Heka is his ba, and this is stated unequivocally in The Book of the Heavenly Cow, where Re declares:

"I am the one who made heaven and who established it in order to places the ba's of the gods within it. I shall be with them for eternity which time begets. My ba is Heka. It is older than it [time] … the ba of Re is in Heka throughout the entire land."

The association between Heka and Maat is indicated in one of the Vienna Papyri, where Heka is described as "Controller of the House of Natural Law". Natural law is the function of Maat, so this implies the function of magic as part of the normal functioning of the universe, within the balance of Maat.
The title Wer-Hekau, meaning Mighty of Magic, is derived from heka. This title was used by several of the major deities, all of whom were particularly linked with magical powers, specifically Anubis, Isis and Thoth.

Originally Weret-Hekau (the Great of Magic) was a cobra goddess, whose form may have survived into serpent wands, but she was assimilated into other deities like Isis at a very early stage. She also had a lioness form, thus possessing the qualities of the two most common powerful creatures amongst the deities.

Heka needs to be distinguished from other forms of magic to appreciate its usage in ancient Egypt. As well as heka there was akhu, the spells or enchantments practised by the dead; and sau, which was amuletic magic.

It should be stressed that heka was largely used as a preventative form of magic, a sort of ancient crisis management, to help deal with events like animal attacks, infectious diseases, disasters, and of course the perils of childbirth. Anti-social magic (i.e. cursing) did not really form a part of heka until the Roman influence in the latter days of ancient Egypt. As such heka is ideal for anyone wishing to develop themselves through pursuing a positive magical and spiritual path.

The one example of heka being used as black magic comes from the 19th Dynasty. The Harim Conspiracy involved several functionaries using written magical spells, wax figurines and potions to attempt to kill Ramesses III. The conspirators of this failed attempt at regicide received the death sentence and also the ultimate punishment given to traitors and enemies of the state. All traces of their names were removed from existence, as if they had never existed, so that their being was annihilated.

The major instance of heka being used in a manner that would be seen today as black magic was the practice of cursing against enemies of the state by the Pharaoh, such as enemy armies. Details of such techniques are recorded in the so-called Execration Texts, which are not covered in the current volume as they are not relevant to the personal practice of Heka. This however was not seen as cursing, as it was an effort to protect the sovereignty of Egypt. In such instances sympathetic magic on a grand scale might be resorted to, with models representing enemy ships or troops being ritually destroyed.

If somebody was having problems, with illness or bad luck, this was often viewed as the actions of beings with heka. It could be an angry ghost, a sorceror, or an angry deity that the individual had offended. To this end the individual was seen as the victim of circumstances, and there was no guilt associated with seeking a practitioner of heka to help fight off the negative influences being experienced. By restoring the correct balance problems were resolved, again demonstrating the nature of heka as being the natural and correct flow of energy towards harmony within the universe.

It has been suggested that there was a separate class of magicians operating on the fringes of society performing heka for the masses, but evidence now indicates that the practitioners of heka were usually none other than priests, acting as magicians and earning an income outside of their temple duties. Priests served one month in four in the temple and spent the other three months with their families, were they were not bound by all the same taboos and strictures as when serving the gods in the temple. During this time in the community they were thus available to assist members of the community who might need their aid.

The word heka continued to be used through until Roman times. After this it was succeeded by the Coptic word hik (xik), which was equated to the Greek word mageia (and hence magic).

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