The Nile Chakras

Egypt is not a country you live in—it lives within you.

Art thou aware that Egypt is the image of heaven, or rather, that it is the projection below of the order of things above? If the truth must be told, this land is indeed the temple of the world.

This quote from Hermes Trismegistus reveals what the ancients knew for thousands of years—that the Nile was not just a reflection of the Milky Way, but also a manifestation of the human chakra system. The neophyte then, started in the south and worked their way downstream as they became an initiate, an adept and eventually a magus in the temples of the north.

This process might take years and only when the priests were satisfied could a mystic progress. Some temples were pleasurable where sexuality were explored, while others were terrifying and required true feats of strength, courage and endurance to prevail.

The Nile temple network then, is a direct manifestation of the energy system of the human body. The lower energy centres of survival, sex and power were balanced by the higher centres of communication, intuition and connection. Once these had been resolved, we could approach salvation and enlightenment.

Chakras are the energy centers of the body. They are located along the spine, starting at the base and running upwards from there. Since the chakras relate to specific spiritual, emotional and physical aspects of our being, their inhibition can lead to corresponding disorders. The conscious balancing of these energy centres on the other hand, can lead to profound states of awareness.

Above: the diatonic scale

The process of transcendence then, involved the neophyte starting at the root chakra at Philae and working their way north to the universal chakra at Giza. This journey may have taken years as specific lessons were mastered. Temples were seen as houses for the gods to whom they were dedicated. Indeed, the services and rituals were seen as necessary for the gods to uphold Ma’at—the divine order of the universe.

Besides the temples themselves, the Egyptians created neters or animal gods whose traits embodied the personalities of the chakra system. For neophytes struggling to master the world within themselves, then a stroll beside the river may have inspired fresh insights. Indeed, according to Egyptian legend, Isis took a boat and gathered the fragments of Osiris’s body. Wherever she found one, she built a temple.

Above: the tree of life within animalistic man

So the most profound difference between ancient and modern man was that our ancestors considered themselves part of the animal kingdom—not separate from it. The true process of transcendence then, meant recognising the animal spirits (Neters) of the world around us as a reflection of our inner natures. The list below is one interpretation of the temples associated with these animal gods:

THE SOUL STAR OF TRANSCENDENCE: the eighth chakra was associated with the Eye of Ra, or the Great Pyramid. This was the union of the anima and anima universalis. Ancient kings and priests used to wear leopards’ skins—reminiscent of the stars, or cosmic man. The Vyapini chakra was white in colour.

THE CROWN OF ENLIGHTENMENT: the Sahasrara chakra symbolised the energy of the regent and union between the anima and the anima mundi. The seventh chakra was usually portrayed as violet and was associated with unity and the “thousand petalled lotus”. The circular cosmic snake (symbolising Kundalini energy) was linked with the middle pyramid.

THE THIRD EYE OF ILLUMINATION: vision and leadership were embodied in the lion couchant or the restrained power of the king. The Sphinx unified the sixth and the second chakras, or the serpent (wisdom) and the lion (virility). Ajna was located in the centre of the forehead between the eyebrows. It was associated with intuition, perception and insight, serving as a gateway to inner wisdom.

THE THROAT OF VOICE: the trachea opens the portal of communication with freedom of expression. The Greeks called Hermopolis “The City of Hermes” since they identified him with the divine herald, Thoth. The turquoise portico of the temple lasted until 1825 when it was drawn by early European explorers and published on prints. In art, Thoth was often depicted as a sacred ibis or a hamadryas baboon—a reference to the restless nature of the “monkey mind”.

THE HEART OF LOVE: the green chakra is the wisdom of the heart and when this is opened we truly blossom. Hathor’s popularity is attested to by the number of minor goddesses who shared her attributes and were considered aspects of this Mother Goddess. The most important of these were the Seven Hathors who were present at the birth of a human being and decreed their fate. Hathor was, in early times, worshipped in the form of a cow at temples like Dendera.

THE SOLAR PLEXUS OF POWER: the yellow third chakra is devoted to awakened ability and manifested potential. The primal god at Thebes was Amun-Ra, usually depicted wearing the double crown of Egypt—representing dominion over all the land. Often associated with strength, courage and power, Amun-Ra was often portrayed as a bull. Thebes was the capital of Egypt during the Middle and New Kingdoms.

THE SACRAL OF SEXUALITY: the orange crocodile chakra is dedicated to Sobek at Kom Ombo. Crocodile courting goes on for hours and involves all the senses—they are passionate lovers. Unlike many other reptiles and mammals, male alligators sport permanently erect penises that hide inside their bodies and only emerge during coitus. Sbk in Egyptian is derived from a causative of the verb “to impregnate”. As a fertility god, Sobek was often shown with a nilometer above his head.

THE ROOT OF SURVIVAL: this red chakra is dedicated to Khnum. The god of creation sits on the potter’s wheel and forms people out of clay. Rams are considered a symbol of virility due to their rutting behaviour. The sexually violent rut is characterised by increased testosterone, exaggerated dimorphisms and aggressive posturing. Elephantine and Philae were dedicated to Osiris and Isis—the ancient gods of fertility.

Above: the evergreen Khnum flanked by death (Nephthys) and rebirth (Isis)

The ancient Egyptians believed that the Nile flooded every year from of the tears of Isis over the death of her husband, Osiris. Metaphysically, the life-giving water of this river reflected  the sacred stone of Aswan—pink granite resonated with peace and love. No surprises then, that this healing crystal was transported to the pyramids far to the north.

On a practical level, this flooding of the Nile was the result of the yearly monsoon between May and August causing enormous precipitation in the Ethiopian Highlands. Most of this rainwater was carried downstream by the Blue Nile and the Atbarah River.