Becoming Osiris: The Ancient Egyptian Death Experience

"An in-depth examination of the ancient Egyptian approach to death and its relevance to the modern near-death experience"

•A thought-provoking account of the numerous initiatic stages of the immortalization process"

•Examines the Ritual of Embalming and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth, both central to the ancient Egyptian death experience"

•Includes numerous illustrations from the rich field of Egyptian funeral art"

In their well-known Book of the Dead, the ancient Egyptians left humanity one of the most comprehensive looks at the death experience and the afterlife. Without sacrificing the rich complexity of pharaonic thought, Stephane Rossini and Ruth Schumann Antelme provide an accessible, thought-provoking account of the numerous initiatic stages of the immortalization process and the magical self-defense techniques necessary for the soul to achieve its ultimate objective as a solarized being."

The true significance of the ancient Egyptian view of death cannot be entirely comprehended without knowledge of the practices that preceded those described in the Book of the Dead. Becoming Osirispresents an informative account of both the Ritual of Embalming, which transforms the deceased into a latent Osiris, and the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth, which restores to the deceased his faculties. Though thousands of years old, these texts have an astounding contemporary relevance."

With numerous illustrations from the rich field of Egyptian funeral art, Becoming Osiris presents a comprehensive guide to the fascinating Osirian odyssey that is the ancient Egyptian death experience."

< I> Becoming Osiris< /I> provides an accessible, thought-provoking examination of the ancient < I> Egyptian Book of the Dead< /I> and related texts that detail practices for preparing the soul for the afterlife.

"Becoming Osiris" provides an accessible, thought-provoking examination of the ancient "Egyptian Book of the Dead" and related texts that detail practices for preparing the soul for the afterlife.

Ruth Schumann Antelme is an Egyptologist, an emeritus researcher of the CNRS in France and a professor at the School of the Louvre. Stephane Rossini is a professional illustrator and the author of Reading and Writing Hieroglyphs.

Translator's Preface Hymn to Osiris 1. Ancient Egypt in Context First Stage: The Embalming 2. The Transformation of the Deceased into a Latent Osiris Second Stage: The Opening of the Mouth Ritual 3. The Restoration of the Deceased Faculties Third Stage: The Book of the Dead, Methods of Obtaining Immortality 4. The Return to the Universal Matrix 5. Teaching for Coming Forth by Day 6. Magical Self-Defense 7. Transformation and Solarization of the Deceased 8. Magical Integration of the Transfigured One Within the Cosmic Framework 9. The Vindication Explores the Cycle of the Beyond 10. Accompaniment of the Deceased and Geography of the Beyond 11. The Mystical Labyrinth and the Glorious Arrival 12. The Additional Chapters Epilogue Appendix: Were the ancient Egyptians Familiar with Near Death Experiences? Deities and Guardian Spirits Cited Glossary Bibliography Index