Becoming Osiris: The Ancient Egyptian Death Experience - Softcover

Rossini, Stephane; Shumann-Antelme, Ruth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 089281652X ISBN 13: 9780892816521

Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear and Company, 2000

Synopsis

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 Osiris presents 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.

About this title

About the Authors

Stephane Rossini is a professional illustrator and the author of Reading and Writing Hieroglyphs.

Ruth Schumann Antelme is an Egyptologist, an emeritus researcher of the CNRS in France and a professor at the School of the Louvre.

From the Back Cover

ANCIENT EGYPT In the Book of the Dead the ancient Egyptians left humanity one of the most comprehensive views of the death experience and the afterlife. Without sacrificing any of the rich complexity of pharaonic thought, Becoming Osiris provides a detailed examination of this major religious text, making it easily accessible to the modern reader. This is a thought provoking account of the numerous initiatory stages of the immortalization process and the magical self-defense techniques necessary for the soul to achieve its ultimate objective of becoming a luminous being. But 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 Osiris gives an incisive account of both The Ritual of Embalming, which transforms the dead individual into a latent Osiris, and The Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth, which restores to the dead person his faculties. Though thousands of years old these texts have an astounding contemporary relevance. Filled with illustrations from the rich field of Egyptian funerary art, Becoming Osiris is a fascinating look at the Osirian odyssey that was the ancient Egyptian death experience. STePHANE ROSSINI is a professional illustrator and the author of Reading and Writing Hieroglyphs. RUTH SCHUMANN-ANTELME is an Egyptologist, an emeritus researcher of the CNRS in France, and a professor at the School of the Louvre.

Edition details

• Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear and Company
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 089281652X
• ISBN 13: 9780892816521
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144