The Egyptian Book of Thoth - Real Ancient Egyptian Initiation Ritual - Hermetic Philosophy

Thoth was the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom, magic and writing and the legendary revealer of the Hermetic philosophy in the form of Hermes Trismegistus. Preserved in around 30 Demotic fragments is the ritual by which a priest-scribe became initiated into the service of Thoth to serve in the House of Life or an Egyptian Temple. In this episode of Esoterica, we explore this complex and ancient text describing the inner sanctum of the "Chamber of Darkness," the complex mystical exams the initiate undergoes, travels to the Sun and the Netherworld, and more. I also explore the connections between this text and the ancient Greek Religious-Philosophical text of the Corpus Hermeticum and Hermetic Philosophy.

Recommended Reading:

Jasnow & Zauzich - Conversations in the House of Life - 978-3447101165
Teeter - Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt - 978-0521613002
Lichtheim - Ancient Egyptian Literature (3 vol) - 978-0520248427
Wilkinson - Writings from Ancient Egypt - 978-0141395951

#thoth #hermetic #egyptian