John Rush - The Twelve Gates: A Spiritual Passage through the Egyptian Books of the Dead

Also by JOHN A. RUSH

Spiritual Tattoo: A Cultural History of Tattooing, Piercing, Scarification, Branding, and Implants

JOHN A. RUSH

North Atlantic Books

Berkeley, California

Copyright 2007 by John A. Rush. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

Published by North Atlantic Books

Berkeley, California

Cover art by John A. Rush

The Twelve Gates: A Spiritual Passage through the Egyptian Books of the Dead is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

North Atlantic Books publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

e-ISBN: 978-1-62317-483-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rush, John A.

The twelve gates : a spiritual passage through the Egyptian books of the dead / John A. Rush.

p. cm.

Includes .

ISBN-13: 978-1-58394-175-1

ISBN-10: 1-58394-175-4

1. DeathReligious aspects. 2. Funeral rites and ceremoniesEgypt. 3. DeathPsychological aspects. 4. Future life. 5. Book of the dead. I. Title.

BL504.R87 2007

299.3123dc22 2006033412

I awoke and asked, What is this? What is that? What am I? So I named everything and felt comfort. The day ended and I fell asleep.

I awoke and asked, Why does this happen? Why does that happen? With that I invented others more powerful than I because I could not do these things. I then slept.

When I awoke I appeased those more powerful because they were my ancestors and they deserved respect. I fell into a comfortable sleep knowing I was not alone.

I awoke and became one with the gods because I could create and destroy. I slept again and when I awoke I became a servant to God and now did many things in his name because I was told to. Sleep overtook me.

I awoke and asked, What is this? What am I? Who am I? So I renamed everything and felt comfort. The day ended and I fell asleep.

A UTHORS EXPERIENCE

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE COUNTLESS STORIES we tell to comfort, entertain, and instruct each other about the mysterious processes of life and death. The Twelve Gates comes from very old Egyptian mythic themes brought up-to-date in some places, but the essential story line has changed little over the millenniabecome a decent, illuminated human being and you will be positively judged as such on earth, in heaven, or hell. The requisite for a spiritual life has less to do with what you believe and more to do with how you behave. The Egyptian Book of the Dead and its predecessors may be among the oldest spiritual writings of humankind, and remain rich sources of wisdom we can apply in this day and age. The Twelve Gates in this book are stages the soul goes through in its passage toward becoming an illumined human being as well as preparing for ones eventual passage through the Dark Gate, that other side of life.

The Twelve Gates is also a practical application of anthropology from a clinical standpoint in that the overall intent of the book is to obtain greater mental and social health and well-being (see Rush 1996, 1999). The likelihood that the reader will change in outlook and behavior after reading and seriously traversing the Gates is nearly one hundred percent. How can I say this with such certainty? Because as you go through the Gates you see your monsters and demons: arrogance, stupidity, jealousy, vindictiveness, self-centeredness, abusiveness, hatefulness, how your behavior impacts others, all the terrible things you did or said to others, all the illusions, lies, and stories you tell, all your excuses and I cants. Ancient cultures acknowledged the vital importance of self-knowledge in daily life; Know thyself is inscribed in golden letters at the lintel of the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Once you embrace and learn from your demons, both positive and negative, they fade in importance. The brain is best served when you learn from the past, rather than holding onto specific incidents and storylines. We hold onto the specifics because we are storytellers; we are continually telling stories about ourselves which we reinforce over timeWoe is me! Our stories are our points of connection of self to others and the cosmos. Here is the important part: Gates Zero through Five mirror your negative self or story; this is where you touch your dark side. Once you reach Gate Six you are in position to change your story of who you are, how you think, and what you do. You can view yourself, others, and the world in a different light. What you experience as existing outside of youwhat you like and dislikeis a reflection of you; those likes and dislikes are who you are. With this understanding, you can put on a new suit of clothes.

is an overview of death rites and rituals around the world, ancient and modern. It is also set up for the reader to evaluate his or her own death myth and reevaluate the important things in life.

is likewise a close look at specific symbols the author wove into his tattooing, symbols representing beliefs about self, others, the cosmos, and a method of life.

Chapters three and four take the reader through the Twelve Gates of the Underworld, where you experience your own death and rebirth. It is more than likely that Pharaoh rehearsed his special death and rebirth although there is no direct evidence describing how to proceed. Here, then, is one way to pass through the netherworld and emerge reborn on the other side of life. Not only is this a cleansing journey to rebirth, it also opens you up to a philosophy or way of life. direct the energies connected to your animal nature? How do you want to do life? How should you treat others? How should you direct your knowledge and creativity? How do you want to do death?

involves a commitment to a method of life, practical rules if you will, designed to move the individual and society toward mental and social health. This was likewise an ideal for the ancient Egyptians as revealed in their spiritual texts.

Many people were involved in the production of this work, including my students and others I interviewed, as well as authors and researchers who have walked this path before. Special thanks go to staff at North Atlantic Books/Frog, Ltd. (Richard Grossinger, Lindy Hough, Suzanne Albertson, Paula Morrison, and Hisae Matsuda), my tattoo artist Kim Forrest (Wild Bills Tattoo, Roseville, California), and finally to my wife Katie, whose emotional support sustained me from beginning to end.