Egyptian Paganism for Beginners (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) [Paperback]

It should be noted first off that this is not a book of ancient Egyptian paganism as it would have been practiced, but rather a modern interpretation using Egyptian godforms in a modern neo-pagan setting, helpfully divided into two sections.

In part one, Egyptian concepts of God are related with the authors' understanding that 'each of the major neteru can represent the Supreme Being, each showing a slightly different facet of the One who is unknowable and inconceivable in his or her entirety. The neteru retain their individual identities, so the devotee is able to encounter the One in a very personal and intimate way.' (pg 7) Briefly described are a few Egyptian-specific terms such as the ka, sekhem, and the Heavenly Trine, and fortunately the authors honestly note that one 'cannot be sure that the ancient Egyptian words?mean the exact equivalent of terms we use today for such concepts' (pg 11). Also described are the elements involved in creating a shrine, the opening of the mouth ceremony, and further notes on Egyptian magick; as well as general pagan and magickal concepts such as casting a circle, totem and assumption of godforms.

The second part is dedicated to the various Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Following various descriptions of their histories throughout the dynasties are invocations, replies, calls, meditations and commentary for many of the major Gods and Goddesses. Though they do state that it is '?not intended to be a dictionary of gods and goddesses the neteru are not presented in alphabetical order, but in the order that we believe is going to be the most helpful for explaining the nature of ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and practices, showing an overall view of the religions' further noting that 'only a small selection of the neteru is featured' (pg 8).

There are, however, a few points of contention. For one, the understanding of chakra and kundalini lore was very simplified, and not really relevant to the text at hand, having no sensible place in Egyptian religion. Also, there did seem to be an overabundance of comparisons to Judeo-Christian mythology, perhaps they're trying to provide a reference point for those coming from such a background, but I found it more of a distraction than useful. There's no need to equate the two, as they come from completely different mythological and ritual backgrounds.

While not an expression of ancient Egyptian religion and ritual as it may have been practiced, it does provide a basic introduction to modern Egyptian paganism, not a bad start to one's exploration of this path.

After reading this book, I was left a little confused. It is a good book, but the names are hellenized, the practices greatly altered, and it is just about the gods and goddesses, it does not contain a lot of the information that someone looking for a genuine egyptian spiritual practice is looking for. This does not contain a great deal of the medu neter of the egyptian spiritual practice, not to mention anything about the nome spirits, the cosmological resonance, the difference between egyptian and wiccan elemental/directional correspondences. If you are looking to worship the egyptian pantheon with a wiccan devotional system, this is an exce;;ent book, is you are interested in the actual beliefs of the egyptians and how to authentically recreate their spiritual practices, I would highly recommend The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt, and The Esoteric Wisdom of Ancient Egypt, both by Rosemary Clark, when I received these 2 books, and read them, I was bowled over by how interesting and informative they are.

I found this work to be very easy to understand. It holds a wealth of information

on the Egyptian religion, their gods and their rites and rituals. The authors have made

the information accessible to all who want to follow the pagan rites of the Egyptians.I found the work easy to understand and filled with sharp insight into the heart of

Egyptian paganism and magic. I recommend this book to anyone starting out on the Egyptian path

as well as any general student of the occult as this work makes an excellent addition to the

occult library.