The Egyptian Book of the Dead

According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, following death every Egyptian faced the ultimate judgment during which his or her heart was put on one side of a scale while a feather was placed on the other.  One’s heart had to be as light as a feather in relation to sin to be allowed to pass through to the afterlife.  Having passed this trial, one was deemed “true-of-voice" and worthy of eternal existence.  Even so, it was thought that the soul would face many dangers on its journey to the afterlife.  Upon entering the world in the West or traveling with Ra below the horizon into the netherworld, one would encounter the forces of primordial chaos where "irrationality" prevailed.  To guide the deceased through this chaos, the Book of the Dead provided secret navigational rituals for many of the eventualities they'd face.  Read more . . .