Around 1500 B.C. ancient Egypt created an illustrated vision of the hereafter that ranks among the greatest works of humankind. Its initial impact endured for more than a millennium and served as the model for an entire literary genre known as “Books of the Afterlife” or “Books of the Netherworld”. In this 3 hour seminar, Dr. Andreas Schweizer explores the realm of religion and spirituality through the eyes of ancient Egyptian mythology. The oldest of these books on the afterlife is the Amduat, which literally means “that which is in the netherworld”. The Amduat describes the journey of the Sun-god and all the blessed dead traveling with him through the twelve nocturnal hours. It examines both their threatening impact and regenerating powers. No new order of creation can come to life without first encountering the disintegrating forces that are bent on destroying it. At the deepest point of this murky realm of the dead, while at the very edge of primordial darkness, the mystery of rebirth and the renewal of life takes place.
These images from ancient Egypt hold profound psychological wisdom. Marie-Louise von Franz once called the Sungod’s journey through the netherworld an “initial dream of humankind.” Indeed, the Book of Amduat is full of psychological truth, still valid in our day. This deep netherworld forms the foundation of our own psychic world and some of our images of heaven and hell. It contains highly charged energy, and only in this shadowy death are we made truly alive.