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Understanding Biblical Symbolism


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AFU-RĀ, i.e. THE SUN-GOD RĀ IN-THE-FLESH, DEAD

 A symbol of the Incarnate God,— the Higher Self involved in matter of the planes of manifestation during the Cycle of Life, and indiscernible (dead) to the lower consciousness.

“Sun is dead, but "In the cabin of the boat stands the Sun-god, with a sceptre in one hand, and the sign of life in the other, his head is a ram's head surmounted by the solar disk. This god is Af Ră, Flesh of Ră,'- not Rā himself, for the his flesh and blood. In front of the cabin stands Apuat, Opener of the Ways,' a form of Anubis, whose office it was to introduce the soul of Ra as well as the souls of departed men into the underworld." - WIEDEMANN, Rel. of the Egyptians, pp. 86, 87.

“The boat" is a symbol of the World-soul or prototypal causal-body which passes through the Cycle of Life (the Tuat) and contains cabined God, which ram-headed, represents the Higher Self sacrificed for humanity, the "Lamb (Ram) slain from the foundation of the world." God limits and obscures himself in producing his creatures. He involves himself in matter, and thus is sacrificed that we may live in him. "Anubis" is a symbol of the human body of flesh which introduces the Divine and human souls to the physical existence which carries with it astral and mental activities of the lower planes (the underworld). In the early human races, the " opener of the ways" of life may be a buddhic, mental, or astral body, prior to the formation of a physical body. Hence the relation of “ Apuat to "Anubis."

“On looking into the Boat of the Sun-god we see that this deity has transformed himself, and that he no longer appears as a fiery disk, but as a ram-headed man, who stands within a shrine; in other words Ra has taken the form of Osiris. The name given to this form is Af, or Afu, which means literally 'flesh,' and a dead body'; it was as a dead body that Osiris first entered the Tuat, and those who wished to become what he became subsequently had to enter the Tuat as dead bodies and with the attributes wherewith he entered it." - BUDGE, Egypt. Heav. and Hell, Vol. III. p. 106.

“It must be remembered that "corpse" or dead body is symbol of the lower self or personality in its natural aspect of possessing no sign of Divine life. Osiris (Christ) enters the lower nature in evolution as a completely hidden Spirit, and every spiritual ego follows the same course. Osiris passes successfully through all states of the lower nature and carries his Osirified egos with him to rise finally to life immortal. "For if we have become united with him by the likeness of his death, we shall be also by the likeness of his resurrection" (Roм. vi. 5).

“From first to last Osiris was to the Egyptians the God-man who suffered and died and rose again and reigned eternally in heaven. They believed that they would inherit eternal life, just as he had done, provided that what was done for him by the gods, was done for them." - BUDGE, Gods of the Egyptians, Vol. II. p. 126.

“This Self is hidden in all living things, it shines not forth; but it is seen by the keen and penetrating mind of those that see into the supersensible." - Katha Upanishad, III.



 

See Also

AGNIHOTRA
AMEN, OR AMON
ANUBIS
APUAT
ARCHETYPAL MAN
ARK OF SAFETY
ASCENSION (Osiris)
BOAT
CABIN OF AFU-RĀ
CHILDREN OF HORUS
CORPSE
DEITY
EQUINOX
INCARNATION (Souls)
INCARNATION (Spirit)
JESUS (Lamb)
KHEPER
LAMB OF GOD
NET (Underworld)
PRAGAPATI

RÂM
RESURRECTION
SEKER