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Alchemist, v. 2, issue 1, Autumn 1946
Page 25
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25 initiated into the mysteries is unable to understand them. It was in this fashion the priests concealed their secret wisdom from their own people, and it works just as well today. One of the great magical books of ancient Egypt, one of the greatest of such works of all time was the "Book of the Dead" which is open to study in all large libraries. It is a vast collection of prayers, formulae, and rituals to protect by means of magic the soul or sahu on its journey thru the underworld. It was used int his way by the common people who probably had no idea that to a priest it might reveal other secrets of magical art. The age of the "Book of the Dead" has never been determined, and probably never will be. It is definately pre-dynastic, 70 or more centuries old! That is old enough for any of man's written works to be treated with profound respect. There have been found, fragments of some hundreds of copies of the book and many thousands must have existed. Books of papyrus are perishable. There are many variations between different copies of course, as is to be expected when all were hand copied. No Egyptian family would be without a copy of this all important work and all higher class people had a copy buried with them and the more important verses inscribed on the sarcophagus and upon the walls of their tombs. Those who were unable to read-most of the people--learned the prayers by heart and passed them down by word of mouth. The educated priest-
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25 initiated into the mysteries is unable to understand them. It was in this fashion the priests concealed their secret wisdom from their own people, and it works just as well today. One of the great magical books of ancient Egypt, one of the greatest of such works of all time was the "Book of the Dead" which is open to study in all large libraries. It is a vast collection of prayers, formulae, and rituals to protect by means of magic the soul or sahu on its journey thru the underworld. It was used int his way by the common people who probably had no idea that to a priest it might reveal other secrets of magical art. The age of the "Book of the Dead" has never been determined, and probably never will be. It is definately pre-dynastic, 70 or more centuries old! That is old enough for any of man's written works to be treated with profound respect. There have been found, fragments of some hundreds of copies of the book and many thousands must have existed. Books of papyrus are perishable. There are many variations between different copies of course, as is to be expected when all were hand copied. No Egyptian family would be without a copy of this all important work and all higher class people had a copy buried with them and the more important verses inscribed on the sarcophagus and upon the walls of their tombs. Those who were unable to read-most of the people--learned the prayers by heart and passed them down by word of mouth. The educated priest-
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