The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

download The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

of 8

Transcript of The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

  • 8/14/2019 The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

    1/8

    The Ankh is defined as: The symbolic representation of both Physical and

    Eternal life. It is known as the original cross, which is a powerful symbol that

    was first created by Africans in Ancient Egypt.

    The Ankh is commonly known to mean 'life' in the language of Ancient Kemet

    (land of the Blacks) renamed Egypt by the Greeks. It is also a symbol for thepower to give and sustain life, the Ankh is typically associated with material

    things such as water (which was believed by Egyptians to regenerate life), air,

    sun, as well as with the Gods, who are frequently pictured carrying an Ankh.

    Egyptian gods carried the ankh by the loop, or held one in each hand crossed

    over their breast. Latinists interpreted the symbol as a crux ansata, "cross with

    a handle".

    Origins

    The precise origin of the symbol remains a mystery to Egyptologists, and no

    single hypothesis has been widely accepted. E. A. Wallis Budge thought it

    might have originated as the belt-buckle of the mother goddess Isis, an idea

    joined by Wolfhart Westendorf with the notion that both the ankh and the knot

    of Isis were used as ties on ceremonial girdles. Sir Alan Gardiner speculated

    that it represented a sandal strap, with the loop going around the ankle.

    Still other theories include the notion that the ankh represents the sun crowning

    over the horizon, the path of the sun from east to west (with the loop

    representing the Nile), a stylized person, or that it is a combination of the maleand female symbols of Osiris (the cross) and Isis (the oval) respectively, and

    therefore signifies the union of heaven and earth.

    In their 2004 book "The Quick and the Dead", Andrew H. Gordon and Calvin

    W. Schwabe speculated that the ankh, djed and was symbols have a biological

    basis derived from ancient cattle culture (linked to the Egyptian belief that

    semen was created in the spine), thus:

    the Ankh - symbol of life - thoracic vertebra of a bull (seen in crosssection)

    the Djed - symbol of stability - base on sacrum of a bull's spine

    the Was - symbol of power and dominion - a staff made from a dried

    bull's penis

  • 8/14/2019 The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

    2/8

    Over time, the ankh has come to symbolize life and immortality, the universe,

    power and life-giving air and water. Its keylike shape has also encouraged the

    belief it could unlock the gates of death, and it is viewed this way by the

    modern Rosicrucians and other hermetic orders. The Coptic Christians have

    used it as a symbol of life after death.

    In Egyptian Art

    The ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art; it often

    appears at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that represent the deities

    of the afterlife conferring the gift of life on the dead person's mummy. The

    ankh symbol was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet, either alone, or in

    connection with two other hieroglyphs that mean "strength" and "health."

    Mirrors were often made in the shape of an ankh. Sometimes, in art, the Ankh

    was shown being touched by a god onto a person, which usually symbolized

    conception.

    In Alchemy

    A similar symbol was used to represent the Roman goddess Venus. This

    symbol, known benignly as Venus' hand-mirrot, is much more associated with

    a representation of the female womb.

    In astrology the same symbol is used to represent the planet Venus.

    In Alchemy it represents the element copper.

    In Biology to identify females.

    In Hermeticism

    Hermeticism is an Egyptian belief system whose beliefs may explain many of

    the Ankh's meanings. It is unclear whether their beliefs created the ankh or

    added many meanings, or remain a coincidence.

    If the concept of the ankh suggesting the joining of the masculine and feminine

    is correct, with the top opened up to look similar to representing the

    feminine (genitals) and the bottom shaft being a phallic symbol, then the rest

    may follow. If God is both male and female, the ankh is a symbol of

    hermaphroditism and can be representing God. It also can be representing

    reproduction as both genitalia are pictured.

  • 8/14/2019 The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

    3/8

    The Ankh and the Cross

    The long standing importance of the Ankh, and its deep symbolism to the

    dynastic Egyptians, lead to it being gradually adopted by the very early

    Christian church in Egypt (which eventually became the Coptic Church). This

    is highly significant, as it is almost certainly the genesis of the cross, as thecentral thematic symbol of the Christian religion.

    A kind of cross, the ankh, had long been a central religous symbol. It was non-

    anthropormorphic, not even animal-like. The gods had all been animal faced-

    human figures. Anknaton's benevolent sun, was the only other symbol that was

    so esoteric.

    This cross implied all the "god ideas" that are very infinite in nature. As

    monotheism is at the core of Christian beleif, the ankh seemed a good choice to

    symbolize the belief in one all powerful God. Over time, the idea that his sonhad died on a kind of cross, made it seem, all the more appropriate. To other

    Christians, outside of the ankh's influence, the image the roman cross of

    execution was 'shameful" in the manner that a hanging noose would be, or

    headsman's ax.

    The association in Egypt of the ankh cross with both God the Father, and Jesus

    the Son, felt right. Elsewhere, the main christian symbol at the time had been a

    stylised alpha, resembling a fish, and therefore known as Ichthys, the Greek

    word for fish. However, the new "more positive" symbol of a cross eventually

    spread throughout the Christianized Empire. The distinct circular or "gothicarch-like" upper part of the Ankh was kept well into mediaeval times.

    The Ankh symbol often was being used as a Christian talisman. The

    illustration, here, of a Christian 3th Century bust with a transitional "ankh

    becoming a cross", was found in the 1960s in the Fayuom ,Egypt, acheological

    region. It was often worn as an amulet to extend one's life and placed on the

    mummy to energize the resurrected spirit.

  • 8/14/2019 The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

    4/8

    The Ankh of the God Anubis is related to the protection of the dead, that of

    Sekmet, War, Hapi related to the living waters of the Nile and Amen, the spirit

    God, the breath of life.

    References: Salaman, Clement and Van Oyen, Dorine and Wharton, William

    D. and Mah, Jean-Pierre (translation) (2000). The Way of Hermes: New

    Translations of The Corpus Heremticum and The Definitions of HermesTrismegistus to Asclepius, Rochester: Inner Traditions.

    http://www.crystalinks.com/anubis.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/anubis.html
  • 8/14/2019 The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

    5/8

    The Ankh and the Spiral of Consciousness

    Fractals - Fibonacci Spiral - Phi Ratio - Golden Ratio

    http://www.crystalinks.com/fractals.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/sacred_geometry.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/fractals.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/sacred_geometry.html
  • 8/14/2019 The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

    6/8

    Ankh - Spiraling DNA - Caduceus

    http://www.crystalinks.com/caduceus.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/caduceus.html
  • 8/14/2019 The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

    7/8

    Crystal CreationsGold - Alchemy

    Chain Link = DNA

  • 8/14/2019 The Ankh is Defined as: The Symbolic Representation of Both

    8/8

    Connecting the pillar with the loop of the ankh - Electricity

    DJED

    http://www.enigmas.org/aef/lib/archeo/nf-electric.shtmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/djed.htmlhttp://www.enigmas.org/aef/lib/archeo/nf-electric.shtmlhttp://www.enigmas.org/aef/lib/archeo/nf-electric.shtmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/djed.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/djed.html