Temple of Ra

Source:

Name,          Rite                           Meaning

1.       Hesi                  – The Hymn                         - chants

2.       Wehem              – The Liteny                        -repeatings

3.       Gasu                  – The Anointings                 -anointings

4.       Sekha                – The Contemplation            -considering

5.       Hekaut               – The Invocation                  -magical speech

6.       Mau                   – The Meditation                   -reflecting

7.       Hotep                – The Offering                       -offering

8.       Djefau               – The Reversion of Offerings      -divine food

9.       Menu                 – Dedication of the Temple      -dedication

10.   Pert Kheru Neter – The Pronouncement          -god’s voice offering

11.   Tep Ra               - Divination                        - mouth of the God

12.   Hebu                  – Special Observances           -festivals

13.   Sa Seseneb         - Transference of Sa             - healing

14.   Temau               – Closing of the Ceremony      -completion

Ritual Tools

Book: Ancie Egyptian Divination and Magic

Author: Eleanor L. Harris

Artifacts found and identified in tombs have offered us knowledge of many of the magical items used by royalty and priesthoods. The work of archaeologists and Egyptologists allows us to recreate of the magical tools that flourished in ancient Egypt. The treasures found in tombs had spiritual and magical purpose. Many were used by both the living and the dead. There was no manual of strict use for any particular ritual tool in Egypt. The best-known ritual tools are associated with funeral ceremonies, as described in The Egyptian Book of the Dead.

The tools described below were used by the living, as de­scribed in ancient magical papyri. Egyptologists and re­searchers learned from papyri that many implements were used in religious and magical ceremonies. We do not know, however, precisely how each was used. As there is no way to be certain of traditional use, you must use your own in­tuition and creativity.

Divination Tools

Egyptians scryed primarily by fire, oil, and/or water. Additional items that had symbolic value to the magi­cian were incorporated into the rituals. Some tools have no known definition or understood purpose, however. Below, a definition and purpose of each tool is provided, followed by instructions for making or obtaining the tool.

Oil Lamp

The Egyptian magician favoured divina­tion by lamp. Divination lamps were required to be white and free from any red colour,' although earthenware and terra cotta lamps of red colour were used to make offerings and served other purposes in magic. The white divination lamps were made of various substances. Alabaster, finished to a beautiful smooth white surface, was a popular sub­stance. In certain divination formulas, bronze lamps were indicated.

Lamps were always used in dark, secret places. Only clean wicks were used, end real oil was placed inside the lamp. By Egyptian rule, the lamps were forbidden to touch the ground, so they were often set upon crude bricks on the ground. Magicians sat before the lamp or bent over it to fire scry. Scribes often gave helpful hints in their formulas; one such hint was for the magician to lie down on a reed mat before the lamp, with his head to the south and his face turned to the north, along with the lamp.

Another option was to fill the lamp with oil, tie it with four threads of linen, and hang it on a peg of bay wood on an eastern wall in the room in which magic would be worked. The magician would then insert a clean wick, light it, and stand before the lamp for divination.

A lamp of this type would be difficult for you to make or obtain. You can purchase a simple oil lamp, however, that has a round vessel to hold the oil and apparatus at its mouth to insert a linen wick. Linen for wicks is avail­able at many fabric stores. A more modern oil lamp­ with a hurricane chimney-would also work very well.

Vessel

A clean bronze cup or a new vessel of pottery was traditionally used. This was filled with water and, once the water settled, Oasis or vegetable oil was poured on top of the water. Oil was also used alone. The vessel was often used in conjunction with the lamp. The lamp shed light upon the oil when divination was conducted in a private, dark place.

Vessels of bronze are not common today, but they can be purchased at stores carrying fine china dishes and other household accessories. Pottery vessels are easier to acquire. To make your own, you can visit any craft shop for a pot­tery kit. There are clay and earthenware kits available, and some can be baked in your home oven.

Bowl

The bowl was used the same way as the vessel. Most were made of bronze and were frequently used with water for scrying. A figure of the god or goddess invoked in divination was often engraved inside the bronze bowl. Typically, this was the god Anpu. Words of power and magical names were often engraved on the outside of bowls. To use a bowl in divination, you need to understand a piece of Egyptian history regard­ing its use: Of all the Egyptians skilled in working magic, Nectanebus, the last native king of Egypt (c. B.C. 358), was the best known - at least, if we may believe Greek tradi­tion. His works were translated into Arabic, Syriac, Pehlevi, and many other languages and dialects. Fa­mous as a magician and a sage, Nectanebus was deeply versed in Egyptian lore. He was adept at interpreting omens, sending created dreams to other individuals, procuring dreams, casting nativities, predicting the fu­ture of an unborn child, and in all magic. 'Indeed, he was considered a lord of the Earth, able to rule all kings by his magical powers. He created divination and magi­cal script using a bowl of water. Unfortunately, no texts survive to state the material of which the bowl was made.

Nectanebus used the bowl of water in magic to de­feat enemies, arriving by ship. He made wax figures of both enemy ships and men, and his own, then ut­tered invocations of the gods, winds, and subterranean demons. His wax figures came to life and battled. As enemy figures sank to the bottom of the bowl, Nectanebus thought his enemies would descend to the bottom of the sea. And in fact, he was successful in defeating many enemies and reigning for a consider­able period of time.

From descriptions in E. A. Wallis Budge's Egyptian Magic, we learn how Nectanebus prepared for his magi­cal work. He retired to a private chamber and retrieved the bowl, which he kept especially for such purpose. He filled the bowl with water, put on the cloak of an Egyp­tian prophet, and held an ebony rod in his hand. Thereafter, the script was recited and the magic work done.

2. 

Bricks

Egyptian bricks were crude and were used as the princi­pal building material, as well as in divination. The bricks were set upon the ground and were used as a base for the lamp, vessel, or bowl. Sand was sprinkled under the bricks for purification and to add magical influ­ence. The magician often sat on a brick while scrying. When another person, a medium, was used as the seer durng divination, the medium would sit on bricks and the magician would recite the formula over his or her head.

Researchers are uncertain why the Egyptians felt it necessary to have both the scrying tool and the seer positioned off the ground. It is known that the priesthoods and magicians were extremely disciplined concerning purity in all magical work. That alone may be the reason­. Later, burned bricks, introduced by the Romans in Byzantine times, were used for the same purpose.

You can easily purchase a couple of new bricks rather attempting to make them. Home and building centers carry a variety of bricks. Sand, gravel and stone dealers be found in your telephone book yellow pages and offer a selection, usually at better prices .

3. 

4. 

Censer

Censers were often used in worship, divination, and magic in Egypt. Clay, earthenware, or bronze censers (or braziers) held burning incense. Olive-wood charcoal was used to burn the incense.

Today, you can purchase a censer made of these materials, or you can handcraft your own clay censer by purchasing a kit sold in craft stores. Olive wood is difficult to obtain, but may be found through herb farms or herb mail-order companies. The charcoal tablets commonly sold in New Age shops will work as a substitute.

Incense

Egyptians traded for and purchased their incense from a town called Punt, near Somalia. Egyptian priests and magicians used different types of incense, but frankin­cense and myrrh were preferred. Ancient incense was used in resin form only. Incense sticks and cones were not used. You can buy resin incense today from New Age shops and mail-order companies.

Oil

Egyptians found that oil was better for'scrying than wa­ter alone because its surface did not distort easily and disrupt the magician's concentration. Cedar, Oasis, and vegetable oils were used for divination. Scribes sug­gested that the oil was added to the dish gradually to avoid it becoming cloudy. The oil had to be as clear and free of debris as possible.

Cedar oil is made from the dried wood. Today, the Atlas cedar and red cedar are used to make essential oil. The oil can be found at any shop selling essential oils or herbs. You need a lot of it for scrying, so it may be costly. (NOTE: Pregnant women should not use cedar oil). Vegetable oil is readily available to you and can be found in your local grocery store.

Oasis is described in papyri as "real oil," however, no other definition is given. The word oasis describes a place in the desert that is fertile due to the presence of water. It may be that standing water that had absorbed minerals and plant debris over time was taken from such places in Egypt. The debris would have given the water an oily texture.

Eye-Paint

This liquid was handmade and placed into the eyes in order to see the gods during divination. The Egyp­tians used several recipes-some including the blood or gall of particular animals, herbs, and plants. It is not known exactly how the eye-paint worked. It may have caused distorted vision, allowing the magician to see deities, beings, or creatures conjured in divinati­on and magic. There may also have been a drug ef­fect in certain recipes.

How to Make Greek Bean Eye-Paint: In magical pa­pyri, there are several recipes for making eye-paint. Most recipes are not practical or considered safe for our use today. One such recipe involves pounding a hawk's egg with natural myrrh (not incense). Obvi­ously, both ingredients are not easily obtained today and knowledge of how to properly make or store such potion is unknown.

The recipe below is found in The Leyden Papyrus. The scribe who recorded the recipe wrote that it had been "tested" and was "excellent." You will need a sup­ply of Greek bean plant, also known as "raven's eye." is can be found where lupine, a plant of the pea famil­y, is sold. Usually, it can be purchased at herb farms, rough herb retailers, and at some garden centers that sell vegetable seeds or plants.

1.   Take the fresh flowers of the Greek bean plant and put them in a clean glass bottle. Stop the mouth of the bottle tightly and leave it in a secret dark place for twenty days.

2.   After twenty days, remove the bottle and open it. You will find that the flowers resemble testicles with a phal­lus. Close the bottle tightly and leave it in the dark place for forty days.

3.   When you open the bottle after forty days and look inside, you will find that the contents have become blood-coloured. Your eye-paint is ready to use. You can leave the blood like liquid in this glass bottle, but it must be stored in a hidden place at all times.

Eye-paint is not necessary and was not always employed in divination. Before using this eye-paint, you should determine that you are not allergic to the plant.

Knots

Knot or cord magic, used in folk magic or early witch­craft, originated in Egypt. Instructions for these tech­niques are detailed in various magical papyrus.

How to Use Knots in Divination: In The Leyden Pa­pyrus, Col. III. page 39, there are instructions for mak­ing an amulet of knots for the purpose of working divi­nation and magic quickly. Because a live scarab is not easily obtained in our Western world, I have omitted its use in the instructions below. You will need 16 indi­vidual linen threads, each approximately a foot long (4 white, 4 green, 4 blue, and 4 red), and a drop of personal blood.

1.     Take the 16 individual threads of linen and make them into one band.

2.     Stain the band with a drop of your blood. Women can use menstrual blood. Be careful to use a sterilized pin or other instrument for drawing your blood.

3.     Bind the band to some part of your body, such as your arm, before divination or magic.

This amulet is to be bound to whomever has the vessel and wants it to work magic quickly.

Writing Ink

Many plant dyes and natural dyes were used as ink for writing on papyrus. A popular choice was the juniper plant, whose juice was a favourite of the Egyptians and the Greeks. A reed pen, made from the plant's shoots, was used to apply the writing inks. Reed pens are not practical today. Quill pens and sable paintbrushes are natural writing utensils that can be substituted.

Reed Mat

Reed mats were used primarily during worship for the priest or priestess to kneel upon, and during divination for the magician to sit or lie upon while communing with the gods or other invoked beings. After reciting the divination formula-through which a shift of consciousness occurred-in some instances, the magician would lie down on a reed mat in a trance state or fall asleep to receive answers to his or her inquiries.

Reed is actually a general term used to describe various types of grasses with jointed, hollow stems. Rus­tic musical pipes were made from the reed stem, and long strips of reed were woven together to make the ancient mats.

Making a reed mat takes great skill. Finding such a mat is very difficult. You may contact sources of Egyp­tian wares listed in the Egyptian Resources section, of this book to find out if they can recommend a source for these mats today, or you can use a woven mat avail­able commercially.

Kohl-Stick

Unfortunately, not much is known about this wooden ritual staff. In The Leyden Papyrus it is described as "the stick of satisfaction," which indicates its use in acquiring satisfying results in divination and magic. Col. XXIX, 1.27 of this same papyrus describes preparation instructions for a magician in which a kohl-pot and kohl-stick are used to pound together the ingredients of an herbal and organic potion. It is possible that the kohl-stick served as a pestle. In Col. X, there are instructions for the magi­cian to bind the kohl-stick to his waist, and then to travel to an elevated place outdoors, in daylight, opposite the Sun, for Sun divination.

To make a kohl-stick, obtain a fallen tree branch to serve as a ritual staff. Strip the bark from it, and deco­rate it as desired.

Constellations

Astrology was practiced in Egypt as a practical and magical art. Egyptians observed that certain constella­tions were visible on the horizon at night, allowing them to tell time by the position of a particular constellation in the sky at a given hour. Scribes drew up tables that re­corded the readings for the purpose of telling time and working magic.

The Shoulder constellation, also called "The Great Bear" in Egypt and known to the English-speaking world as Ursa Major, consists of seven stars. Since seven is a sacred Egyptian number, it is no wonder that this con­stellation was used in magic. From The Leyden Papy­rus, we learn that, for best success, a divination formula was recited seven times, at night, opposite the Shoulder constellation, on the third day of the month.

The same papyrus instructs magicians to set up their divination materials in a dark recess, then venture outdoors into the night to stamp the ground with their foot seven times, and then recite the opening charms of any divina­tion script to the Foreleg/Great Bear constellation. Then the magician must turn to the north seven times and retreat to the dark recess to begin the actual divination inquiry.

        The magical temple and ritual

Extract from

HEKA - The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Ritual & Magic

Written by David Rankine

The sanctuary

The sanctuary of the God was usually approached through a hall, entered m an open-air courtyard. This marked the transition from the human realm that of the divine. In terms of our modern lifestyle and houses, we can still emerge cleansed from the primal waters (bath or shower) and walk through the house (courtyard and hall) to enter the divine sanctuary to perform our rites (temple room).

Before performing ritual, the space would be sprinkled with water and swept with a special broom. This practice still occurs today within Wicca. A layer of clean sand would be spread on the ground, which in modern terms would translate as making sure you have vacuumed or swept the floor! The area would then be censed with incense smoke, which may also have had the added benefit of removing insects. A circle might be marked on the floor with an apotropaic wand.

The following recitations are taken from the twenty-nine episodes on the walls of the chapels at the Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos (c. 1300 BeE), and give some of the words and actions performed in preparing the space. There is no complete set available, but the first and eleventh are relevant for preparing your temple space for Egyptian ritual.

Entering the Temple (Episode 1)

Words spoken to Atum:

"I have come before thee, the Great One following me, my purification upon myanns. I have passed by Tefnut, Tefnut having purified me. Assuredly, I am a prophet, the son of a prophet of this temple. I shall not linger, I shall not tum back. I am a prophet. I have come to perfonn the ritual. Indeed, I have not come to do that which is not to be done."

Spell for cleansing the Sanctuary (Episode 11)

Words spoken to Atum:

"I am Horus; I have come seeking for my two eyes; I shall not allow that it should be far from you, Re-Harakhte. A tum, Lord of the Great Mansion, who resides in the Mansion of Menmaetre, behold me carrying it! May you come in peace! It has driven out all your impurities, for you have assembled it, Atum, father of the gods, who resides in the Mansion of Menmaetre.

When within a sacred space, time did not have any meaning to the Egyptians. Stepping into a sacred space was perceived as returning to the beginning of time, to enable the magician to tap into the energies of creation for performing magic. Again we can see the parallel in modern practices of the magic circle being between the worlds.

After ritual vessels and utensils that had been used would be washed in water from the sacred lake, i.e. specially blessed water, as it was believed to have special purificatory powers.

The Hours

As Re journeyed through the sky in his solar barque, he passed through the hours. Each of the twelve hours of the day had a deity who was present on the barque associated with them. Rites could be performed during these hours for these deities if you wish to time them accordingly

Rituals

The gods were called on during spells. This is because it was believed that by transferring the personal problem onto a cosmic scale, into the realm of the gods, then the aid of the gods, and the use of heka, could facilitate the solution to the problem.

The Egyptians were very fond of repetition when it came to spells. The usual number of repetitions would be one of the sacred numbers: this would be three, four, seven or nine times, depending on the spell. It is likely that the words were chanted rather than simply being spoken, as this was considered more powerful.

Spells were guarded fiercely, as they were believed to lose their effectiveness if people who were not properly trained in the magical arts spoke them.

As with subsequent magical traditions, spells usually comprised two major aspects - the rubric (spoken words) and the associated actions. Strictly speaking there was generally a third component, which were the ingredients used to help ensure the spell worked.

Equipment

This is a big issue that needs a lot of consideration. Essential items you will need for your temple space are as follows:

Ø       A small statue of Maat, for the presentation of Maat

Ø       Appropriate statues of deities you wish to work with,

Ø       Or at least good pictures so there are representations for the deity to live in during your rituals.

Ø       White, red, green and blue pieces of cloth for dressing statues.

Ø       A white cotton robe. You can see the designs from the costumes worn by the deities in the images in this book.

Ø       Censer for incense.

Ø       Fan for spreading incense smoke.

Ø       Knife made of flint, obsidian or iron, for "Opening the Mouth" ceremony on your statues.

Ø       Charcoal blocks.

Ø       Appropriate incenses to burn - ingredients and blends are given earlier. Kyphi, frankincense and myrrh are essential.

Ø       Blank papyrus (or paper if you cannot obtain it) for writing on.

Ø       Ink and pen to write with. If you can make your own ink from myrrh resin this is ideal.

Ø       Candles and appropriate candlesticks. You can use white candles always, or beeswax if you wish to. The ancient Egyptians did not use different colour candles in the spectrum of colours now available to us.

Ø       Ointment for anointing your statues with.

Ø       A tray for carrying items on - made of a suitable material, Le. appropriate wood or metal, but not plastic.

Ø       Optional items you may wish to use include:

Ø       A large ankh to carry in your hand.

Ø       A Uraeus crown to wear. A sistrum for shaking.

Ø        Appropriate sceptres or wands to wield, particularly if you plan on working with other creatures apart from the gods.

Setting up your Temple

Once you have obtained all the equipment you are planning on using, you need to make sure your temple space is purified and properly set up first. Lighting should be by candles or oil lamps only. The absence of modern technology in the temple as far as possible is also preferable, i.e. no telephones, computers, televisions, etc.

The first thing you should do is walk around the room clockwise, sprinkling water everywhere. Water from a sacred well or spring is ideal for this. You should then sweep the floor with a broom, again moving clockwise, following the course of the sun. Next you should walk around the room censing it with incense.

Mastic as a cleansing scent that is pleasing to the gods would be appropriate, as would frankincense as the pre-eminent Egyptian scent, and it also has purifying properties. Or you might decide you wish to copy the Egyptian marking of Re's journey, and burn frankincense at dawn, myrrh at midday and kyphi at sunset. Symbolically this honouring of Re and marking the daily cycle is highly appropriate for attuning your temple to the energies of heka.

After this you should perform the Spell for cleansing the Sanctuary:

"I am Horus; I have come seeking for my two eyes; I shall not allow that it should be far from you, Re-Harakhte. A tum, Lord of the Great Mansion, who resides in the Mansion of (your magical name), behold me carrying it! May you come in peace! It has driven out all your impurities, for you have assembled it, Atum, father of the gods, who resides in the Mansion of (magical name)."

Any statues that you are going to use in your temple should have the opening of the mouth performed on them to prepare them for use in your temple. If you cannot find or afford appropriate statues, you can use pictures of the deities as a vessel and gateway for them, and you should perform the opening of the mouth on the image in the same way as you would for a statue.

Movement

As the course of the sun was so vital to the Egyptians, movements in the temple should always be sunwise, Le. clockwise. To move against the course of the sun (anti-clockwise) would be considered an act of chaos, and against the principles of Maat. Steps should be measured and dignified, and good posture maintained - do not slouch or hurry as this is showing disrespect.

The different movements used, like the invocation posture or recitation of glorifications, should always be employed when performing invocations. Likewise anointing is always done with the little finger of the preferred hand. The more ritualistic and formulaic you make your movements, the better.

Speech

Words being so vital, you should make a big effort to intone words, not just say them. Really focus on putting your intent into the words you intone. Invocations and spells may be repeated four times or even seven times to give them more power and show your devotion.

Visualisation

As has already been mentioned, the Egyptians saw their deities as usually standing about 4.5m (15' or so) high. So if you are meditating and visualising a deity, this is the height you should see it. Remember also to visualise the skin and eyes (if known) the appropriate colour. The deity should be visualised carrying his or her specific symbolic tools. If there are none the deity can always be visualised holding a large ankh as the symbol of life in the right hand.

Revising your Practices

Although the ancient Egyptian view inspired much of modern magical practice, you need to put any ideas you have based on your modern experience aside.

The idea of having to cast a circle beforehand for instance, is not an issue in a room that is a consecrated temple space, as the Egyptians would consider that with the deities living there nothing negative is going to try and enter the space. If you are in a place away from your temple, then you could use an apotropaic wand to draw the boundaries of a circle on the floor, as this was an Egyptian practice.

Likewise the convention of the four elements at the quarters does not apply to the Egyptian worldview. If you feel really uncomfortable without the usual forms of protection you invoke, you could invoke the guardian deities associated with the directions in funerary practices as guardians. In this instance you would then invoke Serket in the East, Isis in the South, Neith in the West and Nephthys in the North. This would be done after step 3 in the ritual form given below.

Modern pagans enjoy having cakes and wine at the end of ceremonies, but this is not part of Egyptian practice. When you have left the temple after the rite is finished, you may partake of the offerings, so they are not wasted, as the ancient Egyptian practitioners did.

The opening of circle performed at the end of modern magical ceremonies is not performed, as the temple space is set up as a permanent magical space, and so you simply leave the space in the manner described in step 8 below. If you are away from your temple, you could draw the circle again with the apotropaic wand to open it, but again go clockwise as you visualise your circle disappearing, so you do not act in a chaotic manner.

Ritual form

The following ritual form is a modern reconstruction of techniques and recitations that we know were used by ancient practitioners of heka. It is designed to give a structure to work within, and may be expanded as desired.

Before the ritual you should already have made sure your robe and statue dressing cloths are clean, had a ritual bath, robed and perfumed yourself, and cleaned the temple. Anoint yourself on your brow, heart and arms when you perfume yourself. The brow represents your psychic senses, the heart is your centre of intelligence (in the Egyptian worldview), and the arms to keep within them the words of recitation (i.e. "my purification upon my arms").

"I have come before thee, the Great One following me, my purification upon my anns. I have passed by Tefnut, Tefnut having purified me⁴⁹• Assuredly, I am a prophet, the son of a prophet of this temple. I shall not linger, I shall not tum back. I am a prophet. I have come to perfonn the ritual. Indeed, I have not come to do that which is not to be done."

1. On entering the room you should begin by reciting appropriate words for entering the temple:

Additionally you could also use the words spoken to Pharaoh, adapted into the first person:

"Hu is in my mouth, Sia is in my heart: my speech is the shrine of Maat."

2. Circumambulate the temple clockwise, sprinkling pure water on the floor. You may find it useful to have a tray, with the water on, together with food and wine offerings, censer of incense, fan, Maat statue and dressing cloths, otherwise it can get very complicated if practising by yourself. As you pass the altar you can put the tray down and continue your circumambulation with the water. Then circumambulate the temple a second time with the censer of incense and fan.

3. Recite the ritual "to make protection by magic". You may wish to perform the Recitation of the Glorifications sequence of gestures while you say this to give added emphasis to your words.

"I am that pure Heka who is in the utterance and body of Re. On your face, enemy of Ref I am his ba, the Heka."

4. Presentation of Maat

Kneel and offer the statue of Maat in the left hand to a statue or image of a deity on your main altar (such as Re or Atum). Your left arm should be bent, but the palm kept horizontal, with the right hand raised in protection of the goddess. Say:

'The offering is done for him who has given life

 I have brought Maat to you in order that you may live on her

I give you Maat with my left hand, my right hand protecting her. "

5. Dressing of appropriate statues, including offerings

Remove the red cloth left from the previous day for purification. Next purify the statue with water and incense. Now dress the statue in white to safeguard it from its enemies, then after a minute or so remove the white cloth and place blue cloth on it to hide the face. After another minute replace this with green cloth for bodily health, then finally a minute later remove the green cloth and cover the statue with red the for cloth protection. Dab your little finger in ointment and lightly touch it to the statue's forehead.

6. Offerings of wine and food are made to the statue(s) of the deities on your altar. As you place the items on the altar say:

"0 (Deity Name) Take to yourself wine (or food), Which I have offered to your ka.

(Deity name), how beautiful is your beauty,

May you drink it; may your heart rejoice; may anger be removed from your face.

It is pure."

7. Perform your spells or ritual, or any more devotions. Remember that spells were usually repeated four times.

8. Say farewell to any deities you called upon, repeating the farewell so it is said 7 times in total.

9. Perform the Removing the foot - stepping backwards from the altar to the door. You thus leave the shrine in its original state, symbolically returning it to the time of creation. Remove offerings and take them with you when you leave - the deities have had time to absorb the essence from them for their pleasure.

Want to know more about Ancient Egyptian Ritual Tools?

The Egypt Studio: http://www.studio.sofiatopia.org/studio.htm

Egyptian ritual tools: http://www.hermeticka.com/tools.htm

A book on the subject: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crafting-Ritual-Tools-Step-step/dp/1567183468