Tools and amulet

Heka Ushabtiu-Empowerment of the Ushabtiu

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The ushabti (also called "shabtn is as fascinating as it is ubiquitous in the funerary lore of ancient Egypt. Innumerable ushabtis have been found in tombs, and in some periods 365 of them were placed with the deceased so that a helping spirit would be available for each day of the year.

Chapter 6 of The Book of Going Forth by Day gives the formula for empowering the ushabtiu with life and assuming the identity of the owner. The spirits are then directed to perform any work that they may be called upon to do. The cultivation of fields, irrigation of land, and transportation of sand from the eastern to the western zones of the sacred regions were all readily accomplished by these attendant spirits.

The spell is nearly identical with others used to empower or give life to the
tools of the temple magician. Believed to have an identity of their own, the
wands, sceptres, crowns, and even portions of fabric infused with the powers of the gods were regarded as essential instruments of transformation.

Sacret Tools

Situla
The ceremonial container that is carried in processions to the sanctuary.
It may hold incense, or liquid offerings of milk, water, and wine. Closely
associated with the observances of Auset and Het-Her, it represents the
womb of life.

Sistrum
The sceptre of Het-Her produces the sacred rhythm that invites vital,
protective forces. As Neter of music and dance, her instruments recreate
the harmony of divine life. It is used at the commencement of
ceremonies to ward off nefarious forces and protect the sacred precinct.

Nekheka
The right-handed royal sceptre is the flail with three loose streamers,
representing Hu, the creative manifestation. Originally an ancient
agricultural tool of the Lower Kingdom, it was used to separate the
grain from its chaff at harvest. It conveys the powers of justice and
well-being.

Ankh
In nearly every example of Egyptian iconography, the gods are depicted
holding the ankh emblem in the right hand, the symbol of
'life." In this context, it represents the life force of the deity who possesses
it. This force is modified by the nature of the god or goddess,
yet always represents an infusion of the god's power that bestows new
vitality upon the recipient.

Djeset
Flint is a substance considered by the Egyptians to contain the sacred
fire of purification. Its use was limited to certain priestly specialists in
the funerary, healing, and sorcery disciplines. The flint knife is carried
by Sekhmet, the "Red Goddess" who was solely privileged to shed
blood; her temples were renowned surgical centers in the ancient
world.

Heka
The crook---originally the shepherd's staff-is one of the sceptres
of royalty, representing the divine pattern (Maat) that guides humanity.
In the left hand it extends Sia, the innate wisdom awakened
in the monarch.

Sekhem
As a hieroglyphic sign, this sceptre represents authority and the
power it brings. It is also known as the Kherep, the "wand of the
master." It often accompanies the royal insignia of crook and flail,
denoting the active influence given the monarch by the gods.

Uas
Carried exclusively by Sekhmet and male deities in the left hand.
The shaft represents the electromagnetic flux first emanated by
Ptah. It is believed by some to have been fabricated from the mummified
remains of the bull's penis and scrotum, symbolizing the virile
power of the male creator gods.

General
Objects charged with power have always been associated with acts of theurgy,and a wide variety of implements are depicted on inscriptions depicting the priesdy art in temple and tomb. Each Neter possesses a sceptre that both represents and transmits its power, though they are often found interchangeably. And in the sacred anatomy; each of the subde bodies possesses a power that is raised by a sceptre. A morning hymn inscribed in the sanctuary of the Edfu temple describes the regalia and sceptres of the god as they are presented in the morning service. It also specifies the hand into which each sceptre is placed. 

Sacret Amulets

Uadjat
The right eye of Hem is the reconstituted power of the god
and the restored order of the universe. Its presentation in the
form of offerings at temple and tomb provide the spiritual
substance that restores the powers of the soul that are divided
by illness or demise.

HeruMerti
The "eyes of Hem" were worn together by a select fewroyal
persons and the priesthood. The right eye represents
the Sun, the left eye the Moon. In the great myth of the battle
between Hem and Set, the former was said to have lost
his right eye, which was restored by Djehuti, lord of the
Moon. The legend also alludes to the Solar Eclipse, believed
to be caused by Set.

Khepri
The Neter of cyclic rerurn assumes the image of the
scarabaeus sacer beetle, which is rolled in its egg by the parent
toward the Sun in the chrysalis stage prior to emerging as a
benevolent, winged creature. Its life cycle is a metaphor of the
transfurmative processes in nature that are engendered by the
Sun, which quickens the life force on Earth.

Djed Pillar
One interpretation is that this figure represents the acacia
tree trunk that concealed the body of Asar after it was cast
in the Nile. Another is that the four segments represent the
four regions of his spinal column that were dismembered
by Set: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral. Rejoined
in this form, it endows stability, strength, endurance, and
permanence.

Menat
The beaded necklace with counterpoise is an amulet of Het-
Her, bringing protection to the back of the neck where the
forces of the astral and physical worlds meet.
Shaken in temple ceremonies to produce rhythmic sounds,
the Menat was also believed to arouse the goddess. Thus, it
ensures renewal of the sexual instincts, promising physical
well-being and fecundity in the female, and virility in the
male.

BaBird
The man-headed hawk is the amulet of the soul, granting
protection against nefarious forces in the shadow worlds. It
also invites clairvoyant vision, as it signifies the astral body in
flight. Chapter 139 of The Book of Going Forth empowers the
amulet of the Ba, which is placed on the breast so that the
soul may visit its body in the tomb. This is why it may be
worn by both the living and the dead-its purpose is to bind
soul and body.

Frog
The African matlametlo arises from the sand in the Sudan
after rainfall, as if spontaneously appearing from the barren
land. Thus, the frog in ancient times emqodied the primeval
forces of Huh and Hauhet, who propagated in the cosmic
waters to impel the creation. The frog also symbolizes the
powers of rebirth inherent in the goddess Qerert, the mirror
image of Hauhet on Earth.

Thet
The 'buckle" or knot of Auset represents the womb of the
goddess, she who incubates the latent seed of Heru Ur. It is
worn to protect the female generative organs. The knot is
colored red, symbolizing the blood she shed after learning
the secret name of Ra-a metaphor of the menses and its
power of rejuvenation.

Sedge and Bee
The sedge plant (nesut) and the bee (bity) are pharaonic emblems.
A legend tells that when Ra wept at the death of Asar,
his tears fell to Earth and became bees. The bee's function in
nature is pollination, an allusion to the king's potency to germinate
divine life in his subjects. The sedge plant provides a
rich mulch in the Nile Valley that optimizes fertilization,
symbolizing the king's embodiment of the alchemical ferment
that quickens organic vitality in the land.

Papyrus Stalk
The Wadj ("verdant") ensures the power to grow and flourish.
Often carried by the female Neteru, it represents the
nourishment received from spiritual sources that translates
to fecundity in nature, the body, and society.
Spell 159 of The Book of Going Forth specifies that the
amulet be fabricated of green feldspar and placed at the
throat of the initiate. The spell also promises that the amulet
will "knit the spine together."