The original Island of Philae, as shown in this
sketch done in the late 1800s by Amelia Edwards, a Victorian Egyptologist,
shows the structures as they once were. The main Temple is dedicated to the
Goddess Isis. Also shown is the nearby island (in foreground) of Bigeh and the
remains of a small temple associated with Isis’s husband, Osiris. Although no
evidence has ever existed that the God Osiris is buried there, since the
Greco-Roman Period, this is prevailing explanation of the purpose to the
structures. A possible explanation as to why the structures on Bigeh Island
were never restored is the mystery surrounding the island. It has been referred
to as the “source of the Nile,” which was believed to begin from a cavern deep
beneath the island. A special sanctuary was built there in ancient times, but
the area was prohibited to people and thus became known in Greek as the Abaton,
or "forbidden place". The sanctuary used to be surrounded by 365 altars
on which priests laid daily offerings of milk, making Bigeh of significant and
equal importance to the island of Philae.
With the construction of the Old Dam of Aswan,
the temples on Philae remained submerged by the artificial lake most of the
year. Then, when the High Dam of Aswan was constructed, it was determined that
the temples on Philae would have to be moved to save them. In a major
undertaking, the structures were dismantled and moved from Philae to Island of
Agilkia. And since waters already engulfed the monuments at Philae, a coffer
dam had to be built around the island and then the water pumped out making the
task more difficult. This work began in 1972 and was finished in 1980 as a
cooperative effort of UNESCO and the Egyptian Antiquity Organization.
The original monuments (left map) were moved to Agilkia (right map) northwest of Philae Island. Some 40,000 blocks, weighing
about 20,000 tons were moved to the new location. The new location was
carefully landscaped to make it resemble Philae as much as possible. As shown
in the above maps, those involved with the planning of the move did an
excellent job of re-creating the temples on present day “Philae.” However,
considering how detailed the ancients were with alignment and placement of
temples and sanctuaries to points on the Earth, one wonders how much the energy
has been altered by the move. For instance, the island of Bigeh now lies
southwest of the new Philae.
Amelia Edwards, author of Thousand Miles Up the Nile
(1891) wrote in her journal before departing Philae words capturing the
island’s beauty, serenity, and ambiance. It is still apropos today.
“I see the sun set for the last time from the
roof the Temple of Isis. Then, when all that wondrous flush of rose and gold
has died away, comes the warm afterglow. No words can paint the melancholy
beauty of Philae at this hour. The surrounding mountains stand out jagged and
purple against a pale amber sky. The Nile is glassy. Not a breath, not a
bubble, troubles the inverted landscape. Every palm is twofold; every stone is
doubled. The big boulders in med-stream are reflected so perfectly that it is
impossible to tell where the rock ends and the water begins. The temples,
meanwhile, have turned to a subdued golden bronze; and the pylons are peopled
with shapes that glow with fantastic life, and look ready to step down from
their places.”
In addition to the exterior beauty of theisland, the temple walls are covered from floor to ceiling with carved
hieroglyphs and scenes. Shown in the photo on the left is the Goddess Isis
flanking the entrance, and the middle photo depicts the God, Horus. Originally
all of the walls, both inside and out displayed rich colors made from crushed
gemstones. As the illustration on the right shows, the tops of the columns were
often decorated as lotus flowers in richer colors that naturally draw your eye
up.
The main temple’s Sanctuary can be reached by
passing through a series of doorways (left photo). Often seven, which is the
number of charkas, the sanctuary is located at the crown chakra (center photo).
It is best to visit Philae prior to the crowds of people arriving in order to
fully experience the energy of the sanctuary. The photo on the right was taken
during the Initiation Ceremony Journey in November 2005. It shows a powerful
band of light energy shining down into the center of our group after doing
sacred toning in the sanctuary.
The main temple at
Philae is dedicated to the Goddess Isis who is associated with birthing,
creation and magic. She is considered the personification of the "complete
female." Isis was called "The One Who Is All," and the
"Lady of Ten Thousand Names." The Book of the Dead describes her as:
"She who gives birth to heaven and earth,
knows the orphan, knows the widow, seeks justice for the poor, and shelter for
the weak.”
The symbol of Isis in the heavens is the star
Sept (Sirius). Somewhat aptly named, the “Queens Chamber” inside the Great
Pyramid has a shaft, which points directly to the star, Sirius. For Ancient Egyptians
the appearance of Sirius marked not only the beginning of a new year, but also
announced the advance of the Inundation of the Nile, which betokened renewed
wealth and prosperity of the country. Similarly, her husband, Osiris is
affiliated with the “Kings Chamber” and has a small passageway that points to
Orion (See diagram).
Several
stories have been carried down through the ages that feature Isis. Perhaps the
best known involves Osiris, Set, Isis, Nepthys and Horus. The interpretation is
that a rivalry existed between Osiris and his brother, Set. Wanting to be
crowned King, Set was determined to get Osiris out of the picture.
He
carried out his plan, and had Osiris chopped up into pieces. Isis, sister and
wife to Osiris along with twin sister, Nepthys (shown in Philae hieroglyphic
scene above left) find all of the pieces to Osiris, except his phallus. Through
the “magic” of Nepthys, known as The Initiator into the Mysteries, and
Goddess Isis the energy to conceive is made present.
As the scene on the right portrays, Horus is
divinely conceived. Horus later avenges his father’s death, and becomes king.
The story is filled with twists and has room for
different interpretations. For instance, there are those that think the story
is about duality of self, and the conquering (integration) in order to conceive
a God child or to become God in the physical. The picture at left of statues
shows Horus, Osiris and Isis, and can be viewed as Father-Mother-Child (God).
Another example of reading something different into the
story is a quote from “The Passion of Mary Magdalene,” which reads:
"We were entering the season of sorrow when
Isis and Nepthys would search again for Osiris, picking bits of him out of the
Nile. The word ‘mourn’ derives from a root that means remember. When Isis
mourned Osiris, she re-membered him…literally. Maybe all remembering has the
same purpose, to restore what is lost, to make the unruly fragments of lived
experience a coherent whole. Which is why memory is the mother of the muse.
Memory is something we make, the primordial art form. But if a poem or a story
or a memory is alive, it shapes us, too."
Osiris and Set, and later Horus and Setrepresent light and dark, respectively. The same can be said of Isis andNepthys. Many scenes throughout Egypt on temple walls at Edfu, Kom Ombo, Abydos
and others depict duality, and that in order to become “king” (God in the
physical), an integration of dark and light needs to occur. An excellent
depiction of this is in a modern-day mirror with Nepthys on the left and Isis
on the right (above image). What better way to show integration of the two than
your own reflection in duality!
Of all the Gods and
Goddesses in Ancient Egypt, Isis has been associated with the most meanings.
For instance, the statue shown here of Horus suckling Mother Isis bares a
resemblance to Mary and baby, Jesus. Considering Horus was divinely conceived,
the comparison seems accurate.
Isis and other Gods and Goddesses are also shown
with snakes, the cobra or snake-like symbols. In ancient Egypt, the symbol of
the snake indicates power, sometimes referred to as the "flame". Many
of the representations of snakes in conjunction with Isis are symbols of what
we sometimes call "Kundalini" - the serpent line band of energy that
connects our power centers together and is the seat of Source (Creator) energy.
Like many major ancient temples in Egypt, Philae has smaller
temples dedicated to other Gods and Goddesses. For example, Horus and Hathor
(photo on left) both have temples in their honor. Columns that lead into the
entrance to the main temple also honor the Goddess, Hathor (right photo). This
depiction of Hathor with the cow-like ears and hair flipped into spirals is
connected with the Hathors, who reside in the 5th dimension on
Venus.
The
connection between the Hathors and the Goddess, Hathor is explained in the
following channeled message by Tom Kenyon and Virginia Essene:
"We are the Hathors. In the past we have
specifically worked with and through the Hathor fertility goddess of ancient
Egypt. We come in love and with the sounding of a new dream reality for your
earth. If you are ready to build the new world, we invite you to join us on a
journey of the mind and heart. We are your elder brothers and sisters. We have
been with you for a very long period of your evolution on this planet. We were
with you in eons past - even in the forgotten days before any trace of us is
known in your present written history. Our own nature is energetic and
interdimensional. We originally came from another universe by way of Sirius,
which is a portal to your Universe, and from Sirius we eventually proceeded to
your solar system and the etheric realms of Venus.”
We may never know the entire reason why this peak in the
Grand Canyon, Arizona was named Isis Temple (see photo). But, it is not the
only evidence of connections between Egypt and the Southwestern United States.
The April 5, 1909 issue of the Gazette, an Arizona newspaper, featured the
following headlines: "Explorations in Grand Canyon", "Mysteries
of Immense Rich Cavern Being Brought to Light," and "Remarkable Finds
Indicate Ancient People Migrated From Orient." The article reads in part:
“The latest news of the progress of the explorations
of what is now regarded by scientists as not only the oldest archaeologicaldiscovery in the United States, but one of the most valuable in the world…
”
Several
years ago, a group of researchers went to the Grand Canyon to find the cave,
only to be harassed by the military followed by threats. This did not prevent
them from finding hieroglyphs that resemble an Egyptian woman (shown in photo
on right) as well as Chinese writing. They also located a man in Flagstaff who
as a boy was witness to his father helping to remove the Egyptian artifacts from
the cave, and load them on train cars. He was about nine years old at the time,
and used to ride the train on the newly laid (temporary) tracks that led to the
rim of the canyon. He said he was most fascinated by the mummies. When asked
where these artifacts were being taken, he said, “The Smithsonian.” A
Phoenix-based television crew aired interviews of the group seeking to find the
cave, the witness, showed the remains of the railroad tracks, and spoke briefly
to officials of the Smithsonian, who deny the story. Otherwise, all records of
the cave and G.E.Kincaid’s expedition have
been destroyed or hidden except for the story that ran in the Flagstaff
newspaper.
In addition to Isis Peak, other formations and mountains
in and around this remote part of the Grand Canyon have Egyptian names. The
area around Ninety-four Mile Creek and Trinity Creek have names like Tower of
Set, Tower of Ra, Horus Temple, Cheops Pyramid and Osiris Temple. Also, it is
suspected that due to the Smithsonian-financed expedition finding artifacts in
the cave resembling Buddha-like statues, the Haunted Canyon area has names such
as the Buddha Cloister, Buddha Temple, Manu Temple and Shiva Temple.
Yet another connection exists between Egypt to
Arizona. Isis is often depicted with a throne on her head and with wings,
meaning ascension. This is linked with the Phoenix, the female bird of
resurrection. Was the city of Phoenix named after the famed bird? If so, why?
Does it have further meaning and connections to Isis?
Long forgotten are the artifacts, statues and oblelisks that
have been removed from ancient temples. Such is the case at Philae. It used to
have an oblelisk that was carted off to England in 1821 where it remains today
(left photo). Not just any obelisk, it contains a bilingual
inscription including the names of Cleopatra and Ptolemy in Egyptian
hieroglyphs. This provided the French historian Jean-Francois Champollion with
the final clues that allowed him to translate the hieroglyphs of the Rosetta Stone andunlock the secrets of the civilization of Ancient Egypt.
Ironically,
the European Space Agency (ESA) launched an orbiter called “Rosetta” in 2004
and had a contest to name the lander. Not surprisingly, the name, Philae won.
According to ESA, just as the Philae Obelisk and the
Rosetta Stone provided
keys to an ancient civilization, the Philae Lander
and the Rosetta Orbiter are intended to unlock the
mysteries of the oldest building blocks of our Solar System the comets.
UK
scientists are involved in instruments on Rosetta’s orbiter
and Philae. Dr Ian Wright, Lead Scientist for the
Ptolemy instrument on Philae from the Open University
said, “Philae is a very apt name for Rosetta’s lander. The whole mission is about unlocking the secrets of
the Universe through the study of a comet in the same way that the discovery of
the Rosetta Stone enabled
the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The instruments on Philae may provide the final clue to the Rosetta mission to
find out more about how life began on Earth.” (Illustration on right is of
Philae lander).
Unfortunately past experience tells us that
NASA, ESA and other space agencies are not honest with the public about the
nature of missions and their findings. We can only speculate what is they
intend to do with information gathered with the Rosetta/Philae Mission and/or
if there is more to this mission than “meets the eye.”
All material on these Ancient Egypt pages is copyrighted. Permission to use may be granted by
writing the author at samone @ isp.com. Copyright 2001-2007 Samone Myers All Rights Reserved.
The original Island of Philae, as shown in this
sketch done in the late 1800s by Amelia Edwards, a Victorian Egyptologist,
shows the structures as they once were. The main Temple is dedicated to the
Goddess Isis. Also shown is the nearby island (in foreground) of Bigeh and the
remains of a small temple associated with Isis’s husband, Osiris. Although no
evidence has ever existed that the God Osiris is buried there, since the
Greco-Roman Period, this is prevailing explanation of the purpose to the
structures. A possible explanation as to why the structures on Bigeh Island
were never restored is the mystery surrounding the island. It has been referred
to as the “source of the Nile,” which was believed to begin from a cavern deep
beneath the island. A special sanctuary was built there in ancient times, but
the area was prohibited to people and thus became known in Greek as the Abaton,
or "forbidden place". The sanctuary used to be surrounded by 365 altars
on which priests laid daily offerings of milk, making Bigeh of significant and
equal importance to the island of Philae.
With the construction of the Old Dam of Aswan,
the temples on Philae remained submerged by the artificial lake most of the
year. Then, when the High Dam of Aswan was constructed, it was determined that
the temples on Philae would have to be moved to save them. In a major
undertaking, the structures were dismantled and moved from Philae to Island of
Agilkia. And since waters already engulfed the monuments at Philae, a coffer
dam had to be built around the island and then the water pumped out making the
task more difficult. This work began in 1972 and was finished in 1980 as a
cooperative effort of UNESCO and the Egyptian Antiquity Organization. 
