Set the Murderer

 Set the Murderer

Set  was the son of Nut the Goddess of the sky and Geb the God of the earth, he was the brother of Osiris, whom he murdered out of jelousey. Osiris was the Ancient Egyptian god of the dead, and the god of the resurrection into eternal life; ruler, protector, and judge of the deceased.  

 According to one myth Set lived in the Great Bear, a constellation in the northern sky – an area which symbolized darkness and death. He was a storm god associated with strange and frightening events such as eclipses, thunderstorms, and earthquakes

Seth was a powerful and often frightening deity, however he was also a patron god of the pharaohs, particularly Ramses the Great. He protected the dead on the way to the Afterlife.

Even as an infant Set was dangerous and unpredictable. According to the pyramid texts he ripped himself violently from his mother’s womb instead of being born normally like his siblings.

In this unusual image  from the tomb KV14, Set stands firmly on top of a lion with two faces who both wear the crown of the south, it symbolizes the reconciliation of the two opposing forces it represents ‘he of the two faces’ who has the heads of Horus and Set. it is from the 9th Division of the Book of gates, on the left is a hawk-headed lion, on the right from the hind of a lion emerges a human head. 

The Book of Gates is an ancient Egyptian funerary text dating from the New Kingdom. The soul is required to pass through a series of 'gates' each hour of the night. Each gate is associated with a different goddess, and requires that the deceased recognize the particular character of that deity. The text implies that some people will pass through unharmed, but that others will suffer torment in a lake of fire. It narrates the passage of a newly deceased soul into the next world, corresponding to the journey of the sun through the underworld during the hours of the night. Set helps in the cavernous journey through the gates and hours of the night and he rescues Ra from the Apophis snake

Before the New Kingdom,  those who were found guilty in the Hall of Judgement were damned to suffer a continuous cycle of everlasting torment in the outer darkness  of an area in the deepest recesses of the underworld, a place of continuous punishment that was infested with demons who had risen from the ranks of the damned themselves, killing and torturing each other. They would rip the protective mummy wrappings off each other, screeching and tearing each others flesh, their skin no longer protected, it rotted  and decomposed  Their hearts were ripped out and the ba soul was lost, never knowing the way to fly back to its bodily home again. Thirst and hunger ravished them, but they are denied the gifts of wine or bread, as their funeral gifts never reach them.,  they would sneak past the four baboons that guarded the Lake of burning fire only to find the water was not cool for them,  refreshing their thirst as it would for a righteous man, for the damned it was a place of destruction where burning, bloody water and the horrendous stench of putrefying burnt flesh  rose from its cesspools, for they were the brothers of Set, the God who murdered his own brother Osiris, and disguised himself as a pig to blind Horus thus causing  the eclipses of the light and sun.

Set was jealous of his brother Osiris who had been made pharaoh of Egypt, Set felt that he should have been given this power, Closer to his home his unfaithful wife Nepthys tricked Osiris into having sex with her by disguising herself as her sister Isis, who was the wife of Osiris, the outcome was that Nepthys had a son Anubis who served as the god of mummification

Set was furious with his unfaithful wife but took his vengeance out on his brother Osiris whom he murdered and scattered all the parts of his body to the far corners of Egypt. The Goddess Isis was so destraught that for many years she searched Egypt to find the body parts of her husband Osiris and with her magic,  she was able to bring Osiris to life, but Ra said that Osiris could not live on the earth with the living so he made him the Judge of the Underworld, he became the God of Eternal life and judged the deceased to see if they had led a just life, and were worthy of an afterlife

Set the protector of Ra

Despite the fact that Set murdered his own brother Osiris, he was considered to be the defender of the sun god Ra, whose barque he protected on its journey through the underworld (or the night sky) and he fought and killed  the  demon snake known as Apophis who has has guzzled the water surrounding the barque of Ra, on the journey through the caverns of the under world the barque was becoming trapped in sandbanks, but they were not sandbanks, it was the obese fat crushing coils of this  gigantic snake Aphosi that would trap the barque, while its demon eyes  will hypnotize the crew, enabling the snake to swallow their heads engulfing them in everlasting darkness. On the holy barque of Ra panic and chaos ensues, help is desperately needed, the companions on the barque struggle to fight off this vile creature, that has swum in the waters of chaos for eternity, In the battle Heka (the God of Magic) stands on the prow of the boat his divine magic was given to the human race by Ra and with his magical incantations he will exorcise the snake, subduing it to his power.  Ra then calls for Set, the god of Darkness, war and Chaos to help them kill the snake whilst Heka has it in his spell, Set leaps to the prow of the boat with his spear launching it at this terrifying demon serpent, it rises above the boat emitting a screech as its poisonous fangs launch towards them, Seth leaps onto the serpent and thrusts his sword into the back of its head.  Screeching it crashes into the waters of chaos launching the boat into a tidal wave through the caverns. Set is washed across to the shore where he drags the serpent and hacks its goutiness body to pieces.  In contempt of Ra and the other companions he gloats that only he could save them from the threat of this Demon, Ra in his anger instructs Hu and Sia to guide the boat to safer waters, leaving the Set on the shore.

Abydos Stargate - The Flower of Life Symbol - Hieroglyphic Symbols of a Helicopter, Submarine & Spaceship

Seti 1 built a large temple complex at Abydos about 3,200 years ago to honour the Egyptian pantheon, and to show that he too was divine
It is here inside his temple that you can find the controversial hieroglyphs, that are carved into one of the roof beams which was discovered in the early 1900’s. It is the infamous hieroglyphic symbols of a helicopter, submarine, and a spaceship. Some claim these strange symbols are just the result of later pharaohs, carving over old symbols, as they sometimes did to put down their own name instead, thereby distorting the original image. I am not sure what to think. 

There are two thouhts with regards to this image Haydn crouch wrote 'The "helicopter" image is the result of carved stone being re-used over time. The initial carving was made during the reign of Seti I and translates to "He who repulses the nine [enemies of Egypt]". This carving was later filled in with plaster and re-carved during the reign of Ramesses II with the title "He who protects Egypt and overthrows the foreign countries". Over time, the plaster has eroded away, leaving both inscriptions partially visible and creating a palimpsest-like effect of overlapping hieroglyphs'

Dorothy Eady also known as Omm Sety, claims that during Ancient times she was a priestess at the temple, and her name was 'Bentreshyt', amazingly she knew where to tell the archaeologists to dig for things, and she was always right. This temple has always been cloaked in mystery. It has been rumored to have an Ancient Stargate, an opening to another world.

Om Sety went to live in Abydos in 1956 and dedicated her life to the Temple of Seti 1, she recalled how she had once fallen into a dimensional hole inside the temple, giving her a time travel glimpse into the past. Many report that during her years of dedicated service at the temple, she was often seen pressing her hands along the walls looking for some hidden doorway that might take her back to that place in time.

In ancient times Abydos was believed to be the birthplace of the God Osiris, and it is where his decapitated head was buried by his murderous brother Set. Abydos is the holiest of Necropolises, during pharaonic times, ancient Egyptians wanted to be buried there, and many made a pilgrimage to Abydos, as it was a sacred city and also the site of many temples. Most Eyptian temples have a single sanctuary known as the Holie of Holies, so perhaps the fact that the Temple of Seti 1 has seven large sancturies is what leads a spiritual air to this temple.Six of the sancturies have a false door to allow the Ka, or soul, to pass through. The only sanctuary that dosn't have a false door is the Sanctuary of Osiris himself, as he is the God of the underworld and can travel through both worlds. Solar Barques were originally kept in these rooms, they were used to escort the dieties during festivals, and it is believed that they transported them across the heavens.

I have worked with a friend called Caroline in the temples in Egypt, and she is a spiritual tour guide, she works with Meditations, and a Tibetan bowl in the Temples, In this photo you can see her in the temple at Abydos, she has just finished using her Tibetan Bowl that works on the energies, vibrations, and harmonies within the temple. If you look at the image you can see that she is surrounded by spiritual orbs, it is easier for a spirit to manifest as an Orb, than a whole body.

Abydos sits on a natural occurring Stargate portal, much like the Great Pyramids at Giza that are in direct line with the three stars of the Constellation of Orion's Belt.  Every Egyptian temple was created as an image of the cosmos and therefore to build a temple or add a new section became an act of creation.The pharaoh would consult the goddess Sheshat who embodied the essence of cosmic intuition, She was the Mistress of Architects, and with the pharaoh she would hold a foundation ritual known as ‘The stretching of the cord’ to measure and lay plans for the temples axis by aid of the stars

Ramses II the son of Seti 1, built a temple 300 yards northwest from his father's temple and  it is mysteriously referred to as the 'Portal Temple.' the Ancients considered Abydos the most sacred temple in all of Egypt there is alot of interest regarding Ancient Stargates and portals.  Many temples are said to be built on energetic Earth ley lines, may actually hide other portals into space and time that the ancients knew about.

The Abydos Stargate is part of the Osirion, a building that pre-dates Seti I’s temple. For centuries the Osirion was buried under layers of sand, protecting its secrets. It’s still partly underground and now flooded with green water. visible from the wooden staircase leading down to the water you can see two sacred geometry 'Flower of Life patterns of interlocking circles, on the granite walls. The Flower of life contains the patterns of creation as they emerged from the Great Void, everything is made from the Creator's thought. The patterns have been lasered onto the walls. It’s not carved or burned into the stone—it’s lasered on, telling us it was done by advanced tools. This is the oldest example of sacred geometry found anywhere.

Experience the Macabre Fear & Chaos of a Journey through the Tombs in Ancient Egypt

Try and imagine the tombs with an invisible passage of water that flows within a dark tunnel of fear and chaos that could ultimately lead you to the light and eternity at dawn. A Solar barque that has soaked in the rays of the sun during the hours of the day will now be empowered to travel through the darkness of the night on this eternal carrier of light, and it waits for you. Your   mortal body is dead, you are incapable of speech, you cannot move,  you are traveling across the waters of chaos, you are helpless, you sense a macabre fear of something enclosing you in the water, suddenly the water begins to drain away, a demon snake known as Apophis the God of Chaos has guzzled the water, while its demon eyes  will hypnotize the crew, enabling the snake to swallow their heads engulfing them in everlasting darkness, you are helpless, help is desperately needed, the companions on the barque struggle to fight off this vile creature, the enemy of the Sun God Amun Ra, that has swum in the waters of chaos for eternity, In the battle Heka stands on the prow of the boat his divine magic was given to the human race by Ra and with his magical incantations he will exorcise the snake, subduing it to his power.  

Ra then calls for Set, the god of Darkness, war and Chaos to help them kill the snake whilst Heka (magic) has it in his spell, Seth leaps to the prow of the boat with his spear launching it at this terrifying demon serpent, it rises above the boat emitting a screech as its poisonous fangs launch towards them, Seth leaps onto the serpent and thrusts his sword into the back of its head.  Screeching it crashes into the waters of chaos launching the boat into a tidal wave through the caverns. Seth is washed across to the shore where he drags the serpent and hacks its goutiness body to pieces.  In contempt of Ra and the other companions he gloats that only he could save them from the threat of this Demon, Ra in his anger instructs Hu (command) and Sia (perception) who guides the barque to safer waters, leaving Seth on the shore. Hu takes a deep breath, then releases the divine breath of life across the water, and the barque once more is thrust into fresher waters, the light and perception of Hu’s female partner Sia expresses the mind of Ra, and together the spiritual essence of these companions on the boat connect the soul with the heart of Ra once more and enable it to journey towards the light again leaving behind the terrible darkness and fear of attack. Only a man with a pure and righteous heart would be offered the everlasting release and joy to be a part of the eternal cosmic cycle of renewal with the God Ra, the alternative was a macabre and  sinister torment that would await an unrighteous man. 

Before the New Kingdom,  those who were found guilty in the Hall of Judgement were damned to suffer a continuous cycle of everlasting torment in the outer darkness  of an area in the deepest recesses of the underworld, a place of continuous punishment that was infested with demons who had risen from the ranks of the damned themselves, killing and torturing each other. They would rip the protective mummy wrappings off each other, screeching and tearing each others flesh, their skin no longer protected, it rotted  and decomposed  Their hearts were ripped out and the ba soul was lost, never knowing the way to fly back to its bodily home again. Thirst and hunger ravished them, but they are denied the gifts of wine or bread, as their funeral gifts never reach them.,  they would sneak past the four baboons that guarded the Lake of burning fire only to find the water was not cool for them,  refreshing their thirst as it would for a righteous man, for the damned it was a place of destruction where burning, bloody water and the horrendous stench of putrefying burnt flesh  rose from its cesspools, for they were the brothers of Set, the God who murdered his own brother Osiris, and disguised himself as a pig to blind Horus thus causing  the eclipses of the light and sun. Their torment never ceased but each new dawn a ray of hope would spring forth inside their wretched bodies as a blinding golden barque passed overhead rays of light lit up the darkness for a second and as the ray of light passed over them, they would scream and beg for help, but the Righteous Barque of Ra sailed silently over them, completely oblivious to their cries and torment………………..  Only enter these portals of ancient Egypt to catch a glimpse of your possible destiny if you believe that you have lived a righteous life, for these tunnels are the passage between what we understand as Heaven and hell.

The Tomb of Sennefer on the Westbank of Luxor

The Tomb of Sennefer who had held the position of Mayor of the Southern City under the reign of Amenhotep 11 during the 18th Dynasty can be found high on the hill directly facing the Rammessium Mortuary Temple.

Sennefer held many titles, he was not only the Mayor of the city and controller of Administration and taxes, but he also held the title of Overseer  of the Granaries of Amun, Superintendent of the gardens of Amun and High Priest of Amun, he was loyal to the king and efficient in his duties.

Deep cut steps lead me into the door well of the tomb and as I entered within, an arched tunnel enfolds  me, the walls are roughly cut, whilst shadows and the warm glow of lights guide me down 44 steep winding cavernous steps, at the bottom the tunnel bends sharply to the right, where I was completely unprepared for the total contrast and brightness of a small vestibule that I arrived in, it had a low undulating ceiling that seemed to hang low with the weight of the plump succulent grapes all waiting to be plucked painted on its surface. The artist has used the undulation of the ceiling to   create this glorious vineyard in a three dimensional effect, The Overseer of the Gardens of Amun was fortunate to have such a thriving succulent purple vineyard. The walls are bright white and bursting with beautiful small coloured images of Sennefer receiving offerings from the priests and his wife Meryt. Sennefer is also shown witnessing his funeral procession and the presentation of the funerary equipment to be placed inside his tomb.


Bending my body almost double to pass beneath a deep square entrance that leads into a larger square burial chamber, I was amazed by the vibrancy of bright yellow that bounces off the ceiling in geometric designs   and tapers off into more grapevines. This tomb is alive and blazing with colour that lifts your heart with gladness. Supporting the ceiling are four solid square cut pillars, I felt that these pillars are an expression of love between Sennefer and his wife Meryt The Lady of The House and Chantress of Amun, who is shown on each face of the pillars making offerings to Sennefer, she kneels beside him and stands along side him offering him gifts of Myrrh linen wine necklaces and a scarab to protect his heart in the Hall of Judgement. I feel that the pillars are a true expression of their commitment and love, showing Meryt in early stages of pregnancy on one pillar, in the very subtle way that the ancient Egyptians portrayed a woman’s ever increasing waist line.
The scenes on the walls detail the funeral procession, with Sennefer before Osiris and Hathor, again Meryt is present to support her husband whilst he worships Osiris and they are purified together by a priest in leopard skin, as a chantress of Amun Meryt plays her sistrum for her husband and carries a Menat necklace.


In a corner of the chamber painted in small detail Sennefer and Meryt sit beneath a belachin on board a small boat that is painted green, the colour is symbolic and like the papyrus it represents regeneration, their small boat is towed by a larger white one showing the captain, helmsman and rowers. The journey was to take Sennefer and Meryt on a pilgrimage to the Holy city of Abydos where the tomb of Osiris is said to be located.  Osiris had been killed by his wicked brother Seth, who then scattered the pieces of his body all over Egypt. Isis the wife of Osiris loved her husband so much that she desperately searched the land of Egypt until she found all the scattered parts, and then with her  magical powers she joined his body together again and resurrected him back to life, he was then made the Judge of the dead and Lord of the underworld by Amun. Many Egyptians made this pilgrimage to Abydos because at sunset   they believed it looked like a golden staircase leading to the afterlife


I feel that the tomb of Sennefer is a celebration in the most vibrant colours of a mortal life and the journey to the underworld embracing eternity of a successful nobleman who was supported by the deep love of his wife. As I climbed back up the staircase the vibrancy of this tomb had lifted my spirits more than the emergence through the door back into the blazing sun light beating down.

The Temples of Ancient Egypt - The Earthly Homes of the Gods & the Mortuary Temples of the Kings

On The East Bank of Egypt where the sun rises every morning, the ancient Egyptians created temples that were considered to be the earthly homes of the Gods, Karnack temple is the earthly home of  the supreme God Amun Ra.

The temples or homes were a symbolic impression of the universe,  a picture that has been created from stone to describe the first moment of creation, the pylons are the East and Western deserts, the gateway portals represent the path that the River Nile would flow though Egypt giving her life each and every day. Gradually the earth rises in the temple as you reach the mound of creation,  the Hypostyle halls that had huge columns portrayed as the lotus plants that came into being,  at dawn the lotus rises symbolically to worship the sun. At the going down of the sun each evening the Lotus plant submerges beneath the waters of the Nile. It encompasses all the forces of nature and lives in the four elements, its roots are bound to the earth, and its stem rises through water, it flourishes in the air and blooms in the sunlight.

Each temple on the East Bank was considered the home of a god,  Karnack is the Home of the God that rose to supreme importance in ancient Egypt, the God Amun Ra the God of the Sun, he is shown wearing a sun disc between his two feathered plumes, and he became the supreme God of the ancient Egyptians, his name means 'The Hidden One', he was thought of as the invisible force of the wind. Ra means Ray of light, because he illuminates everything in shadow, he had the power of creation within him, whatever he named came into existence, he was the life power and source of the universe.

The sun always sets on the Western shore of the River Nile  so this is where the kings built their Mortuary Temples and tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Queens. The Western shore was the Domain of the God Osiris the God of the Underworld

In the mortuary temples the priests presented the Ka statue of the deceased king with offerings to satisfy his needs, Every morning  the statues of the King were washed, dressed, and offered incense, food, flowers wine and prayers .

Mortuary temples were also used also for festivals during the king’s lifetime.  The temples could be considered as books that were written in stone to last for millions of years and to inspire the nation of the king’s courage and deeds in his lifetime, it was believed that if you spoke the words that you read on the walls of the temples or tombs, that the king would be born again and remembered for all time, it works the same way in which we would visit the grave of a loved on with flowers and to remember their memory.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the spirit of a person (the Ka) came into being at birth, and was intimately linked to the physical body during his eternal life after death, (the Ba) when it would require sustenance of food and drink. and so the Kings and Queens and high ranking were mummified before burial, as it was believed that the mummified body was the home to where the soul or spirit (the Ba) would return to after death

The Homes of the Gods and the mortuary temples inspired the belief in their Gods and Kings, fulfilling both the human aspirations and the spiritual needs of the ancient Egyptians, below is the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Dier El Bahari on the Western shore of the Nile.



This is the incredible Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

The Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings & the Tomb of Seti 1

‘ Make beautiful your resting place in the West, make splendid your resting place in the City of the Dead, Thanks to your just way of life, it is here that your heart and soul can rest’
Merikare

‘I am yesterday today and tomorrow,
And I have the power to be born a second time'
The Book of the Dead

Across the river Nile on the western shore of Thebes, there lays a desolate winding valley that hibernates within a barren and silent city for the dead, where no life can sustain on its parched desert rocks. In ancient days this was a secret place with only one way into the valley, its dusty road was only followed by the ritual funeral entourage of ancient times, and if you go into the valley you can only return by the road that you came. The sides of the valley twist and turn and contorting into a mountain that forms a natural pyramid known as 'The Quorn', like the pyramids this is a ladder to the stars and eternal life. It encloses the subterranean tombs and final resting places of the once living Gods of Ancient Weset, the pharaohs of The New Kingdom. 

Try and imagine the tombs with an invisible passage of water that flows within a dark tunnel of fear and chaos that could ultimately lead you to the light and eternity. A golden barque that has soaked in the rays of the sun during the hours of the day will now be empowered to travel through the darkness of the night on this eternal carrier of light, and it waits for you. Your   mortal body is dead, you are incapable of speech, you cannot move,  you are traveling across the waters of chaos, you are helpless, you sense a macabre fear of something enclosing you in the water, suddenly the water begins to drain away, a demon snake known as Apophis has guzzled the water, and your barque is becoming trapped in sandbanks, but they are not sandbanks they are the obese fat crushing coils of this  gigantic snake that will trap the barque, while its demon eyes  will hypnotize the crew, enabling the snake to swallow their heads engulfing them in everlasting darkness. Panic and chaos ensues, help is desperately needed, the companions on the barque struggle to fight off this vile creature, that has swum in the waters of chaos for eternity, In the battle Heka stands on the prow of the boat his divine magic was given to the human race by Ra and with his magical incantations he will exorcise the snake, subduing it to his power.  Ra then calls for Set, the god of Darkness, war and Chaos to help them kill the snake whilst Heka has it in his spell, Seth leaps to the prow of the boat with his spear launching it at this terrifying demon serpent, it rises above the boat emitting a screech as its poisonous fangs launch towards them, Seth leaps onto the serpent and thrusts his sword into the back of its head.  Screeching it crashes into the waters of chaos launching the boat into a tidal wave through the caverns. Seth is washed across to the shore where he drags the serpent and hacks its goutiness body to pieces.  In contempt of Ra and the other companions he gloats that only he could save them from the threat of this Demon, Ra in his anger instructs Hu and Sia to guide the boat to safer waters, leaving Seth on the shore. Hu takes a deep breath, then releases the divine breath of life across the water, and the barque once more is thrust into fresher waters, the light and perception of Hu’s female partner Sia expresses the mind of Ra, and together the spiritual essence of these companions on the boat connect the soul with the heart of Ra once more and enable it to journey towards the light again leaving behind the terrible darkness and fear of attack.Only a   man with a pure and righteous heart  ould be offered the everlasting release and joy to be a part of the eternal cosmic cycle of renewal with the God Ra,   the alternative was a macabre and  sinister torment that would await an unrighteous man, before the new kingdom  those who were found guilty were damned to suffer a continuous cycle of everlasting torment in the outer darkness  of an area in the deepest recesses of the underworld, a place of continuous punishment that was infested with demons who had risen from the ranks of the damned themselves, killing and torturing each other. They would rip the protective mummy wrappings off each other, screeching and tearing each others flesh , their skin no longer protected, it rotted  and decomposed  Their hearts were ripped out and the ba soul was lost, never knowing the way to fly back to its bodily home again. Thirst and hunger ravished them, but they are denied the gifts of wine or bread, as their funeral gifts never reach them.,  they would sneak past the four baboons that guarded the Lake of burning fire only to find the water was not cool for them,  refreshing their thirst as it would for a righteous man, for the damned it was a place of destruction where burning, bloody water and the horrendous stench of putrefying burnt flesh  rose from its cesspools, for they were the brothers of Set, the God who murdered his own brother Osiris, and disguised himself as a pig to blind Horus thus causing  the eclipses of the light and sun. Their torment never ceased but each new dawn a ray of hope would spring forth inside their wretched bodies as a blinding golden barque passed overhead rays of light lit up the darkness for a second and as the ray of light passed over them, they would scream and beg for help, but the Righteous Barque of Ra sailed silently over them, completely oblivious to their cries and torment………………..  Only enter these portals of ancient Egypt to catch a glimpse of your possible destiny if you believe that you have lived a righteous life, for these tunnels are the passage between what we understand as Heaven and hell.

At the beginning of October 1817 Giovanni Belzoni arrived in the Valley of the Kings, he knew nothing of ancient Egyptian beliefs and so the tombs that he found amazed him, he found their radiance of colour astounding after he had walked through the barren wasteland of the deserts ridges, and worked in the scorching heat of the sun, searching for an entrance or portal that could possibly lead him to hidden treasure. He had left the Rammessium having safely transported the head of Ozymandias - Ramses 11 from the Rammessium to the Nile, and it was now sailing steadily to Cairo, so he gave his full attention to observing the rock formations in this valley, noticing how the limestone and shale had been shaped by ancient waterfalls. Within two weeks he had located six royal tombs. 

On the 16th October his workmen reached an entrance in an area that he had instructed them to dig, they cut a small channel through the sealed entrance for Belzoni to crawl through.  To his delight he had   discovered the largest tomb in the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Seti 1 nothing that he had yet found had given him as much delight as the splendor of colour within the tomb of Seti whose walls of the tomb were covered with scenes of the king in the company of the gods on his journey through the underworld, and finally being united with them in paradise. Rituals hymns and texts from the Book of the Dead are carved in its walls, whose chapters were a powerful magical guide to help the spirit from wandering among the living and to help it to find its way home to enjoy an eternal life on this hazardous journey after the death of its mortal body. 

Entering Seti’s tomb Belzoni  went down a set of steps where beautiful poetic hymns  the  ‘Litanies of Re',  praise the Sun God Re in all his known names. Down a second set of steps in the second corridor   the 'Book of Amunduat  describes the twelve hours of the night in the underworld as the Sun God journeys through them on his solar boat. Crossing over a ritual well a hall with four pillars is found, and then into a larger hall with only two pillars where the book of Amunduat is portrayed again. The Egyptians believed in the immortality of a man’s soul and the indestructibility of the human personality, so the soul would need his physical voice and senses when he entered the Hall of Judgement. Seti stands in his mummy wrappings as the Opening of the Mouth ritual is given to him, during this magical ritual, the mummy of Seti is purified with water and incense, and anointed with sacred oils. His mouth, ears, eyes, nose and other parts of the body are touched with ritual implements to restore his senses and movement so that he can speak to the Gods in the hall of judgment. And defend his actions in life. The God Anubis would guide him towards the scales of justice where the gods waited in judgment of him. Standing before the Gods of the court Seti would recite

'My heart my mother, my heart my mother, my heart my coming into being. May there be nothing to resist me at my judgement, may the sherit not cause my name to stink, and may no lies be spoken against me in the presence of the God.’ Then an endless list of all the deceased attributes and qualities of his life are given to the gods, he must confess any wrongdoing, as his heart that is contained in a jar is weighed on the giant set of scales. On the opposite side of the scales the serene Goddess of Justice and truth, the Goddess Maat calmly lays down her feather of truth to weigh against the conscience and heart of Seti. The demon creature known as Ammit snarls at the side of the scales, its teeth waiting to rip and tear and feed on any unrighteous heart. Its grotesque body is the head of a crocodile while it lower part becomes an angry male hippopotamus, the evil demon side of Set who could morph into the form of dangerous animals. Thoth the scribe of the gods writes all the notes of the court and the judgment given.

Coming down and passing the 'Opening of the mouth ceremony, a six pillared hall that leads into the burial chamber of Seti where his ascension into Heaven would continue. Surrounding the pillared hall are small chambers that tell the legend of the 'Book of the Sacred Cow',  whose body is painted in red   where stars glow from beneath  her belly, and her legs are the  four cardinal points of the earth, between this  earthly space sail two barques of Ra, above her back is the heavens where he will ascend at each new dawn.  The text tells the myth of the conflict between Ra and humankind, when Ra was the Divine king of the mortal world and walked amongst his people. He had ruled for many centuries, and was very old, during this time he became disturbed by the rebellious noises from his people wondering if he was fit to rule because of his old age, he was angry that his people were now openly plotting a rebellion against him, when the people realized that Ra suspected them of rebellion they then worried that he would tire of them and wipe them out in a complete flood that would return Egypt into the watery abyss of Nun from which all life had originally been created.  Ra summoned Shu Tefnut Geb Nut and Nun,   the Gods of fire air earth and water, and finally Hathor for their advice He decided to send the eye of Horus to slaughter the humans as they tried to escape into the desert. Unfortunately the eye of Horus had manifested into Sekhmet, the fearsome lion goddess of retribution revenge and purification, and the fields became red with blood as she pounced on the terrified mortals, her teeth ripping their bodies apart and her claws hurtling the mangled flesh across the fields. Ra became anxious that Sekhmet would completely destroy the human race as her rage had become so ferocious. To save the people that were praying for his forgiveness in the temples he instructed a High Priest to grind up hematite and mix it with red ochre in 7,000 jars of beer, to make the beer look like blood. The priests worked all night, and when they were finished Ra instructed them to flood the fields with the red beer. Once again Sekhmet arrived on the fields of slaughter and she was ecstatic, assuming that she had found a sea of human blood, which she gulped down greedily. This had the desired result, as in her drunken state she was no longer aware of the people of Egypt and she was unable to continue with her massacre.  Ra’s compassion had saved the honorable ones, but after the trauma of the conflict he was weary and tired, and so he decided to abdicate, instructing Thoth to learn humans the skills that were necessary through literacy to lead a righteous life. Having saved his people from annihilation, Ra was exhausted and weary so he ascended to the Heavens on the back of the Divine Cow for some peace and quiet telling Nut that he wanted to leave this world and return to the Cosmos where he would create a heaven and prepare a dwelling place for all the righteous ones who spoke his name could follow.  When he spoke the words a great field of peace was created enclosed in the embrace of beautiful stars. The weight of Ra’s new creation of heaven was too much for Nut to bear on her own, trembling under the weight she almost collapsed, Ra immediately went to her assistance and instructed Shu to support her body, fearing that she might fall, Ra caused to come into being the Four Pillars on which the heavens are supported.  Turning to
Shu, Ra entreated him to protect these supports, and to place himself under Nut, and to hold her up in position with his hands.  Thus Shu became the new Sun-god in the place of Ra, and the heavens in which Ra lived were supported and placed beyond the risk of falling, and mankind would live and rejoice in the light of the new sun.

These side chambers and six pillared hall lead into the Burial Chamber of Seti, where the king's ascension to eternal life with the God's would continue. He would recite to them:  ‘Hail, Disk, and Lord of Rays, who rises on the horizon day by day!  Shine with your beams of light upon the face of Osiris Seti, who is victorious, for he sings hymns of praise to you at dawn, and he makes you set at eventide with words of adoration.  May the soul of Osiris Seti, the triumphant one, come forth with you into heaven, may he come forth in the Sektet boat, and may he cleave his path among the never resting stars in the heavens'.

  Having passed the hall of judgment, together   with Osiris, Seti would vanish into the night to re-appear more brilliantly at dawn on the eastern horizon where they would be purified in Nun, The Waters of Creation. Together they had overcome death and were re-born with the sun God Ra at dawn, when the deceased would have blessings of eternal life and happiness and it was believed that he would then dwell eternally on his own homestead in 'The Field of Reeds’ a place of fertility and everlasting beauty surrounded by canals and fields of wheat and corn.  Everything the king needed for this new life was sealed into the tomb with him, all his favorite possessions, his clothes throne jewels and even general household goods. Clay servants called shabati’s were placed in boxes in the tomb, they magically came to life when the king spoke to them. Their bodies were inscribed with chapter six of The Book of the Dead ‘O shabatis, if the deceased is called upon to do any of the work required there in the necropolis at any time......you shall say 'Here I am.  I will do it' this spell ensured that the king was not expected to do any hard manual work in his afterlife as the shabati’s would do anything that he required them to do for him.

When Belzoni arrived at the burial chamber he found an empty but beautiful translucent calcite sarcophagus, the body of Seti was missing, he had been removed along with all his worldly goods during the 21st dynasty by the priests of Amun, his body was eventually found in a hidden cache by Victor Lloret in the royal cache at Dier El Bahari in 1881. Belzoni was astounded by Seti’s  spectacular astronomical ceiling that was painted dark blue to represents the night sky and the heavens, the star constellations glow from their deep blue radiance. 

Belzoni was so thrilled at finding Seti's tomb, he spent many months recording it, he decided to recreate the tomb using plaster castings of it's walls so that he would be able to show the wonders of the tomb to the public , regrettably these have damaged the original relief's and the paintwork, although his innovative idea and installation art of Seti’s tomb caused an absolute sensation in Europe, and his travels inspired a  generation  of people to travel to this land of ancient Gods and Subterranean tombs.