Ma'at and Karma (and the like)

Em Hotep,

I have been rolling these questions about in my mind (among million others). What exactly is Ma'at? is it the balance of the universe? Is it Karma? what did the ancient Egyptians mean when they said that a pharaoh (or anyone in general "upheld Ma'at"). What could it possibly mean to the Asetians? What role would it play in "the dark arts"? And what relation (if any) does it have to the concept of Karma?

I am sorry if I asked too many things. But my brain needs to know as well as my soul.
Your responses are greatly appreciated. Thanking for reading my post.

Ma'at is not just a force of nature (balance and cosmic harmony): it is also something that we are all responsible for. Thus, it can be controlled and influenced by people and living beings and it affects us all. Ma'at can be offended by doing something unjust, unfair or low, or com. This applied both to the lowly peasant and the stately Kings, though the latter were held more highly responsible as they had much more power... And it added up. You know of course of the image of the afterlife, where the goddess Ma'at weighs her feather on a balance against the deceased's heart. If the heart is heavier, the soul is devoured; otherwise, it enters Heaven.

Karma is the Dharmic or Eastern version of Ma'at. As I see it, the main difference is in how both are interpreted or used. Ma'at is something that can be controlled and which one is responsible for, and which affects everyone around us. The higher one's position and power, the more it affects the world and society, thus the responsibility is increasinly higher. Karma is rather an individual issue, it is an ever present universal force that will work on you according to your actions, and "payoff" is strictly personal.

This said, I know there is much more about this than I have mentioned. It would be interesting to see more opinions.

sorry, a sentence was "eaten up" in my post above...


Ma'at can be offended by doing something unjust, unfair or low, or committing an unjustified crime.

Thank you Syrianeh for your post it was very helpful.

I will have to study up on it more. What puzzles me is that (I know various things have been changed from the true Ancient Egyptian religion) the feather of Ma'at is used to weigh against the persons heart, if your heart was lighter you can enter heaven. But in the Asetian tradition there is no "heaven", there is only reincarnation. If you have any thoughts on this please post them.

You know of course of the image of the afterlife, where the goddess Ma'at weighs her feather on a balance against the deceased's heart. If the heart is heavier, the soul is devoured; otherwise, it enters Heaven.

Great post, and thank you for your insight. I've always had the question in my mind exactly how the weighing of the heart is interpreted, and what that truly means. I've always interpreted that to mean that if our energy level is too low, we would not ascend to higher levels of understanding, and be stuck in illusion. But, I would like to hear a more informed perspective.

I think Saylamine has hit the point. It is probably more a question of vibration than energy. Matter cannot be destroyed, but the faster it vibrates the less dense or "visible" it is. And the faster the vibration, the more "pure" the energy or matter. By evolving, we achieve higher levels of vibration, thus transcending. "Heaven" would be the most transcendental or evolved state of being, a state where full consciousness is retained without the need for incarnation. I still think about this a lot, and it's a theory which I keep revising.

As to the soul being devoured it could very well mean falling back into the core of Universal energy, whence it came, losing its identity and thus "dying".

ivy wrote:Thank you Syrianeh for your post it was very helpful.

I will have to study up on it more. What puzzles me is that (I know various things have been changed from the true Ancient Egyptian religion) the feather of Ma'at is used to weigh against the persons heart, if your heart was lighter you can enter heaven. But in the Asetian tradition there is no "heaven", there is only reincarnation. If you have any thoughts on this please post them.

Actually the "Heaven" you talk about exists both in the Asetian tradition and in common Ancient Egyptian understanding. It is called the Duat, and it is the after life realm, ruled by Osiris and Aset. The true land of the Asetians.
I believe that is the place that only the worthy can ascend to and enter, the realm of the Gods and the Asetian heavenly kingdom. Only the ones pure in Ma'at can enter the divine gates.

I am just unsure about a detail in here... if you need access to the Duat in order to be able to reincarnate, or if you can reincarnate by simply staying between lives in the realms below the Duat without exclusive access to it. What are you all opinions on this?

Well , my opinion is that the Asetian gets reincarnated if he does not reach the Duat , meaning that he has to "evolve" more to reach it ?

By the AB, an Asetian infinitely reincarnates. They can achieve enlightenment, a higher state of being, but they are still bound to incarnated form throughout their existence and growth.

I realy need to get the AB , but unfortunately I can't.

Meiyo wrote:I realy need to get the AB , but unfortunately I can't.

Why not?

Because I'm 15 , the local bookstore can't get me one and if I tell this my mother I'll be put in a mental institutioan or something.

Give it time, Maiyo. If you have enough desire and will, anything is possible. It took me months of work to get enough money to afford the AB and a silver tongue with my father in ordering it. I was 17, without a job or a clue. Just keep your will; the universe will find a way.

Would Sekhet be the manifestational aspect of Ma'at in the Micro as well as Macro aspect of All?

You mean Serket, the Scorpion, or Sekhmet, the Guardian?

Jonathan wrote:You mean Serket, the Scorpion, or Sekhmet, the Guardian?

Sekhmet

Jonathan wrote:You mean Serket, the Scorpion, or Sekhmet, the Guardian?

With all do respect, how do you figure that Sekhmet is a Guardian?

It is known, among those who study Asetianism for long years, that Sekhmet was part of the Elder Family, and most likely a Guardian. There were some internal documents on the hands of organizations such as the Vampire Watchers Group, that point in that direction. Some even speculate that she may have been one of the 3 Primordials. The Primordial Guardian.
Doubts go mostly towards Sekhmet and Bastet, when it comes to that role. There are even some scholars who believe both may be the same individual and soul, but that is only some speculation from the experts. There is no way to be sure without any sort of confirmation from the Aset Ka, which until now, they haven't done.

ivy wrote:Thank you Syrianeh for your post it was very helpful.

I will have to study up on it more. What puzzles me is that (I know various things have been changed from the true Ancient Egyptian religion) the feather of Ma'at is used to weigh against the persons heart, if your heart was lighter you can enter heaven. But in the Asetian tradition there is no "heaven", there is only reincarnation. If you have any thoughts on this please post them.

¨

but "heaven" is a kind of reincarnation , or a life after this one. Other religions state that : what you do in this life will follow you to the next... (karma if you will ) .

Well if you think of light and how it travels, you will see that there is no such thing as time, so for us "time" is an allusion. so in another word ( scientific ) energy merely changes form ... it doesn't just disappear.

and i think that's why we are puzzled by what happens after we die and why every religion has its kind of answer, but in a way its the same answer , even in scientific terms.

They Just don't see it jet...and they don't know (scientific ) if the form of energy is self aware ( that changes form ) .

Hope you understood this,and that it was helpfull to you

sincerely Divine 277

Victor wrote:It is known, among those who study Asetianism for long years, that Sekhmet was part of the Elder Family, and most likely a Guardian. There were some internal documents on the hands of organizations such as the Vampire Watchers Group, that point in that direction. Some even speculate that she may have been one of the 3 Primordials. The Primordial Guardian.
Doubts go mostly towards Sekhmet and Bastet, when it comes to that role. There are even some scholars who believe both may be the same individual and soul, but that is only some speculation from the experts. There is no way to be sure without any sort of confirmation from the Aset Ka, which until now, they haven't done.

they have no reason to

Victor wrote:It is known, among those who study Asetianism for long years, that Sekhmet was part of the Elder Family, and most likely a Guardian.

Thank you, Victor. I would not have suspect that Sekhmet was a Guardian because, I always thought of Sekhmet as the daughter of Ra and the Guardians as descendants of Aset.

I apologize Jonathan, I am new to the studies of Asetianism.

Victor:
I have read (do not remember where) that Serket and perhaps Neith were also Guardians, would you consider this a possibility?
I would like to know all of you opinions on this.
Thank you.

SetAzEl, by all means, you don't have to apologize! We are all here to learn and we all have much to learn. We are here to share knowledge and our own views.

Ivy, I don't believe Serket to be a Guardian, since she is one of the 7 daemons of Aset. Not truly an Asetian, but a daemon. She was however the leader of the Imperial Guard, who was the elite army of the Aset Ka, and probably one of the greatest warriors the world has ever seen. Known for having fought during the Epic Wars. As far as Neith I would leave it for more knowledgeable and experienced users in here like Victor and Maktub, that would know more about it than myself.