Maat: The Mirror Within
(What Price Honor?)
Maat was the ancient Egyptian word for absolute inner truth. It was far more than just being honorable with those around you. It was being just with all aspects of life. It was equally as important to be just with your friends as it was with your enemies, or your slaves. This was even more important to the people of ancient Lemuria than it was to the people of ancient Egypt, even though everyone realized that truth was as relative then as it is now.
All business rested upon the concept of Maat. It was Maat which gave the Royal Family the divine right to rule. It was the Maat of nature which allowed men to survive the changing of the seasons. However changing the rest of their world might be, they considered inner truth to be absolute and unchanging. They also realized that it was Maat from which they received their stability.
If they were careful when choosing their values, if they were careful when assigning the concepts of good and evil to their behaviors and to the thoughts which were important to the circumstances of the day, then, Maat would serve them well.
If, however, they were of a mind to change their values each time these values got in the way of their everyday desires, or, if they changed their values each time the values prevented them from achieving the political power they were seeking, or, if they changed their values each time they wanted to go courting an individual they knew they should keep away from, then their Maat did not serve them very well.
If they met a man who could not be trusted in a political office, then neither could the man be trusted in his personal life. His Maat was corrupted, therefore, so was the man--such a man was shunned throughout his life.
In ancient Egypt, Maat was often symbolized by a white feather, while in ancient Lemuria, Maat was only represented by the sanctity of the pure thought--it was far too sacred a concept for it to be sullied by having a physical representation of such a divine concept.
The white feather, in ancient Egypt, represented many facets of Maat on many different levels. In Lemuria, because of the sacredness of Maat, there were no levels to it. It was considered to exert its divinity into LinearSpace from Fabric-Space; as such, it was either within the individual, or it was not.
It is, however, easy to see just why the ancient Egyptian Magi chose the white feather to represent the sacred set of divine truths upon the linear space of physical Earth. Here, upon the physical level of Earth, a feather is a very fragile wispy object... yet, it is robust and sturdy for its purpose (it stands up to the dynamic and turbulent forces of the wind). It can float upon the wind for great distances... it can ride upon the wind even though the wind can toss and turn it... yet, with all the changes that the force of the wind can place upon it, it can still remain intact. It takes itself upon the wind to many places, not knowing where it might land... only to once again be taken up by the wind... to be unsuspectedly taken on another journey. Though it is difficult to tear the feather apart, just the right angle of force can rip it to shreds... making of it a useless collage.
So, too, if care is not taken... if an individual's obedience to Maat does not remain sacred, like the physical feather, just the right unexpected force coming from an unexpected direction can cause, the individual's Maat to become shredded and thereby useless.
One must ride the winds of change, bending just so, with the day, yet still keep Maat intact. One must be willing to journey through life encountering the many obstacles and adversities, yet not be willing to accept a lesser inner truth just because the going gets tough.
Each strand, each thread of the feather represents a line of inner truth which contributes to the whole. As the feather is only as strong as its weakest thread, so too, the individual's many threads of Maat must be strong... it is in the necessities of its strength that Man will find his salvation... in its strength, Man will find his way home.
The white of the feather symbolizes a special mix of purity and courage... purity of heart, purity of spirit, and, the purity of and the courage of inner truth. All things are represented by the color white as Maat itself contains all things. Being thus, the white feather, the Maat encompasses many frequencies in harmonic order. This too tallies the strength of Maat. Having many different meanings on different levels, the white of the feather also symbolizes the virginity and the process of un-staining of the individual's inner truth. Much like a hardy and sturdy babe in a new world, the white of Maat, if strong, knows not the base and wanton ways of gross matter. It knows of only one path, the path feathered with light, the path showered with spirituality, the path cascading with ascension.
In modern days, as in Lemurian days, Maat is not just limited to this physical plane of existence... it is not limited to The Astral Plane Of Common Reality, as it was thought to be in ancient Egypt. The lack of... or the abundance of inner truth type weaves reach into the very soul of the species Man... and thereby, because of Man's level of understanding, it reaches upon all planes of existence where Man resides.
In fact, there is a two-way communication going on at all times within the mind and the body of an individual--it is called the Emotional Interchange Interface. The inner truth which is tested, here on this level, affects the Maat of all other levels. As well, the inner truth which is tested on other levels also affects the Maat of this level. There is not a moment which passes that Maat is not being tested. In some form or fashion, consciously or unconsciously, Man will be forever in the envelope of Maat.
How sad it is that it is here, in the envelope of Maat, that Man will ascend to higher levels of awareness only as a direct result of revering his Maat... or, Man will descend to still lower levels of awareness, also as a direct result of defiling his Maat. By the continuing of present day wars, Man is committing himself to descending to still lower levels of awareness, and to still lower levels of understanding.
The difficulty stems from the claim to individuality... the Maat for one person may not necessarily be the Maat for another person. An individual's karmic condition and the environment within which the individual is reared shapes, dramatically, what will eventually become a person's level of inner truth. To these ends, it is not too difficult to determine many conclusions about many different individuals around the world from different cultures as to what their levels of inner truth may be.
In ancient Lemuria, the following guidelines for life were given to all children to test:
UNDERSTAND: Do not fight, adjust. Do not resist, comprehend. Do not foil, cooperate. Do not confront, invite. Do not demand, request. Do not dominate, integrate. Do not impugn, question. Do not disdain, understand.
FORGIVE: Do not judge, evaluate. Do not criticize, suggest. Do not compare, measure. Do not impair, heal. Do not offend, befriend. Do not condemn, forgive.
LOVE: Do not envy, enjoy. Do not wound, heal. Do not despise, praise. Do not beguile, enlighten. Do not hate, love.
Always, do unto others as you would have them do unto you!
Today, as it were during the days of ancient Lemuria, what inner truth... what level of Maat, could be any greater than these precepts for life?
It is our wish today to touch upon Desiderata for the thought of the day (Desiderata is accepted as a noted philosopher of bygone times who poetically elucidated as he touched the soul of Maat with his illuminating words of gentle searchings).
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what
peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however
humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection, neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress
yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle
with yourself.
You are a child of the Universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to
be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive God to be.
And whatever your labor and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with
your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful,
strive to be happy."
To say again, in an ever-changing world, under ever-changing conditions and within an ever-changing self, there exists a part of the self that is forever unchanging. It is seldom affected or modified by an individual's belief system, belief systems of the planet nor the needs of the scenario within time. This unchanging moment is what we call Maat. It is viewed in the individual's Third Chakra (seat of mobility and also stability).
Maat is earned and therefore, is a part of the development of the Soul of Man. As a part of the Soul of Man, Maat is part of the Divine nature of Man. It is a system of signposts that help an individual to meet his destiny not unlike airport runways and highway lines that keep vehicles on a straight and clear path. Maat can be said to be the angel on an individual's shoulder. Those whose Maat is negotiable are untrustworthy.
Homage to thee, Maat, Master of all Inner Truths.
I am come to you, Maat, Great Force of All Forces.
I have brought myself hither, that...
I may become conscious of thy decrees, that...
I may come to know the laws of my Creation.
I wish to know thee and
I wish to attune with thee, Maat.
In truth I have come for attunement,
I bring thee, Maat, in my mind and in my Ka's Ka.
I strive to destroy within myself wickedness for thee;
I strive not to intentionally oppress members of my family;
I strive not to do evil to Mankind;
I strive not to wrought evil in the place of right and good;
I strive not to have intimacy with worthless men;
I strive not to demand first consideration;
I strive not to decree excessive labor be performed for me;
I strive not to have my name brought forward for exaltation to honor;
I strive not to defraud the oppressed;
I strive not to willingly cause any man to suffer hunger or thirst;
I strive not to intentionally cause anyone to weep;
I strive not to willingly cause pain to be inflicted on man nor beast;
I strive not to defraud the temples of their obligations;
I strive not to diminish from the bushel;
I strive not to set hand upon that which is not mine;
I strive not to encroach upon the fields of others;
I strive, with my best intent, to give all their proper due;
I strive not to turn back the waters when they should have flown;
I strive not to extinguish the flame when it should have burned;
I strive not to repulse any Creations in any rightful manifestation;
Make me pure. I am pure. I am part of thee, Oh Maat.
My purity is that of thy holy temple.
Therefore, evil shall not follow me in this world, because I, even myself,
Know thy laws of Karma which are good unto all things.
As it was written, so let it be done.