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The Litany of Ra and its role in Ritual
An excerpt from "A Nighttime Ritual of the Mystical Union of Ra with Osiris"
Richard Reidy

"Merely by listening to a myth, man forgets his profane condition, his ‘historical situation,' as it is nowadays called. . . . For the Australian as well as the Chinese, the Hindu, and the European peasant, myths are true , because they are sacred --they speak of sacred beings and events. Consequently, in narrating or listening to a myth, one resumes contact with the sacred and with reality and in so doing transcends the profane condition, the historical situation." Mircea Eliade, "Time and Eternity in Indian Thought," in Man and Time, p. 174. This citation appears in Piankoff, p. 51.

The text known as the "Litany of Ra" originally bore the more descriptive title of the "Book of the Adoration of Ra in the West and of the Adoration of the One-Joined-Together-in-the-West" (i.e., Ra united with Osiris). In his scholarly work The Cult of Ra, Stephen Quirke states: "Among the finest of Egyptian religious compositions, the Litany of Ra provides perhaps the most explicit demonstration of the unity of creation in its creator." (1)

The Litany of Ra consists first in a series of seventy-five recitational acclamations of the great creator-Neter Ra as he progresses through his nighttime journey in the Duat (netherworld), the realm of Ausir (the Egyptian name for Osiris). It is a stately, poetic and profound vision of the mystical union that recurs nightly between the two great Neteru who rule the polarities of the existent, that is, daylight and darkness, life and death. Each of the seventy-five acclamations invokes a specific form (ir, plural iru ) or manifestation (kheper, plural kheperu ) of Ra in creation, with creation including the netherworld as well as the visible world. This is Ra as ‘Lord to the Limit,' (i.e., lord to the very limit of all that exists). Ra is united with Ausir; life enters the realm of the dead and brings life to its inhabitants.

Following the seventy-five acclamations there are a number of magical formulations equating the reciter with those in the following of Ra and, finally, with Ra Himself. This is classic ancient Egyptian magic--to identify oneself with a god or goddess.

By implication the Litany of Ra is a song of hope--death is not destruction; what once lived shall most assuredly have life again. The Lord of Life, the creator god, does not abandon his creation to the tomb. Instead he himself enters the realm of the dead--called variously ‘the Silent Region', ‘the Secret Region', ‘the Mysterious Caverns'--and, as the fifty-fifth acclamation proclaims, he "unites himself to the Beautiful West," at whom those of the Netherworld rejoice when seeing him. The ‘uniting' of himself with death is revealed as more than a figure of speech. It is not like a living person's visit to a cemetery. The ancient Egyptians saw it as a true mystical union, and throughout the seventy-five acclamations and the accompanying recitations which follow them, they attempted to plumb the depths of that union of life with death. Life cannot be defeated. Life will not be permanently separated from those who once lived. All die, both gods (Neteru ) and humans. But the Lord of Life himself travels to the limits of all that exists, even to the depths of death, and it is he "for whom the awakened ones arise" (acclamation 67).

It is no wonder that such a message of hope found receptive hearts among the ancient Egyptians. Copies of the Litany of Ra are preserved in a number of papyri of the nobility as well as on the walls of temples built at Abydos by Sety I and Ramesses II, an edifice constructed by Taharqa at Karnak, and a chapel built by Hakoris, also at Karnak. Of special importance are examples of the Litany in the tombs of numerous pharaohs including Sety I, Thutmosis III, Ramesses II, Merenptah, Amenmes, Siptah, Sety II, Ramesses III, Ramesses IV, and Ramesses IX. (2)

It is central to the ancient Egyptian understanding of the nightly journey of Ra into the Duat that Ra himself does not die. He enters the realm of the dead. He revivifies it. He unites mystically with Ausir (Osiris) in a genuine and profound union while always remaining the Lord of Life, the lord who brings life because he is the font of life. Like the caterpillar in its cocoon, appearing dead but in reality undergoing a transformation, Ra enters the Silent Region, bringing life to its inhabitants and renewing his own being, to emerge at dawn as the Child-in-the-Lotus, having begun his descent the previous sunset as the aged Ra-Atum, shown bent over and leaning on a staff. But Ra-Atum had not died. As one evening hymn used in the daily cult attests:

"Hail Ra, as you set in life,
When you have merged with the
horizon of the sky.
You have appeared on the western side
as Atum who is in the dusk,
Arrived in your might, without flinching.
You have taken sovereignty over the heavens as Ra." (3)

The statement "Arrived in your might, without flinching" clearly contradicts any notion that Ra somehow dies. His entry is at all times triumphant and life-giving. Unlike Ausir, Ra is not pictured "fallen on his side," that is, lying prostrate in death. He is depicted either sitting or standing. He lives even in the midst of death.

In the majority of the seventy-five acclamations the verb forms are boldly active: Ra makes transformations of himself; he protects; he gives light; he gives air to the bas ; he decrees; he gives orders; he punishes the evildoers; he opens the roads in the Duat ; he repulses his enemies; he judges the very Neteru . This does not sound like a god who has died!

And yet Ra clearly is shown entering the realm of the dead. And he unites with the lord of the dead. This union of Ra with Ausir, as well as in each of the seventy-five transformations, is graphically depicted with individual drawings of seventy-five figures intended to illustrate the subject of each acclamation. The vast majority of these figures are mummiform, with differences indicated in a figure's head or even simply limited to a change in its name. These figures were not an afterthought. The directions for reciting the Litany of Ra stipulate that the figures are to be traced on the ground. Of course, in the tombs preserving the text of the Litany these figures have been painted on the walls, thus magically acquiring an enduring and eternal existence.

The fact that the forms are predominantly mummiform highlights the centrality of belief that Ra does indeed effect transformations of himself into a multiplicity of forms. The use of the mummiform does not so much refer to lifeless corpses as it does to the hidden transformations taking place in the realm of the dead. Recall that Neteru such as Ptah, Min and Khonsu appear mummiform as well. They are not regarded as dead or as lords of the dead. The mummiform, then, is here a visual metaphor for profound and recurring transformation. Cocooned in mummy-wrappings, Ra is like a chrysalis, potent with life and preparing to emerge rejuvenated and restored. Ra, the source of life, enters the Duat , descends into the depths, the ‘Mysterious Region', and there embraces Ausir, effecting a temporary "merging of the two opposites who become a Twin Soul"(4). Truly a mystical union that strains our ability to take in its full importance.

As Alexandre Piankoff points out in his important study of the Litany, "The first ten Invocations apply to Re in his two aspects, the solar and the Osirian. . . . Invocations 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are addressed to the Osirian forms"(5). Numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 refer to solar elements. It is in the very first acclamation that we encounter the name of "Deba-of-the-One-Joined-Together" (i.e., Ra united to Ausir). The drawing which accompanies this name is of a mummiform Ausir complete with his hallmark Upper Egyptian crown. Certainly this shows Ausir imbued with the ba or soul of Ra. This is a very dynamic god, passing from life through death and back to life again. How different from the classical Greek philosopher's uninspiring conception of a static, unchanging ‘First Cause', ultimately uninvolved and untouched by his own creation. The ancient Egyptians on the other hand saw the creator Ra as intimately and continuously involved in what he has made--a dynamic vision of a creator who is both imminent in his creation and in the cyclic processes of creation. Radiating life, Ra's very presence reawakens the blessed dead.

After the first ten acclamations, alternately focusing on Ra and then on the united Ra-Ausir, the next ten acclamations proceed to glorify Ra as he manifests himself in those Neteru reflecting successive stages of creation. These begin with Atum (the All), and Khepri (the Becoming One), and go on to Shu and Tefnut, Geb and Nut, Aset (Isis), and Nebet Het (Nephthys), culminating in Heru (Horus). In each case the acclamation concludes with the statement, "You are the body of . . ." followed by the name of the Neter or Neteret . We would be mistaken to read into this an underlying monotheism in which the Neteru are merely aspects of the one Ra. Rather, as Stephen Quirke explains, "all creation derives from the one creator, and, in a certain sense, remains a part of that divine being, even if the individual elements take on lives of their own" (6).

The remaining fifty-five acclamations present snapshots as it were, of ‘forms' or ‘transformations' of Ra moving in the cycle of creation. The text does not proceed as would a systematic and sequential description of an event in time. Rather we are in a mythic place; we enter into a mystical state where images come and go more in a dreamlike fashion than in a linear, temporal one. In a certain sense we are outside the confining parameters of a strictly logic-bound presentation. The images proceed not in an illogical but rather in a supra logical manner. The central point of these acclamations is that they reveal Ra in a multiplicity of his ‘forms'. This is not simply an Eastern style of verbose exuberance. For as Erik Hornung explains in Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt, "Everywhere and at all periods the gods thrive on an abundance that tolerates no dogmatic restriction. The multiplicity of names, of manifestations, and of possible ways of encountering these deities is an outward sign of this abundance" (7). Elsewhere the noted Egyptologist expands on this concept, "These are not mere glorifying phrases for the god who is being worshiped; behind every name and every epithet there is a reality of myth or cult, which is often incorporated more directly into the invocations by means of wordplay"(8). In many cases modern research has yet to uncover the full significance behind certain epithets. But over time we are progressively recovering the mythic depths beneath many an ancient text.

In order to derive a clearer understanding of what the ancient Egyptians had in mind Alexandre Piankoff would have us look at four key words that regularly reappear in the Litany: 1) ba --the visible manifestation of a deity; 2) iru --the 'forms' of this divine manifestation; 3) kheperu --the stages through which the ba passes in its cyclical ‘transformations' from life to death and back to life again; 4) h3t [pronounced 'hot'] or ‘body', what Piankoff calls "a kind of divine personality, a hypostasis which the supreme divinity may assume at a certain moment"(9).

And so as most of the acclamations end with the statement "truly you are the body of . . . ," it helps to recall the common expression heard in describing a child: "He/she is the spitting image of his/her mother or father." That physical resemblance, of course, reflects the underlying genetic inheritance from the parent. The ancient writers saw the reflection of Ra in his own divine offspring. Just as we distinguish a child as a separate being from its parent, so the ancient Egyptians distinguish each Neter as a unique individual, separate from his or her divine originator, but carrying a divine imprint, as it were, attesting to its heritage. Returning now to that central image of Ra's union with Ausir, Erik Hornung points out, "A well-known relief in the tomb of Nofretiri [wife of Ramses II] . . . shows a ram-headed mummy between Isis and Nephthys captioned ‘This is Re when he has come to rest (htp) in Osiris' and ‘This is Osiris when he comes to rest in Re.'" (10) A variant of this formula appears in Theban Tomb 290 in which "the text is followed by the adverb ‘daily,' . . . thus showing how it should be understood: Re enters into Osiris and Osiris enters into Re daily, and the combination is dissolved again daily" (11).

For readers familiar with ancient Egyptian liturgical forms, it will come as no surprise that the Litany of Ra celebrates mythic events as they recur daily in the unfolding cycle of existence, from birth through old age and then, having passed through the region of the dead, Ra emerges reborn and rejuvenated. Through ritual this divine cycle is commemorated daily--here, nightly--and through verbal recitations, coupled with specific ritual acts (here involving pictoral drawings of Ra's kheperu or ‘manifestations'), humans participate in the ongoing actions of the gods and goddesses.

Instructions included in copies of the Litany direct that "when this Book is being recited, these figures should be done in . . . color on the ground, at night. This is the victory of Ra over his enemies in the West. It is profitable for a man upon earth; it is profitable for him after his burial"(12). A rubric appearing later in the text of the Litany gives the following direction: "This spell is to be recited to every god . . . these being depicted . . . while two portions [offerings] are to be placed on them as a divine action"(13). Another rubric states: "This book is to be read every day when Ra goes to rest in the West, correct a million times"(14).

These rubrics reveal a number of important points:

1. Although extant copies appear in a funerary context, the Litany is for the use of the living as well as the dead.
2. The Litany or some portion of it may have been in regular use in the ordinary cult of certain temples, particularly solar temples. In some cases it may have been recited regularly and perhaps even daily.
3. The cultic act of food offerings are to accompany the recitation.
4. Recitation of the Litany is specifically a nocturnal rite.

With the foregoing commentary as background, we come to the purpose of this book ("A Book of the Emanations of Ra, Volume Two"), namely, the ritual performance of the Litany in the modern era. Like so many rituals from ancient Egypt, we may possess the texts that were recited but we lack exact and complete step-by-step instructions for enacting the rite. For the student of ancient religions or even modern creeds this should come as no surprise. Ceremonial texts seldom contain more than general rubrics or instructions to guide the clergy-person or ritualist. A significant proportion of ‘how-to' information was--and continues to be--transmitted by word of mouth. Seminarians and clergy-candidates, as well as members of esoteric orders, typically receive verbal detailed instruction in ritual from their seniors.

In terms of reviving the rites of ancient Egypt we are fortunate to have important and substantial texts preserved on the walls of both temples and tombs as well as on scrolls of papyrus. Such texts often are accompanied by graphic depictions called ‘vignettes' that illustrate in picture form one or another ritual action, for example, offering incense, presenting food offerings, body posture and gestures for a whole host of ritual activities. We also know that Egyptian rituals contained such standard opening and closing ceremonies as various purificatory lustrations or sprinklings with water, presentation of pellets of natron, censings, an initial lighting and a final extinguishing of a lamp or candle. As Kemetic Reconstructionists we can with some confidence, like Ra, revive and rejuvenate the ancient rites of Egypt. We can do this without introducing customs or practices from other religious traditions. In fact, as Kemetic Reconstructionists, that is our goal. This is not in any way whatsoever to criticize other forms of worship. It is, though, our attempt to be faithful to a profound and rich heritage, one which is complete and integral in itself.

To read the entire ritual text involved in this ceremony see Mr. Reidy's book: A Book of the Emanations of Ra, Volume Two - A Nighttime Ritual of the Mystical Union of Ra with Osiris. Available from Hwt-Hrw Publications.

Footnotes:

1. Quirke, Stephen, The Cult of Ra: Sun-Worship in Ancient Egypt (New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001), p. 30.
2. Piankoff, Alexandre, The Litany of Re, Texts Translated with Commentary, Bollingen Series XL-4 (New York: Pantheon Books, 1964.), p. 16; and Hornung, Erik, The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife. Translated by David Lorton (Ithaca &London: Cornell University Press, 1999), p. 137.
3. Quirke, p. 67.
4. Piankoff, p. 10.
5. Ibid., p. 23, Note 16
6. Quirke, p. 31
7. Hornung, Erik, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt. Translated by John Baines. (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1982), p. 86.
8. Ibid., p. 90.
9. Piankoff, p. 19.
10. Hornung, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt, p. 93.
11. Ibid., p. 95.
12. Piankoff, p. 22
13. Ibid., p. 30.
14. Ibid., p. 31.

Works Cited:

Hornung, Erik. The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife. Translated by David Lorton. Ithaca &London: Cornell University Press, 1999.

----------,Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt. Translated by John Baines. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1982.

Piankoff, Alexandre. The Litany of Re. Texts Translated with Commentary. Bollingen Series XL-4. New York: Pantheon Books, 1964.

Quirke, Stephen. The Cult of Ra: Sun-Worship in Ancient Egypt. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001.

Wisner, Kerry. Eye of the Sun: The Sacred Legacy of Ancient Egypt. Nashua, New Hampshire: Hwt-Hrw Publications, 2000 & 2002.

About the Author

Richard Reidy received his Master of Divinity degree in 1979. An avid student of philosophy and theology, he found himself drawn to a pagan worldview in the early nineties. He facilitates a small group of Egyptian Reconstructionists in the Bay Area who meet regularly for discussion and ritual. In 1999 he joined Akhet Hwt-Hrw’s online community. He has lived in San Francisco since 1986.

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