THE POWER OF RA - THE SUN GOD AT SOLSTICE
- Sanctum of the Rose
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Amon - Amun - Amun-Ra - Re - Ra - A powerful force of connection for any solar work including the vitality of the Summer Solstice Energies. All these deities and aspects become inseparable as history flows through pharaonic timelines over some 3,000 years.
In the Pyramid Texts he is seen as the primeval creative force aligned to the element of Air with Amenet (Amentet/Amonet/Amaunet) his feminine counterpart, hence his association with the breath of life. Ra originates from Inunu (Heliopolis) Amun (The Hidden One) first appears as a local god of the Theban region around the 12th century, replacing the ancient god Montu, they are sometimes conflated as Montu-Ra, Montu becoming the scoring head of Ra. By the Middle and in the New Kingdoms he is seen as Amun-Re and is also associated with goddess Mut and the god Khonsu who is worshiped as their son.
The Kushite version of Amun was ram horned and thus was another symbol that become associated with Ra.
In most mythos Ra is self created rising from primeval chaos and really came into his most prominence with the 18th Dynasty when he rose to become the primary god of all creation. Championing the poor and marginalised after the overthrow of the Hyksos oppressors and so highly revered.
He faced a repression during the reign of pharaoh Akhenaten, who wished to defuse the power of Amon and his priests, replacing him with the god Aten (solar) power was infused into the symbol of the Sun disc temporarily until Amon regained his power and more symbols.
As creator he is also member of the Ogdoad - the 8 primeval deities of Hermopolis along with:
Amun - Amaunet - All that is hidden
Heh - Hauhet - Endless Space
Nu and Naunet - primordial Water
Kek - Kauket - primordial darkness
The gods are depicted with frog heads and the goddesses with serpent heads. So you could align frogs to him too....! Frogs are such liminal creatures being able to dwell in water and upon the land and so very connected to both otherworldly energy and also that of primordial creation. The Egyptians also have a frog headed goddesses Heqet and I also associate frogs with Hekate, but now I digress.
Solar Power: in the Book of the Dead Amun is called the oldest of the gods but we know he was not always so prominent. This relates to his primeval creative power and also his associations with Horakhty (Horus) and Khepri (the Scarab god) and again to being the fusion of the hidden one and the visible power of the sun. Darkness and light.
Fertility: he is often seen as self-engendered (self creating) and holds the virility of not only the ram but also the bull and is linked to the sky goddesses of creation and also the fertility god Min.
The Warrior: qualities he took on from Montu the Theban war god who he absorbed as mentioned above. He was associated with the expansion of Egypt and protection of pharaoh in battle, and honoured as Lord of Victory. In later mythos he uses both Hathor and Sekhmet as his Eyes to destroy and re-balance the world.
He is depicted in human form usually striding forward or seated upon a throne, with feather patterned tunic and double plumed crown, he is sometimes seen with red and blue skin but his most associated colour is red. He may be ram headed and flanked with rams or lions, he is also associated with the Nile goose and serpents. In his falcon form he is often confused with Horus.
Ra is the embodiment of the Sun traveling across the Sky, as he journeys in his solar barge as the evening or morning boat through the duat and battles the serpent Apophis each night, only to be reborn each dawn. Here he is linked also to Khepri as the sacred scarab of rebirth (the dung beetle) rolling the ball across the earth (Sun across the sky). In the duat he is also often merged with Osiris as judge of the Dead.
In the Ennead he is seen as Creator along with: Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nephthys. (Horus is also sometimes included as the 5th child of Nut)
Ra Correspondences:
Colours: Red and Blue (Gold)
Planet: Sun
Elements: All but particularly Fire and Air.
Animals: Ram, Bull, Goose, Serpent, Lion, Falcon, Hawk (sometimes), the Bennu Bird (Egyptian Phoenix) generally seen as the Grey Heron.
Symbols: Feathers, Sun Discs (with Cobra), Horns, Scarab, Ankh, Was Scepter, Double Crown.
Associated realms: Heaven, Earth, Otherworlds (Duat), Creation.
Temples: Iunu (Heliopois) Userkaf (Nekhen-Re), Karnak, Luxor, Abu Simbel, Hatshepsut Temple (she is often seen as his pharaonic daughter) and within many other temples across Egypt.
Roles: creation, protection, virility, fertility, battle, beginnings, rebirth, transformation, hidden mysteries, breath of life (life itself), kingship.
Scents and offerings: Kapet/Kyphi (traditional incense) frankincense, dragons blood, cinnamon, cloves, myrrh, sweet orange, bergamot, cayenne pepper, garlic, chilli, rosemary. Solar coloured candles, sun discs, fire aligned crystals, orange roses, sunflowers, nasturtiums, ale, orange juice, oranges, dates, figs, eggs, rosemary, honey, feathers.
Main Festival: Opet - linking Karnak and Luxor Temples and the Triad of Amun - Mut (creatress) and Khonsu (Moon and passage of Time). Held during the season of Innundation (May-August northern Summer).
“You are Amun, the Lord of the silent, Who comes at the voice of the poor; When I call to you in my distress, You come to rescue me, To give breath to him who is wretched, To rescue me from bondage... Though the servant was disposed to do evil, The Lord is disposed to forgive, The Lord of Thebes spends not a whole day in anger, His wrath passes in a moment, none remains. His breath comes back to us in mercy, Amun returns upon his breeze...” From the Votive Stela of Nebre from Deir el-Medina.
Walking with the Sun God in all his forms is a powerful force of connection as we prepare now to deepen into Summer and walk the golden path to Solstice and the longest day of the year. It's time to embrace warmth and fiery intensity, passion and creativity, creative life force energy, abundance and vitality. Fire and the Sun has the ability to create -make manifest and also to disintegrate and destroy depending on our connections, intentions and needs. Ra is both a deity of creation and of destruction and in connection with Horus, Sekhment and Hathor is both masculine and feminine archetypes of these associations to explore. Remember that many of the solar goddesses are The Eyes of Ra.!
If you are reading this thank you for your interest, I would love to hear your stories and connections. There is also a blog post on Summer Solstice, a couple of Sekhmet and Hathor and one in the works on my experiences with Horus at Edfu on during my last pilgrimage to Egypt in 2023.
Blessings to you all,
Jenni- Rose,
Sanctum of the Rose
Instagram: instagram.com/Sanctumoftherose
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