Klaas-Jan BAKKER - AMORC

The dung beetle, called khepr by the Egyptians, was especially
sacred because its life cycle appeared to mirror the stages of human
destiny.
lumbering about intent on murderous revenge
for being disturbed. Not that trailing wrappings
would have impressed real Egyptian
embalmers mind you, for they created
the most meticulous, neat and complex
patterns to encase their dead.
It seems to be an internal part of
the romantic myth that mummies could
be restored to life, provided the correct magical
procedures have been followed, either by design
or accident. The ancient Egyptians made the most
elaborate preparations for the accommodation of
those who had passed from the physical world.
Beetle pupa and larva stages.
Even the poorer members of society could receive
a simpler form of embalming and burial which
were afforded the great of the land. But why go to
so much trouble If the soul leaves the body at the
point of death, why should it be so important to
preserve the outer shell for continued use
The Scarab
Death is of course a form of transformation and
the Egyptians constantly used symbols in order
to remind themselves of this truth. The Scarab
beetle, of which there are over 5,000 species, was
regarded as sacred because its life cycle appeared
to mirror the stages of human destiny. Illustrated
on temple and tomb walls as a beetle rolling
upwards into the heavens the rising sun, the
dung beetle, called khepr by the Egyptians, was
especially sacred.
Death is of course a form of transformation
and the Egyptians constantly used symbols
in order to remind themselves of this truth.
The female beetle lays her eggs in a tightly
rolled up ball of dung representing the earthly
beginnings of a newly created soul. Then the eggs
hatch into larvae which spend their time eating
and digesting the dung parcel they are encased in
until they achieves maximum growth. Again, this
corresponds to the physical life of a soul when
knowledge must be absorbed and progress made
on the path of enlightenment.
The next stage for each scarab larva is to
spin a tiny cocoon within the dung pellet and to
remain within it, suspended in time as a gradual
metamorphosis takes place. Hidden inside this
small sarcophagus, the pupa bears a striking
resemblance to the human mummy wrapped
meticulously in strips of linen. So, just as the
scarab waits for its release as a fully winged insect,
the body of the deceased rests within its “cocoon”
until the soul emerges as a transformed being in
a new, radiant sphere of existence…; the departed
will have gained his or her spiritual wings.
Regeneration
The concept of a human “chrysalis” may seem
far fetched to us in the 21 st century, but it was
understandably obvious to the ancient Egyptians
who had in the life cycle of the scarab beetle, the
natural equivalent of mummification before their
very eyes. And it can be argued that the Christian
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The Rosicrucian Beacon -- December 2007