Ancient Egyptian Symbolism in Art

Egyptian Art was essentially symbolic and sacred. To understand it we have to unlearn many of the modern assumptions and preconceptions we have been taught about 'art.' In our modern, Western world, 'art' may mean anything or nothing, and in the case of some of the more extreme examples on display in picture galleries around the world, meaning has been entirely eliminated, as those who have stared in perplexity at canvases covered in random daubs of paint can testify! In contrast to this, Ancient Egyptian art was about nothing but meaning. Even the most prosaic scenes of Ancient Egyptian Life that we can see in the great museums are filled with meaning in every single detail.

Far from being 'simple' images of smiling peasants havesting grapes, or pretty maidens dancing at a banquet, Ancient Egyptian art was intended to convey specific information and reveal certain universal truths. As such it was essentially sacred in intent and expression. The fact that we find so much Egyptian Art beautiful is the direct result of the sacred harmony, geometry and symbolism which underpinned it.

To comprehend the art of Ancient Egypt we must abandon such modern notions as 'self-expression', 'style', 'originality' and 'social relevance.' Ancient Egyptian art was concerned with none of these things. In Ancient Egypt the Artist was firstly a Philosopher and Mystic; an interpreter and transmitter of Divine verities through art. The Egyptian artist studied for more than 20 years in the Temple schools. Here he learned the essential truths of who and what man really is, where he came from and whither he is going; truths which our philosophers still argue over more than 5,000 years later. The fundamental principle of these Teachings was that Man was a 'son of the gods' in his higher nature. His destiny was to return to the Divine source from which he first emerged.

This principle was embodied in the Mysteries of Osiris; the man-god, who descended into earthly life to gain experience and wisdom and who rose again in a spiritual body. The Sphinx at Giza is an enigmatic emblem of this Truth. Once we understand that Man is a Divine, spiritual being incarnated in a mortal, material body we realise that the so-called 'preoccupation with death and the afterlife' that many Egyptologists charge the Ancient Egyptians with, is exactly the opposite of what it seems to be; that is, a preoccupation with Spiritual, as opposed to merely material Life, in its deepest sense.

Symbolism, allegory and mythology

It is for this reason that Ancient Egyptian Art makes so much use of symbolism, allegory and mythology. For the higher, spiritual life cannot be understood by 'logic', 'facts' or intellectual reasoning. Only through the language of symbol, allegory and mythology can its hidden truths be revealed, recognised and ultimately understood. In short, the whole tapestry of Egyptian Art is nothing but a series of manifold, interrelated symbols, or we might say, emblems (an emblem in this sense being a compound symbol), deliberately and carefully constructed to communicate certain spiritual laws and universal principles in pictorial form. We explain some of these laws and principles in the notes accompanying each of the limited edition art prints on this website. These notes contain many valuable hints to help the discerning reader discover the deeper meaning concealed in almost every Ancient Egyptian artwork — not just the few prints we have published. The problem for the modern viewer is that a symbol has no meaning unless we know (or have been taught) what it represents. An obvious modern example is the American dollar bill. We may think we know what the symbols of the pyramid and 'all seeing eye' mean, but what they meant to the Founding Fathers of the Republic, to the artists who designed it (and those who instructed them), may be something quite different. In other words, unless we possess the KEY to such symbols, the lock will not open for us and the message will remain hidden.

In Ancient Egypt symbolism was an exact science taught in the Egyptian Mystery Schools according to strict rules. Such symbols were carefully chosen from the natural world to precisely express or embody a certain Spiritual law, force, principle, or material function or condition. An example of such a symbol which occurs over and over again in Ancient Egyptian Art is the eye. Whether it is the Eye of Horus, or Ra, or any other god that is depicted, its essential meaning is always connected with sight, illumination and creation. So here we have a symbol which can (and does) refer to the Sun, the moon (both 'eyes' that illuminate our world), to spiritual illumination, and creation in all its various manifestations, at one and the same time.

Common natural zootypes employed by the Ancient Egyptian Teachers to express particular principles were the Vulture (motherhood among other meanings), the Frog (birth and reincarnation) and the Lotus flower (resurrection). Compound zootypes such as the familiar animal-headed Gods and Goddesses present greater difficulties of interpretation as we are then confronted with several different symbols combined together to form an emblem. The well-known Sphinx at Giza is perhaps the best example of such a compound zootype, combining several symbols in one enigmatic image which can never be 'unriddled' by the unaided intellect.

The great difficulty for us is that not only do we no longer think in symbols, but the principles which Egyptian Art was intended to elucidate, such as 'Soul', 'Mind', 'Life' and 'Light' have very different meanings now than they had then. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that any given symbol can and did have several different meanings depending upon the context in which it was employed and the era (or time) of its original conception and usage. For, during the long history of Ancient Egypt, such symbols and emblems underwent many modifications and changes, so that it is impossible to provide a definitive meaning for any particular symbol which will be correct under all conditions. These are some of the difficulties which confront the modern viewer of Ancient Egyptian art. They are also the the main reason why so few of our Egyptologists and 'authorities' are able to penetrate into the real, inner meaning of Ancient Egyptian artworks. By their very nature, such artworks, from paintings, through jewellery and sculpture, to sacred architecture, enshrined a wealth of manifold symbols. To truly understand this rich symbolism requires knowledge that can only be acquired after many years of dedicated study. And where are the universities and schools in which such knowledge is taught nowadays? Frankly, we know of none.

Ancient Egyptian symbolism books

Nevertheless, the task is not an impossible one if we make the effort to learn the basic principles. There are a number of books which explore and elucidate Ancient Egyptian symbolism if we can recognise those books when we come across them. Such is the aptly named 'Ancient Egypt - the Light of the World' by Gerald Massey, first published in 1907 when it was met with a truly orthodox conspiracy of silence which has been maintained to this day.

We would also recommend John Anthony West's 'Serpent in the Sky'. This is a scholarly and very readable summary of the work of the inspired Egyptologist and Mystic R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz that confirms all that we have said in this article. For those who prefer to go directly to the source, Schwaller de Lubicz' magnum opus 'The Temple of Man' (originally published in French as 'Le Temple de l'homme') is undoubtedly the most complete and detailed analysis of the esoteric symbolism of Ancient Egyptian art, science and philosophy ever published. But at 1,024 pages (spread across two volumes) it is not a book to be taken up lightly — nor is it particularly cheap! Yet we know of no other book that explores Egyptian symbolism with such depth and understanding.

For those seeking more information about Ancient Egyptian religion and philosophy we cannot recommend the very many books written by Sir E.A. Wallis Budge highly enough. Budge is now sadly out of favour among Egyptologists for reasons best known to themselves, but that in no way diminishes the very high regard in which we hold him and his writings. His literal translations of 'The Book of the Dead' and other Ancient Egyptian texts are what makes them particularly useful to those who wish to go beyond the 'letter that killeth' to the Spirit within. Budge's 'Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection', first published in 1911 and now back in print after becoming quite scarce, remains the most comprehensive and detailed study of the Osirian Religion we know of. The book is especially valuable as Budge drew on Plutarch's 'Concerning the Mysteries of Isis and Osiris' — a unique source of information on the Egyptian Mystery Teachings — for much of his material.

Finally, we cannot end this article without mentioning 'Winged Pharaoh' by Joan Grant. First published in 1939 to critical acclaim, this is one of those rare novels that bears the unmistakable stamp of truth on every one of its inspired pages. Although it does not deal specifically with Egyptian Art, there is a great deal of 'art' in it, not least in the detailed descriptions of the work of Ancient Egyptian sculptors, architects and jewellers. The book can be read on many levels; as the story of a remarkable woman's journey from childhood to Initiation into the Mysteries, as a true account of life in Ancient Egypt during the 1st Dynasty, as an allegory of a spiritual journey from ignorance to enlightenment, or simply as a very exciting and romantic adventure.