 |
~Abydos and Dendera~
|
|
DENDERA, TEMPLE ART
|
~ ABYDOS AND DENDERA~
I noticed through a veil of slow motion that we were somehow pulling off onto the shoulder of the road. The drivers in Egypt are vigilant virtually all the time, and this partially explained why our driver chose to challenge and pass other vehicles in the convoy in a manner that appeared futile. He couldn’t afford to relax for one moment on the roads of Egypt. This surely contributed to the accident, and also probably saved us.
When we stopped it became obvious that a stone or some other projectile had struck our windshield and shattered it. Curiously, the object was never found in the taxi. Had it been a bullet, the driver would surely have been shot. Directly in front of his face was a small hole in the maze of fractured glass, and this aperture allowed him to see just enough to maneuver off the road.
Dan and I glanced at each other from the relative safety of the road’s shoulder. We both knew that Abydos had just spit us out after our visit. It was a harsh method of transformation. We were thankful that no one had been injured, and had an awareness of just how close we had been to potentially serious, if not life-threatening consequences. I recognized that I was nearly in a state of shock and consciously allowed myself to enter into a place of surrender internally. I could feel my heart beat again, and focused on deep breathing.
We transferred to a van that barely had a bit of room for the both of us. The English speaking tourists welcomed us and commented on our taxi driver’s aggression, and how lucky we were to have escaped the accident unharmed. I did still feel somewhat weak, but definitely better physically by the time we reached Dendera. The jovial bunch in the van seemed to embrace us with their energy.
Astrological alignments in Dendera’s relatively intact temple indicate that construction at the site began at least 7,000 years ago. The energy of Dendera felt much softer than the energy of Abydos and I began to relax and take it in. The site was dedicated to Hathor and had many unusual features. We were guided down steep and difficult steps to a dark, low, underground crypt complex that supposedly housed the ceremonial statues and ornaments of Hathor. An Egyptian gentleman dressed in a suit generously became our personal guide and showed us many treasures. He was aware of the secrets of Dendera. Many ages of growth and construction shaped present day Dendera, and we felt able to peel away some of the layers.
A fascinating and unique round zodiac is depicted on the ceiling of the main temple in Dendera. The original is actually at the Louvre in Paris, and a replica is now in its place. Its energy was a bit stale. The orientation of Sirius seems a likely and important reference to the ancient Egyptians, and the animals and constellations on the Dendera zodiac allow us to literally see the ancient night sky as did the early Egyptians.
|
