Philae, Kom Ombo and Edfu3

~EDFU~

We hopped back on our ship for another cruise up the Nile, to our final destination of the day, Edfu. By this time, I was physically weary and emotionally overloaded, though somehow quite content and at peace with the whole experience. In these last two full days we had already had the privilege of seeing the High Dam of Aswan and the granite quarry with its unfinished obelisk. After boarding our cruise ship we had visited the amazing temple of Philae, before embarking upon the waters of the Nile for our cruise to the temple complex of Kom Ombo. I knew there would be much to process from all of these energetic initiations at these timeless sacred sites. I felt eternally grateful to be so blessed; to cruise the Nile in comfort and take in the fullness of her riches.

Edfu is located on the east bank of the Nile approximately 40 miles to the north of the west bank site of Kom Ombo. To reach the temple from our ship, we hired a local horse carriage from the dock. They are ubiquitous around the docks when transportation is needed to the temples, and their numbers always seemed much greater than the number of tourists needing a ride. Competition was fierce, and underhanded tricks to enlist passengers were frequent.

My heart ached because the condition of the carriage horses was often abysmal. Most were underfed and openly whipped, and some had deep, fly infested wounds caused by ancient, repeatedly repaired tack that was clearly ill-fitting. They struggled mightily to pull their unbalanced, heavy and fancifully decorated carts with their worn and warped wheels. Their loads produced tremendous drag on the rough roads.

We found ourselves bribing our more aggressive carriage drivers if they agreed to limit the abuse of their horses while we rode with them. It usually worked, though one gladly took our money and soon went back to whipping his poor mare. She was sullen, and tried to bite us when we approached her. Daniel reminded me that the men themselves were in pain, which was reflected by the condition of their animals. I felt deep compassion for the creatures, as well as their caretakers. All were immersed in such dense energies. It can be difficult to be in the midst of such suffering and still see the perfection in all things. Prayer made it possible.

There is physical evidence that Edfu existed as a center for the cult of Horus for 5,000 years. The construction of the current, yet still quite ancient complex honoring Horus was completed about 2,000 years ago. The site is second in size only to Karnak, and is extremely well preserved. In a nearly trance-like state, I journeyed through the magnificent complex. I was transfixed by the exquisitely carved, granite statues of Horus, standing sentinel before the imposing buildings. I absorbed the gifts the site offered, and then gratefully made my way back to the ship for the next leg of the cruise, to the the West Bank of the Nile. The gentle time on the water rejuvenated me, and allowed me time to process the energies of the sites.