Reply to: #4396 Shems Baket
Udja
A good summary of the Aset and Ra myth and its main mythic wisdom implications.
On your statement: “But with her wisdom she knew there was more. ”
I would like to fine-tune that and connect it with your other statement further down: “For me the important insights are how Aset became disillusioned with the world and how we must also turn away from worldly pursuits and desires and turn toward the Neteru to learn their certain aspects and emulate them so we may be purified and relentless in our pursuit of the ultimate goal of knowing Ra, our true essence. ”
While it is correct to say that Aset’s wisdom caused her to “know” that there was more to life, at that particular point that level of “wisdom” is not to be compared with the understanding of saa or the wisdom called rech as in Rechat or “lady of wisdom”. Up to that point it is more of what we might refer to as shezau – “skilled intellect, learned study of books” (study of the teaching or worldly knowledge).
shezau
Why, because that level of wisdom is better referred to as faith since she “knew” there was something more but up to that time did not experience it or know what it was exactly. So it was informed faith or we may say intuitional faith but not intuitional wisdom. Just as human aspirants may have some strong feeling guiding and pushing them and they “know” there is more and that the teaching is “true” but yet they do not have enlightenment, though that level of understanding and faith takes them the rest of the way because it pushes them to khak ab, which is the next comment.
What she really had up to that point was dis-illusionment as you stated. This may be defined as full incapacity to be further caught up in the illusions of life; this state caused repudiation in the mind of the aspirant towards internal and external illusions and even a kind of revulsion and revolution against the illusions of Creation (which are really not from Creation but are from the deluded heart beset with dull negative aryu). This is a nuance of difference but important since the scripture was making a point of saying that Aset at that time was existing as an ordinary flesh and blood person, in this case a woman. So it is a specific statement to relate her to us mere mortals so we can see there is a way out as she found it and the spiritual path is not just for supernatural or mythic beings.
The issue of relentlessness (antet begag) is a major theme in Aset’s spiritual matrix. As you noted: “. Aset comes to Ra and asks what has happened to him knowing well that her plan is working. Being relentless she again asks him to tell her his name and he again gives her his superficial attributes. ”
Indeed, she asks Ra at least two times to give her what she needs. Here I want to draw the attention to another nuance. Notice that she did not falter even when Ra was in dire pain and writhing on his bed with pains to his bones. Was she callous or cruel? Knowing that Ra was somehow illusory and “there is more”, she pushed him to the limit until he relented. So an avid aspirant should try not to falter when they reach the point of pushing the world to its breaking point; which happens when you do so much shedy that your dispassion and detachment reaches a peak and your internal and external relations want to shame or coerce them into falling into supporting or believing in the world of time and space either through believing one is old or unworthy, or when grand-kids come around trying to drag them to play or when a daughter (not Sekhemit of course) comes around trying to make them smile or in a worldly way appear to be enjoying life or when walking on a mountain and seeing the most beautiful sunset and the mind wishes the moment would never end. These are all the world crying out as an avid aspirant watches with dispassion and detachment. When the grand-kids, the daughter the sunset all realize there is no trapping this one anymore then they release and respect and give up the relentless pursuit (which is when the aspirant relinquishes their beckoning calls) while the one achieves the knowing of the true name which had been hidden by the prestidigitation of those worldly internal and external appearances.
khak ab
In an extended sense, khak ab means a detachment and dispassion as well as disillusionment(1) so strong that it is not only the foundation of antet begag (relentlessness) but it is a state of conscience that finds the world of time and space revoltingly disgusting and easy to turn away from it and instead towards the goal of life in a one-pointed pursuit of absolute truth (the name)- how about that!
PS. Of course one can still smile externally for the benefit of the world, though not in a way (irrationally or historically) that allows it to overly delude itself either but the internal awareness is not ensnared!
(1) “disillusionment” in a worldly sense means not caught in an illusion as in a magic show, realizing that the person who died in the movie never existed so no need for tears, that the car one bought is a lemon so there is loss of desire and faith in that object but still maybe there is a better car, a better person to marry, out there etc. In Mystic wisdom terms disillusionment with the world means not just disappointed and still trying to find happiness in the world but instead it is a deep realization of how one has been fooled by the delusional belief in the idea that the world is an abiding reality and that the struggles and pursuits of happiness in the world of time and space will somehow yield satisfaction and abiding truth. One who is ready to step into the inner shrine with that conviction is called “initiate” (Asar).
HTP
