Sacred Geography of Egypt III

 The 4 Helmsmen of the Sky

In the previous article we established the fundamental relationships with the stars, with the directions of space, and with the Milky Way and the Nile. Now we will go a little deeper into the understanding of the four directions of space.

More than 5,000 years ago —when the first rudiments of the zodiacal system that we use today probably appeared (which does not mean that it had not been born before)—, any observer of the celestial vault could visualize among the 25 brightest stars four that were of great importance. These stars were called by the Persians the Royal Stars, because not only their position, but also their isolation and brightness made them special.

Each of them occupied one of the cardinal points. Their heliacal rise was separated by 6 hours, thus marking the four quarters of the day. They also marked the seasons, appearing alternately in the sky as dominant stars. These four stars were Aldebaran, Antares, Formalhaut and Regulus.

Aldebaran, "The Follower", so called because it follows in the footsteps of the Pleiades, is the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus, marking the vernal or spring equinox around 5000 BC. It was the guardian star of the East. Its symbolic animal was the bull. 

Antares, "The Rival of Ares", a name perhaps related to the Myth of the Shield of Hercules, is a red giant star located in the heart of the Scorpio constellation. It was the sentinel star of the West. Its symbolic animal was the Serpent or the Eagle.

Regulus, "The Little King," has always been associated with the idea of royalty. Perhaps its name is related to the other star that was its true soul and power: Sirius, the Great King. It is the star in the heart of Leo, the guardian of the south. Its symbolic animal was the Lion.

Formalhaut, "The Mouth of the Fish", is the brightest star in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus, a constellation that was depicted as receiving the waters of Aquarius. The great brightness of this star, and the fact that it occupied the same longitude as Sadalmelik, the alpha star of Aquarius, which was much less bright, made Formalhaut was used as a reference in the direction ruled by Aquarius. It was therefore the guardian star of the North, its symbol being the face of a man. A synthesis of these four elements, stars, constellations and directions is precisely the typical Kabbalistic Sphinx:

 

Before going any further, a clarification must be made. The directions of space, their representation, as can be seen today on maps, are "altered" with respect to the classical directions. Both in Egypt and in ancient China, the natural way of orienting oneself is to face South, that is, following the course of the Sun during the day. To the right is the West, to the left is the East, and behind our head is the North. So in this illustration the Lion, the south and summer, is above us, i.e. in front of us, with us situated in the middle of the circle. The North would be behind us, represented here by the human head. The Eagle would be the West, and the Bull the East. The same is true of the Chinese representations of the Elements.

Among the Babylonians, and their successors, the Hebrews and Christians, each of these mythological animals was associated with an Archangel. These are the four cherubs, or seraphims (the fire serpents). Thus Leo corresponds to Michael (fire) and the south; Aquarius to Gabriel and the north (water); Taurus to Uriel and the east (air); and Scorpio to Raphael and the west (earth). This system therefore represented the four directions of space, the four elements and the four mythological animals that protect the four zones of the earth.

In fact, it is a similar correspondence to that of the Four Buddhas who are responsible for the four parts of the world, and to the Four Heavenly Kings of the Hindu and Chinese traditions. These four heavenly kings are the guardians of the world and reside on the slopes of Mount Meru, a sort of mythical Olympic mountain.

Each of them leads an army of supernatural beings who help them fight against demons. The King of the quartet is Shakra Devanam Indra (The Mighty Lord Chief of the Gods) and the four are respectively:

Vaishravana, king of the north, presides over the winter, and is the chief of the other three.

Virudhaka, king of the south, presides over summer.

Dhritarashtra, king of the east, presides over spring.

Virupaksha, king of the west, presides over the Fall.

In ancient Egypt, these 4 stars were also symbolized by the 4 Beautiful Helmsmen of Heaven, as can be seen in the Book of the Dead, which in turn were related to the 4 ruling planets of the 4 directions:

1. The Helmsman of the East, related to Mars.

2. The Helmsman of the West, related to Saturn.

3. The Helmsman of the South, related to Jupiter

4. The Helmsman of the North, related to Mercury

The 4 Helmsmen or Navigators in the Papyrus of Ani

The fifth planet known to the Egyptians was Venus, which they called “The Neter of the Neterus” (the god of gods), it was also called “The God of the Morning” and the “Lord of the Duat”, and among its hieroglyphics were the Phoenix and the symbol of Osiris.

In many ancient traditions the planet Venus was associated with the planet of those who help humanity: Quetzatcoatl in the Americas, the Manasaputras or Lords of the Mind, in India, the Agnisvasthas, or Lords of Fire (mental), Prometheus, the one who brought mental fire to man, in Greece, and even Jesus Christ himself who is also identified with this star, (Revelation 22:16) when he says "I, Jesus, [...] am [...] the bright morning star.". And in the Quran, in the Surah at-Tariqu, 86, it says about Venus:

It is the brilliant star: (86:3).

ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ

indeed there is a watcher over every soul. (86:4).

إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌۭ

Venus (Denderah), the staff of Anubis that he carries is the hieroglyph
 of his name, "the Neter of the Neterus"

From the earliest times there has been another symbol, which is also a representation of the four directions of space, and moreover, it was related to the celestial pole. This is the famous Ankh, or Cross of Life. It is perhaps one of the oldest and most widespread symbols, even today. It frequently appears in the hands of the Egyptian gods and as a form of offering. Its meanings are many, but here we will limit ourselves to the astronomical key, although there are 6 more keys. 

Its upper part represents a circle, actually a door, in one direction and in the other. It is an evolution of other primitive forms in which the circle corresponded to the hieroglyph “re”, which represents both a mouth and an opening or entrance. In this case it is the door to heaven. This circle rests on a cross: the 4 elements, the 4 directions of space, and of course the 4 cardinal stars, and in later times also the 4 cardinal constellations, Taurus, Libra, Leo and Aquarius.

The Ankh is also an elaborate or evolved form of the “knot” or “rope” that also appears in the hands of the gods, especially Isis, and around the neck of Anubis, “the one who opens the paths.”

This circle of the rope is precisely the polar circle, to which all things are tied. Therefore, in the representations of the celestial pole, a fundamental element was the so-called “Mooring Point,” that is, the geometric point around which the celestial pole rotates, and which at the same time has associated with it the idea of ​​“mooring or fixing place,” like ships in the port. In the representation below, as you can see, this Mooring Point or conical axis appears in the hand of the hippopotamus goddess. This is an Egyptian representation of the North Pole and its stars:

Circumpolar Constellations and the "Mooring Pole" in red

In later times, in the Coptic era, evolved representations appear based on the Ankh, such as the following:

There are evolved forms of this Ankh symbol, which can also be seen on the labarum of the Emperor Constantine, later transferred to the Christian Church, as the "keys of St. Peter" and symbol of the power of the Popes.

Constantine's Labarum

The Papal Insignia

Supposedly, whoever possesses the key to the entrance to the other celestial world, would be the possessor of the Egyptian Cross of Life, the Ankh, or else the one who controls the access to the Celestial Pole, that is, the access to the Imperishable Stars and therefore to immortality, the triumphant Osiris. Or, in modern times, the Catholic Church believes and the popes claim to possesses the “keys to heaven”, although they seem to have lost them long ago.

In all these cases the basic idea is the same, the four directions, as keys or foundations, or even keys to heaven, which allow one to enter the mystery represented by the celestial pole. The fundamental meaning remains, the Ankh is the Cross of Life, because being the access or door to the Imperishable Stars, it is therefore a symbol of Immortality.

To be continued