Day five took a lot of integration time. The words didn't flow as easily as they had been and this signalled to me to just go with the flow and allow the process that was at hand. After all, this day included El Kab, somewhere I only recently found out about and of which was one of the most important reasons for my trip. I cannot fully explain or understand why just yet, but whilst there I was definitely given the confirmation of my feelings....
El Kab
I discovered El Kab by following the Neteru. I had been searching for the right travel company to assist this trip and future ones, when I came across one with Ibis in their name. The Ibis is similar to an egret - a wading bird that crosses many terrains and liminal space - sky, water, shore and also fields. The Ibis is representative of the sacred element of air and also Thoth. This is the bird head that he is sometimes adorned with.
Something told me to follow this message even though the company seemed more tailored to holiday packages. As I read through their website I saw they had a sister company for Nile cruises on the traditional dahabiya's. I felt drawn to this website and as I read through I came across their recommendations of places to visit along the Nile. One of them was Nekhet - now El Kab. Nekhet displays mostly tombs but it was a place of worship and so also houses a temple for Nekhbet, the ancient vulture goddess who is known as the Grand Mother. Often interchangeable with Mut. A strong Feminine energy that doesn’t let you be less than your authentic self, and there is also a temple dedicated to Thoth. I had been seeing and receiving messages from Nekhbet when I came across El Kab and found it through a company called Ibis so I knew this discovery wasn't an accident, it was the Neteru.
El Kab is in the middle of nowhere, we arrived and the ticket office only accepted online bookings so we had a long wait whilst my guide tried to get tickets - I assumed connection issues - but I also knew it was something else. Nekhbet. I walked around the entrance area, said hello to some cats and a donkey and then closed my eyes to ask the Neteru if something more was happening here. Such a revered Neter such as Nekhbet may require permission to be asked, so I did so. I have done this and made offerings at every site I have visited but still, here I was, waiting.
With my eyes closed speaking with Nekhbet I heard “protection” and after some interpretation I felt an orb beginning to form around me whilst being made aware of the tombs. For my entire visit, El Kab is the only place with tombs that I have visited. My personal view is that the resting place of these people isn't somewhere I want to enter without respect - a respect I feel that we cannot fully know how to apply. I took “protection” to be more of a mutuality of entry into the tombs - for all involved, mostly those whose tombs I was to enter.
Finally we managed to get the tickets and proceed. My guide as always, following his heart and taking us first to the temple of Thoth then on to vulture rock. I closed my eyes once more in the car to ask for confirmation I was okay to proceed here. My body surged with a warmth and when I opened my eyes I couldn’t believe what I saw - one of the vultures that still live in the area was flying past low in the sky to my left. Thank you Nekhbet.
The temple of Thoth was small and peaceful and gave me the first feel of how ancient the energy of this land is, all I could do was offer gratitude from the depths of my heart. Gratitude for bringing me to this sacred place, for life, for everything. An overwhelm of Divine Grace.
Vulture rock will remain a part of me forever.
We stopped and at first glance I could see the rock as a sphinx like Being but in vulture form. Perhaps where the name comes from, I really don’t know at this point but she was there, sitting, grand and majestic, ageless and timeless.
There are ancient petroglyphs upon the side of the structure - I really want to call her a being - they reflected the many aeons she must have stood through. There were two birds that kept swooping close to me as if they were trying to get my attention. They were swifts or swallows, beautiful and gentle. I stayed with the petroglyphs for a little while then realised that I had to follow the birds. They flew and came back, over and over leading me each time to something to see. Even changing direction until I once again followed by turning around to find a pathway up that took me closer to one of the carvings in the rock.
They led me finally to their nest area and I knew their work as my tour guides around vulture rock was over. As I walked away I found a beautiful feather which I will treasure to remember them by. I also found a stone that was broken in half with what looks like a fossil inside.
If and when the time comes that El Kab may be excavated further I believe there will be ancient revelations that come from the area, ones that perhaps will amplify our Divine Remembering.
We then moved on to the Temple of Nekhbet who was mostly portrayed in the form of Hathor as dedicated to Thutmoses IV by his son Amenhotep III. The dedications were felt but Nekhbet wasn’t here, she was vulture rock, and now I understood why the animals were so communicative. Hathor is an all encompassing Divine Love. Along with Nekhbet she is ancient, interchanging with many of the other Feminine Neteru. It is said that animals are drawn to her love, the pure innocent beings that they are, respond to her Divine Grace and I had witnessed it.
When we arrived back at the tombs, we walked from the car across the gravel rather than the pathway and came across a huge bone still with skin attached. (for those of you who don't know this about me, bones seem to be some kind of gift/message/confirmation from spirit - definitely my Shamanic connections). This was the third bone that had been outside one of the sites I was visiting. We asked the guard and he said it was a white cow. I immediately thought of Hathor!
The tombs display amazing colour and images. I took some photos but once again, I felt intrusive being within a tomb of someone without knowing the "right" way to pay my respects or offer my gratitude. I did so in my own way and went gently around the tombs. It is truly amazing that so much energy went into telling the story of someone's life in this way. We are blessed beyond measure to have found all of the tombs and to have this insight.
Finally I climbed all the way to the top of the rock where the tombs are built, I was able to view the walls of old El Kab in the distance with the Nile further behind. It was truly breathtaking. Along the way up and down we passed small tombs that are littered with broken clay pots and bones. Some ancient, some the remains of the feasts of the vultures.
El Kab is definitely somewhere I will be returning to. It was a place that made me feel like I had come home once again. Egypt truly is a gift that keeps on giving.
Esna
The colour that has been preserved at Esna temple is remarkable. This temple was under the city for thousands of years and showcases living art that resembles Dendera. I was absolutely blown away by the moon phases and zodiac signs that were displayed on the ceiling. Knowing very little about Esna, and for some reason having reservations about visiting there I am so glad that I did. I cannot pretend to know much more about this sacred place other than it is a temple dedicated to Khnum but the energy there felt so very Divine feminine. All I kept repeating/hearing in my mind was “moon temple” “moon temple”. My guide shared with me that in each place where Khnum is worshipped there is a dam in the river and the lands are very green. Khnum as a creator god is responsible for taking a hand of clay from the bed of the Nile and placing it on his potters wheel where he shapes the human form and infuses it with the Ka body - the soul or essence of the Being. I love this concept, it gives truth to us as Sacred Vessels, and Khnum is such a gentle presence, who we can call on whenever we have outgrown a phase of our life. He will reshape us and infuse us once more.
If you can, zoom in on the fifth image to see the phases of the moon.
Day 6
This day was a perfect opportunity to rest and take in all that I had seen and experienced. I was surprised with a stay on a dahabiya - a traditional Egyptian boat which was taking other passengers to Esna and Edfu so for me it was a time for catching up on some sleep and paying attention to all that was moving within that will bring changes to the way that I will be offering my work in the near future. A day filled with the healing that comes from the sounds and views of the Nile was so restorative.
Day 7
Another last minute surprise led me to a visit to Edfu temple. This temple is dedicated to the god/neter Horus. Horus is the immaculate son of Isis and Osiris, he battled his uncle Set for an eternity as a young man until the battles and his uncle's harshly delivered wisdom humbled him. Supposedly Edfu is built at the location where the battle took place, what I found remarkably coincidental about this is that the people and the energy of the town of Edfu felt very masculine and slightly aggressive.
The inner sanctum of the temple still houses the original shrine and the energy that was palpating from this space sent vibrations through my lower body and legs. Last year we were blessed to sit within the inner sanctuary for meditation so revisiting was truly special. This second visit gave me the opportunity to see all of the temple which is layed out very similarly to Dendera - Horus and Hathor are consorts and represent the Sacred Union. In ancient times a festival was carried out to honour the Heiros Gamos - Sacred Union. Where a barque carrying the statue of Hathor would travel to Edfu representing the origin myth of her coming to meet Horus for their holy marriage and consummation. Hathor then travelled back to Dendera where she gave birth to their son Ihy.
There were such unusual hieroglyphs here, one which looked like a mushroom. There were two small rooms in the hypostle hall which drew my attention but as I went to enter my foot knocked a wooden barrier instigating a signal inside to stop and not to enter. It wasn't anything negative but I wasn't supposed to enter, just look.
Edfu concluded my journey and gave me a real insight into the energies and stories of Horus.
My trip ended with a flight delay including an additional stop in Milan, unfortunately I only got to see the runway and airport from the window of the plane.
I sincerely hope you have enjoyed following my journey, It has been supportive and nourishing to hear from you all. Egypt has given me another little piece of myself to remember and I have many exciting creations that have come from my time there all bubbling in my cauldron that I will be sharing with you soon.
The first that will be infused with Egyptian mysticism and magic is the Seven Gates Chakra Journey coming up this Thursday....
This is an online gathering where I will guide you through the Seven Gates of your Chakras to assist you in remembering another fragment of your Divinity. The keys we seek are within, it is time we remember how and where to find them.
If you cannot make the timing of this offering (10am) the recording will be sent to all who book.
Sending you all so much love,
Gemma x
I have loved reading about your adventure in Egypt. Getting a deeper understanding and connection to who you really are. A huge thank you for sharing 😊🙏💖xx