The Scriptural Allegory of "Coming Out of Egypt"
The word "Egypt" comes to us from the Ancient Greek "Aegyptos," which is a Greek transliteration of the Kemetic phrase: Het-Ka-Ptah. Het means place and Ka means: "the physical projection of the soul", which is the character or aura that attaches itself to the body ... and NOT the body. It also meant black/darkness referring to the rich, black alluvial soil deposited by the Nile River, which allowed the agricultural basis of that civilization to flourish.
In Ancient Hebrew, whenever Egypt or "Mitzraim" is mentioned, it is synonymous with physical and mental Bondage (Slavery). The indigenous tradition of the Land of Egypt tells us the civilization was called Khemit, and the people and language were called Khemitian.
Knowing now that scripturally, the word Egypt ... represents the body. When the Ancient Mystery School initiate identified with only the body and the flesh they were considered to be "in captivity". Therefore, To "come forth out of Egypt" was understood as leaving behind the idea of being merely a body and discovering the soul. This was the beginning of the Spiritual experience and discovery of God.
Hippolytus wrote about "those who are ignorant" ... "Egyptians in need of departing Egypt" ... that is from their body centered existence ... believing themselves to be merely physical matter. Allegorically, the ignorant Egyptians represent those "without Gnosis", without the knowledge of the Divine Spark within them ... without the light and in darkness. It was this group of people who remained identified with their physical selves (not Higher Self) and who did not possess the "knowledge/Gnosis" ... that they we are all Divine Sparks of God entrapped in these fleshy and carnal bodies.
Just a thought ...
~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.
