Epiphany

ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia: manifestation, striking appearance


At the beginning of my final semester of college, I took a picture of what I believe to be a very profound moment of epiphany; a sunset at the beach with a path leading into the distance. What struck me about the image was the iridescence of the water, the golden rays along the horizon, and the path leading straight into the sun.

At first, I thought of the image as some type of goddess, one that I could not put my finger on at first but the iridescent color of the water, the shape of the horizon, and the environment all pointed to one culprit: the marginal messenger goddess Iris. This goddess is the personification of the rainbow, thus the term iridescence. As the sun unites earth and heaven Iris links the gods to humanity and she travels between planes of existence; she is associated with the sky, sea, and the underworld. Images of her portray her with golden wings, just like the horizon in the picture.

Ιρις

Later on in the semester for our Middle Egyptian class, we had to translate a poem from a short story called A Dispute Between A Man and His Ba. My translation read:

"Death is in my sight today like the recovery of a sick man,

Like going outside after confinement.

Death is in my sight today like the aroma of myrrh,

Like sitting under an awning on a windy day.

Death is in my sight today like the fragrance of lotuses,

Like sitting on the shore of the Land of Drunkenness.

Death is in my sight today like the well-trodden path,

Like how a man returns from a military expedition to his house.

Death is in my sight today like how a man desires to see his home,

Who spent many years in captivity."

-So it has been transcribed from its beginning to its end as it was found in writing

Ba spirit above a Mummy

          

I believe this poem strongly reflects the emotions in the picture I took at the beginning of the semester. The context of the story is a man's anticipation of death and his conversations with his soul which in Egyptian called a Ba, represented by a bird with a man's head. Some scholars believe that the man is suicidal but others believe that he is a typical Egyptian who is anticipating his journey to the Field of Reeds, the equivalent of Heaven. The story reflects the Egyptian attitude towards death not as the end of life, but as a respite from the difficulties endured by those who are alive. His Ba argues that he should enjoy life while he has it and relates the value of living as a blessing rather than a curse. It is an immensely inspiring tale as it relays the questions that all mortals must come to face concerning life, death, and the permanence of our memory.


I suppose my conclusion from all of this is the wonder for nature, and the conveyance of the overall connection to the spiritual realm that our ancient ancestors had. Through the eyes of a Greek, you might see the messenger goddess who can travel between worlds making her journey across the sky. The Egyptians might have seen the sun god Ra descending into the Underworld to complete his journey in the cycle of life and death that recurs every day, and that one day each of us must endure.

Ankh Wedja Seneb
(Life Prosperity Health)

Leif Lauderdale

Smiting Scene

When Osama Bin Laden was found and killed, I heard a lot about how President Obama was getting all of the credit. Then I thought to myself: "Wait, there are plenty of rulers throughout history who have taken credit for the brilliant generals or brave soldiers who actually did all of the heavy lifting."


In that spirit I photoshopped onto an Egyptian Smiting Scene the faces of Obama (as the pharaoh)  and Osama (as the Asiatic).


Enjoy

Sma Ubama Usama

"Obama Slaying Osama"

Ankh Wedja Seneb

(Life Prosperity Health)

Leif Lauderdale

Who is Leif?

To everyone who might find this blog interesting,


I've created this persona, Leif Lauderdale, as a sort of Indiana Jones character.


Leif is Scandinavian for "heir" or "descendant" and also represents the only man to survive Ragnarok. In the original Old Norse, it is pronounced as Leifr.


So far I've earned a BA in Classical Civilizations and Archaeology, but my favorite civilizations are Rome and Egypt.

If you like listening to long rants about my life, or simply want to read articles about archaeology and my experience- keep on listening.



Ankh Wedja Seneb
(Life Prosperity Health)


Leif Lauderdale