This fun post from Notes from the Urn Diva covers an Egyptian concept known as “westing” applied in book four of the Three Keys series. I hope you enjoy. (Credit)
Silly Wabbit, I’m Just Westing
How can a culture so focused on life after death, have no actual word for death in their language? Such is the case with the ancient Egyptians. The concept of death as we know it did not exist. When one left one’s body, the spirit transitioned to the afterlife traveling west with the setting sun to the underworld. In fact, they never spoke of death, but rather of “westing”, reflecting the paths of our sun and stars” Here’s a short clip featuring Egyptian Archeologist, Abd’el Hakim Awyan on the ancient Egyptians :
Egyptians believed that humans possessed ‘Ka‘ or life-force, and ‘Ba‘ that remained with the body after death. The fact that death was inconceivable to the Egyptians speaks volumes. Westerners tend to see things as an either or situations; life and death, black and white; on or off. For the Egyptians, the transition must have been almost seamless; simply the beginning of a fantastic journey. The absence of the word ‘Death’ leads me to believe that their spiritual life was just as real and integrated in the physical. Imagine what it would be like to live with no distinction between life and death. What would it be like to live your life looking forward to your most fabulous adventure?
Westing; A Seamless Transition.
I love the concept of Westing. My mother died just a few years ago. For Mom, the concept of death was nothing like Westing, it was instead the inevitable ‘Dirt Nap’ as she called it that haunted her. For Mom, it was the end of the line for her, lights out, but the Dirt Nap made no sense to me.
This was frequently a point of debate for my mother and me; her question was “So, how do you know God exists?” I would counter by asking if she really could imagine we had no spirit. This was usually where the conversation ended. Mom wanted concrete answers. She always prided herself in being an agnostic. I respected that. She questioned things, and I question her.
Regardless, I’m going with Westing and dumping the Dirt Nap idea. I think the Egyptians were on to something there. I love to travel and I’m preparing myself for a journey of transformation beyond all my wildest adventures here on earth. While the concept of death provides a reference point for our conduct and endeavors, the idea of a magnificent journey is far more intriguing for me. So, for the time being, don’t worry, Mom. Silly Wabbit, I’m just Westing!
