Join us for a conversation with J.M. Hamade about house significations in astrology and their roots in Ancient Egyptian solar theology and magic.
https://astromagia-org.zoom.us/j/83244301627?pwd=znZ6IHhomMdirw0ghBVIfFBdQrAExb.1
Ancient Egyptian solar theology emphasized the soul’s life/death process as mirroring the daily/nightly movement of the Sun. Following 12 hours of the day, the 12 Night Hours were witness to the luminous soul’s journey through the underworld. The entities encountered and the verses recited have implications for contemporary astrological magic practices within the context of the horoscope. We see a parallel between these Solar Hours and House significations familiar to horoscopic astrologers; albeit through poetry and daemonic-likeness. In this way, the Solar Hours of Egyptian theology may very well be the initial precedent for the house significations that remain in use today.
In this class, we will discuss these connections by focusing on the passage from Houses 7 to 1, or sunset to sunrise, the stations of the underworld journey. Closely examining the Sun-god’s voyage and his various encounters through the so called ‘Night Hours’ of the Amduat, we see his imagistic path finding analogues with House significations. Beyond our individual personalities flagged by the natal chart, the Sun’s underworld journey and its connection to astrology also has implications for the soul after incarnation, as was the intention in depicting the narrative inside tombs.
The Amduat, also translated as the “Text of the Hidden Chamber Which is in the Underworld” is an epic cycle originating from the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC). The Amduat tells the story of Re, the God of the Sun, who dies every night at sunset, descending into the underworld on a boat with Isis and several other attendants. His journey through the underworld brings many trials and tribulations. In the middle of the night, Re merges with Osiris and is revitalized. Re then ascends to be reborn at sunrise. The text’s hieroglyphics along with extensive accompanying wall paintings that illustrate it appear in numerous tombs where pharaohs were buried. The story was well known among the Egyptian priesthood, passed from one generation to the next, eventually preserved and shared in the form of papyrus codices during the Ptolemaic dynasty (305 BC - 30 BC) when horoscopic astrology first appeared in Egypt.
J.M. Hamade (they/them) is an independent researcher, writer, and educator at the crossroads of occultism and artistic practice. Their work bridges contemporary creative modalities with archaic forms of knowing. Various species of ‘image magic,’ both general and historical, are explored through like practices of astrology, poetry, and oneiric journeying. Similarly, the investigation and experimental application of talismanic art forms is at the forefront of their work.