The Anubis Oracle DeckA Journey into the Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt
INTRODUCTION
THE ANUBIS ORACLE is a guide to Inner Egypt and the shamanic mysteries
of Egypt that live within us. Inner Egypt is a place of mystery, roots,
ancestral wisdom, and love - home of the neteru, the deities of the Egyptian
pantheon, who can guide us to the answers we seek today in our
personal lives and our outer world.¹
Many cultures and traditions have used oracular devices such as
cards, shells, corn, stones, bones, water, mirrors, and a myriad of other
tools to elicit a response from spirit. Tarot is a modern interpretation
of the ancient oracle that connected the ancestors to the divine original
source. Although here we sometimes use the language of tarot, the
Anubis Oracle is an emerging new form that is more closely related to an
ancient pre-tarot paradigm. This oracle is an elder of modern-day tarot.
Any divination tool is only as good as the diviner, for the one who
is divining makes the connections and interprets what the cards or other
devices are showing. As above, so below; as without, so within: when
you read and interpret the oracle from any outer manifestation, this
deck included, the results will mirror and reflect your inner world and
the energies you bring to the table. Many components of your physical
Earth walk merge to create these energies, including what is happening
in your personal life and your environment leading up to and at the time
of your reading, your DNA, the outer cosmologies associated with your
life (such as your astrology and karma), and the energies of your ancestors
as infused through the ka.
Ka is the vital essence that comes to us from our spiritual source,
the collective soul of creation. While it is sometimes referred to as our
etheric double, it may be more accurate to think of ka as a field of intelligence
and universal life force that surrounds us and is woven through
and around every cell and molecule of our being. It’s as if we are held
in the embrace of the great ancestral neteru who inhabit this field. You
can increase awareness of your ka body when you are fully present and
allow the breath of life and consciousness to move through you.
All these outer influences interface with one another through your
awareness. They reach into and touch the heart of your being when you
connect with the oracle, and in that moment you are gifted with numinous
sight, which is simply an awareness of what is.
In the pantheon of Egyptian deities, Anubis is a prince of peace. With his
guidance, inner peace and calmness can be found during dark and stressful
times.
Anubis is the visionary
prophet, the oracular being who moves between the worlds and dimensions
to inform us and open the way for deeper understanding and direction.
In ancient Egypt he presided over the shamanic rituals of death and
renewal. He carries within him the intuitive faculties of his birth mother,
Nephthys. Nephthys is the keeper of the sacred mysteries of the nether
or neter world. Anubis was raised and mentored by Nephthys’s twin
sister, Isis, the embodiment of form, wisdom, and love. Isis taught him
to see as she does, with laser clarity into the heart of all matter, including
humans. Isis also taught him the art of midwifery, so that he is able to
guide souls between the realms of life and death, and other-dimensional
realities. His father Osiris speaks into Anubis’s keen ears, whispering to
him from the Dreamtime. He tells him of the beauty of all creation - the
underlying promise of regeneration awaiting us on the other side of each
cycle of shamanic death and rebirth that we go through during our lives.
His father Set continually challenges Anubis to have humility and to
look into his own dark side to learn from his shadow - to bring his
shadow into the light of day.
When we work with his oracle, we develop compassionate sight
and learn to see with the heart/mind. As we develop our inner visionary
capacities, we gravitate toward a compassionate response to ourselves
and to the world.
One should always approach the oracle with respect and reverence.
It is not that the cards themselves are particularly sacred objects. The
cards are the tools that you are using in a respectful way to discover
more about the path you are on and what changes you may wish to
make in your life.
Once you’ve removed the deck from its box cover, wrap it in a special
cloth on which you can lay out your cards when you are doing the
reading. You can also keep it in a special box, pouch, or container on
your altar if you have one. If you don’t have an altar, you may want to
create one, or keep your deck in a place that is reserved for your sacred
objects. It’s helpful and inspiring to collect symbols, images, or statues
that represent the archetypal principles you’ll be working with.
This oracle can be consulted while alone, with another, or with a
group, depending upon what you’re seeking to discover. As with all
sacred or shamanic work, you are encouraged to find a quiet place in
which to work; ideally, that quiet place is where your altar is. Create
uninterrupted time that is not rushed - at least twenty to thirty minutes
- particularly as you first learn how to use the oracle and begin to make
your relationships with the neteru represented on the cards. Some of the
more complex spreads could take an hour. If you approach this work
with the attitude of wanting to get to know yourself better, and give that
project all the time and focus it deserves, you will find it easier to build
an intimate relationship with the oracle deck.
While you are getting to know these cards, take the Key Card out
and place it above where you will lay out the spread, so you can refer to
Anubis at any time during your reading.
Before you actually draw the cards, you may want to light a candle,
turn on soft music, smudge with sacred sage or incense, and offer a
simple prayer of gratitude. When you first pick up your deck, hold it in
your hands and feel for a connection. Notice how you are guided; perhaps
you’ll want to place the cards for a moment on your heart or your
third eye. In Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt,²
we start each rite with the
heart breath. The following is a version you can apply here:
Start by grounding and centering. . . . Look within your heart to find
the eternal flame within. . . . Feed your heart flame with love. . . . Breathe
the Heart Breath, inhaling the powers of Earth and Sky while continuing
to feed your eternal heart flame. . . . In the glow of your expanded heart
flame, visualize yourself as the initiate, the open hearted seeker who is
consulting this oracle. . . . Continue invoking the intelligence and energies
from Earth and Sky into your heart as you inhale, and breathe them
out from your heart and into the cards as you exhale. As you continue
to breathe in this way, you form a connection, a relationship of love and
reciprocity with your cards.
Some of the many ways to use the cards are described in what follows.
However you proceed, always close your reading with an offering
of gratitude to the archetypes that appeared.
A journal is helpful for documenting what the oracle shares with
you. Write the date and questions and simply record any information
or insights that come up during the process. You may want to draw a
simple diagram that shows which cards are placed where. If you keep
track of your readings as you go, you will have a cohesive story that you
can follow, especially in retrospect. In time, as your relationships with
the principles represented by the cards deepen, your deck will become an
old and dear intimate friend.
As you hold the cards, consider the question that you are bringing to
the oracle. If you do not have a specific question, allow one to come
into your heart/mind. Questions can be for yourself or another, and they
can be general or specific: What is my relationship with a person, place,
thing, or situation? What lessons am I learning at this time? What has
the experience that is now passing taught me? What are the influences
that could help me sort out this particular situation? What will be the
result of going on this trip at this time? . . . exploring this new relationship?
. . . changing careers? . . . moving from one place to another? . . .
letting go of this limiting belief or pattern? There are unlimited opportunities
for queries beyond these suggestions. You can ask questions that relate to what has been, what is, and
what is coming. Look for the basic questions that are behind all the
other questions. For example, behind a series of questions about another
person, you may find the one that you want to ask. Maybe the real question
is: What is the essence of the person I’m dealing with? Or perhaps
what you really want to know is: How can I move into or out of this
relationship with grace and ease? As you formulate your question, remember that the future is always
shifting based on the present, the past, and the decisions you’re currently
making. If you want future knowledge based on what you are doing
now, remember that the forecast of the oracle is not written in stone. There are times when you will come to the oracle with a desire to
connect with the divine rather than with a specific question. You may
simply want to be with the energies of the archetypes, to be uplifted and
energized, and perhaps to learn something unexpected. Sometimes you
receive the most potent messages when you’re simply making a heartfelt
connection, open to an exchange of energy between yourself and the oracle
with no agenda in mind. As this relationship deepens, you will find
yourself just being with the oracle and pulling cards. The level of your
conversation will deepen with time and attention, as in any relationship.
Ultimately, your most important intention is to become open and
allow the answers to evolve through your own inner oracle. It is your
inner wisdom that arises through your interaction with the oracle and
displays itself through the cards. Once you have sat with the cards and
infused them with your intention and attention, and you have posed
whatever question you may have brought, look for a feeling in your
body that tells you it is time to begin the layout. Our three-dimensional reality is based in dualism; all things travel
as twins, or complementary opposites. The entire Egyptian pantheon
is made up of twins, energies doubling up like the double helix. These
twin energies of light and dark tell us it is only half-truth to try to deal
exclusively with either the ascending light side or the descending darkness
of any oracle. Whenever you’re working with this deck, you will
always experience both aspects of the archetypal principles. For example, Amun-Ra represents the fusion of Amun,
the invisible or hidden one, with Ra, the blazing and visible sun. When
Amun-Ra appears in reverse, you are dealing initially with the hidden
aspect of this deity, or the dark side. You will start with the unseen and
then evolve into the brightness of the seen sun. Think of an eclipse: what
is there cannot be seen at the moment, yet it’s telling you that you are
headed in the direction of the full light. All things are waxing and waning,
seen and unseen, ascending and descending all the time. There is no
judgment here, only fullness. Conversely, if Amun-Ra is drawn in its upward position,
you enter into seeing from the bright side, with the brightness of the sun
guiding you. Nonetheless, you will also have to encounter the unseen
aspect or the hidden underbelly of the situation to fully receive the gifts
of this card selection. From seeing both sides of all things, we learn to
develop a consciousness of unity, which sees with one eye. Once you’ve ascertained whether you’re entering from darkness or
light, notice next the name of the principle, the characteristics stated on
the card, and the card’s number. Then, take some time to connect deeply
with the image itself. Sit for a moment with all that you see, especially
taking in the colors. Notice any messages or words that come to you
as you simply look at the image and meditate on it. Write these things
down in your journal. If you pull several cards, repeat the same practice
with each card as you draw it. If you’re choosing to lay the cards
in accordance with a particular spread, you may want to get them all
down first so that you can see the whole creation before you study the
individual cards in the order they were placed. In addition to reading more about the oracle and what it may have for you,
you might also wish to refer to Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt, Awakening
the Healing Power of the Heart to take a deeper, more complete guided-journey
initiation, especially if you have drawn a composite card. Anubis is the overarching presence throughout your journey with this oracle. In addition to Anubis and the other neteru you will encounter along the way, one of the first things you may want to do with this oracle is to ask for your main personal guide to come forward. This deity will be in a primary relationship with you, serving as your special guide for your initial explorations into this oracle, until such time as you’re ready for a different one. You will want to spend some time with this archetype before you pull any other cards. It is helpful, if you can, to take the journey with that principle in the companion book to this oracle, Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt. Another way to get to know the oracle is to commit to a period of time during which you pull one card each day. You can put it on your altar and make a commitment to be with its energy that day and into and through the night. In less than a month, you can go through all twentysix of the Major Arcana in that way. It’s a wonderful way to learn about the deities and begin to create relationships with them before you start to work with them in a more collective way. If you have the companion book, Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt, you can begin with the Dove (0) and go through all twenty-six chapters to the Crested Ibis (25), taking the journeys and initiations and meditating with each card as you go. In working with the book in this way, you will come to know the individual neteru intimately. This will enhance your ability to understand the deeper meanings of the composite cards and fathom the original intention of the deities in coming together in the particular way they gather in each composite image. However you decide to get to know the neteru, it’s crucial to understand that they are all principles and archetypes that live within you. Layouts/SpreadsLayouts, or spreads, are specific configurations into which you can lay your cards to organize your readings. The eight we offer here, based on the eight composites, are designed to deal with a variety of reasons you might have for consulting the oracle. You may also wish to use other spreads you might have learned from working with tarot or other divination decks. When you first start working with the Anubis Oracle Deck, you may wish to try a few layouts using only the numbered cards, 0 through 21, as they are associated with specific neteru. It’s easier to take in and interpret the meaning of the single principle in each of these cards. In this way, you can familiarize yourself with both the neteru and the layouts. When you’re ready, you can add the elements and composites back in. Once you are able to see the relationships among the images in the layouts, especially when both numbered and composite cards are included, you will be entering a new and ancient paradigm of enlightened communication that is reflective of ancient shamanic wisdom. Here is a list of the spreads we recommend:
Layout 1 - Entering the Mystery This spread involves a three-card triangle starting with the top card
in the place of Nekhbet-Mother-Mut. Move down and to the right side
of the base to place card two in the position belonging to Nephthys.
Then place the third card, for Isis, to the left side of the base. The neter that appears in the place of Nekhbet-Mother-Mut speaks to the archetype who is protecting you and oversees the alchemical process that you are starting, or have recently engaged in. Pay your respects to this neter and offer your olive branch as you enter the mystery of this new venture, event, or situation, as it is this archetype who will watch over you and carry you safely throughout your journey. The second card, in the place of Nephthys, will help you with the more intuitive aspects of your quest. This neter speaks of the energy of the mystery itself, and the sacred and hidden, more spiritual aspects you will be experiencing. From the archetype in the third place, designated as that of Isis, you will find encouragement and guidance in a very physically real and apparent way in your life. This deity will help you stay in balance and will serve as a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. If any of the three, Nekhbet-Mother-Mut, Nephthys, or Isis, appears in this spread, there is a doubling of her individual potency as well as the layout’s potency. If you draw any of the deities in her own place when you lay out this spread, sit up and take notice. If all three fall into their proper positions, you have just been dealt a royal flush: the import of the reading is significantly magnified, and you are facing a major initiation. Prepare to dive deeply into the mysteries with this great trinity of goddesses as your guides. This instruction is the same for all the subsequent layouts in this oracle. Any three cards that show up will designate the archetypal principles through which you’re about to enter the mysteries, the next phase of your life, or the movement of the situation you bring to the reading. By their nature, they will indicate the flavor and theme of what you will encounter. Layout 2 - Sacred Relationship Spread In this spread, there are five cards placed in four directions with one in the middle, like a medicine wheel or a cross. This design looks like the potter’s wheel, although the spread has more to do with the construction of relationships than the construction of physical vessels. However, it can certainly be used in a healing context pertaining to disease as well as to discord in your life. It’s about our relationship with self, with others, and with the neteru. Place the first card in the position of Khnum on the bottom. This card
describes who you are in the present, and the internal and external structures
of your life, including those that are ready to shift or be renewed or
transformed. If you’re bringing a particular relationship, goal, or situation
to the spread, the first card also speaks of the structure of that circumstance,
the matter (at any level) that needs to be transformed. The second
card is placed above the first and to the left, where Horus resides, and
speaks of who you’re becoming in the lens of your focus, and/or where
you are going with this relationship.
There is a flow to this reading that corresponds with chapters 4-6 in Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt, and the rites that are given there. Most relationships involve conflict, forgiveness, and understanding at some level. Forgiveness follows conflict, and understanding comes through taking a look at yourself and seeing your part in any situation. Understanding also comes from being able to perceive the larger story, which in turn allows you to see the karmic ties that connect you with others. With the deeper comprehension that ensues from consulting the oracle, you can see why you attracted a particular situation with others into your life at this time. When knowledge becomes wisdom, you find compassion, and you are able to extend the appropriate compassionate response to yourself and others. The agent of transformation that enables reconciliation and healing within ourselves and with others comes with the card in the Sekhmet position. This neter will guide you to the action that results in forgiveness and appreciation for the lesson learned. This then leads us to a higher octave of self, because our capacity to love grows and our heart expands. When you have completed this reading, you might want to end with a dedication that expands this work, "to All My Relations", or, in the Lakota language, you could say "All My Relations, Mitakuye Oyasin." Layout 3 - Protection, Cosmic Influences, and Destiny This spread is associated with composite III and the three neteru in that combination - Khepera, Ma’at, and Thoth. It is about the influences that are coming to you at this time. With the help of this reading, you can get in touch with and comprehend the cosmic forces that are at play in your life right now. This ten-card spread, containing positions for more than the associated three neteru, is laid out in a spiral, with the first card placed in the center. Card one designates Khepera, the Spiral Dancer and Protector who comprehends the cycles of life and the cosmos. From the center card, the layout spirals to the right counterclockwise. Continue pulling the cards and placing them until you’ve created a large exaggerated backward comma, using all ten cards to complete the first whorl and ending with the tail pointing to the right. There is a unique dynamic to this layout. Besides offering insight into your question and where you are going, it is a gathering of allies and perspectives that have joined to help you throughout the process required to get you there. The center card, in the position of Khepera, is the neter that protects
you and designates an entering place on this new or continuing cycle. As
you place the rest of the ten cards in the spiral, you will see the cosmic
influences that are at play in the situation on which you are focusing.
Cards two through seven are your allies, guides, and protectors and represent
the six major archetypal principles bringing in the sequence of
cosmic forces that will carry you forth toward your true potential destiny,
or the completion of a particular cycle in your life. As you meditate
on cards two through seven, your path will emerge, as will the rites and
experiences you need and the allies who will speed your progress.
Cards two through seven reveal other aspects of your protection. Card two represents the principle that has protected you in the past and has karmic ties to past lives. This ally will provide ongoing assistance to you on your journey. Card three defines the protector of your physical body. Card four is your soul’s ally and guide. Card five is an ally and guide for your spirit. Card six is your relationship guide, who assists and protects those who are around you and those who support you. Card seven is the guide and ally who helps you discover and fulfill your sacred purpose during this time. Cards eight and nine provide the illumination, balance, and wisdom that are required to help you achieve your highest potential. The eighth card corresponds with Ma’at. The archetype you draw here will give you the “ah-ha” moment, the illumination you’ll need to see your way as you approach and step into your higher mind to achieve inner balance. From here you can begin to see your destiny. The neter that appears on the ninth card, associated with Thoth, reveals to you a deep sense of inner truth and vision that allows your mind to become peaceful. This is the card that provides the integration of heart and mind, and the oracular wisdom through which you will sustain balance. The tenth and last card is the outcome or destiny card: we are once again at Khepera, the beginning and end of the spiral. There is no end to our becoming. Layout 4 - Tree of Life Spread When you consult the oracle with this spread, you are looking for the
next step toward fulfilling the higher purpose of your true self. A great
change is coming, and you are opening to a metamorphosis that is taking
place within your soul’s path. To move forward, you must acknowledge
the chrysalis process that is happening within you and in your life - a
process that requires dissolution of an old form to make way for something
new. What is death to the caterpillar is birth to the butterfly. Within
There are four cards in this spread. The first card is laid down vertically and represents the Tree of Life. The second card is placed upon the first, halfway down. That one refers to Anubis, who hangs from the tree. The third card is also placed vertically, parallel and to the right of the first two, just as Bast stands beside the tree. The fourth and final card is on the bottom in the horizontal position, in the same way that Osiris lies in the river. The design of this layout is a clear hieroglyph, an image that tells a story. Perhaps you will recognize what it symbolizes as you place the cards. What comes through this glyph is a message from Thoth, who appears in the composite illustration as the snake on the tree. Thoth is also the tree itself. The first card refers to where you are coming from, and what energy is holding space for you as you move forward. The second card speaks of what it will take for you to come to a place of peace with your process of transformation, or with whatever changes are happening in your life, and what you must surrender or let go of to make the change. The third has to do with what motivates you - the desire or sacred longing that makes it all worthwhile. The fourth speaks to you of beauty and regeneration, of renewal and your highest potential future. Layout 5 - Higher Love and Wisdom This is a good spread to use when you’re confused about a decision that you need to make, or find yourself in conflict or facing a trial of some sort. There are six cards in this spread. Two are placed on the left, side by side, two on the right, side by side, and two are centered at the top, also side by side. The first two cards you lay down relate to Hathor and thus hold the energy of unconditional love and the power of love that you bring to the situation in question. The first card deals with the outer expression of love and the second reveals what is hidden. Hathor forges the sacred union of opposites to create a new level of consciousness around the situation at hand. The two cards that appear here put you in touch with the beings and things around you that provide support and love (your allies). The third and fourth cards will support and assist you in dealing with the energies of Set, including the visible and invisible aspects of a situation that appears adversarial or requires a confrontation. The fifth and sixth cards, associated with Wadjet, convey the actions you must take to maintain the high road and integrate the required energy into your life. Wadjet is the one who quickens our lifeforce energy and compels us to confront the egoic side of our nature. The neteru who appear here represent both the apparent and the invisible vehicles necessary to tear down old divisive ways of thinking, making way for the creation of something greater than you ever imagined. When you complete this reading, you will be able to make more conscious decisions, as you will be able to see both sides of any situation and put them together into an integrated whole that becomes the divine third. You will have moved from either/or to something greater. Layout 6 - Right Timing and Direction Cards drawn in the first row have the energy of the Star (Sothis) and speak to you of what you have accomplished leading up to the present, and how that translates into your commitment to integrate what you’ve learned and shine that back into your life, and into the world. Seen sequentially, they could signify the motivating forces behind your commitment to generosity in your life situations and actions. The second row has the energy of the Moon (Khonsu) and reflects where you are now and the gifts you bring to your current experience. These cards govern the timing and movement (including travel) that build upon the past and in turn help you to predict the future. Reflection and action based on the energies of these cards will offer you a fresh perspective from which you can make choices in your present situation, bridging the lessons forward. Allies that you find here take you beyond predictability, into possibility. Commune deeply with the neteru that come forth here. The third row is associated with the Sun (Amun-Ra). The neteru that are drawn to this row speak to how we are constantly becoming as we move forward in time. They shine their light and offer their energy and blessings, reminding us that whatever we create in the world is created forever, even when it ceases to exist. Look closely at the consequences of your thoughts, words, and actions as you interact with these cards, for they provide the light that leads you forward. When you meditate on composite VI you can feel the movement of the energies of each of these archetypes through time and space. As you turn over each card, beginning on the top left and moving to the right, place four cards in each horizontal row. Lay out the rows from top to bottom, placing the second below the first, and the third below that. If you choose to view this layout sequentially, state the time sequence that you’re observing as you position each card. The archetypes, elements, or composites that appear will represent your guidance for that particular day, week, month, or year. Today might be Khonsu, tomorrow Anubis. This month could be Ptah, and the next Isis. These energies appear here to assist you with a transformation or change that you’re making within a designated course of time. Pay close attention to the archetypal principle of each card as well as the entity and what he or she represents in general. These characteristics will suggest your appropriate action. Because this reading is connected to the Star, the Moon, and the Sun, the twelve signs of the zodiac can also inform your interpretation. If you’re familiar with and know how to read astrology, you can relate this layout to the twelve houses or the twelve zodiacal signs for additional, deeper meaning. Layout 7 - Sacred Purpose: A Message from Anubis When you cast this spread, you learn more about your sacred purpose and what aspect of your purpose you’re bringing forth at this time. What part of your sacred work should you be manifesting in your life now? Where is the best place for you to be on your path? What do you need to do to manifest your goals? Use four cards in this spread, corresponding with the image for composite VII. The first two cards are placed horizontally: card one on the top to represent Nut and card two on the bottom for Geb. Then place two vertical cards: card three in the middle of the first two for Anubis, and card four to the left to represent Ptah. The first card (Nut) represents the overarching theme of your sacred purpose, what’s presently coming down upon and through you from the great star nations. The second card (Geb) represents what’s grounding and supporting you, the foundation that’s holding you on this earth. These two cards are like bookends, the guardians for the portal through which all things enter the Earth realm. The third card (Anubis) is what you are walking into or becoming, and how you are relating to the shaman who is becoming more conscious within you. It’s about opening your heart and relating, from Anubis’s heart-centered perspective, with emerging wisdom within. The fourth card (Ptah) is about the sacredness of co-creation and the gifts that you give from the heart - what you create and offer to the situation you bring to the oracle or to the world as your sacred purpose. What makes it sacred is that you see it through the eyes of your heart before it is born. If it is not something that is heart-centered and filled with purpose and meaning, it dissolves before it moves through the portals into manifestation. This card represents the completion of the reading, combining the energies of the rest of the cards to manifest your sacred purpose and creations in the world. This layout offers you support in presenting your gifts to the world from your true heart/mind. It is about thinking and expressing yourself in the world with right speech and right action. It is also about acknowledging your wholeness. When you are whole, your co-creative self is in perfect alignment with the divine will of the universe. Thus: As above, so below; as within, so without. Layout 8 - The Neteru Alchemical Reading This reading deals with using water, earth, fire, air, and akasha (spirit or source), the five sacred elements that come together in composite VIII. This layout brings us into the neteru’s alchemical mix. The voices of the neteru tell us how to use the elements. Use this spread to answer questions such as: What do I need to do to be more balanced? What elements do I need to call upon to create the alchemy that furthers my direction and my life? What tools and energies are available for me to use to accomplish my goals or manifest my needs? Lay out five cards in the form of a four-sided wheel with one card as the spoke within the center. Start with the bottom right; this first card represents the Nile (water). Card two goes in the upper right, the position of the Pyramid (earth). In the bottom left, card three is for the Desert (fire). Card four, in the upper left, represents the Sacred Crested Ibis (air). The fifth and final card is the center card, representing spirit, or akasha, within. The first card that you pull tells you which ally will be working with you when you bring the element water into your life or situation, as reflected in the powers of the Nile. Card two introduces you to the neter who will assist with the structure or physical attributes you need, especially for the foundation of whatever you are working on or creating. The third card placement represents the alchemical fire in which things heat up and transform. It introduces you to the ally who will meet you in the desert or vision quest part of your experience or situation. In the place of air, the fourth card speaks of the ally who will help you find the wisdom, levity, and other attributes associated with the Sacred Crested Ibis. The final card, in the center, speaks of how your situation, goal, or focus is informed directly from the spiritual source of the akashic records, the macrocosmic matrix of information. 
In their most primal forms, the elements live in between the worlds, in between the cracks of consciousness. They bleed through each human psyche, our thoughts and our feelings. We tend to take them for granted because they surround us at all times, and we can’t see what is behind them - as we can’t see the air that we breathe. The elements are simply here and they provide for us. It’s easy to forget the magnitude of their power because they are so familiar, and so much a part of us. Alchemy is the process by which any prime material, or “matter” is transformed into its highest potential. In the case of this oracle, we are speaking of the situation, event, problem, or challenge that is the focus of your reading. Honor the sacred elements and express your gratitude for them at every opportunity, especially at the conclusion of an alchemical neteru reading. The preceding spreads were given to us by the neteru of shamanic Egypt. As you become more familiar with your own inner shamanic Egyptian connection, your inner Egypt, you will discover an endless variety of combinations that bring the archetypes together and to life for you. A Brief Guide to the Sacred Neteru of Ancient Egypt as expressed in the Anubis Oracle DeckThe NeteruThe neteru (nature spirits/deities) featured in Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt are archetypal guides and principles from the Egyptian pantheon. With ancient wisdom and abiding love, they lead us on our shamanic journey of transformation - a journey designed to awaken the healing power of our hearts. You can find many wonderful interpretations of these deities both scholarly and anecdotal-in the Egyptian literature. Our work approaches the neteru from a more personal point of view. It is concerned with a deep rich inner experience of the neteru based on our own spiritual communion with these ancient gods. The first archetype listed here - the Dove - is not initially one of the neteru. Instead, the Dove represents you, the initiate, as you enter into these mysteries and approach these venerable spirits for guidance. Just as they did in ancient times, the neteru are coming forth to assist us in meeting the challenges of today's world. 0. The Dove ~ Initiate: Innocence/Trust 1. Nekhbet-Mother-Mut ~ Alchemist: Wisdom Keeper/Grand Mother 2. Nephthys ~ High Priestess: Intuition/ Mystery 3. Isis ~: Holy Queen - Mother of Us All: Embodied Manifestation of Love 4. Khnum ~ Master Craftsman: Creator of Form/Organizing Principle 5. Sphinx ~ Divine Messenger: Cosmic Library/Earth Altar 6. Sobek & Horus ~ Reconciliation of Opposites: Forgiveness/Understanding 7. Sekhmet ~ Transformation: Fierce Compassion/Healer 8. Ma'at ~ Truth: Radiance/Balance 9. Thoth ~ Illumination: Architect of Wisdom/Enlightened Communication 10. Khepera ~ Cycles of Change: Planetary Guardian/Spiral Dancer 11. Bast ~ Holy Longing (Desire): Instinct and Sensuality 12. Anubis ~ Surrender: Shaman/ Enlightened Heart Anubis is known as a god of the Underworld, which is actually the Innerworld. He is the Enlightened Heart Shaman, the Opener of the Way, who went before us to pave the way so that we might follow in his footsteps in our own search for enlightenment. Anubis knows how to surrender his heart and the entirety of his being to ever-expanding cycles of death and rebirth, to step more fully into his divine humanity here on Earth. [...] 13. Osiris ~ Regeneration: Transmutation/Beauty 14. Hathor ~ Magic:Medicine Woman/Integration 15. Set ~ Shadow: Adversarial Ally/Trickster 16. Wadjet ~ Life Force Energy: Purification/ Divine Awakener 17. Sothis ~ Star Consciousness: Generosity/Bodhisattva 18. Khonsu ~ Lunar Energies: Divine Timing/Blood Mysteries 19. Amun-Ra ~ Solar Energies: Transfiguration/Alchemical Gold 20. Ptah ~ The New Aeon: Imagination/Visionary Prophet 21. Nut and Geb ~ Wholeness: Creation of Sacred Purpose/Divine Parents Introduction to the Suits of the ElementsThe Key Card and the first twenty-two archetypes offered in the previous chapters combine to represent the supernatural element of akasha, the spiritual energy that is the source or matrix that informs our reality. As neteru who are prominent during this round of our spiritual evolution, they have come together here to express the Major Arcana for the Anubis Oracle. But the story does not end there. Akasha or spirit is the eternal One out of which the first breath was blown. It is the breath itself. When the One breathed itself into being, it sent out into the universe the four messengers that we know today as the four sacred elements—water, earth, fire, and air. As life forms began to spring up here on Earth and evolved, they percolated with the four elemental messengers. They bubbled through endless varieties of forms, all teeming with primal energies. [...] When we look at ourselves and others in terms of the four elements, we can perceive those components in various behaviors and characteristics. People with lots of fire are passionate, courageous, and creative, perhaps even aggressive. Airy people have mental agility; they tend to be articulate, witty, and funny. Sensitivity is the hallmark of water; water people experience and express a lot of emotion and are highly intuitive. Earth people are grounded; like the earth itself, they are physical, stable, solid, structured.³ The neteru, too, carry the energies of the elements. As you get to know these Egyptian deities, you will begin to see them elementally as you come to understand their similarities and differences. There is chemistry at work in the way they come together in the layouts and readings for this oracle. This chemistry mimics the way the neteru coalesce and dance together for periods of time toward a particular end. When certain deities combine their forces, the resulting energies assist us in particular endeavors with a particular potency that any of the neteru alone or other combinations of neteru could not achieve. Each combination yields very different energies that change the fundamental constituent parts into completely unique elemental expressions. Humans are a very recent generation of the expression of the neteru. Though we were consciously conceived and infused with the intelligence and consciousness of our parent neteru, we are still in the process of becoming the co-creative alchemists that it is our birthright to be. As we begin consciously and responsibly to co-create with spirit, it is imperative that we always use these powerful tools of manifestation with great care and respect. We really are gods - children of the neteru who are growing up and maturing. The excitement of waking up into consciousness, feeling love, and having permission to experience ourselves fully is orgasmic. As we grow more and more refined, we become cognizant that we are temples for spirit and that the elements create through us. Now that they’ve created humans, they can accomplish more because we have hands and eyes and tongues. We have genitals, and thus the capacity to create other people, each with unique abilities and ideas. We can come together and mimic the energy of what God did through our own creative intercourse, birthing new creations beyond our current imaginings. And the original neteru and elements are within every breath, every expression, and every creation. There is no end to our becoming. 22. The Nile: The Nile is the bountiful river that is the reflection of the river of the night, the Milky Way. It is our Star Mother’s counterpart on Earth. Nowhere on Earth is there such contrast between fertility and barrenness, between life and death, and between abundance and desolation as in the Nile Valley, especially where the river’s influence halts at the desert’s edge. In Egypt, all life is dependent on the Nile, and the Nile in her generous and gracious flow feeds all life. [...] 23. The Pyramid: 24. The Desert: 25. The Crested Ibis:
Every spread involves combining the archetypes, bringing the neteru
together in the relationship best suited to respond to your question or
intention. The eight composite cards magnify the experience of the oracle.
Each is a reading unto itself. Cards I through VIII illustrate some
of the most potent ways these divine energies combine to escort you
through major portals of initiation as they pertain to the reality of the
current life situation addressed in your reading. The composite cards comprise the Minor Arcana in the Anubis
Oracle. (In traditional tarot, the Minor Arcana consists of fifty-six
cards in four suits, including the aces through the royalty.) The Minor
Arcana give you a glimpse of the day-to-day experiences of your life
expressing the trials, tribulations, accomplishments, and other life lessons
that are grist for the mill of every person’s journey of awakening.
They explain the personal stories in our lives, while the Major Arcana
expresses the larger, more transpersonal stories through the lens of
archetypal principals. [...] Entering the Mystery ~ Composite I Sacred Relationship ~ Composite II Cosmic Influences ~ Composite III Tree of Life ~ Composite IV Higher Love and Wisdom ~ Composite V Right Timing and Direction ~ Composite VI Sacred Purpose ~ Composite VII Alchemy ~ Composite VIII [End of excerpted texts]
Footnotes: |
The third card is placed on the right,
in Sobek’s position, across from the second. It describes who you have
been and what you need to let go of to grow. In traditional tarot, the
archetypes presented in cards two and three together represent the lovers,
and the relationship between them is very important in this spread. The
fourth card (in Sekhmet’s position), placed at the top above the others and
aligned with the first, is the vehicle of transformation, the action through
which you will gain compassion and understanding about the relationship
or situation you are in. The final card, placed right in the center of the
spread, carries the voice of the Sphinx, the oracle that informs all of your
relationships from the bigger picture in the akashic records, the original
blueprint from beyond our earthly plane that forms the matrix of our reality.
Meditate on the card that comes in the place of the Sphinx, for it will
be an ally in helping you source direct guidance regarding the larger, more
transpersonal nature of your relationship or situation.
the reading is the knowledge not only of what you might need to give up
or surrender to move into your full potential; it also includes your need
to open to the shamanic process at hand.
of her unconditional love. Set shows us how to face and deal with our
shadow, the dark side of our nature. Wadjet, although this is not visible
in the illustration, sits between the twin towers of greed and ignorance.
Life. He is supported by the sky goddess Nut and the Earth god Geb,
who create the very portal by which he has entered the garden. It is
Thoth, in his serpent form who offers the fruit. Ptah is shown with all
the symbols of the manifest physical dimension pouring forth from his
mouth. This glyph represents coming into wholeness.