An hours drive took us to another of Aswan’s beautiful temples, Kom Ombo, which means the Hill of Gold. Unique in its structure, in as much as it serves two Gods, the Northern half of the temple is dedicated to the falcon-headed God Horus (son of Isis and Osiris), and the Southern part, to the crocodile God Sobek, god of fertility. Not only does this temple hold the divine balance between Heaven and Earth, with Sobek symbolising the Earth kingdom and Horus the Air kingdom, but it also symbolises the balance between light and dark.
Interestingly, Komombo Temple was also used as a hospital, with images amongst the hieroglyphs on the walls clearly showing an assortment of medical instruments required for surgery and other procedures. There was even an image of a syringe, for administering an injection! More proof of the extent of knowledge of the ancient Egyptians.
Our mission here was to learn sacred knowledge and connect with the archetypal healing energies of the crocodile (a much revered creature in ancient Egypt), that would support the healing of our genetic line and restore light within our ancestral DNA. We were also to tap into the energies of the falcon, to support the activation of our third eye and connection to the Higher Realms.
The energy at this beautiful temple was incredible, as were the light codes, especially around the inner sanctum (the Holy of Holies). It would have been great to have meditated there. However, one thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that this is near impossible. Meditating at these sacred sites, or any kind of ritual work is forbidden and they are heavily guarded to ensure you don’t break the rules. Even communing as a group is viewed with the height of suspicion, so for us, as a group of thirteen Priestesses, our every move was closely monitored! The resistance we continually met was also clear evidence of the patriarchy at work …
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for protecting these incredible sites and respecting the balance between light and dark, however … it did not go unnoticed how quickly certain guards may be willing to turn a blind eye if they received some compensation. But if you don’t pay up, then it’s very much a case of, close your eyes at your peril!
Anyway … we took our time connecting with the energies here, as discretely as we could, and were then able to visit the crocodile museum to see all the mummified crocodiles. They were a strange site to see! Apparently, there are a number of crocodile cemeteries in Egypt, housing vast numbers of mummified crocodiles, once again showing how important they were.
After our visit to Komombo Temple, we returned to our hotel for a much-welcomed rest – the heat had definitely taken it out of us! But in the evening we had the opportunity to visit an authentic Nubian village and I was among those who went. The sun was just beginning to set as we boarded our small Nile ferry boat, and we danced on the top deck as we travelled the short distance to the village.
The village was as amazing as it was beautiful. Bustling with life, it soon became apparent we’d arrived at rush hour, camel style, as group after group of them were led past us – I’ve never seen so many camels! But it was the market stalls that really caught my attention, they were so beautifully presented and so colourful, especially those selling herbs and spices. And the smell was divine, not only from the herbs and spices but also the scent of incense that was heavy on the air. It really was something else.
It had been arranged for us to visit a Nubian family while we were there and so we followed our guide to their home. It was an authentic Nubian house, built of mud bricks, and with a floor of the smoothest sand I think I’ve ever seen! The interior was painted a bright blue and the roof was made of palm leaves, in rattan style. Apart from its modest interior and sand floor, it looked like a reasonably normal house. However … what we hadn’t realised as we’d walked in, was that in a small enclosure in the centre of the house were two big, live crocodiles! And in the other side of the pen, were two babies, one being just nine months old.
The baby crocodile was removed from its pen for us to hold … I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. I wasn’t afraid of it, not at that size at least, it just seemed cruel and unnatural to have them there like that. But at the same time, they almost had pride of place in the house and were clearly cared for. And so, after some deliberation, I did end up holding the baby, briefly. It seemed too strange a coincidence that this opportunity was presented to us on the day we’d paid homage to the crocodile god Sobek and had been learning about the importance of crocodiles to the ancient Egyptians. And it was beautiful, clearly very sensitive to our energy.
After our crocodile encounter, we were treated to hot hibiscus tea and snacks of bread, molasses, and halva, before each receiving a henna tattoo, hand drawn by the elder woman of the house. All quite an experience!
And then it was time to leave. After a very quick look around the market, we returned to our ferry boat, watching the twinkling lights of the village gradually disappear from view, as we made our way back to our hotel.
To be continued …
