After a perfect start to the day, watching a beautiful sunrise from the top deck of the Dahabiya River Boat that I’d shared with my 12 fellow Priestesses, it was time to check out. Our Nile Cruise had come to an end but while we were sad to leave, especially as it had been so lovely to share that time together on the boat, our Egypt adventures were far from over…
We were taken across the busy river on one of the Nile ferry boats and then walked the remaining short distance to Karnak Temple, which is one of the largest religious complexes in the world, located on the eastern bank of the River Nile, where the modern city of Luxor lies today. It was one of Ancient Egypts most important places of worship under the rules of Hatshepsut, Seti I, Rameses II and Rameses III. This city of temples is HUGE, covering around 200 acres and taking over 2000 years to build, and is dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu.
On our arrival we headed straight towards a hidden, remote area of the temple complex, where we’d arranged in advance private access to a chapel dedicated to the lion headed goddess Sekhmet. We were especially looking forward to the visit and having the opportunity to connect with the energies of this powerful goddess, but little did we know quite how intense the experience would be.
As we arrived at the Ptah Temple precinct and entered the first chamber, we were met with a statue of Ptah, the husband of Sekhmet. It was almost as though he were guarding her. But it was for the adjoining room we had journeyed there, the shrine of Sekhmet, and as we pushed open the heavy door, there she was. Standing tall and proud towards the back of the small chapel was the most beautiful black granite statue of the lion headed goddess. And not just a statue, it was almost as though she was alive. There was no doubt we could all FEEL her incredibly powerful energy! We all congregated in the small chapel to connect with her and receive our initiations.
Unfortunately, as with most of our previous attempts for some quiet connection time, we were repeatedly disturbed by the temple guards. However, albeit briefly we did get to close the door to the chapel, and then, finally, there was just us. Thirteen Priestesses with Goddess Sekhmet and her amazing energy. With the door closed, the chapel is almost entirely in darkness and yet, the light codes around the statue were so obvious to us, she almost glowed! And she was beyond beautiful.
I closed my eyes to connect with Sekhmet and as I felt her powerful energy, my whole body shook. I was overcome with emotion, and although I didn’t cry, I felt as though I would have if I’d stayed in her presence for much longer. It was such an incredibly powerful initiation. None of us wanted to leave her but sadly, once again, time wasn’t on our side …
After our visit to the Sekhmet Chapel we were taken as a private group to visit the temple of Khonso. It was being restored when we visited and so not open to the general public, but we had been recommended to see the beautiful coloured images in one of the chambers there and it didn’t disappoint.
Our next port of call was the temple of Mut and to reach it we headed along Sphinx Avenue, aptly named because of the rows of Sphinx statues that line either side. They all have the head of a ram as this was the symbol of the god Amun, the chief deity worshipped in the Great Temple of Karnak. However, before we reached the temple of Mut we also came across an area full of statues of her, but they had all taken the features of Goddess Sekhmet. It was so peaceful here and we sat for a while in quiet reflection. It was also scorchingly hot, so we were glad for a break!
We were then taken to another area of the temple that depicted the seven gateways/doorways of Osiris, the brother and husband of Goddess Isis.
And in the room behind, there were seven Ankhs on the wall, representing the seven keys to the seven doors. Once again the sheer abundance of light codes in this area was unbelievable! We could all feel the incredible energy by just putting our hands near the Ankh symbols. It was such an amazing experience.
When we’d finished exploring Karnack Temple, or at least, as much as we’d planned for that visit, we enjoyed a hearty lunch overlooking the Nile before heading off to our new hotel in Luxor, which was to be our home for the next couple of nights. Although I did have the opportunity to visit Luxor market that evening, I opted to stay behind to meditate and reflect on the day. I was also keen to head to bed early to anchor and integrate my Sekhmet initiation! Plus I knew we had another very early start in the morning, our next destination Dendera and Abydos …