Shu means dryness, withered, light, and is related to sky, as is Tefnut, the spit of sky or waters. Tefnut became assocated with the Right Solar Eye and the dry heat of Shu apparently after Ra began to be merged with Atum. Tefnut became a daughter of Ra and thus the famous Eye of Ra as the fiery lioness symbolism. With the sun disk and uraeus, she is overly solar and less lunar. Shu was even associated with the judgement and afterlife, as was Tefnut through Maat as the central figure in the judgment. Shu was the punisher of those not worthy, but held the ladder up, as the air element, to those who were worthy or elevation, evolution, ascension, etc., which just meant going up in grades, degrees or level of consciousness through battle sin the underworld monomythos. Since Shu can also mean light, it is also symbolic of the first light of the sun, and the first light of the first Eye.
**As mentioned in the section on maat, the raused arms of Shu (feather) arm in the position of the Ka, the strength and power to support to sky goddess Nut, the heavens, from the earth god Geb, the hell and underworld.
Male Dominator Mythos
Atum is said to have create himself, from sheer thought or will. The conceptual process devoid of the feminine projected a ridiculous male asexual reproduction with semen in his mouth spit out as Shu and Tefnut, or from the mucus of hos nostrils. This is anthropomorphizing, personification, projection.
That is exactly what were are doing in life, self-creating ourselves as gods-generators-creators-willers. We create ourselves, by our thoughts to create our sense of self and what we understand, our ego-personality-identity. We either let other people use heka-magic in abrakadabra to create us in their image and their thoughts, or we take control and create ourselves as we speak, abrakadabra. We will ourselves to create ourselves, in the image we choose, or someone has the power and suplant our will for the hive social standard norm of a will, to live as a falser self, instead of a truer self.
The body has to be fed, eating, consume energy, for stability. The Ka, that also needs to be fed, why? Because it is the self. The body is mortal, while the self is immortal, right? Why? Because the immortal is the unseen, immaterial, nonphysical, creator, generator, god, etc. and this is consciousness itself. This is the self, this is the soul. The Ka needs to be fed with knowledge of the world and how we function in the world, to evolve and be a TRUE SELF, to remain immortal, in afterlife, eternal etc. If the KA is not fed, and is in ignornace of life, reality, self, then it is a false self, dead, unfed and dead, like the body goes dead. This is all symbolism, taken literally over time, forgotten inner truths extrapolated externally, externalized the power we have inside.
Tefnut is the lioness goddess, Shu is often shown as a lion headed god as well, or with the ostrich feather, which can be two or more.
Tefnuts name relates to spit or moisture, hence the birth from Atum as mucus or semen. Tefnut often held the was/uas scepter and the ankh, powerful symbols of eternal life and Osiris. She was the first to haveb the sun disk and uraeus symbmol on her head. Moisture deities are often linked ot the mon, as she was, but she was also linked ot the sun through the right solar Eye of Ra/Horus, called the Lady of the Flame, and Uraeus on the Head of all the Gods. Tefnut was in the end both eyes, as the other eye was lunar and associated with Thoth, the counterpart to Maat, whom Tefnut was identified in name and purpose as a goddess. The solar aspect is also there with Tefnut’s brother-spouse Shu, who was the air and dryness first god after Atum, who was unisex, as was the Nu-Nun-Annu primordial waters personification. The fact that Tenut was the first goddess endows her with importance of procreation with Shu and the causal effect it had on creation itself of the gods and goddess and creation that came afterwards, as popular as Nut, Nephthys and Isis were as offspring. Tefnut was in one form moisture and in another sunlight-dryness, through the power of the Eye of Ra-Horus. The uraeus and sun disk both symbolize scorching heat, as the Right Eye, and the fiery lioness symbolism. Tef can mean vomit as well as spit, and can be pictured to spit or vomit flames, as symbolism of the fire reigning down from god as punishment.
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Shu and Anhar represents the two lions, formerly Shu and Tenut as the lion and lioness pair, and formerly the dual lioness pair, twin daughters, mother-daughter, etc. This is symbolized as horus on the horizon, the two horus’. In the solar bark, the two gods on each end of the boat are Shu and the masculine counterpart Anhar, formerly Tefnut. Shu, the god of air, would use the wind of ma. The two lionesses, two eyes, two horizons. The two lionesses also stood ebside the great mother goddess Kybele, as later depicted in Isis. These represents also through Tefnut the Two Eyes, Two Truths, and also relate to the solar journey into the underworld of the Hall of Two Truths, of Double Maat, of Maati, etc. Tefnut was identified later as Maat in principle. Tefnut is also Ta-urt as Tefn. As Tefn, it represents feminine of the dual masculine and feminine aspects within Ta-urt (Tawaret).
The two horizons make the horizontal (horizon) arm of the dual armed cross symbol, and as such separates the air from the earth element, the sky from the earth, the heaven from the underworld, the good from the evil, etc. The dual lion symbolism was also used to for the two suns of the horizon. They also represented the two limits in heaven.
Taweret. Alternative Names: Tawaret, Tawret, Taurt, Tuat, Tweri, Thoueris, Tuart, Ta-weret and Taueret. She was also known as Reret.Taueret, Ta-weret, Thoeris, Rert, or Reret, Apet, Opet. Greek, Thoueris, Thoeris and Toeri.Also Thermutis, through Mut correlation.
Ta-urt means, "she who is great" or "great one," and was an old goddess of protection of pregnant woman, and also relates to symbolism of protection of rebirth into the afterlife, real life, true life, etc. She had power symbolism of the hippo, lioness and crocodile, as well as the water and feminine symbolism each has.Ta-urt is sometimes referred to as the daughter of Ra, and the Eye of Ra/Re, the same position as that of Maat. Sheis also sometimes the wife of Set, the renewal evolving unfolding aspect of Xeper/Kheffer. With this connection to the underworld and rebirth, there is the other creature Ammit, composed of similar crocodile, hippo and cat parts as the Devourer of the Dead. It could be Ta-urt as a representation of rebirth in the underworld itself, in another form, as the devourer of what needs to be put to death within us in order for to evolve.
Ta-urt was the great lady, with a pregnant body and large breasts. The aspect of the crocodile and lion chimera is also present in the zodiac symbolism with the crocodile on its back in the northern sky. The dragon is synonymous with a snake, as is a crocodile, and the hippo was the shape of a large part of the draco constellation.
All of the symbolism is encoded in imagery and cross imagery, but it can be seen once the symbols are understood.Now Ammit makes even more sense than before where the Devourer of the Dead, and its symbolic role of eating the failed heart, desires, care that was corrupted, has more corroboration through the a joining symbolism of Ta-urt and the connection to Set and renewal from the central alchemical underworld afterlife, eternal life, immortality perspective.
Ta-urt often had cows horns and the solar disk, symbolizing her help in the rebirth of the sun. The symbolism reflects deep wisdom of life, ourselves, in different forms of gods and goddesses, and concepts.She often holds an ankh-like object, called the Sa, a symbol of protection as a stylized life-preserver, also linked to the ankh of life with the loop-round .
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Shu, male lion, air, word, thought, mind
Tefnut, female lion, associated to maat, order, stability, etc.
Each was an Eye of Atum/Ra/Horus
Left eye of moon, right ey eof sun where Maat was the foundation...
The limits in heaven, are good and evil, to create heaven, to reach heaven. Good and evil are the boundaries of the suns journey, of the journey of consciousness.
Shu holds up heavens, Nut, Maat, order, with KA, arms, actions. KA is what sustains and upholds heaven, eternal, afterlife, better ife, real life, true self, by holding up principle of air, good, truth, justice, etc. Tefnut, Maat, Ta-rut, is held up. Shu is heat and light, the first source, the abode of the sun as the egg for Ra.
Air is everywhere, it supports life, but is unseen, immaterial, godly, creator, generator, etc. Ankh has this symbolism as well as the life, breath of life, eternal life, etc. Maat too, but indirectly through order, stability. Maat/Order being the alternate name for Tefnut, and Life being the alternate name for Shu. Shu, as the atmosphere, also the divider of the heaven and earth, Nut and Geb, is the divider of the water from above and waters below, as is a popular theme in creation myths.
Nut, daughter of Shu/Life and Tefnut/Maat, was the symbol of rebirth, the mother of all heavenly bodies, the nursing mother that swallows the heavens and bears the in her womb again and gives birth.
Since Shu is air, breath, wind, heat, and light symbolism, Shu can be seen as the first breath of Atum or other creator deity that produced the first god Shu, and then spit out Tefnut. These are masculine dominant cultural symbols, altered from previous feminine dominance in symbolism. The feather is a solar symbol, but is also feminine with the ancient bird goddess symbolism. Shu can be the spiritual breath of life, air and atmosphere that provides life, the giver of the principle of life. Tefnut was mixed with the symbolism of light, heat and air as representing mist, clouds and rain. Shu and Tefnut are the first creative act, the twin lions, that bring light and cast away the whole darkness of the chaos abyss of Nun.
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Shu is also associated with the first word through the first creative act of the mouth by breathing, spitting or speaking the two first gods/goddesses into creation. The first creative act of the creator gods itself was done through the mouth. Shu can correspond with word/logos, reason, rational,truth, and therefore to Maat as well since the logos and maat are interconnected concepts.The logos, words, truth, etc. needs to be upheld, to keep heaven from crashing into hell, to keep true self from becoming false self. Shu upholds the sky of heaven from the earth, with the arms of KA, actions. Air, heat, from truth and justice, is what is required to keep heaven afloat, from crashing down to a hell.. Responsibility of bearing heaven, where the light of truth is kept with the sun and stars, the source of justice and wisdom in the firmament of the primordial mound of existence, upholding, foundation, stability, Maat. If Shu were removed, heaven would crash into hell and chaos would come to the universe.Upholding Maat, through actions, is a central theme in Egypt. From creation mythos beginning of time, needed order and stability for things to exist first, then existence comes into being from nonbeing, from the nothing or precreation existents.
AS word/logos, just as shu was, from mouth, mouth power of words, mouth as sword (book of swords), heka, magic, power of thought and words/speech as first actions, then more powerful KA was actions/deeds from those desires and thoughts
Gerald Massey speaks about Thoth and godesh in A Book of the Beginnings. Godesh, qodesh, is related to ka-tesh. Tesh is the softer form of Tekh, and both are related to boundary, limit, separation, division. They relate to Taht, which represents the new moon named Qodesh. Toth, god of the moon, also had the name Taht to represent him. Thoth was also the Bull of Maat, as he was the spouse of the goddess Maat. Thoth is also represented by the baboon Kafi/Kapi, the kufu ape. Greek Kepos, Sanskrit Kapi, Persian Kepi, are the words for English Ape. The Kafi particular kind of monkey is found in Egyptian tombs, back to the time of Kufu. It is also referred to as the dog-headed ape and co-personified with Taht of the Logos/Word, which is Thoth.
Taht = Thoth, baboon Kapi, kufu ape
Tehuti, Tchehuti, Tehi, Tuat
Tehuti - judge of the gods
master of the words of power, scribe of the gods, ibis-god
bull of maat
Thoth the ibis, the great, the twice great, great one of spells, lord of the divine word
thoth the magician, the measurer, Tehuti - god of the 13th day of the month
**The peacock of India, toki, can be related to Tekh, Tekai, as the symbolic bird ibis relating to Taht/Thoth. Tekh is the ibis, and is akh without the T prefix, the akh being the symbol of spirit, ,lustre and light.
The moon is also regenerative as the sun is, going through cyclesof ebb and flow with new moon renewals.
- THIGH
Gerald Massey, in New Genesis, makes some good connections with the thigh of Typhon, that he calls Khepsh/Khebt, related to the Mount of the Seven Stars, Seven Steps, Seven Stages, Seven Caves in Ursa Major. He refers to it as the thigh of typhon or the great bear. Ursa Major, the 7 stars, was represented by an ox-bull-bovine thigh, head or whole body in zodiac symbolism of Egypt, which Massey doesn’t seem to reference. It was called Mšhtyw. In the center of heaven, which is what is being talked about with draco, ursa major, the 7 stars, hippo-croc-lion symbolism, as well the Cygnus bird and cross. As for the thigh, this was the hinder backside and buttock of heaven. The buttock being called artu. The goddess Urt, Ta-Urt. The mount or mountain Urdhu,Ararat, Urardhu, artu, arurut, ur-tu, all relate to this mount of the thigh of the center of the heavens. Ur means great, oldest, chief, principle, and tu means mount, rock, cave. Urtu as mount is related to urt and Ta-urt, the greater mother genetrix goddess of the mount in the north of the sky, the mountain in the center of the zodiac. The central part of the heavens was also symbolic of the womb and cradle (apt) of humanity, the birthplace of man in many ancient mythologies. Ta-urt, Urtu, Rerit, Ururat, is the Great Sow in the sky, the pregnant large breasted hippopotamus, the Great Bear. The bear is also a protective mother, symbolism of protection that mirrors that of Ta-urt as the water feminine lioness, hippo and croc chimera symbolism.
This symbolism of being a sower, and breasts of the mother, is also in the Greek Artemis.
In Light of Egypt, Massey states the earliest divinity was feminine, as the ONLY ONE who was in the beginning, as a derivation of observable power of generation in the woman. This is more clear anthropomorphizing of ourselves onto symbolism. The many-teated sow, Hathor the Cow, the serpentwoman, and others to “express the phenomena of external nature as the source of life”.Fecundity and fertility is rooted in the feminine symbolism, as the mother earth provider of food and drink for all life. All phallic worship originates from the mother divinity.
Massey also related Khep goddess, khepsh the sickle, and the thigh of the hippo, bear or bull-ox-cow. The hippo goddess Ta-urt Tawaret often had a kat knife, representing cutting off a piece of time, that resulted in the thigh part. This related to Kronos and Saturn through the sickle and time. Ta-urt was then the mother of time, with everything revolving around her central northern mound-mountain. Saturn is also seen as the encompassing planet, the ruler planet whose orbit encompasses all the others. This was Chronos, the great grandfather of all gods and titans.There were only 5 planets of the 7 celestial bodies in heaven for ancient astrotheology, hence the corresponding importance of the 5 stars symbol, called Seb, and also representing the duat underworld symbol hieroglyph. The 5th planet of the 5 planets, was Saturn, as can be seen with the symbol for Saturn looking like a figure of 5, as the sickle or scythe. The 7th planet of the whole 7 heavenly body system was Saturn. People attribute 5 with Venus, but it was first with Saturn. The symbol for Jupiter is the reverse of the figure for Saturn, with the opening above and the single line at the bottom instead, and it also looks like a 4 figure.