At the Ends of the Universe - Egyptian Book of the Dead, Chapter 55

At the ends of the Universe
is a blood-red cord that ties life to death,
man to woman, will to destiny.
Let the knot of that red sash,
which cradles the hips of the goddess,
bind in me
the ends of life and dream.




I'm an old man
with more than my share of hopes and misgivings.
Let my thoughts lie together in peace.
At my death, let the bubbles of blood
on my lips
taste as sweet as berries.
Give me not words of consolation.








Give me magic, the fire of one beyond
the borders of enchantment.
Give me the spell of living well.




Do I lie on the floor of my house, or within the temple?



Is the hand that soothes me
that of wife or priestess?
I rise and walk.
The sky arcs ever around, the world spreads itself
beneath my feet.
We are bound...
Mind to Mind, Heart to Heart -
no difference rises between
the shadow of my footsteps and the Will of God.





I walk in harmony,
heaven in one hand, earth in the other.
I am the knot where two worlds meet.
Red magic courses through me
like the blood of Isis,
magic of magic, spirit of spirit.
I am proof
of the power of gods.
I am water and dust...
Walking.

-The Knot of Isis, Chapter 55
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Translation by Normandi Ellis