The Atum-Re Revival by Melusine Draco
Every book has a story behind the story of how it came to be written. It may be about a life-long passion, a personal journey, the need to share an experience or knowledge. It may have been fermenting in the brain for years, or sprung fully formed from a blinding epiphany. Whether it be fact or fiction, sometimes the story behind the story is almost as interesting as the published book itself …
The Atum-Re Revival: Ancient Egyptian Wisdom for the Modern World by Melusine Draco
When ignotus press ceased publishing in 2013 it meant that these books on the Egyptian Mystery Tradition– Liber Ǣgyptius, the Egyptian Book of Days and the Egyptian Bok of Nights – were no longer available in print. The interest in the religion and spirituality of the Egyptians, however, is always with us as people begin to realise that it is possible to follow this ancient belief in the 21st century, so it was decided to revamp these publications to demonstrate that what is the oldest recorded belief system in the world (having just entered its sixth millennia), can still teach us how to live in both earthly and cosmic harmony. But first, I needed to put things into some sort of perspective …
The modern, abstract cover design instead of traditional artwork immediately suggests that The Atum-Re Revival : Ancient Egyptian Wisdom for the Modern World is going to offer a different approach to ancient Egypt. As one Axis Mundi reader said: “A really well written, interesting and knowledgeable book; having quite an interest in the Egyptian Mystery Tradition, I found this to be an extremely solid and informative text. I have studied a little Egyptian magic, but this book is fascinating and goes much further than anything I have previously read.”
And since an authentic calendar underpins all established religion, I decided to incorporate The Egyptian Book of Days into the text because this had been compiled from various authentic Greek and Demotic Magical Papyri lodged in the British Museum, the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, the Staarliche Museum in Berlin and the Rijksmuseum in Leiden; the Sallier Papyrus IV and The Cairo Calendar currently lodged in the British and Cairo Museums. The calendar lists the names of the deities whose anniversaries take place on every day of the year including special spells (prayers) that were devised for the protection on certain ‘unlucky’ days. Every day was considered to have some magical significance, which caused it to be ‘good, bad, or partly good and partly bad’. By consulting these lists of lucky and unlucky days, each individual could protect himself and his family against the danger of the day.
It was also necessary to explain just how much ancient Egyptian customs and philosophy have influenced Western European culture and metaphysics right up to the 21st century; which is all part of the teaching that is reflected within the Temple of Khem and the modern approach to the Egyptian Mysteries. As an Initiate of the Khemetic Mysteries and Principal of the Temple of Khem I believe that by viewing the Egyptian Mystery Tradition as a continuing and expanding faith, with its own temple calendar, established history and ‘futuristic’ thinking, it is possible to see that this very ancient wisdom has a very positive place in the modern world. See: www.templeofkhem.com for more information.
The Atum-Te Revival by Melusine Draco is published by Axis Mundi Books in both paperback and e-book format – available www.axismundi-books.com
ISBN: 978 1 78099 437 6 : 274 pages :UK£14.99/US$24.95
Melusine Draco 