Laws of Maat: A Brief Introduction

In Ancient Egypt there are a few particular spells from the Book of Coming Forth By Day (also known as the Book of the Dead) known as The Declaration of Innocence. In them, the speaker visits a great tribunal of Gods and spirits in order to promise, in a poetic series, to be in complete alignment with the law. Similar to the Christian Bible's Ten Commandments, these 42 declarations that are listed express ways of behaving in society. The are called the 42 Laws of Maat.

Maat is a goddess of balance and truth. She is an early forerunner of the Roman Goddess of Justice

who holds the scales of justice. Maat's process works by placing the truths in your own heart on one scale, and her feather of truth on the other. The heart should be just as light, or lighter than the feather.

So often we go through life experiences in which we may feel regret, guilt, or other emotions that destroy our sense of personal freedom. When we feel that oppression, we are "not in Maat." This is a way of saying that our heart is so heavy it is out of balance with the natural laws of the universe.

When we are out of balance, we must find ways to clear our hearts, taking the actions that will bring us back into good standing in our communities, with our loved ones, and most importantly, with our ourselves.

The Laws of Maat function like guidelines. Though the laws are fairly concrete, we can look beyond the dogma of what they express and ponder what they trigger within us. For example, while one law may say, "I am not stealing," the law itself begs us to ask on a much deeper level, "What is theft?"

If we become caught up in the jargon or language and think only of this law in terms of our day, we may not think that breaking the law means walking into the corner store and taking a wad of cash.  When we look deeper within, we may find that a part of us is unsettled by the statement, or even overly vehement. We may find that although we have not broken the law in letter, perhaps there are other ways we have taken unfairly. Maybe we ate a piece of cake in the fridge that belonged to our roommate, or we pirated a song from the internet. If the declaration as we speak it sits heavily in our hearts, we know that maybe we have work to do. The work may be simply making the declaration and absolving ourselves from that moment forward. But it may also include promising ourselves to find healthier, lighter ways of moving in the world, or taking corrective actions (buying more cake? apologizing?). 

"Weighing of the Soul" by Christine Knopp

For many years I have recited the Declaration of Innocence & Laws of Maat in a variety of formats and translations. Each time, I am struck by the wisdom of simply naming the many parts of our own internal justice system. Like an automobile diagnostic, the recitation allows me to check in with myself to see where I feel compromised, and where I can come more deeply to personal wholeness.

There is a Neter, or Force of energy (or God) who oversees each law. They are there to enforce it. In the greater picture, if someone deceased makes their declarations but their heart is too heavy, then they are declared unfit for the afterlife and they are eaten by a composite creature, Ammit. She is a soul eater! In movies and Egyptian documentaries the narrator always makes this sound like a horrible thing. In fact, I think it's great. Have you ever tried living with a heavy heart for long periods of time? It is a relief to have those energies washed away, to have the old paradigm of your thinking and being stripped or destroyed. It is a relief to be returned to pure light.

In some esoteric traditions, the Laws of Maat are recited as a way of creating balance and cleansing the energy field. They are also a powerful invocation of the guardians of order and the neteru (forces) who open the way to our own inner world of shadows, fears, and other powerful inner growth mechanisms that we humans tend to work with.

Soon I will post the laws of Maat for you to enjoy. Blessings!

~Dailey
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© 2014 Dailey Little. Art: Winged Maat from KV11. "The Weighing of the Soul" ©2005 Christine Knopp. The art is for sale at Deviant Art.  You are welcome to reproduce this article provided you do so in its entirety. Dailey Little is a Reiki Master and active practitioner. She teaches Reiki & other fun stuff through her private practice in Santa Rosa, CA. Join her joyful community for ReikiShares, Free Clinics, and eco-activism by signing up at her website: www.SantaRosaReiki.com