~May 13
Here is justice. Here is Maat.
You live by her. You find joy in her.
You rise in her. You rest in her.
You are made perfect by her.
You are made powerful by her.
You are judged by her.
You are pardoned by her.
—Egyptian prayer to the goddess of justice
At the end of each life, the ancient Egyptians said, we will each be judged by the goddess of truth. Maat takes the form of an ostrich feather on the underworld’s balancing scales. On the other side of the scales is the heart of the deceased. If the heart of the deceased is light with justice, then the scales will balance. In that case, Osiris the judge will say, “Let the deceased depart victorious. Let him go wherever he wishes to mingle freely with the gods and spirits of the dead.”
Alas for the soul if the scales did not balance, for the heart heavy with evil will be instantly eaten by the monstrous goddess Ahemait, part crocodile, part hippopotamus, and part lion. Finding a way to help our hearts be light, both in this life and beyond, is the struggle of every woman, every man. Judge each action that you take. Does it add to the world’s burden of fear and anger and hate? Or does it move you, and the world with you, toward resolution and communion? As we act, so will we be finally judged.
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