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Winged Pharaoh

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All souls who travel down their life-path looking for the answer to the question "why am I here" have seminal books that are signposts to help them on their way. One of mine is "Winged Pharaoh" by Joan Grant. I could not put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. It was the temple training of her main character Sekhet-a-ra that spoke to me through the pages of her book.

So what is the book about? It is the `autobiography' of a First Dynasty Egyptian Princess who later goes on to become joint Pharaoh with her brother. Before she can take her place beside him on the throne of Egypt she undergoes training to become a priestess of Anubis.

The book is set out in three distinct parts. The first deal with her childhood, the second with her training to be a priestess and the `graduation' ceremony (which is truly traumatizing), and the third covers her life as Pharaoh. In reality the book is divided into eight parts, but in truth the life is clearly demarcated by those three main sections.

That is a dry description of a narrative that grips the reader. You live Sekhet-a-ra's life with her from the time she is a small child being cared for by her nurse Maata until she dies at the age of fifty-three. Her childhood makes you feel the dry sands of Egypt, the gardens of the palace and the training necessary for her future role as joint Pharaoh with her brother.

I had the good fortune to meet Joan Grant in her later years. Did we discuss deep and meaningful things? Once or twice we did. In fact she shared some insights that I did not understand at that time, but now do. Mainly I fulfilled small services to make life a little more comfortable for her, such as sending her talking books back to the library they came from. I hope that those small services repaid in some measure the pleasure, knowledge and understanding that her `novels' and especially "Winged Pharaoh" gave to me. I want to pass on to you the fact that this precious book exists and that for anyone interested in reincarnation and astral traveling it deserves to be on their reading list.

This is Joan Grant's great work. Even if she didn't say it was a "far memory" of a past life, it would be easy to imagine the story is true. She starts as a small girl and her speech is very simple. As she grows, so does the level of vocabulary and conversation, but imperceptibly. Also, this book is so real and yet magical, I wished I was in it! I read a chapter of the little girl section to my 6 year old niece who hated to go to bed and she made me read that same chapter over and over and over in the same sitting! It is sooo beautiful! I've read just a chapter to adults and they had to read the whole book. Make people get their own copy, though -- I've noticed they don't like to give it back!

This adventure novel recalls the majesty of ancient Egypt. Through the eyes of Sekhet-ara-, daughter of Pharoah, the author offers us irrestible detailed images of initiation into mystery schools, "out of body" experiences, dreams, clairvoyance, battles for power, and love. The lyrical quality of Joan Grant's words shift the sands of time, and we are drawn into this mesmerizing drama. A spiritual adventure. A beautiful tapestry of the journey of many Souls fulfilling their destiny.

Whether read as a genuine description of a past life (as asserted by the author) or as historical fiction, this book is excellent in both style and content. As we follow the life, lessons, and triumphs of a girl was born to become Pharoah, we gain insights that are meaningful in living our lives today. We find rulers who are skilled not only as administrators, but also as priests and warriors. We see the model of a leader who is more motivated by love for the people she rules than by images of fame or power. Much of the writing is in a flowing prose style that borders on poetry. I found Winged Pharoah too rich to be devoured as I might a simpler work and rather chose to savor it in smaller doses just before bedtime for a few weeks. In it I found spiritual values that resonate with my own and an affirmation of beliefs that I have come to through living my life and following my spiritual path.

Yvette Kruger of Pretoria South Africa: This book was truly one of the finest I have read in a long time. I was so passionate about it I wanted to write a review for local magazines and make people aware of this book because it is not available in South Africa at the most well known book shops I have contacted.The difference in a nation ruled by love and spirituality is as day to night in today's world. It shows how we have deteriorated spiritually in the last 2000 years or so. People today confuse religion with spirituality.If you were confused what spirituality really is, "Winged Pharoah" will show you.Her other book "Eyes of Horus" was....ohhh splendid and I was mesmerised....

This is the life story of Sekeeta a daughter of Pharaoh in ancient Egypt, gifted because of her ability to remember her dreams and experience consciousness while dreaming. The book follows her childhood in the palace, her years in the temple preparing for initiation, her spiritual education and study of ancient legends. Later after the initiation she "marries" her brother and they become co-pharaohs ruling Kam. Many of Sekeeta's experiences as a ruler are described - holding audience and passing judgements, a sea journey to Minoa, the war with the Zuma.

First published in 1937 this is apparently an autobiographical account of one the author's previous lives, but even if you can't accept the idea of this as a past life recollection, at the very least it is a really great read for historical fiction fans. So frequently characters in ancient fiction seem to speak and function like twentieth century people with materialistic goals and romantic sentiment, but "Winged Pharaoh" has an authentic feel to it transporting the reader to another time and headspace.

As a recreation of ancient Egypt, this feels authentic. The people are as wise, noble and spiritual as we'd like to believe the ancients were.

The novel is as much philosophy as story, and there is much to provoke thought. However, the book can be enjoyed whether you take it as past life memory or just an escape to another time.

Sekeeta is a princess born to a First Dynasty pharaoh. When the young girl shows a talent for clairvoyant dreams, she is sent to train as a Priestess of Anubis, the god of prophecy. Her temple teachers are wise, and train her to use her gifts to serve her country. When she is grown, she rules as co-Pharaoh with her brother Neyah.

As noted above, this book is philosophy in novel form. It is to our conventional idea of the novel as the Egyptian wall painting is our idea of painting. The traditional elements of conflict, action and strong character development aren't much in evidence here. That doesn't make it unreadable, just different.

The language is stylized but beautiful, with a certain biblical flavor, the imagery vivid and poetic. In the childhood part of Sekeeta's life, she is told child's stories with simple, sound lessons, like The Monkey Who Wanted to be a Man.

Also interesting are the meanings behind some hieroglyphic symbols; in Grant's view, the images were metaphors for spiritual concepts or lessons. The word "beloved," for example, was written as a plow to show that, as a plow makes the earth fertile, so love does likewise to the heart.

On the whole, this a book that I return to and enjoy.

Joan Grant's book Winged Pharaoh takes us into the possible reality of the First Dynasty and the dream training of a king's daughter who becomes co-ruler of Egypt. As she explains in a memoir (Far Memory), the book came to Joan through "far memory" of a possible past life.
The most fascinating element in Joan Grant's visionary narrative is the description of a dream school that operates within the temple of Anubis. At the age of twelve, Sekeeta becomes a full-time student at the dream school, taking up residence in the temple of Anubis. Every morning she records her dreams and takes the wax tablets to her dream teacher, a priest of Anubis. Some days she must also carry out assignments he gave her inside a dream.
Frequently, in her dream travels, she encounters people who have died and are confused about their condition. At this point we come fully alive to the intimate connection between dreaming and dying well, and the reason why Anubis is such an appropriate patron of dream travel. As every school child knows, Anubis is a guardian of the Otherworld, who watches over tombs and mummies and guides souls of the departed to the Hall of Osiris. As psychopomp, or guide of souls, he is also the patron of journeys beyond the body.
As Sekeeta's training in the dream school deepens, she takes on more and more work as a psychomp. One of the most movingly realized scenes in the book is one in which Sekeeta helps a grieving widow to enter the dreamspace and achieve a loving reunion with her deceased husband. This episode is a wonderful glimpse of what compassionate psychopomp work is all about. It seems entirely plausible to me that advanced spirits in ancient Egypt did it this way. I know that gifted dreamers are doing the work in very similar ways today, because many have shared comparable experiences with me during training in our contemporary dream school.
As entertainment, Winged Pharaoh is wonderful fun. But when you read it as an active dreamer, you'll find that it suggests a whole curriculum of study and practice.

I first read this novel during my teens, in the fifties, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I dug it out of a bookcase in a very ancient house in England while my mom and her friend were downstairs cooking and drinking sherry, and lost myself in it within five minutes. It was one of those "unputdownable" books.

"Winged Pharoah" remains a fantastic historical novel, with a freshness, breath of life and immediacy which has not staled in fifty years. Perhaps the story will haunt you, as it did me, and bring you around, to a much later re-read. I purchased a re-issue, and have to say that this is one novel from the '30's which has held its charm, beauty and feeling of ACTUAL time travel.

This said, I'm no expert on ancient Egypt, so perhaps it might fall short for someone with a scholarly bent. There is also a strong bias toward the "Light" aspects of Egyptian religion which are most akin to monotheism, and this was, for the senior me, the most jarring anachronism. Writers of historical novels, however, could take lessons from this author in setting scenes which flower with life in every sense.

This book is wonderfully written. Beautiful and detailed descriptions of ancient egypt including the laws they lived by. An adventure anyone can enjoy.