Temple of the Cosmos: The Ancient Egyptian Experience of the Sacred (Paperback)

by Jeremy Naydler (Author) "The first thing that strikes one in Egypt is the sun..." (more)
Key Phrases: cosmic goose, pharaonic king lists, heart being weighed, Book of the Dead, First Time, Old Kingdom (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American
An ambitious and lucid interpretation of ancient Egyptian consciousness, especially with respect to the experience of the sacred. As such the book also sheds light on the wild and mysterious psychospiritual currents of our present time, including the Goddess re-emergence.

Review
A highly readable account of Egyptian sacred culture. -- Scientific&Medical Network

A valuable and original work. -- John Anthony West, Author of Serpent in the Sky

Occasionally a book appears which is not only full of interesting facts but presents an inner meaning and significance of those facts, drawing the mind to an area of understanding which cannot be put into words. Jeremy Naydler's Temple of the Cosmos is such a book. . . .It is no coincidence that every aspect of the ancient Egyptian life upon which he touches discloses a similar quality. -- Temenos Academic Review, 1997

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892815558
• ISBN-13: 978-0892815555
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #350,190 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have book for anyone interested in Ancient Egypt., June 12, 1996

By A Customer

The importance of this book cannot be underestimated. The author has gone to great lengths to provide the reader with the conceptual tools necessary to begin to understand the world view of the ancient Egyptian religion. From my own personal research experience, the serious student needs to step away from limitations imposed by contemporary language and the way that we view time, space and the experience of the sacred from our own culture. The author, Jeremy Nadler, has provided the conceptual tools necessary to awaken a valid understanding of Ancient Egyptian religion. For example, the author provides the reader with a very good introduction into "Egyptian magic". Until and unless one has some understanding of the importance and relevance of "magic" (within the ancient Egyptian context), the entire subject of Egyptian religion is completely closed. In another area, the author provides one of the best studies on the psycho-spiritual components associated with one's being: the Ka, the Ba, and the Akh. I was particularly impressed with the attention of the author to describe the experience of space, time, and the expression of the Sacred that are associated with ancient Egyptian worldview. Without an understanding of space, time, the Sacred context (including the ultra-critical aspects of the Temple), the Egyptian system remains incomprehensible, an alien culture that cannot be understood and which therefore can be ignored as having no direct relevancy to modern man. But the problem does not lie within in Pharonic Egypt: the problem lies within our minds. And this book is perhaps the best introduction yet written that provides keys to understanding the true foundation of Western Civilization. The only complaint (and it is minor) is that the author could have provided a more extensive bibliography for serious readers to have access.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars for open-minded readers, June 17, 2000

By	Francesca Jourdan (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an ambitious book which attempts to explore the controversial issue of the Ancient Egyptian consciousness, their thought processes and patterns, and how it manifested itself in both their daily lives and the material remains. In recounting this 'sacred culture,' the author also looks at their medical abilities. Many authors have contended that the origins of Western civilisation and beliefs did not lie in classical Greece and in Judeo-Christianity, but in ancient Egypt. This book has black and white illustrations, with footnotes providing both orthodox and unorthodox bibliographic references. It is recommended for the open-minded and the interested.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Egypt is alive, March 22, 2006

By	Soren Kerk (LA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jeremy Naydler beckons us to a distant horizon, somewhere inside our mind. He turns the light on ancient Egypt. We gaze at the world as an Egyptian might have done. The landscape and heavenscape of the ancient mind rushes in with his scholarship which is mesmerizing and illuminating. We have gone far astray of the cosmic temple, but Naydler allows us to recall the ancient majesty of cosmically integrated thinking.