Growing up in a Christian home, there were plenty of Bible teachings on Egypt and this ancient land’s history. As a child, I had Imaginary thoughts of being a Queen – to be specific, Queen Nefertiti. That dream became a close reality when the stars aligned for me to travel to Cairo, Egypt. It didn’t take much to sense the land’s sacredness as we drove along the River Nile upon arrival. I was finally here, close to the spirit of the Queen – Nefertiti.
After we settled into my new “home,” We started the journey to the Pyramids. What had begun as a simple taxi drive to Giza soon transitioned into a caravan of camels into the desert. As we traced this biblical path, gradually, the African skies opened over an arid land; there was the enigmatic Sphinx with the great pyramids at a distance. The Giza Pyramids were built to endure an eternity and have done just that. My first thought was, how did my ancestors do it? I was in total wonderment, awed by the magnitude of history.
We then trotted further up to the Great Pyramid absorbing the ancient energy of the Egyptian civilization in all its glory. This story gets better; I had the honor to enter one of the burial tombs (usually not authorized for the public). I didn’t know what to expect, so I dared and followed the tour guide down the short narrow steps into the graves. He asked me to look to my side, and there they were; intricate ancient carvings of the Pharaohs over their tombs. Egyptian pharaohs were expected to become gods in the afterlife. To prepare for the next world, they erected temples to the gods and built massive pyramid tombs for themselves, filled with everything each ruler would need to guide and sustain himself in the next world.
As I stood inside the great pyramids’ tombs, I could not help but imagine that Pharaoh Khufu was laid to rest here. I felt the energy and spirit of a being. I was dumbfounded and tearful to have witnessed and connected with my ancestors’ creative spirits from 4,500 years ago. As I reflected on my way out of the tomb, I asked myself, how can I still feel the presence of greatness thousands of years later? I had an “aha” moment – The physical body is just a shell. The spirit lives on, which has been a daily reminder to strengthen the spirit during my meditations.
