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Ankhs - The Key of Life
EGYPTIAN CROSS CRUX ANSATA
It is a very old symbol, attributed to Classical Egyptian culture and religion with, perhaps,
even more ancient roots.
We know that Egyptian culture was underpinned by the fact of death and the expectation of re-birth.
The Ankh is a symbol of that process.
It represents the Key to the Gates of Life and Death.
The Ankh's purpose is that of re-energizing, of helping to contact one's purpose in life. It derives from hieroglyphics, relating to the breath of
life and the gift of immortality.
The Ankh is concerned with the Spirit Life - both now and in the unknowable future.
The ankh, also known as the Key of Life, the Egyptian Cross or the Crux Ansata, is a very old symbol, attributed to Classical Egyptian culture and religion but with its roots much more ancient. In form, it is a development of the Tau or T shaped cross which was one stage in the historical development of the letter Tau in Hebrew culture between the original simple cross form and the present letter.
But the implications are more complex, for the Tau is a symbol of ending, of death, and it is probable that this T shape was the normal form of crucifixion cross in the times of the Roman empire. The ankh then, contains a symbol of death, but attached to it is the yoni-shaped sign of rebirth. In keeping with what we know of the Egyptian culture of death and expectation of rebirth, the Ankh is a symbol of that process - of re-incarnation. It represents the Key to the gates of Life and Death.
The Ankh is an ancient Egyptian cartouche; a hieroglyphic symbol. It symbolizes the breath of life and the gift of immortality.
The ankh will reenergize you. It will aid you as you seek contact with your inner being. It will help clarify your life and purpose.
Found widely in Egyptian art, the ankh has come to symbolize life after death. Originally an Egyptian hieroglyphic representing the womb with its looped top, its meaning is related to matters concerning life and death, or rather, Eternal Life ("Nem Ankh"). In art, especially that depicting funeral ceremonies, their gods and goddesses are shown clutching the ankh by its loop as if it were a key. In this manner, it is believed that the ankh would open the gates of death on to immortality.
It is also known as the Key of the Nile, representing the union of Isis and Osiris. It is said that this mystic union would initiate the annual flooding of the Nile, providing Egypt with her various means to survive. The meaning of the ankh as womb, thus fertility and reproduction, is well-illustrated in this particular legend.
