MA'AT
MAAT
MAYET
FOR CHILDREN




PURPOSE

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

LAW

POWER AND MAGIC

WORSHIP

TEMPLES

MA'AT/MAAT AS A PRINCIPLE

DECLARATIONS TO REKHTI-MERTI-F-ENT-MA'AT

42 NEGATIVE CONFESSIONS



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SECTION 1



PURPOSE




The purpose of Ma’at was to keep order, truth, and justice.Ma’at weighed
the heart of the deceased against her feather of truth on a scale during
the journey to the afterlife. She placed the dead man's heart on the
other side while her husband Thoth wrote down the results of the scale to
see if that person was evil or good and if they would have a happy afterlife
or be eaten by the devourer. Without Ma’at, the universe would become chaos
once again. If the dead person’s heart was heavier than the feather, then it
had done evil deeds like lying when it was alive. When that happened, the
heart was devoured by a monster and was not able to go to the afterlife. If
it was lighter than the feather, then it was allowed to go onto the afterlife.




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SECTION 2



PHYSICAL
DESCRIPTION




Ma’at had dark skin and hair. She was usually shown wearing a white
linen dress. She, like Isis, was a winged goddess and she wore lots
of armbands and necklaces made from gold and jewels. Her feather of
truth was strapped to her head. Like the other gods and goddesses,
she wore the black eye makeup around her eyes and on her eyebrows
which is known as "kohl", which showed her high ranking status.




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SECTION 3



LAW




The chief judge in charge of the Egyptian law courts was known as
“The priest of Ma’at.” He began court hearings wearing the feather
of Ma’at. The person that won his case got to have the feather of
Ma’at. The guilty party had violated Ma’at, and it was assumed that
he or she would suffer failure, poverty, sickness, blindness and
deafness, with the final judgment waiting in the court of the dead.
Tomb robbery was considered one of the most heinous crimes, and might
involve 100 strokes of a cane, five bleeding cuts added or brands as
a sign of permanent dishonor. Often, the entire family of the guilty
suffered as well. For example; when individuals were sentenced into
exile, their children were automatically outlawed with them. Ma’at
represented truth, order, balance and justice in the universe. This
concept said that everyone, not including slaves, should be viewed as
equals under the law. The king made sure that was carried out, and
he/she would decide the case and the proper justice, maybe asking his
viziers who often acted as judges. Even the lowliest fisherman was
allowed to bring a legal case to the viziers.




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SECTION 4



POWER
AND
MAGIC




All goddesses including Ma'at had power over the Egyptians, and different
powers over the other gods. One of the powers Ma'at gave the gods was the
ability to breath air. Like the water of life, Ma'at's potion brought an
afterlife after death to the peaceful and law-abiding people, but death
to violent and cruel people. Ma'at was very powerful, but she still had
limits to her powers. She could not make the sun travel through the sky
like Ra could, she could not control the netherworld like Osiris could,
and she could not make the stars shine like Nut could but she still had
her own unique powers like her potion.




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SECTION 5



WORSHIP




The Pharaohs prime task in governing was to uphold Ma’at and they often
held seated images of Ma’at in their hand to the gods, which indicated
that the Pharaoh represented the divine order.

The words “I have done Ma’at, were spoken by several Pharaohs and several
others called themselves, “Beloved of Ma’at.” Even the gods were sometimes
shown praising Ma’at. People were interested in how they could please her
but they also were afraid of her. It was said that a small image of Ma’at
was more pleasing to the gods than piles of rich offerings. It was also
said that a little truth was welcomer than huge bribes.




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SECTION 6



TEMPLES




There was only one temple for Ma'at in Karnak but she was still worshiped
in all Egyptian temples. In every Egyptian temple one area was called the
hall of two truths or the hall of Ma'at. In the hall of two truths Ma'at
weighed a man's heart against the feather of truth to see if the man would
have an afterlife or his heart would be eaten by, the devourer.




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SECTION 7



MA'AT/MAAT
AS A
PRINCIPLE




Ma'at as a principle was at least partially codified into a set of laws,
and expressed a ubiquitous concept of right from wrong characterized by
concepts of truth and a respect for and adherence to a divine order
believed to be set forth at the time of the world's creation.

The doctrine of Ma'at is represented in the declarations to
Rekhti-merti-f-ent-Ma'at and the 42 negative affirmations listed
in the Papyrus of Ani:




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SECTION 7A



DECLARATION
TO
REKHTI-MERTI-FENT-MA'AT




Verily I have come to thee,

I have brought to thee Ma'at.


1. I have driven away for thee wickedness.

2. I have not done iniquity to mankind.

3. Not have I done harm unto animals.

4. Not have I done wickedness in the place of Ma'at.

5. Not have I known evil.

6. Not have I acted wickedly.

7. Not have I done each day and every works above what I should do.

8. Not hath come forth my name to the boat of the Prince.

9. Not have I despised God.

10. Not have I caused misery.




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11. Not have I caused affliction.

12. Not have I done what is abominable to God.

13. Not have I caused harm to be done to the servant by his chief.

14. Not have I caused pain.

15. Not have I made to weep.

16. Not have I killed.

17. Not have I made the order for killing for me.

18. Not have I done harm to mankind.

19. Not have I taken aught of the oblations in the temples.

20. Not have I purloined the cakes of the gods.




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21. Not have I carried off the offerings of the blessed dead.

22. Not have I fornicated.

23. Not have I defiled myself.

24. Not have I added to, not have I diminished the offerings.

25. Not have I stolen from the orchard.

26. Not have I trampled down the fields.

27. I have not added to the weight of the balance.

28. Not have I diminished from the weight of the balance.

29. Not have I carried off the milk from the mouth of the babe.

30. Not have I driven away the cattle which were upon their pastures.




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31. Not have I captured the birds of the preserves of the gods.

32. Not have I taken the fishes [with bait] of their own bodies.

33. Not have I turned back water at its season.

34. Not have I cut a cutting in water running.

35. Not have I extinguished a flame at its hour.

36. Not have I violated the times for the chosen offerings.

37. Not have I driven back the cattle of divine things.

38. I have not repulsed God in his manifestations.
I, even I, am pure. Times four.




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SECTION 7B



42
NEGATIVE
CONFESSIONS




1. Not have I done wrong.

2. Not have I despoiled.

3. Not have I robbed.

4. Not have I slain men: twice.

5. Not have I defrauded the offerings.

6. Not have I diminished [oblations].

7. Not have I despoiled the things of the god.

8. Not have I spoken lies.

9. Not have I carried off food.

10. Not have I afflicted [any]




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11. Not have I committed fornication.

12. Not have I made to weep.

13. Not have I eaten my heart.

14. Not have I transgressed.

15. Not have I acted deceitfully.

16. Not have I desolated ploughed lands.

17. Not have I been an eavesdropper.

18. Not have I set my mouth in motion [against any man].

19. Not have I raged except with a cause.

20. Not have I defiled the wife of a man.




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21. Not have I defiled the wife of a man.

22. Not have I polluted myself.

23. Not have I caused terror.

24. Not have I committed offense.

25. Not have I inflamed myself with rage.

26. Not have I made deaf myself to the words of right and truth.

27. Not have I caused grief.

28. Not have I acted insolently.

29. Not have I stirred up strife.

30. Not have I judged hastily.




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31. Not have I been an eavesdropper.

32. Not have I multiplied my words upon words.

33. Not have I harmed, not have I done evil.

34. Not have I made curses of the king.

35. Not have I fouled water.

36. Not have I made haughty my voice.

37. Not have I have I cursed God.

38. Not have I committed theft.

39. Not have I defrauded the offerings of the gods.

40. Not have I carried away offerings from the beatified ones.

41. Not have I carried off the food of the infant, not have I
sinned against the god of the town.

42. Not have I slaughtered the cattle divine.



MA'AT/MAAT FOR CHILDREN
https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Ma'at



World Religions Index
http://www.leaderu.com/wri-table2/intro.html




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