Jeremy Naydler

Well worth a read for an alternative, and well substantiated, review of the purpose of ancient Egypt´s pyramid texts. His central thesis is these were directed at shamanic endeavors for accessing altered states of consciousness, where ancient religions ultimately manifested from. This contrasts with the mainstream views that these texts somehow served a funerary cult and conferred afterlife benefits on the dead Pharaoh (is this even phenomenally possible for the human condition...? Urhmm...). This book represents a repurposed PhD thesis, and as such is well supported in its evidence and logical in its approach. At times the author comes across as defensive, but positively & objectively so, and given the circumstance and counter-posed context of his thesis its little surprise.

I enjoyed Jeremy´s portrayal of Egyptology´s evolution and ultimately its floored foundation of premise regarding its mystical-religious past - that it was mundane, primitive, and essentially non-mystical. Implicitly, he reminds us how paradigm shifts happen in science, and arguably Egyptology is well overdue this. Anyone having experienced transcendental states of consciousness can see it as clear as day - that the mystical & ritual nature of these ancient Egyptian religious cults is embedded all over their Sun god temple art & iconography - not just the pyramid texts.

A brave book & author in my view and definitely worth a read. a great job and a big thanks.… (mere)