The Universal Truths: the 42 Laws of Ma'at

Maat or Ma'at refers to the ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality and justice. Depicted as a Goddess with a golden feather on top of her crown, which symbolizes truth and justice. It was believed that in the afterlife, the spiritual heart of a deceased would be weighed in the hall of 2 truths against the feather of Ma'at. Ma'at was considered the divine eyes, the divine truth, the reference against which all of humanity would have to stand.

In the Egyptian creation myth, Ma'at was often considered to be the child of the Sun God, Ra. It is said that she was created when he rose from the waters of chaos to create the world. Because Ma'at brought order to chaos, she was much more than a goddess to the ancient Egyptians, she was regarded as the fundamental order of the universe. She represented the very concept of harmony and balance, which was the the most deeply held conviction in Egyptian society. The ancient Egyptians believed that every individual was responsible for his or her own life and that life should be lived in harmony with others and the earth. The role of the King was to uphold Ma'at, because without Ma'at one would slip into selfishness and greed, and civilization would be without order; a return to darkness and chaos.

Transcribed in hieroglyphics on a scroll called the Papyrus of Ani, the 42 laws were discovered in 1888 in Luxor, Egypt. Written at least 2,000 years before the Ten Commandments of Moses, the 42 Commandments of Ancient Egypt, the " Ideals of Ma’at," were one of Africa’s - and the world’s - oldest sources of moral and spiritual instruction. In fact, 8 of the 10 Commandments originate from the Ideals of Ma'at. And although they were somewhat buried in 2000 years of history, and the splitting of religions, The 42 Ideals of Ma'at are so simple, and so beautiful, they cover every basic tenant of higher awareness and consciousness, they are as relevant today as ever.

The concept behind the Ideals of Ma'at is that we increase the light and banish darkness by living a life that embodies the positive emotions of peace, gratitude and joy. The Ideals of Ma'at still contain the original premise of "do no harm", but the focus is more on uplifting the vibration of the collective in a way that resonates today.