The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

[Bring4th_Austin]

I recently finished a book that I think many Law of One readers would be interested in:

The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Mika Waltari is said to be the most famous Finnish author, with The Egyptian being his most famous novel. It is a work of historical fiction, supposedly done after very extensive research on Egyptian life during the 18th dynasty, specifically during the life of Akhenaten. The book focuses on a skilled physician, Sinuhe, during the reign of Akhenaten.

It is an expansive and epic novel, ranging from Egypt, to Syria, to Crete, to Babylon and more. It spans Sinuhe's entire lifetime. By itself, it's an incredibly fascinating look into the life of these various cultures during that time period, and their relationship to Egypt, which was sort of the dominant power in the region at the time. There is a lot of politics, religion, war, economics, and personal relationships explored in the book.

While there is so much in this book that it's hard to say it really has a central theme or story, the biggest focus is on the reign of Akhenaten and his attempt to spread his message of unity through monotheism throughout the region. Sinuhe has experiences with Akhenaten as a child and then, after extensive travel of the world, becomes personal physician to Akhenaten.

According to Ra, Akhenaten was a wanderer. Ra themselves communicated with him and he "received our communication distortions and was able to blend his distortions with our own." He "moved, shall we say, heaven and earth in order to invoke the Law of One and to order the priesthood of these structures in accordance with the distortions of initiation and true compassionate healing." Ra talks about the priests and peoples distorting the message and paying "lip service" only.

The Akhenaten represented in the book didn't speak of initiation or crystal healing, but the messages and beliefs he shared were written as if they were taken out of the Law of One. He spoke about unity among all peoples and attempted to dissolve elite hierarchies (primarily the priesthood), tried to free the slaves, and attempted to solve conflict with compassion rather than violence (ultimately to his own detriment).

The way that Mika Waltari wrote Akhenaten is almost eerie in how foreign he seemed to the land and the world he found himself ruling over. I would say that the depiction is almost perfect in showing an innocent, naive wanderer who had incredible difficulty grasping the negative nature of the people and social structures of his time. And because of that, the book is quite heartbreaking.

If I were to sum it up, I'd say the book is a fascinating insight into what would play out if such a naive and innocent wanderer, lacking a hardened wisdom to deal in the negative politics and struggles of the time, took charge of his Empire and tried to force a message of unity from the top down. He (and Sinuhe, as a devoted follower who sees truth in the message of unity he shares) believe that it is worth it to sacrifice basically everything even for the possibility of bringing unity to the world. A sacrifice which, as we know from Ra and traditional Egyptology, was in vain. It could be seen as a message of the pitfalls of attempting to force love and unity from a top-down paradigm. The people and the society were simply not ready for such a message.

I don't know how accurate the ultimate outcome of the book is to actual history. There is a lot of betrayal, violence, and scheming to fight against Akhenaten and his message. I will do my best not to spoil the story and simply say that the outcome is not a happy ending.

But despite how sad the book is, I was completely engrossed by the insight into Egyptian culture and the portrayal of Akhenaten as a sensitive wanderer. It is certainly dramatized with much fictional liberty taken, but was I still found myself very emotionally invested in Akhenaten and his struggle because of my connection to the Law of One.

If the story sounds at all interesting to you, I highly recommend it.