WHO IS PTAH?
He who gave all things the breath of life and who set all the Gods in their places – Ptah, The Beginning of all beginnings.
He who gave all things the breath of life and who set all the Gods in their places – Ptah, The Beginning of all beginnings.
The Ancient African Nile valley civilisations of Kemet (i.e. the name of the land, later to be known as Egypt), observed in their cosmology the Rule of many governing Principles of the seen and the unseen Reality- often later understood and described by other nations as deities, gods and goddesses. Thus, our Ancient African ancestors recognised the existence of a dual balance between the seen and unseen world.
One of the benevolent Gods observed in Ancient Kemet is PTAH, The All-Knowing.
The symbol of PTAH is embodied in the sacred bull, Apis. Apis served as the intermediary between the People and The God, Ptah.
In the Ancient tradition of Kemet, it has been said that, Ptah existed before all other things. He fashioned the universe through the harmonies of his thoughts and the willingness of his heart. With the magic of his words, the cosmos was born, generating everything that is seen and unseen. Vast galaxies, stars and planets were formed into movement, structure and form.
Ptah is an Egyptian creator god who existed before all other things and, by his will, thought the world into existence.
Being the source of all created things, Ptah was revered as the God of all craftsmen. He was particularly associated with the building of the great architectural monuments and temples so characteristic of Ancient Kemetic civilization- including amongst such massive monuments was the Pyramids of Giza. Another craft closely associated with Ptah, was that of the Blacksmith.
During the time of the sixth dynasty, the city of Memphis became the centre for the worship of Ptah. The temple consisted of three interconnecting sanctuaries and five gateways. The temple was dedicated to his Memphite triad, which were: Sekhmet, the warrior Goddess (known as the powerful one, the deity of healing and order. She is depicted as the fierce lioness with a sun disk crown); Nefertem, who arose from the Primal Waters, (also known as “He who is beautiful, the first sunlight and the pleasurable aroma of the lotus flower”. Many of the people carried small statuettes of Nefertem as a good luck charm); and the sacred bull, Apis.
Ptah can be seen wearing many epithets which give reference to his role and importance in the society.
The Was-sceptre represented Power and Dominion.
The Ankh, symbolised Life.
The Dejed Pillar symbolised Stability.
Ptah’s mummified image can be seen standing straight, covered in white, wearing the recognizable blue skull crown with skin tone, a majestic emerald green. He may also be represented in the form of two birds having human heads and adorned with a solar disk, which corresponds to the sun god RA.
Ptah heralds the return of the growing season, through the bringing together of the elemental forces of life. He is “Opener of the day and closer of the night”, Lord and Master of the Underworld. Ptah stands for Justice, Truth and Eternity. He represents the heart, which is the seat of man’s Being and Intelligence. Ptah is the “Mansion and Temple of the Soul”. The Maker of things which are and the creator of things which shall be.
The meaning of Ptah can be difficult to comprehend. In the ancient mythology, the“essence” of Ptah is considered to be embedded in the very nature of the universe and of Creation itself. It is considered to be within Us and all around us. It is the essence of all that was, all that is, and all that will be.
Modern texts and understandings have traced Ptah back over 5000 years, but it is believed that the Ancients of Kemet (i.e. the land, later to be known as Ancient Egypt), considered Ptah to be the creator of the physical universe: First he conceived the ideas, then felt them in his heart. Once he spoke the words, life and things were created… Does this sound familiar?
There have been many representations of PTAH- both ancient and recent. A familiar modern representations of PTAH, is One received by the most famous of the day, the Oscar statuette. The Oscar has an Art Decco form. What was the staff of Ptah, has been replaced by a sword
and in all other respects, the form and poise of the figure is obviously strongly influenced by the ancient original
symbol of Ptah. Austin Cedric Gibbons who was credited as the designer of the Oscar statuette in 1928,
was no doubt inspired by the Ancient spirit.
2019 saw the 90th Academy Awards Ceremony (the Oscars). Interestingly, the number 90 has great significance in Ancient science of numerology. It is said that number 90 is a combination of the energies and attributes of number 9 and zero. Number 9 brings its vibrations of the Universal Spiritual Laws, compassion and empathy, benevolence and generosity, spiritual awareness, leading life as a positive example for others, service to humanity. Number 9 also relates to endings and conclusions. Zero resonates with the energies of eternity and infinity, continuing cycles and flow, and the beginning point. Zero stands for potential and, or choice. It is a message to develop in the aspects of the spiritual and it is considered to represent the beginning of a spiritual journey. Zero brings with it the influences of the ‘God force’ or Universal Energies, which are said to amplify and magnify the energies of the number it appears with. This makes number 90 a powerfully life-changing number (ref: sacred scribes-2011).
The Ptah Council chosen this highly significant year to launch its new ‘but Ancient’ Awards platform to recognise those who have made a difference, through their compassion and empathy, benevolence, generosity, spiritual awareness, their service to humanity, and in leading a life of positive example for others.
Our gift to these individuals is our representation of Ptah which seeks to acknowledge the ancient origins of the “essence” of Ptah.
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