Maat

Ancient Egypt

Maat in Ancient Egypt was the word for the principles of truth, balance, justice, order, law and morality. It was through these principles that the ancient Kings and pharaohs governed, and in many cases these kings would describe themselves as the ‘Lord of Maat’.

Maat was also the divine order that had been established in creation. Much of the way of life of the ancient Egyptians was conducted so to keep in harmony with this order. Maat in the law courts of the time was the spirit in which justice was applied, more so than the physical laws themselves. Maat is an expression of principles and laws and not expression of rules or dogmas that remain rapped in space and time.

Isfet - Opposite of Maat

The opposite of Maat was Isfet which meant chaos. Many wars that the ancient Egyptians fought were a war to uphold Maat against Isfet which represented the forces of destruction and chaos.

Hall of Maat

Maat in Egyptian literally means ‘truth’ and the famous ostrich feather of Maat, which can be seen in many of the vignettes in the so called ‘Book of the Dead’, symbolizes truth. In the ‘Book of the Dead’ much reference is made to Maat, especially in the aspect of the Hall of Maat or the hall of double Maat (double Matt for the truth and justice).

There in the hall of Maat many vignettes show the heart of the deceased being weighed on the scales of justice against the feather of Maat. The ‘Book of the Dead” tells us that in the moment the heart is being weighed the deceased makes 42 negative confessions to the upholders or Lords of Maat. If the confessions are true the weight of the heart equals the weight of the truth symbolized by the feather.

Goddess Maat

Maat was also the name of a Goddess, the Goddess of truth and justice. She is the one present in the Hall of Maat that weighs the heart of the deceased before Anubis on the scales of justice. Maat mythological speaking was the one that at the beginning of creation put in place the divine order and eliminated chaos. The order that regulated all the movements of beings human and divine alike in creation.