Ramona Louise Wheeler

Ancient Egyptians were surprisingly modern in their psychological understanding of human nature. They were also surprisingly “American” in their national origin. Just as modern America was built by the flood of immigrants to her shores, the peoples of the Delta and the Nile 6,000 years ago found themselves hosting a flood of refugees. Severe and abrupt climate change had struck Northern Africa, drying up water sources and destroying the local ecology in a matter of a few decades. This change precipitated a mass migration of clans, cultures and families, crowded together by the ever-devouring desert sands. These refugees brought with them a wealth of experience, technologies and stories. They also brought the strength of their backs and the skill of their hands. The genius of the Nile and Delta peoples made possible a unity of purpose that quickly transformed these multitudes into a nation and a great civilization. That is also the American story. Evidence is growing that Egypt was our first true civilization, modern in everything but steel, electronic technology and energy sources. Egyptian women were respected and shared legal equality. This stands in sharp contrast to the image of ancient Egypt as a superstitious and spiritually naïve society. We all have our superstitions. Egypt celebrated theirs as enthusiastically as we celebrate our own.

Egyptian conservatism and apparent stagnation are revealed here to be the ancient civilization’s most powerful survival tools as a civilization. The mystery of individual consciousness and the unique identity of the soul/self are players in an eternal, internal landscape. Ra is not the sun in the sky. Ra is the light of your consciousness, sustained by the blood-river of the Nile inside.

The Nile and Delta peoples absorbed those refugees under this cloak of shared humanity, a deliberate focus on the universal elements of individual identity. An idea that endured for millennia, sustained by a fundamental paradox -- humans are universally unique. Egypt flowered as the expression of that paradox.

The faces of Egypt’s many gods resolve into your human face. “Face and Head of My Heart.” Egyptians used a lively, sophisticated and evolving system of spiritual and psychological metaphors to maintain their unique cultural identity, a system which succeeded for millennia, despite changes of politics and war. The essays posted on this website present these metaphors in detail, starting with their primary elements and the template from which they emerged.

This easy-to-read site is an excellent companion to Egyptian studies and an unusual travel guide through the mind of ancient Egypt.

~ Corner Mythology: Conceptual metaphors shared by Egypt and ancient Europe.
What remains changeless throughout seasonal changes, remains the same in every landscape, environment, climate or society? You. Mythology has always been about you in your environment, you in your world.

~ The Yank From Liverpool: The Beatles' Liverpool and the living mythology of the British Invasion as seen through one man's vision.

~ Your Music Or Your Life: Musicians endure trials by fire and ice every moment of their lives. What mythology drives their muse, their ambition, their obsession with their music?

This site is updated regularly. Updated: December 21, 2011.

Contact the author: ramona@ramonalouisewheeler.com