Embracing Mortality through the Wisdom of “Awakening Osiris”: A Psychological Exploration
A Sacred Threshold
As a death doula, my calling is to provide a bridge between life and death, to guide individuals and their loved ones through the most universal yet mystifying journey we must all embark upon. It’s within this capacity that I find Normandi Ellis’s “Awakening Osiris” resonates deeply. This modern translation of the ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead” offers both practical and spiritual wisdom, giving voice to themes of death, rebirth, and transformation that are profoundly pertinent to both ancient Egyptian cosmology and contemporary psychology.
The Jungian Archetypes: Lenses to Glimpse the Unseen
Just as the doula attempts to demystify the transitional process surrounding death, Carl Jung’s archetypal theories lend themselves to unveiling universal truths hidden within our psyche (Jung, 1959). Osiris, whose life-death-rebirth cycle is central to the text, epitomizes the Jungian archetype of ‘The Self.’ In my professional work, understanding this archetype helps to facilitate a holistic death experience, guiding individuals through a process Jung called individuation — a pathway toward wholeness and self-realization (Jung, 1951).
Cognitive Processing of Rituals: Mortal Grounding
“Awakening Osiris” delineates rituals that aid in the soul’s journey through the afterlife, a theme that might sound archaic but holds contemporary value. Modern psychology reveals that rituals can be calming, reassuring, and can grant a deeper understanding of mortality (Hobson, et al., 2017). As a death doula, the psychological weight and symbolism of these rituals offer comfort and grounding at the threshold of life and death.
Transformation and Consciousness: The Alchemy of Dying
The narrative of transformation from mortal to divine echoes the transformative nature of death itself — a theme closely aligned with transpersonal psychology (Grof, 1985). The concept of transformation allows for the possibility of growth and a changed state of consciousness, even as one faces mortality. It’s not just about dying but about how one dies and how that process contributes to the evolution of the soul and consciousness.
Conclusion: A Journey for the Soul and Psyche
The wisdom embedded in “Awakening Osiris” transcends time and religious boundaries, offering an approach to death that is not solely focused on the end but rather on the continuum of existence. As a death doula, I find this perspective enlightening and affirming; it provides both a framework and a poetic language for supporting my clients in their unique end-of-life experiences. Ellis’s work thus serves as a bridge — much like the role of the death doula — between ancient wisdom and contemporary understandings of the human psyche and the existential journey of dying.
References
Ellis, Normandi (1988). Awakening Osiris: A new translation of The Egyptian Book of the Dead. Phanes Press.
Grof, S. (1985). Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death, and Transcendence in Psychotherapy. SUNY Press.
Hobson, N. M., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Xygalatas, D., & Inzlicht, M. (2017). The psychology of rituals: An integrative review and process-based framework. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 21(3), 260–284.
Jung, C. G. (1951). Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Jung, C. G. (1959). The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious. Routledge & Kegan Paul.