Ankh, Eye of Horus, Scarab: Sacred Symbols & Their Power

BY NICOLE LAU

The gods hold the ankh—the symbol of life—offering it to the pharaoh, to the deceased, to those who seek eternal life.

The Eye of Horus watches from amulets, from coffins, from temple walls—protecting, healing, making whole.

The scarab beetle pushes the sun across the sky each morning—transforming, renewing, bringing rebirth.

These are not just pretty pictures. These are sacred symbols—keys to cosmic forces, containers of divine power, tools of transformation.

In Egyptian thought, symbols are alive. They are not representations of power—they are power. To draw the symbol, to wear it, to speak its name is to invoke its force, to make it present, to wield its magic.

This is the Egyptian understanding of symbols: They are not signs. They are realities. They are gateways to the divine.

The Ankh (☥): The Key of Life

The ankh is the most recognizable Egyptian symbol. It looks like a cross with a loop at the top.

The Meaning

The ankh represents life—not just physical life, but eternal life, divine life, the life force itself.

The ankh is:

• The breath of life
• The key to eternal life
• The union of masculine and feminine (the loop is the womb, the cross is the phallus)
• The rising sun (the loop is the sun, the cross is the horizon)
• The mirror of the soul

How It's Used

The gods hold the ankh, offering it to humans:

• Ra holds the ankh, giving life to all creation
• Isis and Osiris hold the ankh, offering eternal life to the deceased
• The pharaoh receives the ankh from the gods, confirming divine right to rule

The ankh is placed:

• In the hands of mummies (to give them life in the afterlife)
• On amulets (to protect and vitalize the wearer)
• On temple walls (to invoke life force)
• In hieroglyphs (the word "life" is written with the ankh)

The Power

To hold the ankh is to hold the key to life. To wear it is to invoke vitality, health, longevity, eternal life.

The ankh is used in:

• Healing rituals: To restore life force
• Resurrection rituals: To bring the dead back to life
• Protection magic: To guard against death and decay
• Vitality magic: To increase energy, health, life force

Working with the Ankh Today

1. Wear the Ankh
Wear an ankh amulet or pendant. As you put it on, say: "I am filled with life. I am vitalized. I am eternal."

2. Draw the Ankh
Draw the ankh over your heart, your third eye, your solar plexus. Visualize it glowing with golden light, filling you with life force.

3. Meditate on the Ankh
Visualize the ankh. See it as a key. What door does it open? What life does it unlock?

4. Invoke the Ankh in Healing
When you or someone you love is ill, visualize the ankh over the affected area. See it glowing, pulsing with life force, restoring health.

The Eye of Horus (𓂀): The Wedjat

The Eye of Horus (also called the Wedjat, meaning "the whole one") is one of the most powerful protective symbols in Egyptian magic.

The Myth

Horus, the falcon god, battles Set (the god of chaos) to avenge his father Osiris. In the battle, Set tears out Horus's eye.

Thoth, the god of wisdom and magic, finds the eye and restores it, making it whole again.

The Eye of Horus becomes a symbol of healing, protection, and wholeness—the eye that was torn apart and made whole again.

The Meaning

The Eye of Horus represents:

• Protection: The watchful eye that guards against evil
• Healing: The eye that was healed, that can heal others
• Wholeness: The eye that was made whole, that restores what is broken
• Royal power: The eye of the king, the divine right to rule
• The moon: The eye that waxes and wanes, that is torn apart and restored each month

The Mathematics of the Eye

The Eye of Horus is also a mathematical symbol. Each part of the eye represents a fraction:

• The pupil = 1/4
• The iris = 1/8
• The eyebrow = 1/2
• The tear duct = 1/16
• The curved tail = 1/32
• The vertical line = 1/64

Together, they add up to 63/64. The missing 1/64 is the magic that Thoth added when he healed the eye.

How It's Used

The Eye of Horus is used in:

• Amulets: Worn for protection and healing
• Coffins and tombs: Painted on the outside so the deceased can "see" out
• Offering formulae: "The Eye of Horus" is a term for offerings (food, drink, incense)
• Medical texts: Used as a symbol of healing
• Ships: Painted on the prow to protect the vessel and help it "see" its way

The Power

The Eye of Horus is a shield. It protects against:

• Evil spirits and demons
• Illness and disease
• The evil eye (curses and negative energy)
• Chaos and disorder

It also heals—restoring what is broken, making whole what is fragmented.

Working with the Eye of Horus Today

1. Wear the Eye
Wear an Eye of Horus amulet. As you put it on, say: "I am protected. I am healed. I am whole."

2. Draw the Eye for Protection
Draw the Eye of Horus on your body (forehead, heart, solar plexus) or on objects you want to protect (your car, your home, your computer).

3. Visualize the Eye
When you feel threatened or vulnerable, visualize the Eye of Horus in front of you, watching, protecting, shielding you from harm.

4. Use the Eye in Healing
When you are ill or injured, visualize the Eye of Horus over the affected area. See it glowing, pulsing, restoring wholeness.

The Scarab (𓆣): Khepri, the Transformer

The scarab beetle (dung beetle) is one of the most important symbols in Egyptian religion and magic.

The Natural Phenomenon

The scarab beetle rolls balls of dung across the ground, then buries them. Later, young beetles emerge from the dung balls.

To the Egyptians, this looked like spontaneous generation—life emerging from death, creation from decay. The scarab became a symbol of transformation and rebirth.

Khepri: The Scarab God

Khepri (meaning "he who comes into being") is the scarab-headed god who pushes the sun across the sky each morning, just as the scarab pushes its dung ball.

Khepri is the morning sun, the rising sun, the sun being born each day. He is the god of:

• Transformation (kheper = to transform, to become)
• Rebirth and renewal
• Creation and becoming
• The eternal cycle of death and rebirth

The Meaning

The scarab represents:

• Transformation: Becoming, changing, evolving
• Rebirth: Rising again, being born anew
• The rising sun: The sun being pushed into the sky each morning
• Resurrection: Life emerging from death
• Self-creation: The scarab creates itself (or so it seemed)

How It's Used

Scarab amulets are among the most common Egyptian amulets. They are:

• Worn as jewelry: For protection and transformation
• Placed on mummies: Especially the heart scarab, placed over the heart with Spell 30B from the Book of the Dead inscribed on it
• Used as seals: Scarabs with names or titles carved on the flat bottom, used to seal documents
• Given as gifts: Commemorative scarabs marking important events

The Heart Scarab

The heart scarab is a large scarab amulet placed over the heart of the mummy. It is inscribed with Spell 30B from the Book of the Dead, which commands the heart not to testify against the deceased during the weighing of the heart.

The heart scarab ensures that the deceased will pass the judgment and be reborn into eternal life.

The Power

The scarab is the ultimate symbol of transformation. It teaches:

• You can transform. You can become.
• Death is not the end. It is transformation.
• You can be reborn. Every day is a new beginning.
• You create yourself. You are Khepri.

Working with the Scarab Today

1. Wear the Scarab
Wear a scarab amulet. As you put it on, say: "I am transforming. I am becoming. I am reborn."

2. Invoke Khepri at Dawn
At sunrise, face the east. Say: "Hail Khepri! You who push the sun into the sky! You who are reborn each day! Transform me. Renew me. Make me new."

3. Use the Scarab in Transformation Work
When you are going through a major life change, carry a scarab. Visualize yourself as the scarab, pushing the sun (your new life) into the sky.

4. Meditate on Becoming
The scarab is kheper—to become, to transform. Meditate on the question: "What am I becoming?"

Other Sacred Symbols

The Djed Pillar (𓊽): Stability and Resurrection

The djed represents Osiris's spine, stability, endurance, resurrection.

Use: For stability, for resurrection after a fall, for endurance through difficulty.

Ritual: "Raising the djed"—stand with spine straight, visualize the djed pillar rising through your spine, say: "I am stable. I endure. I rise."

The Was Scepter (𓌀): Power and Dominion

The was scepter represents power, authority, dominion. It is held by gods and pharaohs.

Use: For claiming power, for authority, for dominion over your life.

Ritual: Visualize yourself holding the was scepter. Feel its weight, its power. Say: "I have power. I have authority. I command my life."

The Tyet (𓎬): The Knot of Isis

The tyet (also called the Isis knot) represents Isis's blood, her life force, her protective power.

Use: For protection, for feminine power, for the magic of Isis.

Ritual: Visualize the tyet knot. See it glowing red (the blood of Isis). Say: "I am protected by Isis. I am bound by her love. I am held by her magic."

The Shen Ring (𓍶): Eternity and Protection

The shen is a circle of rope with a line at the bottom. It represents eternity, infinity, protection.

Use: For eternal protection, for encircling yourself with divine power.

Ritual: Draw a circle around yourself (physically or visualized). This is the shen ring. You are protected. You are eternal.

The Uraeus (𓆗): Divine Authority

The uraeus is the rearing cobra worn on the pharaoh's crown. It represents divine authority, the Eye of Ra, the power to destroy enemies.

Use: For authority, for fierce protection, for the power to destroy what threatens you.

Ritual: Visualize the uraeus on your forehead (third eye). Feel its power, its fierceness. Say: "I have divine authority. I am protected. My enemies are destroyed."

How to Work with Egyptian Symbols

1. Study the Symbols

Learn the meanings, the myths, the uses of each symbol. Knowledge is power.

2. Wear the Symbols

Wear amulets, jewelry, clothing with Egyptian symbols. As you wear them, you invoke their power.

3. Draw the Symbols

Draw symbols on your body, on objects, in the air. To draw the symbol is to make it present.

4. Visualize the Symbols

In meditation, visualize the symbols. See them glowing, pulsing with power. Let them work on you.

5. Speak the Symbols

Speak the names of the symbols. Invoke them. "Ankh! Eye of Horus! Scarab! Djed! Was! Tyet!"

6. Create Talismans

Create your own talismans—draw symbols on paper, carve them on wood or stone, paint them on objects. Charge them with intention.

The Gift of the Symbols: Keys to Power

Egyptian symbols are not decorations. They are keys—keys to cosmic forces, to divine powers, to transformation.

When you work with the symbols, you are working with:

• The ankh: The key to life, vitality, eternal life
• The Eye of Horus: The shield of protection, the power of healing
• The scarab: The force of transformation, rebirth, becoming
• The djed: The pillar of stability, endurance, resurrection
• The was: The scepter of power, authority, dominion
• The tyet: The knot of protection, feminine power, Isis's magic

These symbols are alive. They are real. They have power.

Use them. Wear them. Draw them. Speak them. Invoke them.

You are wielding the magic of Egypt. You are speaking the language of the gods.

The symbols are your keys. Use them to unlock the divine.

These ancient symbols carry potent frequencies that can deepen your daily practice and spiritual awareness—consider pairing them with the grounding energy of the Sacred Space Cleanse Printable Energy Clearing Ritual Kit to honor their protective essence, or explore how they align with archetypal wisdom through the Jung and the Archetype Tarot Astrology and the Bridge of the Unconscious guide, and let their power illuminate your path to self-discovery with the Tarot Journaling Prompts 100 Questions for Self Discovery as your companion.