“The Behedeti”

By: Brendan Murt

I am a man who loves symbols. They pique my attention as someone who is drawn to all the various mysteries of life. Because of my love for symbols and secret knowledge,I was drawn to the mysteries of the freemasons. It is no different now than when I first walked into the temple almost two years ago. I can remember the awe I felt when I first walked into the Egyptian room within our temple. At that point, I could only imagine what went on behind those doors. What mysteries did the freemasons know that I didn’t? What can I learn from this mysterious fraternity? Nothing has changed since that time and I am still just as curious as I was when I first came to the temple.

Since I am a relatively young mason, I am still learning many things in lodge. Every time I walk into lodge I look for something that I didn’t notice before. I seek to learn something new. I continually ask, “What messages did our predecessors leave for us to find? What have I not discovered?”

Ask and you shall receive!

Every time I meet with my brothers in lodge there is always something new to be learned.Every time I seek something, something inevitably turns up to be found. Such was the case while I was setting up lodge one evening and looking to the east.

As you know brothers we have a wonderful and unique lodge room. It is beautiful and, more importantly, it is functional for what we need as brothers of the craft. Somelodge rooms have unique themes and we are privileged to enjoy an Egyptian theme. At first, I thought this was merely for enjoyment to add to the ambiance of what we already do in the lodge. As I took a closer look however, I began to realize that this wasn’t only for mere enjoyment, but it was a unique way for our brothers to extend the lessons of masonry by using symbols not found in our “work”. One of these symbols is the winged disc or Behedeti. This symbol is distinctly Egyptian and not found in our “typical” array of symbols used in the craft. Why then is it displayed in our lodge? Why did our more recent predecessors decide to use this symbol in the construction of our lodge? What significance does this symbol have to us as freemasons? Let us examine this peculiar symbol and see how it relates to the craft.

The winged disc has been used by many different cultures throughout time. It is perhaps one of the oldest religious symbols known to man having originated in early Egypt. While this symbol takes on many different meanings throughout time, weare particularly interested in the Egyptian winged sun because this is the symbol that is so boldly displayed in our lodge room. In ancient Egypt it was referred to as the Behedeti and it is a symbol that is comprised of three different parts which are symbolic of several different aspects of two Gods.

The three different parts of this symbol are the wings, the sun and the two snakes facing in opposite directions. The wings are said to be the wings of Horus the God of the sky. The sun is symbolic of Ra while the snakes are symbolic of protection.These two Gods were included in some of the earliest Egyptian pantheons that we know today. They were especially important because they were two particularly powerful Gods. Horus ruled the sky and he was also the God of war and the God of protection. Ra was the sun God and therefore ruled over the other Gods. As time went on, these two Gods merged as one God in Egyptian mythology. This symbol conveniently describes a merged God with various aspects and powers. The snakes of the Behedeti are featured in many art works throughout ancient Egyptand since they were prevalent in day to day life they were viewed as both a protector and a nuisance. Obviously the more poisonous snakes were viewed as the nuisance while the non-poisonous snakes were viewed as a protector of the household because they got rid of pests which generally carried disease.Eventually, the symbol of the snake was adopted as the symbol of protection,namely with that of the throne and its ruler the pharaoh.

As with many sacred things and symbols, we find that there exist two levels of meaning. This was doubly so for Egyptians because this is where the first mystery schools came from. The priesthood of the nation was a secret priesthood that was to never reveal its secrets to the profane. So, as with all the rest of Egyptian religion and symbolism there are two aspects of the Behedeti which comprise the inner and the outer meaning. The inner meaning was for those who have been properly initiated into the secrets of the priesthood while the outer meaning was for everyone else.

The Outer Meaning

The outer meaning of the Behedeti was simple. It was associated with authority and divinity. In Egypt this was often one and the same thing. Pharaohs were considered to be both the authority of the ancient Egypt and living Gods. This symbol conveniently displays that the Pharaoh was the authority of Egypt, hewas divine, and he was the protector of the nation.

If you notice in lodge, the Behedeti is displayed above the three primary officers ofthe lodge which denotes authority. Because we view all brothers to be “on the level” it doesn’t suggest that the three primary officers of the lodge are divine but rather it reminds us of the omnipotence of God, the almighty creator. Lastly, the Behedeti is displayed above the three primary officers ofthe lodge to remind us in whom we put our trust, which by the nature of God, is symbolically above us and guiding us.

The Inner Meaning

To gain a deeper meaning of the Behedeti you must look at the various different aspects of the Gods whose symbols make up the winged sun. This must be looked at from a perspective that the symbol and its meaning has developed over time and has developed alongside the building of the Egyptian pantheon of Gods. New Gods were created over time to describe various phenomena that happened in the lives of Egyptians. From the beginning of time the sun has always been viewed as the generative masculine aspect of God that impregnates the mother earth with his seed making it fertile and full of sentient life. Since the sun is symbolic of the eternal generative creator, it reminds us of the immortality of the soul.

The Behedeti takes on another meaning when we examine the various cycles and movements of the sun throughout the day and the year. Since the resurrection allegory is found within the Egyptian pantheon, the Behedeti takes on the meaning of birth, renewal, death, and resurrection. Every day is begun and born of the rising of the sun. Every day dies with the setting of the sun. When the sun grows stronger the world comes to life in the spring and when the sun grows weak in the winter, the earth sleeps. It is symbolic of transformation.

This symbol has yet even a deeper meaning as its Gods typically become the bridge for describing other Gods. Rarely was a lesser God referred to singularly but under the light of these great Gods which made up this symbol. These Gods became a bridge between worlds and united different aspects of phenomena in life. It explained how things were and came to be. It was the guiding light for others to follow. It became the bridge in which the ignorant passed into the inner sanctum sanctorum of life and knew the nature of the different happenings ofthe world.

What significance does this bear on us as masons? As we closely look at the symbol and under the context of which it was employed then we can perceive why our brothers chose to place this symbol in our lodge. First, as explained above it denotes the authority of the three primary officers of the lodge and reminds us that it is God that we put our trust in. Second it is symbolic of our journey through masonry. This journey will transform us just as the sun transforms the world with the various cycles that it moves through. Third, since the sunbrings forth light, it reminds us of the light of masonry that we received when we were initiated, passed and finally raised. Fourth it reminds us why we are in lodge and what we strive for. We seek the perfect union of God and man. We seek enlightenment in life through masonry. The old hermetic adage says, “As above,so below!” It is a bridge between the heavens above and the world below.

Let us use this symbol for the betterment of our lives. Let it add to the work we already do in the lodge and let it be a reminder of why we do what we do. We must bridge what is in our hearts and minds as men and as freemasons with the way we act in the world. We must seek to transform ourselves for the enlightenment of man and we must not be content to leave the world in darkness. Our predecessors left this symbol in our lodge so that it may be light and a guide in ourlives!

Sources:

1.)    “WingedDisc”. www.symboldictionary.net/?p=690

2.)    RedfordB., Donald. “Horus”. The Oxford Guide: Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology.P164-168: yr 2003