Access to the Egyptian Gods

The Sphinx Stela. Tells the details of Tuthmosis IV's
dream, when he was spoken to by the Great Sphinx
as a god. Giza. Egyptian Gods.

In the earlier periods of Egyptian history, there was often no clear distinction between the priesthood and other members of the society, as temple service was conducted by individuals who, after their assigned rotation of duties, returned to secular work in their communities. However, in the New Kingdom and later times when the priestly offices became professional and large heraditary ones, the situation changed considerably, and we find a much greater gap between the population at large and those involved in formal services of the gods.

Lay individuals could place votive offerings in the outer areas of temples, but the chief occasions during which they could approach the gods were public festivals. At those times lay people might witness the procession of a deity, although it would be from a decorous distance and usually the actual image of the Egyptian gods would not be visible to them. Those outside the priesthood had access to "hearing ear" shrines placed in the outer walls of many temples, and the clossal statues in front of their pylons were also readily accessible to the people as mediators of their prayers. In some temples Egyptian gods could also be apprached through oracles which answer important questions, and common people also had some access to the gods in legal matters. This was sometimes accomplished through specific movements of the god's portalable shrine barque while it was being carried in
procession, when questions were addressed to the deity. Though we do not know how commonly this type of oracular manifestation occurred or how widely it was accessible, it is probable that such guidance of the gods was sought when the courts were not able to settle a matter.

Another way in which the common people had access to the Egyptian gods was through dreams. For Egyptians, the sleeper temporarily inhabited the world of the gods, and dreams could thus often involve contact with the gods. The best-known example of this are found in the records of New Kingdom monarchs such as Tuthmosis IV to whom the Great Sphinx spoke as god in a dream, but even the humble commoner could dream of deities in the same manner. Magical texts describe the meaning of such dreams which might be experienced and we have ample evidence of dreams being actively elicited as means to understanding the world of the Egyptian gods.

Finally, we must not rule out other forms of perception, for the Egyptian gods could also be sensed through their fragrance, through sounds and other similar ways. For the ancient Egyptian even the wind felt on a person's face might be preceived as the breath of a god or the passage of the air god Shu. We should not altogether discount the preceived ability of the Egyptians to encounter the gods in everyday contexts, although these may have been viewed as of relatively less importance than the potential for interaction with the divine found at the houses of the Egyptian gods.

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