22. Religious Beliefs
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stroy body organs. Also, the ultrasound waves cannot be detected by our ears, but doctors use this power, as a kind of knifeless scalpel in microsurgery. We also know that a soprano singer can shatter glass with her voice. As you will see in a later chapter, the work of artisans, metal workers, and others are considered to be the physical manifestation of the Cosmic Word. For the deeply religious people of ancient Egypt and sub-Sahara Africa, there was no mundane activity — every action was/is a religious/sacred act.
The Name (Ren) Significance The power of the name, and its role in ancient thought, is one of the least understood aspects of the ancient Egyptians. The name was not, as per our modern-day thinking, a mere label. The name of a neter, person, animal, or principle, represented a resume or synopsis of the qualities of that object or person. Everything has a ‘real’ cosmic name, a name that enshrines the essence of the thing, which is the thing. To know and pronounce the real name of a neter(god), person, or animal, is to exercise power over it. According to the Egyptian traditions, one could do nothing better for any one than by inscriptions and representations to “cause his name to live”, and nothing worse than to allow it to perish. The power of the sound vibrations was important in