The 42 Divine Principles of the Goddess Maat
1. I have not committed sin.
2. I have not committed robbery with violence.
3. I have not stolen.
4. I have not slain men or women
5. I have not stolen food.
6. I have not swindled offerings.
7. I have not stolen from God/Goddess.
8. I have not told lies.
9. I have not carried away food.
10. I have not cursed.
11. I have not closed my ears to truth
12. I have not committed adultery.
13. I have not made anyone cry.
14. I have not felt sorrow without reason
15. I have not assaulted anyone
16. I am not deceitful.
17. I have not stolen anyone’s land
18. I have not been an eavesdropper
19. I have not falsely accused anyone.
20. I have not been angry without reason.
21. I have not seduced anyone’s wife.
22. I have not polluted myself.
23. I have not terrorized anyone.
24. I have not disobeyed the Law.
25. I have not been exclusively angry.
26. I have not cursed God/Goddess.
27. I have not behaved with violence.
28. I have not caused disruption of peace.
29. I have not acted hastily or without thought.
30. I have not overstepped my boundaries of concern.
31. I have not exaggerated my words when speaking.
32. I have not worked evil.
33. I have not used evil thoughts, words or deeds.
34. I have not polluted the water
35. I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly.
36. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds.
37. I have not placed myself on a Pedestal.
38. I have not stolen what belongs to God/Goddess.
39. I have not stolen from or disrespected the deceased.
40. I have not taken food from a child.
41. I have not acted with insolence.
42. I have not destroyed property belonging to God/Goddess.
These 42 declarations were pronounced by the deceased after Anubis took him/her to the presence of the Goddess Maat and the Divine Judge Tehuti. If the Principles of Maat were respected the heart of the deceased would have nothing weighing down, so it would be lighter than the feather and everlasting life would be given due to respect of these laws that balance the Universe.
It is from these Principles, erroneously called the 42 Negative Confessions by European Egyptologists that the Christian religion got it’s 10 Commandments. Unlike the Spook principle of Idols and exterior divinity our ancestors manifested the indwelling divinity and said “I have not” instead of being ordered “Thou Shalt not”.
Negative confessions in full.
Hail, Usekh-nemmt, who comest forth from Anu, I have not committed sin.
Hail, Hept-khet, who comest forth from Kher-aha, I have not committed robbery with violence.
Hail, Fenti, who comest forth from Khemenu, I have not stolen.
Hail, Am-khaibit, who comest forth from Qernet, I have not slain men and women.
Hail, Neha-her, who comest forth from Rasta, I have not stolen grain.
Hail, Ruruti, who comest forth from heaven, I have not purloined offerings.
Hail, Arfi-em-khet, who comest forth from Suat, I have not stolen the property of God.
Hail, Neba, who comest and goest, I have not uttered lies.
Hail, Set-qesu, who comest forth from Hensu, I have not carried away food.
Hail, Utu-nesert, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have not uttered curses.
Hail, Qerrti, who comest forth from Amentet, I have not committed adultery, I have not lain with men.
Hail, Her-f-ha-f, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have made none to weep.
Hail, Basti, who comest forth from Bast, I have not eaten the heart.
Hail, Ta-retiu, who comest forth from the night, I have not attacked any man.
Hail, Unem-snef, who comest forth from the execution chamber, I am not a man of deceit.
Hail, Unem-besek, who comest forth from Mabit, I have not stolen cultivated land.
Hail, Neb-Maat, who comest forth from Maati, I have not been an eavesdropper.
Hail, Tenemiu, who comest forth from Bast, I have not slandered.
Hail, Sertiu, who comest forth from Anu, I have not been angry without just cause.
Hail, Tutu, who comest forth from Ati, I have not debauched the wife of any man.
Hail, Uamenti, who comest forth from the Khebt chamber, I have not debauched the wife of any man.
Hail, Maa-antuf, who comest forth from Per-Menu, I have not polluted myself.
Hail, Her-uru, who comest forth from Nehatu, I have terrorized none.
Hail, Khemiu, who comest forth from Kaui, I have not transgressed the law.
Hail, Shet-kheru, who comest forth from Urit, I have not been wroth.
Hail, Nekhenu, who comest forth from Heqat, I have not shut my ears to the words of truth.
Hail, Kenemti, who comest forth from Kenmet, I have not blasphemed.
Hail, An-hetep-f, who comest forth from Sau, I am not a man of violence.
Hail, Sera-kheru, who comest forth from Unaset, I have not been a stirrer up of strife.
Hail, Neb-heru, who comest forth from Netchfet, I have not acted with undue haste.
Hail, Sekhriu, who comest forth from Uten, I have not pried into matters.
Hail, Neb-abui, who comest forth from Sauti, I have not multiplied my words in speaking.
Hail, Nefer-Tem, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have wronged none, I have done no evil.
Hail, Tem-Sepu, who comest forth from Tetu, I have not worked witchcraft against the king.
Hail, Ari-em-ab-f, who comest forth from Tebu, I have never stopped the flow of water.
Hail, Ahi, who comest forth from Nu, I have never raised my voice.
Hail, Uatch-rekhit, who comest forth from Sau, I have not cursed God.
Hail, Neheb-ka, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not acted with arrogance.
Hail, Neheb-nefert, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not stolen the bread of the gods.
Hail, Tcheser-tep, who comest forth from the shrine, I have not carried away the khenfu cakes from the Spirits of the dead.
Hail, An-af, who comest forth from Maati, I have not snatched away the bread of the child, nor treated with contempt the god of my city.
Hail, Hetch-abhu, who comest forth from Ta-she, I have not slain the cattle belonging to the go
Hail, Hept-khet, who comest forth from Kher-aha, I have not committed robbery with violence.
Hail, Fenti, who comest forth from Khemenu, I have not stolen.
Hail, Am-khaibit, who comest forth from Qernet, I have not slain men and women.
Hail, Neha-her, who comest forth from Rasta, I have not stolen grain.
Hail, Ruruti, who comest forth from heaven, I have not purloined offerings.
Hail, Arfi-em-khet, who comest forth from Suat, I have not stolen the property of God.
Hail, Neba, who comest and goest, I have not uttered lies.
Hail, Set-qesu, who comest forth from Hensu, I have not carried away food.
Hail, Utu-nesert, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have not uttered curses.
Hail, Qerrti, who comest forth from Amentet, I have not committed adultery, I have not lain with men.
Hail, Her-f-ha-f, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have made none to weep.
Hail, Basti, who comest forth from Bast, I have not eaten the heart.
Hail, Ta-retiu, who comest forth from the night, I have not attacked any man.
Hail, Unem-snef, who comest forth from the execution chamber, I am not a man of deceit.
Hail, Unem-besek, who comest forth from Mabit, I have not stolen cultivated land.
Hail, Neb-Maat, who comest forth from Maati, I have not been an eavesdropper.
Hail, Tenemiu, who comest forth from Bast, I have not slandered.
Hail, Sertiu, who comest forth from Anu, I have not been angry without just cause.
Hail, Tutu, who comest forth from Ati, I have not debauched the wife of any man.
Hail, Uamenti, who comest forth from the Khebt chamber, I have not debauched the wife of any man.
Hail, Maa-antuf, who comest forth from Per-Menu, I have not polluted myself.
Hail, Her-uru, who comest forth from Nehatu, I have terrorized none.
Hail, Khemiu, who comest forth from Kaui, I have not transgressed the law.
Hail, Shet-kheru, who comest forth from Urit, I have not been wroth.
Hail, Nekhenu, who comest forth from Heqat, I have not shut my ears to the words of truth.
Hail, Kenemti, who comest forth from Kenmet, I have not blasphemed.
Hail, An-hetep-f, who comest forth from Sau, I am not a man of violence.
Hail, Sera-kheru, who comest forth from Unaset, I have not been a stirrer up of strife.
Hail, Neb-heru, who comest forth from Netchfet, I have not acted with undue haste.
Hail, Sekhriu, who comest forth from Uten, I have not pried into matters.
Hail, Neb-abui, who comest forth from Sauti, I have not multiplied my words in speaking.
Hail, Nefer-Tem, who comest forth from Het-ka-Ptah, I have wronged none, I have done no evil.
Hail, Tem-Sepu, who comest forth from Tetu, I have not worked witchcraft against the king.
Hail, Ari-em-ab-f, who comest forth from Tebu, I have never stopped the flow of water.
Hail, Ahi, who comest forth from Nu, I have never raised my voice.
Hail, Uatch-rekhit, who comest forth from Sau, I have not cursed God.
Hail, Neheb-ka, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not acted with arrogance.
Hail, Neheb-nefert, who comest forth from thy cavern, I have not stolen the bread of the gods.
Hail, Tcheser-tep, who comest forth from the shrine, I have not carried away the khenfu cakes from the Spirits of the dead.
Hail, An-af, who comest forth from Maati, I have not snatched away the bread of the child, nor treated with contempt the god of my city.
Hail, Hetch-abhu, who comest forth from Ta-she, I have not slain the cattle belonging to the go
Writings on the laws of Ma'at.
Author: Rahotep
Ancient Egytian Temple School (SA)
This lesson about Ma'at was an extremely important one and that is why I am sharing it on this page.
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The Goddess Ma’at and the Laws of establishing and maintaining Ma’at
The word Ma’at is both a Divine principle and Face (Neteret) as well as a concept.
As a goddess Ma’at represents: The Neteret of Truth, justice and integrity, Order, Harmony, Balance and Truth.
Her name means : “That which is Straight”
As a concept Ma’at is Cosmic Harmony governing the laws of the universe such as Gravity, the rise and fall of tides, the planetary movements and all the laws of Nature etc.
“Ma’at was with Ra from the beginning” -
This Means that when Ra created the Universe, Ra created it on a foundation of Ma’at.
Ma’at is the most important and central concept in Egyptian Heka and all of the Egyptian Mysteries.
The Symbols for Ma’at include: the Feather and the Balance and the mathematical ‘=’ sign.
The 3 laws of Ma’at – see diagram below - should be carefully studied and applied in your life in order to establish Ma’at. It teaches you how to maintain Ma’at (harmony, peace, order and balance) in all aspects of your life. It is also very useful for when you are experiencing Chaos (In this case simply apply law 3 in order to re-establish Ma’at (order))
In ancient Egypt many temple rituals were conducted everyday to ensure the establishment of Ma’at. The Pharaoh was responsible for upholding Ma’at.
It was well know in ancient Egypt as is today, that the following laws of the universe held true:
- Everything comes from Chaos (The Great NUN)
- Everything Returns to Chaos (If not maintained)
- There is Chaos in Order (Ma’at)
- There is Ma’at (Order) in Chaos.
In the diagram below and for ease of reference, I have used the + sign to represent Ma’at (Order and Balance) and the – sign to Represent Chaos and Disorder.
From this diagram it becomes clear that in order to balance chaos, more chaos is added at the opposite end of the scale: Law 3.
If you have any questions regarding these 3 laws please email me.
The Laws of Ma’at is 3 since there are 2 sides to any situation and then there is the 3rd side representing the final outcome or “Truth”.
The number on the “Tree of Life” for Ma’at is 3 – the sphere of the Planet Saturn which represents the Egyptian god Name At pronounced Aaht.
It is also the sphere of the Divine mother of which Ma or Mut (the Egyptian word for Mother) is a seed sound. Thus Ma’at can also be interpreted as the Great Mother Divine. 3 also corresponds to the triangle and as such is a great symbol of Synthesis. An example of Synthesis is Osiris, Isis, Horus. Mother, Father, and Offspring.
The symbol symbolise a stable and balanced form when resting on its base with the point or apex uppermost. It also teaches us that when we combine two opposite forces or products, a third force or product is the result that contains elements of both products used in the final synthesis of the combined forces/products.
Remember this principle well, for the laws of Ma’at being 3 in number is all about synthesis and balance, creating order from chaos or maintaining order.
The 3 laws portrayed below can easily be understood in the following manner:
Law 1.
When you or any situation or energy matrix is in Balance (Ma’at) (symbolised as a ‘+’ on the left side of the scales) all that is needed for Ma’at to continue is to maintain the balance.
Law 2.
When you or any situation or energy matrix is in balance and then destabilised by a chaotic or negative force/situation or energy matrix
Symbolised by the ‘-‘ (Minus) sign on the left side of the scales, Ma’at can be re-established by applying Law 3.
Law 3.
By applying a negative energy/force or situation equal to that, which destabilised the scales of Ma’at resulting in Chaos, Ma’at (peace/balance/order) can be re-established. This law states that chaos is balanced with chaos.
Law 3 is the least understood and the most incorrectly applied law
of the 3 laws of Ma’at, in that it is human tendency to think that by adding more positive energy to a negative situation, something good can come out of it! Only Chaos can balance Chaos to result in the re- establishing of Ma’at.
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