The Ankh is defined as: The symbolic representation of both Physical and

Eternal life. It is known as the original cross, which is a powerful symbol that
was first created by Africans in Ancient Egypt.

The Ankh is commonly known to mean 'life' in the language of Ancient Kemet
(land of the Blacks) renamed Egypt by the Greeks. It is also a symbol for the
power to give and sustain life, the Ankh is typically associated with material
things such as water (which was believed by Egyptians to regenerate life), air,
sun, as well as with the Gods, who are frequently pictured carrying an Ankh.

Egyptian gods carried the ankh by the loop, or held one in each hand crossed
over their breast. Latinists interpreted the symbol as a crux ansata, "cross with
a handle".

Origins

The precise origin of the symbol remains a mystery to Egyptologists, and no

single hypothesis has been widely accepted. E. A. Wallis Budge thought it
might have originated as the belt-buckle of the mother goddess Isis, an idea
joined by Wolfhart Westendorf with the notion that both the ankh and the knot
of Isis were used as ties on ceremonial girdles. Sir Alan Gardiner speculated
that it represented a sandal strap, with the loop going around the ankle.

Still other theories include the notion that the ankh represents the sun crowning
over the horizon, the path of the sun from east to west (with the loop
representing the Nile), a stylized person, or that it is a combination of the male
and female symbols of Osiris (the cross) and Isis (the oval) respectively, and
therefore signifies the union of heaven and earth.

In their 2004 book "The Quick and the Dead", Andrew H. Gordon and Calvin
W. Schwabe speculated that the ankh, djed and was symbols have a biological
basis derived from ancient cattle culture (linked to the Egyptian belief that
semen was created in the spine), thus:

• the Ankh - symbol of life - thoracic vertebra of a bull (seen in cross

section)

• the Djed - symbol of stability - base on sacrum of a bull's spine

• the Was - symbol of power and dominion - a staff made from a dried
bull's penis
Over time, the ankh has come to symbolize life and immortality, the universe,
power and life-giving air and water. Its keylike shape has also encouraged the
belief it could unlock the gates of death, and it is viewed this way by the
modern Rosicrucians and other hermetic orders. The Coptic Christians have
used it as a symbol of life after death.

In Egyptian Art

The ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art; it often
appears at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that represent the deities
of the afterlife conferring the gift of life on the dead person's mummy. The
ankh symbol was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet, either alone, or in
connection with two other hieroglyphs that mean "strength" and "health."
Mirrors were often made in the shape of an ankh. Sometimes, in art, the Ankh
was shown being touched by a god onto a person, which usually symbolized
conception.

In Alchemy

A similar symbol was used to represent the Roman goddess Venus. This
symbol, known benignly as Venus' hand-mirrot, is much more associated with
a representation of the female womb.

In astrology the same symbol is used to represent the planet Venus.

In Alchemy it represents the element copper.

In Biology to identify females.

In Hermeticism

Hermeticism is an Egyptian belief system whose beliefs may explain many of

the Ankh's meanings. It is unclear whether their beliefs created the ankh or
added many meanings, or remain a coincidence.

If the concept of the ankh suggesting the joining of the masculine and feminine
is correct, with the top opened up to look similar to representing the
feminine (genitals) and the bottom shaft being a phallic symbol, then the rest
may follow. If God is both male and female, the ankh is a symbol of
hermaphroditism and can be representing God. It also can be representing
reproduction as both genitalia are pictured.
 The Ankh and the Cross

The long standing importance of the Ankh, and its deep symbolism to the
dynastic Egyptians, lead to it being gradually adopted by the very early
Christian church in Egypt (which eventually became the Coptic Church). This
is highly significant, as it is almost certainly the genesis of the cross, as the
central thematic symbol of the Christian religion.

A kind of cross, the ankh, had long been a central religous symbol. It was non-
anthropormorphic, not even animal-like. The gods had all been animal faced-
human figures. Anknaton's benevolent sun, was the only other symbol that was
so esoteric.

This cross implied all the "god ideas" that are very infinite in nature. As
monotheism is at the core of Christian beleif, the ankh seemed a good choice to
symbolize the belief in one all powerful God. Over time, the idea that his son
had died on a kind of cross, made it seem, all the more appropriate. To other
Christians, outside of the ankh's influence, the image the roman cross of
execution was 'shameful" in the manner that a hanging noose would be, or
headsman's ax.

The association in Egypt of the ankh cross with both God the Father, and Jesus
the Son, felt right. Elsewhere, the main christian symbol at the time had been a
stylised alpha, resembling a fish, and therefore known as Ichthys, the Greek
word for fish. However, the new "more positive" symbol of a cross eventually
spread throughout the Christianized Empire. The distinct circular or "gothic
arch-like" upper part of the Ankh was kept well into mediaeval times.

The Ankh symbol often was being used as a Christian talisman. The
illustration, here, of a Christian 3th Century bust with a transitional "ankh
becoming a cross", was found in the 1960s in the Fayuom ,Egypt, acheological
region. It was often worn as an amulet to extend one's life and placed on the
mummy to energize the resurrected spirit.
The Ankh of the God Anubis is related to the protection of the dead, that of
Sekmet, War, Hapi related to the living waters of the Nile and Amen, the spirit
God, the breath of life.

References: Salaman, Clement and Van Oyen, Dorine and Wharton, William
D. and Mahé, Jean-Pierre (translation) (2000). The Way of Hermes: New
Translations of The Corpus Heremticum and The Definitions of Hermes
Trismegistus to Asclepius, Rochester: Inner Traditions.
 The Ankh and the Spiral of Consciousness
Fractals - Fibonacci Spiral - Phi Ratio - Golden Ratio
Ankh - Spiraling DNA - Caduceus
 Crystal Creations
Gold - Alchemy
Chain Link = DNA
Connecting the pillar with the loop of the ankh - Electricity

DJED