Off we went in our white van with Leslie and Hassan as our guides.

The next stop was the Temple of Luxor. Little did I know that this would not be my first trip to the temple that day.

The energies here were very high and really connected.

The Temple of Luxor was built on the Nile River East bank of the Nile River at least as early as about 3,400 years ago. King Amenhotep III who reigned 1390-53 BC built this beautiful temple and dedicated it to Amon-Re, king of the gods, his consort Mut, and their son Khons.

Many festivals were celebrated in Thebes. The Temple of Luxor was the center of the most important one, the festival of Opet.

It appears that the temple's purpose was for a suitable setting for the rituals of the festival. The festival itself was to reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with the divine office.

During the 18th Dynasty the festival lasted eleven days, but had grown to twenty-seven days by the reign of Ramesses III in the 20th Dynasty. At that time the festival included the distribution of over 11,000 loaves of bread, 85 cakes and 385 jars of beer.

The procession of images of the current royal family began at Karnak and ended at the temple of Luxor.

By the late 18th Dynasty the journey was being made by barge, on the Nile River. Each god or goddess was carried in a separate barge that was towed by smaller boats. Large crowds consisting of soldiers, dancers, musicians and high ranking officials accompanied the barge by walking along the banks of the river.

During the festival the people were allowed to ask favors of the statues of the kings or to the images of the gods that were on the barges.

Once at the temple, the king and his priests entered the back chambers. There, the king and his ka (the divine essence of each king, created at his birth) were merged, the king being transformed into a divine being.

The crowd outside, anxiously awaiting the transformed king, would cheer wildly at his re-emergence. This solidified the ritual and made the king a god.

The festival was the backbone of the Pharaoh's government. In this way could a usurper or one not of the same bloodline become ruler over Egypt.

On the face of the great pylon are carved episodes from the Battle of Kadesh, when Ramesses and his army defeated the forces of the Hittites and their allies.

The obelisk is one of a red granite pair which Ramesses erected in front of the pylon; its twin now in the Place de la Concorde, in Paris. On the pedestal are carved the four sacred baboons who were the first to greet the morning sun.

Three lines of vertical inscription on every face of the obelisk repeat the names and titles of Ramesses the Great: The Horus, Mighty Bull, Exalter of Thebes, Favorite of the Two Goddesses, establishing monuments in Luxor for his father Amun, who placed him upon the throne; Golden Horus, seeking excellent things for him who fashioned him; King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Usermare, Chosen of Re."

When the one obelisk was lowered, in order to be transported to France, Ramesses name was also found inscribed on the bottom. Pharaohs were notorious for usurping other pharaohs monuments, and Ramesses was determined that this was to remain his own. The pyramidal tip of the tall shaft was covered in sheet gold which flashed in the sunlight, symbolizing the sungod Re in his brilliance. Colossal seated statues of Ramesses flank the gateway.

This is the same Pharaoh we saw in the outdoor museum - the one in the pit.

The south end of the Temple of Luxor was an addition constructed by Ramesses II during the XIX dynasty. The great court is surrounded with well proportioned papyrus bud capital columns. Reliefs cover the interior walls. Within the court can be seen the tip of the minaret of the mosque of Abu'l Haggag.

Located in the northeast corner of the Court of Ramesses in the Temple of Luxor is the Mosque of Abu'l Haggag. The Sufi sheik spent the last fifty of his ninety years in Luxor. Though Abu'l Haggag died in 1243, the mosque is only 19th century.

Originally built by Amenhotep II, the court was later decorated by Tutankhamen and Horemheb. The Colonnade consists of 14 columns with papyrus capitals.

These monuments are really beautiful and had strong energies for me.

In the entrance to the Colonnade are two statues bearing the name of Ramesses II but the feathers of Tutankhamen. What is left of the walls bear wonderful reliefs of Tutankhamun reign and a celebration of the re-establishment of the Amun orthodoxy.

The Court

The east and west side of the court has well preserved double rows of papyrus columns with bud capitals, though originally the columns were on the north side as well. The Hypostyle Hall, on the south side, had four rows of eight columns. Reliefs are on both side of the south wall depicting the coronation of Amenhotep II by the gods. A roman altar, dedicated to Constantine, is located to the left of the central aisle.

The Antechambers

The reliefs of Amenhotep II were whitewashed and painted over in the 3rd or 4th century. The stucco is crumbling, and just recently, beginning to show the reliefs underneath. The second antechamber has four columns (versus eight in the first antechamber) and reliefs of Amenhotep II offering incense to Amun.

Sanctuary of the Sacred Boat of Amun

The chapel inside the chamber was rebuilt by Alexander the Great and bears his reliefs, while the chamber walls bear the reliefs of Amenhotep II. A small hall is to the east which opens onto the Birth Room, which was built because of Amenhotep II's claim that he was the son of Amun. Amenhotep II claimed that Amun disguised himself as Tuthmosis IV, entered the queen's chambers and breathed the child into her nostrils.

THE LUXOR TEMPLE AND SECRED GEOMETRY