Title: The Ankh: Key of Life

ISBN: 1-57863-410-5

Publishers' Description

What is the meaning hidden in the design of the Ankh?

'The Ankh' is the only published manual available on the secrets of this Ancient Egyptian symbol so it has no real competition in the marketplace. I therefore approached this review with some trepidation - would it adequately fullfill its alloted niche or crumble into the dusts of antiquity itself?

Contents

As a buyer you recieve two separate items in this package. Firstly the presentation box reveals an actual physical Ankh on a cord and beneath that a printed guidebook. This is some 88 pages in total with an opening introduction by Lon Milo DuQuette who describes his first experience with the Ankh back in the Hippy Era of LA.

The book itself is comprised of two parts. Part one examines the origins of the sacred symbol and part two reveals its practical use as an amulet, talisman, prayer bead and/or pendulum.

Each page is generously illustrated witb both black and white photgraphs as well as line drawings. They inevitably draw upon Egyptian sources but this adds a strong air of antiquity to the symbol. In tracing the roots of the symbol way back the author also reveals Latin, medieval and Celtic modifications on the symbol.

There is of course no doubt that the roots of the Ankh are firmly rooted within the Egyptian eras. An inexhaustable amount of material from the region demonstrates time and again that the Egyptians knew the true secrets of using the Ankh. Some of this evidence is provided in the book but still we are left with the frustrating question of what exactly the Egyptians knew about the healing and life-enhancing propoerties of this sacred symbol.

In part two the reader is invited to discover some of the secrets of the Ankh for him/her self. There is a good collection of practical exercises for the initiate to perform with their own enclosed Ankh. No reference is made in the guidebook to using the symbol as either a meditational tool or in guided meditations but check out our articles section of this website for more information on this powerful practice.

This well-presented and quality package came as a pleasant surprise to me. So often this type of New Age tool can degenerate into a tacky and disposible item but not so with 'The Ankh'. I found it to be carefully and considerately created with content pitched expecting a relatively high level of intelligence on the part of the reader without being overly simplistic or technically challenging. It certainly manages to carry a justifiable aura of mystery and intrigue into the imagination.

I feel that the design of the accompanying Ankh could perhaps have done with a little refinement as it has neither a modern nor traditional design; falling instead into no specific spiritual context. I think that I would have preferred a more traditional Egyptian deisgn - but that's just personal taste. Either way its quality is high enough to suggest that it actually has some function and metaphysical use once charged up - details of which are included in the manual. The use of slik as a tie is a thoughtful addition and the designer obviously understood a little of practical occultism when creating it for this publication.

I thoroughly recommend 'The Ankh' to anyone who has ever been attracted to this symbol - either in an spiritual context or simply as an attractive item of iconic jewellry. There is a great deal to be revealed in this publication and most of its secrets will emerge within a personal setting. As Lon suggests in his introduction - you do not so much discover the Ankh as it kind of 'reavels' itself and its secrets to the initiate over time.