Man's spirit consists of three distinct parts, only one of which incarnates in physical form. The human body was considered to be a tomb or sepulcher of this incarnating spirit. Therefore Osiris, a symbol of the incarnating ego, was represented with the lower half of his body mummified to indicate that he was the living spirit of man enclosed within the material form symbolized by the mummy case. There is a romance between the active principle of God and the passive principle of Nature. From the union of these two principles is produced the rational creation.
Man is a composite creature.
The murky waters of the Nile were believed to account for the blackness of Osiris, who was generally symbolized as being of ebony hue. All Rights Reserved.