New life emerges from the dark

Yes, that victory was temporary as later the dusk would come, and the dark would once again appear to reign supreme, but there was the sense that the light was truly superior as it was in the light of the sun that good works could be accomplished. The dark, therefore, was a time of rest to prepare that work, not defeat.

As magnificent as the sun was looking down on everything from its chariot in the sky, the same lesson could be learned from the lowly below. For example, the scarab dung beetle was acknowledged with a similar idea in mind. As one variety would build its nests deep within the dung of other animals, Egyptians could see new life emerging from the dark, discarded refuse of other life. Maybe even death was not final, but rather the source of new, if altogether different, life.

The symbolism is multifaceted and reflects themes in other religious traditions, but the point is essentially the same in all of them: death and life are not opposites but complementary. Each is necessary for the other’s existence. Neither is right or wrong. Both are necessary for our reality to continue.

With that in mind, we should be able to have hope no matter how terrible our circumstances may seem to be at any given time. We can have faith that the night will eventually give way to the light. Having said that, as wonderful as our circumstances may seem to be at any given time, we should never lose sight of the fact that those are also temporary. The brightest of lights will eventually fade — with the very brightness making the contrast all the more pronounced. While some might find that perspective depressing, it has the potential to provide an equanimity that can help us mature to a fundamental appreciation of what life and death are all about and to appreciate the value inherent in each.

Ironically, Akhenaten’s monotheism did not last longer than his own reign. His son, the more famous Tutankhamen, “King Tut,” returned the empire’s faithful to its former, polytheistic traditions, idols, rituals and priesthood. Interestingly enough, however, in today’s Egypt there are no more pharaohs and its eternal, indestructible pyramids are decaying as we speak. Modern Egypt’s predominant faith, Islam, is arguably the most strictly monotheistic religion in the world.

Perhaps the scarab had it right all along …