(watercolor, colored pencils, gold leaf on paper - 16" x 10") - On a botanical background pattern inspired by William Morris, I inscribed a quotation from a 3,500 year old Egyptian papyrus. One of my favorite aspects of Ancient Egyptian burial rites is the use of the heart scarab. This beetle-shaped amulet was tucked inside the mummy wrappings just above the heart. It was often inscribed with this prayer excerpted from the Egyptian "Book of the Dead" beseeching the heart to not reveal anything negative about the deceased during the final judgement. Paraphrasing: If you have nothing nice to say, please don't say anything at all. What a great connection to share with the ancients: our mutual wish to not be defined by our errors and mistakes, but rather to dwell on our qualities and positive intentions.
"O heart which I had from my mother,
O my heart which I had upon earth,
do not rise up against me as a witness
in the presence of the Lord of Things
do not speak against me
concerning what I have done,
do not bring up anything against me
in the presence of the Great God,
Lord of the West.
Hail to you, my heart! Hail to you, my heart!
May you say what is good,
may you make me to flourish,
may powers be bestowed when I go forth,
having been interred among the great ones
who long endured upon Earth.
Not dying in the West, but becoming a Spirit in it."
From the Papyrus of Ani
Translated by Dr. Raymond Faulkner