ANUBIS

Who is Anubis?

Anubis was an ancient Egyptian God. He is typically depicted as half man, half Jackal. Another image of him is as a ‘recumbent’ (lying down) Jackal on a Chest. He was known as the gatekeeper to the after-world and personal enlightenment.

Traditionally it is believed that the Great Sphinx in Giza, Egypt, is carved in the image of lion. An alternative view is that the Sphinx monument was originally made in the image of Anubis [1],[2],[3]

Anubis is most commonly described as the ancient Egyptian god of embalming and the dead, responsible for mummification. Anubis is considered the gatekeeper between the earthly realm and the spiritual realm, letting only those pass who meet the requirements. His role is often symbolised at the day of judgement, weighing the initiate’s heart against the feather of truth.

“ If [the heart] is truly pure then it will be light enough (ie spiritual enough) to balance exactly the feather of Truth” ^[4]

The Chest that Anubis lies on represents the secret treasure that is self-knowledge. If an initiate meets the requirements to pass through the gate that Anubis guards, the treasure of self-knowledge is opened to him.

The more esoteric view is that Anubis is the gatekeeper on the path of our enlightenment. In this role he guards the transition of the old, unconscious self to make way for a more enlightened, self-aware self to be born. In this case the ‘treasure’ is very relevant, as much now as it was in Ancient Egypt. As a person gains more self-awareness, they are able to live a more balanced and harmonious life. This is referred to in psychology disciplines as self-actualisation, the process by which a person realises their own full potential. Others might refer to it as increased spirituality, becoming more whole, or holistic.

Our dogs and Anubis

The way I see it, by reflecting on our dog’s difficult behaviour, or just generally how they make us feel, helps us get in touch with our emotions. Noticing our emotions and how we feel, is an important step to increasing our self-awareness. When we notice our emotions, we also notice how they are linked to how we think and act. Once we make the link between how we feel and how we think and act, we start to be able to choose to act differently. This overall process is a key to our personal enlightenment and understanding.

With Anubis Therapy, working with our dogs leads us to a better self-knowledge, helping us to ‘pass the test’. In this way our dogs are acting as our very own Anubis representatives!