Introduction

Asclepius III 24-25
Hermetica
Tr. Walter Scott

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There is something about Egypt that inspires. How can we look at the structures and art of this ancient civilization and not be moved beyond words? My own fascination with Egypt began as a child and continued throughout my life. It has always been my dream to visit Egypt and see these monuments for myself, because no matter how many pictures you look at, no matter how many books you read, there is just nothing as powerful as the real thing.

After having lived in Japan for two years, deliberately saving up for this dream trip, my opportunity finally came. On May 31rst, 1998, I and a dear friend Pam who shares my passion caught a flight out of Calgary International Airport to the voyage of a lifetime.

Even though I say that there is just nothing as powerful as the real thing, I can't resist the urge to share as much of our experience as possible, for the history of Egypt, is the history of civilization on Earth, and that, I think, is universally important to us all.

One of the things that I found the most disturbing as I began my study of Egypt, is just how much traditional Egyptologists assume, ignore, and suppress. In nearly any text book on Egypt that you can pick up in a typical library will tell you the same story - the same story that's been told for near on a hundred years - a compact, "authoritative", and "factual" account that implies that the "secrets of ancient Egypt" have long been unraveled. Nothing could be further from the truth. I would venture to say that the surface has only been scratched.

There is a strong movement against traditional Egyptology that is firmly rooted in the science of other disciplines like Astronomy and Geology, that until recently has been completely dismissed as the work of the likes of Von Daniken (a proponent of the "Alien Theory" of the origin of the pyramids). Gradually, it is gaining credibility and a little exposure (such as "Quest for the Lost Civilization", a special that appeared on TLC). One of my aims in creating this "book" is to share some of the truly surprising things I've learned and seen.

The content of the following pages are comprised of journal entries made by myself and Pam while we were travelling, information from a variety of sources that will be fully referenced throughout, and from my own recollections, observations, and perceptions.