Above: The Psychostasia in which the “Ab” is weighed against the feather of Ma’at
The Ab is the heart, which was considered the center of intelligence and identity by the ancient Egyptians. In this sense the Ab is very similar to the Ren, and might be looked at as private and public aspects of the persona.
It was the Ab which was weighed during the Psychostasia, the most famous image of the Egyptian afterlife. This was the weighing of the heart against the feather of MaÂ’at, or truth. If the heart were light the Soul was judged worthy to move on into Khert Neter, the paradise of Osiris. If the heart were heavy, weighed down with misdeeds, it was eaten by the monster Ammemet.
To me this resembles our own belief that the Soul reviews its life after death, Ammemet representing not destruction but the grief of a negative self-judgment.
The Ka is sometimes described as the “Double” of the person, and is represented by a pair of upraised arms.
The Ka has also been described as the vital force which animated the person in life and survived with persona intact after death.
The word “Ka” itself means “Bull” which suggests that the Ka was seen as embodying a vital Spiritual power.
The Ka was conceived of as being exactly like the person, or perhaps a more perfect form of the person, and is the chief object of mortuary ritual attention.
The Ka was conceived of as being exactly like the person, or perhaps a more perfect form of the person, and is the chief object of mortuary ritual attention.