Ma'at — A Concept and a Goddess

Ma'at is both a concept and a goddess. The Ancient Egyptians did not really leave us an exact written description of ma'at, as it was taken for granted that ma'at was universal. This essay is written to give a very simplistic overview of ma'at; there are several books detailing this topic to exhaustion.

As a concept, simplistically, ma'at means truth, correctness, order, and balance and is often represented by a white ostrich feather.

As a goddess, Ma'at is described as the Creator-God's daughter who came into existance at almost the same exact moment that the Creator-God became self-realized. Her symbol is the ostrich feature and she is portrayed as a human woman with wings

The Concept of ma'at

However, the Ancient Egyptians did believe that ma'at can be taught, but
that only living and constantly abiding by ma'at could they realize and fully understand ma'at. In essence, it is only through living ma'at, can one understand ma'at. ¹

As such, we believe that a beginning explanation of ma'at can be "taught". However, to fully understand and comprehend the concept, it is best to try and live in ma'at.

A Simple Overview of Ma'at
Ma'at is also the foundation of order in all of Creation. It is the basis for everything: socially and spiritually. Nature itself is aligned by ma'at; the changing of the season, the movement of the heavens above.

The laws of man are governed by ma'at, and down to the artistic endeavors — all are governed by the laws of ma'at.

And all of Creation, including the Netjer themselves, are subject to ma'at.

During the time of Zep Tepi (the First Time), ma'at kept isfet at bay. However, now, ma'at has to be constantly established, re-established, and maintained; especially within human society as humans are more prone to do isfet. It is a constant struggle, and one that is maintained by all humans and for which all humans have a certain measure of responsibility. And within human society, those with more social responsibility had more responsibility to ma'at. As such, it was the highest duty of the Pharoah to establish and maintain ma'at within the kingdom.

As ma'at permeates Creation, it is no surprise that ma'at affected the morality of the Ancient Egyptians. There are many texts which instruct on how to keep ma'at, how to "do ma'at", and how to "speak ma'at." Constantly trying to achieve ma'at was a guarantee of a good afterlife.

No on reaches the salutory West unless their heart is righteous by doing ma'at. -Petosiris

However, this does not mean that ma'at was a rigid morality governing the Ancient Egyptians. Anything that becomes so rigid that it restricts all forms of behaviour is no longer ma'at. The concepts of ma'at are more guidelines than rules, as shown in the Negative Confessions. [Side note: This is one of the reasons why we believe the concept of ma'at was never written down]

But in regards to isfet, the Ancient Egyptians did not believe it could be completely defeated. They understood that isfet would always exist, humans would always be susceptible to it, and that isfet would continue to exist as long as humans exist.

Ma'at is a balance, and it seeks to balance out the destruction wrought by isfet. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the elements of isfet (evil, lies, injustice, irrationality, etc) are successful in the short term, and "...if the end has come , Ma'at remains." (Ptah Hotep).

Responsibility for ma'at
Upholding and maintaining ma'at is a never ending cycle. Ma'at must be constantly established and re-established daily to keep the forces of isfet at bay.

As mentioned earlier, ma'at imposes certain responsibilities and obligations on all of the social classes; some more than others. Those with higher standings in the community have a larger responsibility to ma'at than those who are lower in social standing. The highest law of the land (ie: the Pharoah) had the greatest responsibility to uphold ma'at.

Concepts of ma'at Today

Ma'at is a not a concept that is easily grasped in the beginning, but as you strive to live and be ma'at, the more easily it is understood. It is not something that you can teach, necessarily, through words, but by living it.

It is a middle path that avoids extremes, striving for balance and equilibrium. Ma'at is not something that will turn the world into a utopia; in fact, it does not even call out for a utopia. Utopias cannot remember its history, for utopia strives for perfection. For the Ancient Egyptians, perfection occurred during the First Time. The do not strive to recreate that "perfect time" as it had come and gone. What they strive for is balance. Ma'at strives to keep those forces that would destroy subdued so that Creation can continue to exist.

Ma'at maintains order.

A non-Kemetic concept that comes closely to the concept of ma'at is karma. The concept of ma'at strives to balance out the forces of isfet, and to keep them at bay because that strive to constantly destroy the order of society and Creation.

The more you are ma'at, the less isfet instrudes in your life, and the more you can contribute overall to perpetuating ma'at in the world.