The 9ine Parts of Man
     Em Hotep, According to khemetic thinking every being has nine parts that he/she is composed of.  Each of these parts serve various functions to the being during his/her life & after he/she has physically died.  These 9ine parts are the total make-up of a human being.  Within this essay we shall discuss & explain what each part is and what its' function is within the human being.

First off we start with the outer physical body.  This is called the Khat.  The Khat is the gross physical matter which you are born into, it is your body for the duration of your life on Ta (earth).  The Khat is only temporary as it is able to be destroyed & decay through natural processes.  The word Khat applies to the physical body, having the meaning of that which is corruptible or able to decay and pass away; It also applies to the mummified body that resides in the tomb.  The physical body doesn't incarnate again after it has died, however it still has need for preservation.  The physical body is somewhat of an anchor for the other parts.  Because of this you have places where the Shti (he who is in his coffin, the deceased/initiate) speaks & recites the Hekau: "Praise you Tef-I Iwsir (My father Iusir/Osiris), I have come and I have embalmed my flesh so that my body (Khat) may not decay.  I am whole, even as Tef-I Khepri (My father Khepri) was whole, who is to me the type of that which endures (does not pass away or decay).  Come then O form, and give breath to me, O lord of breath, O you who are greater than those around you.  You establish me and you form me, O you who are lord of the grave.  Grant you to me to endure forever, even as you did grant unto your father Tmu to endure;  and his body (Khat)  neither passed away nor decayed.  I have not done that which is hateful to you, no, I have spoken that which your KA (etheric double, spirit) loves;  Do not repulse me, and do not cast me behind you, O Tmu, to decay/rot, even as you do to every ntr and unto every ntrt and unto every beast and creeping thing which dies when his soul has gone forth from him after his death, and which falls  in pieces after his decay. . . . .Praise to you O tef-I Iwsir (My father Iusir/Osiris), your flesh suffered no decay, there were no worms in you, you did not become corruption & worms; and I myself am Khepri, I shall possess my flesh for ever and ever, I shall not decay, I shall not crumble away, I shall not wither away, I shall not become corruption."
This was a Hekau (utterance of power) to ensure the continuity of the physical body after death.  After the physical body has died certain rituals are performed by the khemetic priest in order to transform the body into its' spiritual state & prepare the being for its next stage in the journey.

This  was that of the Sahu:  The Sahu was written with the same determinative as that of the Khat, a body lying on a bier or funeral bed.  although it has the same determinative the Sahu is a body that has gained a certain degree of knowledge, power & glory.  The Sahu is the spiritual body which has been rendered incorruptible as opposed tot he physical Khat which can decay and pass away.  In this form the Sahu can interact with the soul (BA) & speak with it.  It is also capable of ascending into the Petu to exist with the Neteru and with the Sahu of the Neteru, as well as with the Baiu (souls) of those who are Ma'a-Kheru (True of voice, righteous).  In this Hekau from the  Pyramid Texts of Pepi it states: "Rise up you, this Pepi.  Stand up you mighty one  and be strong.  Sit you with the Neteru, you do that which Iusir did in the Het-A'a (great house) in Innu (Heliopolis).  You have received your Sah, your foot shall not be bound in Pet, you shall not be returned upon TA (earth).  Hail to you Teti on this, your day when you stand before Re as he comes forth of the east, you are endowed with this your Sah among the Baiu (souls).  His duration of life is neheh (eternal), his limit of life is djetta (everlasting) of his Sah.  Nuk Sah Em Ba - F (I am a Sah of his soul)."

                                                                                             SAHU
Next we have the Ib or the Heart body.  The Ib represents the core of a person, essentially their heart, or the heart of their being.  The Ib holds the personality or attributes which a person has.   The Ib is the seat of power & the "fountain" of good & evil thoughts.  The Ib could manifest an independent existence from the
rest of the body, moving from place to place at will uniting & separating from the physical body at will, enjoying life with the Neteru in Pet.

IB Heart Amulets
Here we come to the KA.  The Ka is the etheric or astral double of the physical body.  The Ka exists upon the plane of force as the Khat exists upon the physical plane.  As the double of the physical body it also contained an intellect as well.    In ancient KMT the Ka was given offerings of food, meat, drink, incense, etc... for it to subsist on.  Also pictures of these items were inscribed and painted on the walls of the tomb in times when there was scarcity of food.  Certain Hekau allowed the Ka to exist upon the images of the offerings.  Within the priesthood their was an order of priest called the Hen-Ka or "Servants of the Ka", these priests performed various services in honor of the Ka & presented offerings to the Ka.  The Ka resided within the statue of the deceased person & could arise at will.  It (the Ka) could eat food so food was provided for it in the form of offerings as mentioned.  This Hekau illustrates the point quite clearly: "May the Neteru grant that I go into and come forth from my tomb, may the Majesty refresh its' shade, may I drink water from my cistern everyday, may all my limbs grow, may Hapi give unto me bread and flowers of all kinds in their season, may I pass over my estate everyday without ceasing, may my Ba (soul) alight upon the branches of the groves which I have planted, may I make myself cool beneath my sycamores, may I eat the bread which they provide.  May I have my mouth  that I may speak therewith like the shemsu Horu (Followers of Horus).  May I come forth to Pet, may I descend to Ta, may i never be shut out upon the way (road), may there never be done to me that which my Ba hates, let not Ba be imprisoned, may I be among the venerable and favored ones, may I plough my lands in the Sekhet-Iaru, may  I arrive at the Sekhet-Hotep, may one come out to me with vessels of ale and bread of the Nebti Heh (lords of eternity), may I receive meat from the altars of the great, I the Ka of the prophet Imsu (Min, a form of Horus, a form of Re)."  The Ka was an exact duplicate of the person & thus thought, and acted just the way that person would do.  The Ka is represented hieroglyphically by two arms at 90 degree angles.  This symbolizes the forces which animate the physical body.  The Ka represented spiritual free will, in the outer Shetai (mysteries) the Ka represents that which binds the physical body to Ta (earth).

KA
The Ba is the Soul of the human being.  This part of being dwelled within the Ka itself.  The Ba is the sublime, noble part of a human being that which is translated as "Soul".  The Ba possesses form as well it not being totally incorporeal.  Like the Ka it needed to nourish itself & partook of the funeral offerings as well.  In khemetic art the Ba is depicted as a human headed hawk.  The hawk's body symbolizes the freedom in which the soul can move.  The Ba can take leave when it wishes the same as the Ka and it revisits the body, animating it & conversing with it.  The Ba also had the power to shift its form.  According to the Pyramid Texts the Hekau speak of the Ba as existing in Pet with the Neteru.  Here are several excerpts taken from the Pyramid texts: "sek wnis per em hru pen em iru ma'a n ba ankh - Behold Unis comes forth on this day in the exact form of a living Ba (Soul).

ba-sen met wnis - Their Ba is in Unis.

aha ba-k emma neteru - Your Ba stands among the Neteru.

ha Pepy pu i-nek maat Heru metu-s thu i-nek ba-k im neteru - Hail this Pepy, The eye of Horus comes to you and speaks to you.  Your Ba comes to you from among the Neteru.

uab Ba-k im Neteru - Pure is your Ba among the Neteru.

ankh Iwsir ankh Ba im Netit ankh Pepy pen - Live Iusir, Live Ba of Nedit, Live this Pepy.

ta-s Baiu-k Pepy pen Khent pawt Neteru m twt arat im-thi hat-k - It (eye of Hru) places your Ba of this Pepy among the Company of the Neteru in the image of the arat (uraei, serpents) which are on your brow."

The Ba has various aspects not just limited to human existence, the divine principles or the Neteru have Baiu (souls) as well.  The Most High Being Neb-R-Djer or the aspect of Imun/Amun is the Universal Ba that runs thru all of existence from there you have the Ba of the Neteru which then extends into human form as the soul of mortal man.  The Ba has various aspects which are spoken of within the inner temple.... It suffices here to say that "In the beginning is Ba, In the end is Ba.  Between beginning and end Ba is everything; it is the breath of life."


BA

Next is that which is called the Khaibit... This aspect of the soul is what is known as the "shadow" body.  This shadow body existed in conjunction with the Ka & the Ba aspects and attached to them when they partook of the funerary offerings in the tomb.  This part was also independent & like the other parts able to leave the body at will.  The Khaibit always stays near to the Ba & thus is associated with it directly.  In the Rw Pr M Hrw (Book of Coming Forth By Day) Chapter 92 verse 1 starts off speaking about the Ba & the Khaibit.
"Re eN Wn isi eN Ba eN Khaibit pert eM Hru Sekhem eM retui - Speech of opening the tomb of the Ba and of the Khaibit (shadow), of coming forth by day, and of power of the legs."  Also verse 8 -10 (in part) of the same chapter states "In kheni-ten ba-i in Khaibit-i maa-f neter A'a em-khennu kari hru ip baiu nem-f djetet en Iwsir. - Shut not my soul in, fetter not my shadow, may he see Netjer A'a (The great God) within the Kari shrine on the day of judgment of the baiu, may he repeat the words of Iusir."


KHAIBIT

Moving on we come to the Akh.  The word Akh literally means shining or translucent, it can be translated as  the "Shining one."  The Akh is the spirit body which is comparable to the Human Energy Field called the Aura.  The akh unlike the Ka & the Ba dwelled strictly in the Petu among the Neteru.  Certain Hekau were recited by the priest in order to release the Akh so that it may join the other perfected souls in the Sekhet Iaru or the Sekhet Hotep.  the Akh is indestructible & eternal dwelling among the Gods.  The 91st chapter of Rw Pr M Hrw shows the Hekau to allow the Akh to exit the tomb.  Chapter 91 vrs 1-4 "Re eN temt Kheni-tu Ba Se eM Neter-Khert Djet in Iwsir Ani I qa duau-f-tu ur Baiu Ba A'a shefsheft dada neru-f eN Neteru kha'a her nest-f urt iri-f uat eN Akh en Ba eN Iwsir Ani iu-i aper-k ui nuk Akh aper iri-ni uat eR bu enti Ra  Het Heru im - Speech of not causing to be shut the Ba of a person in Neter-Khert.  Iusir Ani says: Hail praised one, the one who is adored Ur-Baiu (Great Soul), mighty ram of terror, causing fear of himself in the Neteru crowned upon his mighty throne.  He makes a path for the Akh, for the Ba of Iusir Ani.  I am an Akh provided, I have made the path to the place where Ra and Hat-Horu are."  The  shining aspect of the Akh is a metaphor for the incorruptible purified part of man it can be compared to "The light shining in the darkness & the darkness comprehended it not".  The Akh has three aspects in relation to nature and man.  The first is metaphysical & relates to the light shining or generated in the darkness.  The second is natural "light incorporate" re-generation from decomposition for example new plants growing from fertilizer manure.  The third is within man as spiritual light as in knowledge & awareness manifesting over the darkness of ignorance (Khem).  This light is dulled as the soul manifests within the human being & forgets its' purified state of being & thus man needs to re-learn their true nature, which is that of Neter but not Neter itself.

AKH
The Sekhem is the form body.  It is the power or form of a man or woman.  The Sekhem is associated with the Ba & the Akh.  when the physical body dies the Sekhem is called to dwell among the Akhu in Pet.  Neter: Re is called Sekhem-Ur or the Great Form/Power.  This power is the power of a human being that is built up & directed as Heka in the duration of the person's life.

SEKHEM - POWER/FORM

Last but not least we come to the Ren.  The Ren is the name of the deceased/initiate that was called in Pet.  It is the divine name of the being.  This name was the saced name that was known by the Neteru.  In the story of Re & Iuset the sacred name of Re had to be given in order for Iuset to heal him.  THe Khemu taught that if you knew the name of a thing you had power over it.  The Per A'a had his birth name then he had his royal or Horus name.  The royal name was written within a cartouche.


REN

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