A Naked Child Before Adults (Her-Bak)

Her-Bak begins with a young boy seeking to find what is over a wall. Trying to see, he stops is donkey next to a tree so he can get a better view. From the top of the tree all he can see is more wall for it is very tall. Furthermore, upon his descent, he was shocked to find his donkey had wandered off.

He finds the donkey in the clutches of a big burly guard at the city gate. The guard torments the boy and takes the lad’s dayu or loin cloth. In the Egyptian culture a dayu is given to a boy as he enters puberty and is a sign of manhood. Her-Bak had his only one day. He’s moved from child to adult to child in two days.

Is this much different than what a seeker goes through in an initiatory order? He seeks what is hidden only to find his very seeking causes a loss of something important and long before he gains that back, he feels naked and exposed, a child among adults.

The brute is interesting too. While it appears the guard is completely external, is he really? Or does he simply expose the boy’s own doubt’s of his own manhood? It is interesting that during the confrontation, Her-Bak tosses salt into the man’s drinking water. To Her-Bak this is just. The brute thinks this act is a great affront perpetrated by an ungrateful whelp. How many times have I seen that scenario played out during occult studies? The act of being the occult brute does not go without repercussions comparatively minor though they are. Was Her-Bak so wrong for lashing back at the guard who by his actions is a thief for stealing Her-Baks beer and bread? In a Buddhist sense, the answer is yes. But in many other paths of life this is a natural, though often unbeneficial, thing to do. Those who lead can not afford that luxury.

He then meets his first guide. In a very brief time, the man points him toward his first task. The task appears to be a means to a far off end. Though, the boy does not appear to have a great understanding of this. The guide tells Her-Bak of something that will occur. When the event happens, Her-Bak is amazed with the guide’s abilities.

Is this so different than what happens in an initiatory order? Tasks are given, such as learning the Hebrew alphabet, which are means to a far off end that the student does not fully understand. As the teacher proves himself with this or that tidbit of knowledge or wisdom, students are amazed and propelled onward to further study.

The next post regarding Her-Bak will explore the duality of nature that Egyptians experienced and how that aligns with my current occult thought.

(Picture from: http://www.mambokings.org/July1Social/pages/Modesty.htm)