The day finally arrived for the long-awaited Egypt trip with some other people, most of whom I didn’t previously know. I was waiting at the airport, being one of fourteen people heading to Egypt. I was one of The Wise’s translators and a recent derKi author, but I didn’t know the editor of these magazines, Hasan “Sonsuz” Çeliktaş, in person. I had met some of these people before, however. For example, I worked with one of them at the same company once, and we’d met there sometimes. Another was the sister of my Reiki master, and another was the wife of my astrology teacher.
It was just like the TV series: Touch. Everyone on this journey was connected to each other, one way or another. They all well knew that nothing was incidental: The members of each soul family will one day meet somewhere for some reason, and nothing is in vain. Just as it is told at the beginning of each episode of Touch: “There is a belief in Chinese mythology. According to this myth, an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. This red thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.”
After chatting on the flight, we began to see Cairo below us. Everyone was so excited! We were all aware we would have some beautiful experiences there, because something was calling us to Egypt for various reasons. One person had dreamed of pyramids since she was seven. Another had a tattoo of Horus and Anubis on his back, and these whispered to him magically.
We were relieved when we landed at Cairo airport. At last, we were in the Cairo that we had dreamed of for so long. We didn’t know why we were so excited about this trip, but we were all in a strangely excited mood. We were a little disappointed on the way to the hotel because the surrounding area was so poor, but when we saw the pyramids just in front of our hotel, we had the same excitement again. The next day, we planned to enter into the Great Pyramid and visit the sarcophagus within the King’s Chamber, which was once an initiation center. We would perhaps even experience visions if we were lucky enough.
We had a busy schedule before visiting the Great Pyramid. The Bent Pyramid, the Step Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid were all on our way. We visited many places and listened carefully to what our guide told us, but to be honest, I wasn’t interested in any of these. I don’t know if it was the same for the others, but all I wanted was to visit the Great Pyramid.  We finally arrived there and climbed a low narrow corridor that led us to the King’s Chamber. The pressure was on. An officer stood there with a lamp in his hand and chased off anyone who stayed in the chamber too long. If you tipped him, however, he would allow you to stay longer and even lay in the sarcophagus. While we were there, other tourists continually visited, so I could not get into the sarcophagus.
The officer then suddenly told us our time was over and sent us back downstairs, so I went back down with some of my friends. I was very close to the entrance of the pyramid when I looked back and realized some of my friends were still in the King’s Chamber. I told my friend Nurdan, who was with me at that moment, “I’m going back upstairs.” I then rapidly began to climb the ladders. This would be my second time now! I was climbing up the ladders of the Great Pyramid twice in one day! My friends upstairs were just about to go down, but I was determined. I had come all the way to Egypt to see what was inside those pyramids, so I wasn’t going to give up. My friend Aydın accompanied me there, and we were left all alone in the King’s Chamber after giving the officer 20 Egyptian Pounds. He didn’t ask us to leave, even after an hour, because the ancient gods had been replaced by a new one: money! Money is the greatest god for many people on Earth now…
Well, I climbed inside the sarcophagus, and my heart beat like thunder as I struggled for breath. I didn’t know if it was because of climbing all those ladders twice or some other unknown reason, but I was afraid. I felt as if I was going to die. My heart and lungs were working overtime. Nevertheless, I was relieved because I had fulfilled my duty. I had even climbed the ladders twice, the second time alone. I was proud of myself because before the trip I doubted whether I could climb the low narrow corridor. Well, there was a cosmic energy entering the pyramid from Sirius and Orion, and I would regret it forever if I returned home empty handed. Perseverance and courage are always the winners, aren’t they?
This adventure at the Great Pyramid echoed something in the depths of my soul: All ladders are worth climbing twice, and all past failures are worth a second try! The past can strain my mind, while the future is only a vague design. I needed to stop my mind and listen to the whispers of my soul! In the Great Pyramid, I felt all of my veins pulse! One verse from the Holy Koran accurately describes what I felt: “And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein” (50:16).
So, what then? Everything changed, and this trip was no longer a tourist outing for me. I don’t remember where I went and which temples I visited. I am not sure which city was Aswan and which was Luxor. If we hadn’t taken so many photos, I would never have remembered all the places we visited. All I remember is my spiritual experiences there.
During the evening following the pyramid tour, and I don’t know why, but I burst into tears. The cosmic-energy therapist in the group, Şehnaz, was there for me, and she helped me with her healing hands by giving me the love I needed. I felt better thanks to her, but I still felt unwell because I was so confused somehow.
What were all these gods and goddesses? I was always so proud because my name was derived from the goddess Cybele, but I felt unease there between all the gods and goddesses.
I then suddenly felt like Ishtar in the magnificent film Bab’Aziz. In this film, Ishtar helps her blind grandfather to find his way to a wedding, but in reality, the grandfather is leading her there. Words were whispered to my heart during the film: “It suffices to walk, just walk. Those who are invited will find the way.” Yes, “wisdom” took my hand, and I again fell in love with these words: “How can you find something if you don’t know what you are looking for?”
There is only one Almighty Creator! People took different paths to reach this one and only. The gods and the goddesses were the messengers of the Almighty, sent to Earth from different parts of the celestial skies. In time, the religions were institutionalized, and people began to worship deities such as Horus and Isis, and they became alienated from the Creator. These so-called gods and goddesses were no different to the messengers and prophets who performed many miracles. However, there are always those who abuse people’s beliefs. For example, in Kom Ombo temple, the priests talked to people from a hidden room, and the people believed they were talking with the gods.
I always believed any worship should be between just me and the Almighty. I don’t need to prove it to anyone, and I don’t need to display my prayers with an extravagant show. The only thing I should present to God is what I really feel in my heart. This is not worshiping, in fact, and I could better describe such moments as when I meet with my higher self. I experienced a similar moment in the Isis Chamber of the Abydos Temple. I felt as if my feminine energy was honored and purified from past wounds and traumas there. Small windows in the ceiling of the room allowed sunlight to enter. We all sat under one of these windows and took photos under the shaft of sunlight that came from it. It was really a beautiful ambiance. We all shared these photos on Facebook, showing off by saying, “Look, I am enlightened in Egypt.” A few friends took photos of me, and suddenly, something miraculous happened. I cannot even find the right words to describe what happened there, but my whole body went numb, and my eyelids trembled. I was just in the center of a beautiful light. I sat there for a while, not even moving a finger, and felt the light in every cell of my body.
Well, you can guess the rest of the trip! Where is the Nile? What is there in Philae? Or should I visit Abu Simbel? Everything, literally everything, lost its meaning.
My heart saw the One who just says, “BE.” I saw what I had inside me just as I was totally in an illusion, looking for myself out of myself. I saw that my soul was part of the whole with the Creator. I understood that God didn’t have 99 names, but 100 names, and the 100th name was mine—it was all of us! We are not separate from the Creator!
I look now at the photos taken in Egypt, and I am surprised, as if it is my first time seeing Luxor or Carnac. It is as if I didn’t visit any of these places. I look at the entrance tickets to the temples and try to work out which temple is which. Does it matter? Really, no! I got what I needed from that trip, and I filled my water bearer with healing water during it, so nothing else really matters.
Before the trip, the Temple of Hathor fascinated me. There are many astrological carvings on the walls, including the oldest zodiac known to history. Astrology has always been a divine discipline for me, so to be honest, I hoped to be initiated to astrology in Egypt, but I did not know how it would turn out. After seeing Dendera, I became fascinated by the stars once more, and I was glad to be a student of astrology. When we started the trip on April 14, transiting Saturn from my fifth natal house had a YOD aspect, which pointed out Aries in my 11th house. This “Finger of God” was pointing out that a group of people and social interactions in my life would be very important for me during the trip. We also had a new moon in Taurus on the final day of our trip on April 21. This was an indicator that my subconscious was purified and ready for a new beginning. Yes, this trip was a healing one for me.
In short, I can easily say the trip’s timing was very good, what with the YOD and the new moon in the sky. It was a trip with extraordinary people—we meditated, had energy practices, and studied family consultation. I met some very precious people who were real experts on spiritual studies. My expertise helped us to make peace with our family roots. Hasan Baba took my hand and taught me how to be an Ishtar, and he took me on a trip to my soul. I understood why my dear friend Aydın and I had shared the wisdom of Rumi and the other wise people of Anatolia for more than a year, as well as why we decided to go on this trip together. There’s also my dear roommate Gaye. We were friends before, because we already knew each other for a long time, but this trip helped us to get closer. During the nights when everyone went to bed, we stayed awake and talked all night. We hadn’t gone to Egypt to catch up on sleep or have a rest, had we? Finally, there was dear “Sonsuz”! I am grateful to a common friend who enabled me to get in touch with him. With his help, I am realizing my life purpose: Being a Scorpio with Gemini in the Ascendant and Jupiter in my ninth house in Aquarius, I have become a translator for The Wise and an author for derKİ. I went on this trip and made friends with some very precious people thanks to him.
I love all of my fellow travelers, and I am grateful to those who have been, and who will be, a part of my life! I know we are all connected to each other by red threads of fate that will never break!
We all had our own ascensions in Egypt, and we have all opened the gate to our own heavens. Everything happened just on time and just the way they had to be! The path from Ra to Lord was wide open before me, and I took a step forward.
May God speed both you and me!
Jalla habebe…           

“Originator of the Heavens and the Earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” – Holy Koran (2:117)
Sibel Oltulu