mbodying Osiris is a Jungian explanation of the great myth of Osiris, ancient Egypt’s venerated Lord of the Underworld and devoted husband of Isis, the mother goddess of wisdom and magic. This book examines the contemporary re-surfacing of Osiris as a psycho-spiritual model for the individual psyche. For Dr. Thom Cavalli, the gods did not in fact disappear but instead have been gradually re-emerging as psychological archetypes. Cavalli, a practicing Jungian psychologist, includes actual dream materials and clinical vignettes from his patients to amplify the myth’s content, revealing a means for real-life spiritual transformation.
In the myth Osiris is murdered and dismembered by his brother Set, who then scatters the pieces across the earth. But through the incantation of his beloved wife Isis, he is magically resurrected. Osiris brought back from the dead, the pinnacle of this sophisticated allegory, contains purposefully hidden keys. Seekers who de-code these keys gain access to real-life alchemical transformation. Embodying Osiris unlocks these deep Egyptian secrets, which Cavalli calls "recipes", offering a radical shift in consciousness for readers.
In analyzing the myth, we discover a fresh, postmodern interpretation. So instead of asking questions like, "How do we physically prepare our bodies for the afterlife?” today, we ask, “How can we embody Osiris in the modern world?" Cavalli shows us the way through insights gathered from sacred rituals and festivals, such as the Opening of the Mouth ritual, Judgment in the Great Hall of Osiris, the Heb Sed festival, and other facets of ancient Egyptian culture. The goal ultimately for Cavalli is individual and collective individuation, what Jung calls the conscious realization of one’s full potential. Adopt the wisdom of the Egyptians to journey upwards through the underworld, transcending death as the god who crafts victory from the ground up—Osiris.