As a child, I was fascinated by mummies - as many children are. I remember being put-off and confused when I learned about the mummification process. They essentially disregarded the brain - using hooks inserted through the nose to pull it out in pieces. I was shocked at their disrespect for this major organ - after all, a person could survive with just their head left hooked to machines. How could they not see the importance? Yet they took much care of other organs, storing them in canopic jars alongside the body.
My viewpoint changed entirely today. Something caught my ear in a video, then I did a little digging. As a result, I've done a 180 and can finally understand why they did this.
First off, no, they didn't regard the brain highly - it was just another piece of internal flesh that needed to be removed to prevent rot and decay. Other organs that would decompose (liver, lungs, stomach) were all removed carefully, washed and packed. Yet the heart was not removed. They believed that the heart was the center of the body, the center of intelligence and feeling, and the dead would need this in the afterlife. And so they left the heart in tact and in the body.
Mindfulness as a state of being is wonderful. And an open mind allows one to traverse the various aspects of different cultures with wonder instead of fear. But to live well and act righteously? That takes an open heart. The Egyptians had it right thousands of years ago.
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