Our preferred text (Papyrus of Ani)

 Given our preference for it, I would like you imagine how our preferred text, the Papyrus of Ani, would have been constructed under, to reflect on the workshop. 

The Forty-Two have their eyes on you.

Various parts of the Book of Dead would have been copied out by scribes, such as myself, as we felt the urge on slow days between important jobs. You know the jobs with proper living clients. And future business prospects. Book of Dead was apprentice work.

Or vacation work. I used to take "vacation days" in food service by cleaning. The worst of the gruk. In full view of the customers. It would take me at least ten minutes to clean up; everyone could see that . . . better that my employees did their jobs, right?

Nevertheless. the Book of the Dead was piece work. Not done as a whole job. It was done a Spell at a time. Or rather a sheet at a time. Sheets that would be glued together.

For instance, the widow of Ani came into the workshop. Was shown the sheets available, selected the ones that she liked, and the Papyrus of Ani was born. 

We are lucky that it survived. That the British Museum acquired it. Published an "Elephant Folio" of it in 1890. Budge translated it for us in 1895. The original generation of Victorian Adepts chose this as the Hermetic Golden Dawn papyrus, relating it to both Inner and Outer Orders . . . perhaps even to the Secret Chiefs themselves. 

Yet, we have to remember that the Papyrus of Ani comes from a school of documents where there is no standard book; the leather mastercopies being unique to each workshop. Our official instruction to Hierophants in Golden Dawn of "various animal and human heads" for the Forty-Two Judges come from the fact that once you do research past our chosen papyrus, you go blind will the chaotic sea of possibilities. 

So stick to the chosen Papyrus for the Forty-Two. Ani. Greatly Honored NOM thanks you.

Accept none other than the real deal.