Preamble
This is my entry for round five of the Information Finding Championship. This round was a “choose your own adventure” quest and I decided to go with one of the topics that 
Before I begin though, I would like to point out that while researching this topic I noticed that there isn’t a lot of information out there on the subject and much of what is out there is piece meal, contradictory and/or based on personal opinion. As such, I want to make it clear that this article is based on limited research and information and that it is mostly my interpretation of the subject based on my own understandings and experiences. With that in mind, this information should not be taken as fact but rather as one individuals perspective.
Nonetheless, I hope that you find it interesting, insightful or even just entertaining.
The Order of the D’Jedhi
The D’Jedhi, also known by some as the Egyptian Serpent Priests, were protectors of the Temple of Osiris. They were considered to be healers and guardians of hidden knowledge and sacred wisdom. Many people also believed them to be practitioners of magic.
The word D’Jedhi is represented by two symbols in Egypt – the "djed" (or spinal column) and the serpent. As such, the D’Jedhi priests are those who have raised the inner serpent from the base of their spinal column, up to their heads, thus making them a serpent of wisdom.
Mark Amaru Pinkham describes the process of becoming a D’Jedhi priest in “The Return of the Serpents of Wisdom.” In his book Pinkham describes a ritual in which a D'Jedhi candidate undergoes a symbolic death ceremony before finally being initiated into the ancient order. The candidate is buried in a sarcophagus (stone coffin) for three days at which point he is (symbolically) declared dead by a presiding priest.
For three days, ancient scripture was read over the candidate in order to awaken the serpent energy within them. As the "serpent" arose up the spinal column, it would pierce each successive chakra point thereby flooding the candidates consciousness with visions. If the candidate was ready for this awakening process, the visions would occur naturally. However, unprepared candidates might stall the process if they indulged in their own inner thoughts of the self. It is also said that during this process candidates would also often leave their bodies and take flight among the stars and universe. After three days of being in the sarcophagus the ceremony would end when the serpent energy reached the candidates crown chakra. As the serpent energy dissipated, the candidate would dissolve into a state of pure being and they would then rise from their tomb as a member of the D’Jedhi.
Making Connections
Many of the ideas associated with the D’Jedhi can be found in other spiritual traditions as well. For instance, Kundalini yoga describes chakra energy that is located within the spinal column and it also likens the process of chakra awakening as a serpent rising up the spinal column. Similarly, Buddhism, which heavily incorporates meditation into its practice, discusses enlightenment as a sort of death process of letting go of ones ego and all of their worldly attachments.
Interestingly, the “Scottish Rite,” which is a branch of Freemasonry, has many associations with ancient Egypt. It also has 33 degrees within the order which corresponds to the number of vertebrae found in the human spinal column, and it has several phrases within it that talk about receiving light.
Modern science as well, is starting to test the benefits of meditation and has found that something very real happens within the human brain when an individual meditates. Researchers have found that meditation not only re-wires the brain but can also grow brain cells (grey matter) in several areas, including the hippocampus (i.e. the area associated with learning). It seems that the practice of meditation does have a physiological effect on an individual who practices it.
Hidden in Plain Sight
To me, meditation seems to be the key aspect of the all of these spiritual practices including that of the D’Jedhi. It seems to me that when the individual meditates for extended periods of time and when they are able to shut off their mind, they are then able to connect with a higher form of energy that is contained within themselves. Being locked in the darkness of a sarcophagus, cut off from external stimuli, appears to allow the D'Jedhi candidate to go into a deep state of meditation for an extended period of time.
To me, this is the secret of all of these ancient orders. When the individual is uninhibited by their mind, their ego dissolves and the persons transcends into pure being. In such a state there is no “self,” which allows the individual to connect with a higher power that is greater then themselves. In such a state, the many "gates of heaven" (or chakra's) open to the individual and they experience visions, inner knowledge and instances of bliss (or states of non suffering).
What I’ve noticed about any talk of ancient orders is that there is a common theme in which they often hold and/or protect sacred hidden knowledge. I personally believe that what these orders are hiding is the fact that the knowledge is within ourselves and that this process can actually be achieved by anyone at any time. As such, the ancient knowledge that these orders protect is not actually hidden within their books and it is not something that can really be read. instead, it is hidden within each individual and it is something that has to be experienced.
To protect or hide this ancient wisdom, and also to truly pass it on to others, these orders write about it in metaphor and analogy so that the uninitiated cannot rationalize it or think about it intellectually, as doing so actually hinders the process. Again, this is something that must be experienced to understand. Instead, candidates are taken through extensive ritual and practice in order to experience the wisdom first hand.
An example of such a metaphor is the the verse in the Bible about Jesus performing the miracle of walking on water. This is actually an analogy describing an individual taming the turbulent inner turmoil of the mind so that they can transcend to a higher form of consciousness.
Generally, we want to believe that powerful things are impossible or that they must be complex. We also tend to believe that it is through knowledge and information that we will gain wisdom and enlightenment. As such, we spend our lives searching every book and the every corner of the internet to find that golden piece of data that will help us understand the world or ourselves; that will help us connect with god or achieve a higher form of consciousness. But herein lies a paradox, because the truth is not hidden within books, or information or within knowledge. Truth is actually hidden in the place we least expect it; it is hidden in plain sight.
Truth is hidden in the silence.
Thanks for reading. What are your thought on the subject?
For an article that I wrote about a year ago on my own personal crown chakra experience click the link below.