In order to fully understand the reign of Akhenaten, we first need to travel back in time, to the reign of his great grandfather Tuthmose III, founder of the Rosicrucian movement. This was originally a group of mystical scholars, of both sexes, which formed part of a wider organisation known as The Great White Brotherhood. It is unclear as to exactly when the Brotherhood was formed, but according to Rosicrucian records, many of the rules and regulations appear to have been formulated by this King. At the close of his reign, in 1447 BC, 39 men and women sat on the High Council of the Brotherhood at the Temple of Karnak, many of whom were aspects of the various Ascended Masters that we know and work with today. Tuthmose III was himself an aspect of Kuthumi.
The aim of the Brotherhood was to bring together the wisest men and women of Egypt to discuss and preserve the great knowledge that they had attained. It could therefore in some ways be seen as a school of philosophy. Students from around the ancient world flocked to Egypt in order to study these philosophies and truths under the directorship of the Brotherhood.
Several mystic schools in Egypt and throughout the Middle East were united under these auspices, assuming different names in different locations. Two of these were the Essenes and the Rosicrucians. Some of their members were healers and physicians, whilst others studied and translated the ancient texts. For these purposes, two principal centres were maintained, one at Lake Moeris in Egypt, where Ascended Master El Morya was born, and one in Palestine, near the Dead Sea. In addition to this, for many centuries they maintained a great library and school of learning near Mount Carmel.
After the death of Tuthmose III, succeeding Pharaohs continued as Grand Master of The Brotherhood, through to Amenhotep IV. Amenhotep, who was one of El Morya's many incarnations, was better known as the so called heretic Pharaoh, Akhenaten.
Tuthmose III successor was his son Amenhotep II, and he in turn was succeeded by Tuthmose IV. Shortly before his coronation, the young Tuthmose IV went hunting at Giza, and fell asleep within the shadow of the Sphinx. There he had a dream, a vision of the Divine, which identified itself as Ra Horakhty, an aspect of the Sun god.
The Sun was divided into four different aspects. At dawn, as he rose, he was known as Khepri. As he rose higher throughout the morning, he was known as Ra Horakhty. When the Sun reached its full noon day height, it was known as the Aten. In mid afternoon, when it set it became Atum. The King seems to have been profoundly touched by his experience with Ra Horakhty, feeling as if he had been literally reborn as the very son of God himself.
Some time afterwards, he visited his wife Mutwemweia and conceived a child, who was to become Amenhotep III. The young Prince was looked after and tutored by a variety of different courtiers. Chief among these were a couple known as Yuya and Thuya. They had several children of their own, who were to play an important role in Egyptian history; two boys known as Aye and Anun, and a daughter named Tiye.
Amenhotep III ascended the throne at the age of around seven years, and within a short space of time was married to Tiye, no doubt at her parents instigation. The young King was richer than any other before him, and ruled over a vast and prosperous empire bequeathed to him by his ancestors. Once she reached puberty, Tiye began to bear him a succession of children, who must surely have been told of their grandfathers revelations. The King himself commemorated the event in his own way, by carving images of the Sun god within the Temple at Karnak. It was not the Sun as Ra Horakhy that he drew though, but rather the midday aspect, known as the Aten. In the meantime, he continued to venerate the other traditional gods, in particular the ever present and powerful Amun.
Little is known of the King's eldest son and heir, Prince Tuthmose, who disappeared towards the end of his reign. Subsequently his brother, Amenhotep IV, ascended to the throne.
He seems to have been a charismatic and highly intelligent young man with somewhat unusual ideas, clearly influenced by those of his grandfather. His greatest supporter was his uncle, Aye. Aye and his wife Teye had a daughter Mutnojme, who later married Horemheb. Teye is also listed as stepmother to another girl named Nefertiti, most probably Aye's daughter by a previous marriage. Nefertiti of course ultimately became Amenhotep IV's wife.
In year 27 of his reign, Amenhotep III presented his son as co-regent at the Temple of Karnak, under the throne name of Neferkheprure Waenre. Amenhotep III continued to rule Lower Egypt from his Palace at Thebes, while his son was made regent of Upper Egypt with his own court and set of officials.
Soon after his coronation, the young King was sent southwards to Nubia to celebrate his father's 30 year jubilee. There he founded a small settlement called Sesebi, where for the first time he was free to express his religious ideas, and loyalty to the Aten.
He eventually returned to Thebes to rejoin his wife and daughter, determined to establish his own city dedicated exclusively to his chosen god. With the jubilee celebrations finally over, he then sailed northwards to find a suitable site, accompanied by his chief ministers, among them Aye. Arriving at a desolate cliff ringed plain, the heart chakra of Egypt, he swore to build a magnificient city dedicated to the Aten, which today is known as Amarna. It was at this stage that he changed his birth name to Akhenaten.
It has often been said that he forbade the worship of other gods, yet evidence suggests that this was far from the case. Although the central Temple of Amarna was dedicated to the Aten, this was common practise throughout the country, as settlements worshipped their own local gods. In fact, when the city was excavated, virtually every house was decorated with images of a multitude of other gods, suggesting that the Aten was worshipped alongside these other deities, which he must surely have been aware of.
