ANKH: What It Really Means

Some say it is the symbol of life because it is a stylized representation of the sex act. Plausible, but no.

The bottom part of an ankh is actually a hawk. It is the part that looks like an uppercase "T." A "hawk" is a drywall tool. A modern, aluminum hawk is shown on the right. It is a hand-held tray used by a craftsman to hold a supply of mud or texture as it is being applied to the wall.

The "T" in an ankh is a shelf you use to carry something as you work.

The top part of the ankh is nothing less than the sun. In Egypt, this referred to Ra. Christianity would refer to this active aspect of the Trinity as The Christ. This circle sometimes looks like a teardrop because some ancient artist thought it looked better that way. It is not a teardrop: it is a circle, like the sun is a circle.

So, what does it mean?

It means that our job is to carry the sun (i.e., The Christ or Ra) through each day.

In ancient Egypt, religion was not for consumers. Everyone carried their own weight. Each person has a responsibility to do something.

The sun does not get across the sky without our help.

What's more, being spiritual is a dance: the kind of dance that has two partners. And the goal of a dance isn't the result: each step is as important.

The ankh is what we are supposed to be doing. In that sense, it does represent life.

And now you know why.