What is Heka?
Heka was the ancient Egyptian understanding of magic, not as superstition, but as the fundamental creative force of the universe—the power to make a thought, a word, or an image manifest into reality.
Heka: The Power in the Word and Image
This is where we move from fact to profound understanding. We often think of magic as superstition. For the ancient Egyptians, it was the fundamental operating system of the universe. This is Heka.
Heka was the force that brought the world into being. The gods used it. But more importantly, humans could wield it through ritual, image, and most of all, the spoken word. To speak a thing with true intention and correct knowledge was to perform the deed. It was to make something true, first in the spiritual realm and then in the physical.
When we walk through Egypt’s temples today, we often hear guides explain how the pharaohs carved their victories on the walls. Yet if we look more closely, we might realise they were not only recording the past, but also invoking the future—speaking victories into being, shaping reality with word and image. Perhaps one of the best temples where you can see this in action is at Medinet Habu – where you can see how a desperate Pharaoh used Heka to defend his city from the sea people and others of the time.
To stand in these places is to glimpse ancient Egypt in a new light: the light of Heka, the magic of creation itself. I hope that through my writings here—and on one of our tours—you might catch a glimpse of Heka for yourself.
“To speak a thing with true intention and correct knowledge was to perform the deed.”
This is why amulets were so much more than jewellery. A faience wedjat (Eye of Horus) amulet wasn’t just a pretty blue bead. Through ritual and the power of Heka, it became protection for its wearer. Its form was its function.
An amulet wasn’t just an ornament. Through ritual and intention, the amulet became the thing it represented. Its form was its function. This is a concept so foreign to our modern minds, yet it’s the key to unlocking their world.
Heka was also a god, depicted with the symbols of pharaonic power—a reminder that this creative force was the rightful domain of the king, involved in the daily battle against chaos
Amulets: Partners of Power
🟫 The Djed Pillar
It looks like a strange column with crossbars. But it is the backbone of the god Osiris, the very symbol of stability, endurance, and resurrection. After chaos and collapse, the Djed pillar was ritually raised in ceremonies, an act of Heka to restore order and strength. To wear a Djed amulet was to stitch that very stability into your own spine. It was a wearable promise of resilience. To know more about the djed – read here Return of the Djedi?
🟦 The Wedjat (Eye of Horus)
That brilliant blue faience eye you see in every museum shop and bazaar. To us, a souvenir. To them, it was the restored, healthy eye of the god Horus, wounded in battle and healed by the goddess Hathor. To wear it wasn’t to symbolize healing and protection; through Heka, it was healing and protection. It was a shield against evil, actively working to keep you whole and safe. You wouldn’t just wear it; you’d rely on it.
🟩 The Scarab (Khepri)
A simple beetle carved from stone. But to the Egyptian, it was the god Khepri, who rolled the sun across the sky each day just as the dung beetle rolls its ball across the sand. It was the ultimate symbol of transformation, renewal, and the sun’s eternal rebirth. To place a scarab amulet over a mummy’s heart was to perform Heka—to actively ensure the heart did not bear witness against the deceased in the Hall of Judgment and to guarantee their transformation into a glorified spirit. It was a tool for the most important journey.
In 2012 I went in search of the lost symbols of Egypt and ended up having to commission them. Now you can find them in many of the souvenir shops and the tourist bazaar in Luxor – you can imbue them with the Heka magic yourself as I doubt modern day workers are doing so.
A Vignette: Tia’s Amulet
Let me tell you about a girl named Tia. She is twelve, living in a sun-baked house in Thebes. Her father is a scribe. Today, a fever burns through her younger brother. The air in the house is thick with the smell of herbs and fear.
Tia’s mother doesn’t just pray. She acts. From a small wooden box, she takes not medicine, but a wedjat eye amulet of vibrant blue faience. She holds it to her lips and whispers over it, her words a rapid, rhythmic invocation to the goddess Hathor for healing. These are not mere words; in the world of Heka, the word is the deed.
She places the cool amulet on her son’s hot forehead. This is not a symbol. In that moment, through the power of the crafted image, the charged word, and the focused belief, the amulet becomes the healthy, restored eye of Horus. It is actively repelling the invisible forces of illness and chaos.
The blue colour isn’t just decorative; it is the colour of life-giving water and the protective sky, its very hue part of its magic. Tia watches, her own fear quieting, because she believes in the story the amulet tells: the story of a god made whole.
“The stone, the colour, the shape—they are a language without letters.”
A carnelian bead isn’t just red; it is the colour of blood and life, worn for vitality and to ward off evil. A lapis lazuli stone isn’t just deep blue; it is the vault of the night sky, a conduit to the divine. These are the invisible, understood words of power.
If you’d like to explore more stories of Egyptian beliefs and symbols, I’ve gathered them here: Egyptian History & Culture
Awareness as the Ultimate Protection
So, what is the protection? The protection is awareness itself. The ancient Egyptians were aware of this power. They engaged with it consciously, deliberately choosing the images and words that would protect and define them.
The carvings on the walls of the temples and tombs were much more than beautiful, powerless decorative touches. They were imbued with the words carried on the breath of the workers, priests and people for whom they were designed and made.
When the Egyptian king, Narmer, commissioned his famous palette he was not commemorating a past event, he was putting his desire and intention for a unified Egypt into stone. Stone which, when seen, would instill the same thought in the minds of all who would see it—thereby adding to the power of possible, nay, probable execution of his wishes. Read my insights into the Namer Palette Narmer Palette: The Stone That Dreamed a Nation
The Modern Heka: The Images That Shape Us
Now, step forward five thousand years. We like to think we are rational, immune to such “primitive” magic. But we are not. We are simply surrounded by a different kind of Heka, and we are less aware of its incantations.
-
The Advertisement: A billboard doesn’t just show you a car. A billboard doesn’t just show you a car. It shows you an image of a powerful, attractive person, liberated and smiling on an empty coastal road. The incantation is clear: “Buy this car, and you become this person. You achieve this freedom.” It’s a spell for transformation, as potent as any whispered over an amulet.
-
The Home: This is where our personal magic is most powerful. What are the posters on a teenager’s wall? They are not just decoration. They are the images they gaze upon daily, that seep into their subconscious and tell them who they should be, what they should value, what kind of life is desirable. They are constructing their identity with these modern icons.
-
The T-Shirt: A slogan on your chest is never just words. It is a declaration, a tribal marker, a wearable piece of your identity that actively broadcasts your beliefs and seeks to attract your tribe. It is a social amulet.
-
The Imperial State Crown of England: While often seen as symbols of immense wealth and royal status, the jewels in the Crown are, in their own way, a form of modern Heka—talismans of state power. Each gem is chosen for its narrative weight: the Cullinan diamonds speak of imperial dominion, the Stuart Sapphire of historical continuity, and the Black Prince’s Ruby (a spinel) of purported protective power in battle. They are not merely adornments; they are a curated collection of images and stories designed to perform a deed: to visually embody the stability, history, and unassailable authority of the monarchy itself, transforming the wearer into the living icon of the state.
Something to consider:
💡 “Every act of protective persuasion also requires a measure of wisdom and compassion for the minds it will touch.” For example:
The Public Safety Campaign: A highly publicized campaign against a specific danger, relentlessly illustrated with worst-case scenarios, operates with the same potent Heka. It seeks to protect by vividly depicting harm – such as the warning on cigarette boxes of the possibility of it causing cancer or the campaign for road safety displaying the image of a child being knocked down. However, its power carries a hidden cost: for a susceptible few, the terrifying image itself can become a subconscious script, planting a seed of fixation or fear where none existed.
The magic meant to ward off a thought can, paradoxically, become the very thing that introduces and nourishes it. This is the inherent risk of wielding such power—the same symbol that acts as a shield for the majority can, for another, inadvertently become a magnet for the very chaos it was designed to repel. True awareness lies in understanding that every act of protective persuasion also requires a measure of wisdom, understanding and compassion for the minds it will touch.
So, What Does Heka Mean for Us Today?
It means looking at the posters in your home and asking: Do these images serve me? Do they tell a story I want to live inside?
It means choosing your jewellery with the intention of Tia’s mother:
-
What power do I need today?
-
Grounding? Courage? Joy?
-
Let this piece hold that intention for me.
It means understanding that the T-shirt you wear is not only telling the world who you are, but it is casting a spell on everyone who reads it.
Knowing that every image, every logo, every curated photograph on social media is an attempt to perform Heka upon you is the first step to choosing your own magic. It is the modern equivalent of learning the sacred words to ward off evil spirits.
“The principle has never changed: What we see, and what we surround ourselves with, moulds us.”
The Power of Personal Heka
- Have you ever worn a locket with a photo of your children? That’s not just a picture; it’s a tangible piece of your love, a comfort you can touch. It has Heka.
- Have you ever slipped on a ring that was your grandmother’s? You feel a connection, a strength, a sense of her story woven into yours. That ring has Heka.
- Do you have a piece of jewellery or a lucky item of clothing you wear for confidence before a big meeting, or for calm on a turbulent flight? You are charging it with your intention. You are performing a small, modern ritual of Heka.
This is where your jewellery box becomes a cabinet of wonders. So the next time you choose a piece of jewellery, ask yourself not just “Does this go with my outfit?” but “What power does this hold for me?”
-
Seeking protection? Choose a shape that makes you feel safe.
-
Seeking strength? Choose a stone that feels grounded and solid.
-
Seeking joy? Wear a colour that sings to you.
Infuse it with your own intention. Speak your own quiet words of power over it. Because whether it’s a faience wedjat or a silver Celtic knot, the truest magic—the deepest Heka—has always come from the meaning we pour into it, and the story we choose to wear next to our skin.
Closing Reflection
✨ “The most powerful amulet you can wear now is not a wedjat eye, but a conscious mind.” ✨
I leave you with the thought that since you now know the magic of ancient Heka that still plays a huge part in your life—is it time for you to take control and wield your personal Heka, consciously in your own life?