Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.”

—Genesis 1:26

Who was God talking to? I cannot speak for others but questions like this have me lying awake for hours thinking. Is there or was there more than one god? Does God have a wife? As a child, these are things I often wondered. I could write pages on this topic alone and dissect each answer I have ever received, but not today. Lets save that talk for a podcast.

SO, I love reading obviously. I started reading very young and by 10, I had read all the VC Andrews books. I would grab one of my Gran’s books and disappear for hours. I know, those books are not for children but I think my Gran just got them for the covers. Ha! Anywho, she had different types of bibles as well and to a child who reads, those were just as adventurous as reading the Animorphs Series. Judge me. Those were fantastic! But the point here is, I did not understand that religion was not fantasy.

God makes one man and one woman and then they make others, and I am reading and learning and... there is the Egyptians... moving on —wait! How did they get over there? We started over here, but they are already over there ruling. I flip through pages and re-read. What did I miss? Call me Matilda, because I went to my public library and hit the history section. To read that there was written records on the walls of this country in Africa blew my mind! Goddesses, water gods, jackal headed gods, falcons, kings, and queens— I felt like I had found where I came from. I truly mean that. I will never forget the connection I felt.

For many moons, the 1998 animation film “Prince of Egypt” was mt study guide. Judge me. I watched that movie like I was breathing oxygen. Who are these people! They left mysterious behind that no one will ever truly be able to 100% decipher. There was nothing much to learn from biblical stories, but you can imagine my excitement in middle school when, by accident, I was thrown into a mythology class. Not only was I finally learning about the gods, but the Greek gods as well. Zeus, Here, Hermes, Aphrodite, Medusa, centaurs, and giants was right up my alley. I knew I wanted to write about these gods and goddesses, but I was missing something. I had no story. And I was more confused than ever because the Bible said one thing but here was full real countries that all these mythical tales came out of. What to think...

By nature, I am an introvert. A book, some paper, a pen, and an empty room is heaven to me. Or a library is just as great. I stayed in the public library on the computer for hours on weekends looking up all that I could. In that same year, Titanic had hit Blockbuster and I watched it and because I am a thinker, something nagged me about that ship sinking. I felt like something else happened and of course, I found what I was looking for. While enamored with pictures of Leo DiCaprio and trying to figure out if Rose was real, I came across an article about a myth, a ghost story, linking the ship to an Egyptian mummy.

This legend dates to 1890 when 4 rich Englishmen bought a coffin, #22542, aka Princess Amen-Ra from Luxor. They were warned that all who touched the mummy would die. But they are rich, so they took her anyway. The article describes how chaos happened wherever the coffin went and the men all died. It goes on to say that the coffin was set to sail on a sparkling White Star liner making that trip the mummies final act. When the ship sank, the mummy reportedly had a lifeboat of her own. Eventually the unlucky mummy made her way out of America after causing

mayhem but never made it back to Luxor. Google it. Great ghost story for sure. Goosebump worthy. Supposedly she is in the British Museum in London today and that story is a myth and she did not cause the ship to sink. I was already writing short stories but once I read this, I knew this was the piece I was looking for. I wanted more! But there is never more when it comes to this Ancient civilization. And to get this out the way, anything related to Rameses, Hatshepsut, Alex, or Cleo has never piqued my interests. I have never felt magic from their time. If the Kemet/ Egyptian Gods were the “us” and the “our” in Genesis, they clearly abandoned everyone. Tut was the last that left any mystery in this world. My thoughts, my opinions. Moses had to come clean house and that is not my opinion, that is biblical facts... back to God.

“BEHOLD, I am bringing punishment upon Pharaoh and Egypt and HER GODS, and her Kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust him.”

—Jeremiah 16:25

Why was that necessary? Was Isis, Thoth, Hathor, Sobek, Set, Osiris, Sekret, Horus, Neith, Montu, and Anubis, humans who defied the almighty and he brought wrath upon their lives? Were the gods who mad man in their image and their likeness and humans adapted the ways of their gods?

Myths, legends, and life.

“And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians and they will fight each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.”

—Isaiah 19:2

Each of my novels has one of these verses. Not in the story, but just there. Like a dedication almost. I cannot truly say why I do it, I just do. It works. I was taught that they are mythical yet, our lord almighty had to keep reminding us about them. And for me, I am that child who you tell to not touch the fire because it is hot. And I need to know how hot it is, so I touch it.

There was once a civilization of people who worshipped a jackal headed god, women with wings, and lived to die. Those people worked hard to have the best burials to meet Maat and Osiris below. That is mind blowing! To me, I cannot see how their world was not real.

After all my thoughts and 4 books later on the myths, the legends, and the gods, I come full circle. “Who was God talking to?”

Vee