RLH: "If we consider the OCT for the KC south shaft then it must accurately pinpoint Khufu’s star should it not? I mean he would not want to be linked to Khafre’s star would he?"



The shaft seems to be 'targeting' the distinctive 3-star asterism in the centre of Orion rather than a specific star within the asterism, although that also is possible given the number of variables - in other words, the association may be with Sah (sAH) - with Orion.


One aspect of the king's celestial life in the PTs was to be a companion to Sah, 'the father of the gods', and the king as a 'big' star, accompanied Sah across the sky.

Sah (Orion) lay on its side as it emerged from the Akhet on the eastern horizon, but rose up to stand upright due south - this is the state the king desired - to rise up from off his side, dead, to standing upright, 'alive'. The depictions of Dyn 3 Netjerikhet, striding or standing upright in various shrines on the panels beneath his funerary complex, clearly show the king in his desired 'alive' state, and this is the state Khufu would have expected as he left his Duat (the sarcophagus chamber) where he lay dead, to rise up through his Akhet (the pyramid superstructure) and emerge into the sky.


As the king emerged from his Akhet at the appropriate time / season, he was facing an area of the sky where Sah 'stood upright' - alive - 'effective'. The centre of his 'field of view' was the asterism in the centre of Orion. One PT has an enigmatic inscription where the king had come to 'akhify' Sah (sAH, 'Orion') (P 323). The PTs were known as 'akhifiers' (sAxw) "designed to aid the deceased in becoming 'akh'... the quality of becoming or being effective" and the king appears to have had an important role to play in this.


We need to remember that this all takes place in another dimension - an 'otherworld' where 'sight' is not physical sight as we know it - the king was dead - his body lay in his tomb - it was his 'spirit' / 'soul' that was free to live 'effectively' in a celestial 'otherworldly' dimension - physical rules did not apply in this magical place.

CT