From THE UNTAINTED EGYPTIAN by Moustafa Gadalla, of Tehuti Research Foundation, on the path of Ma'at, which I follow:
CHAPTER 4.
DISCOVER THE POWERS WITHIN YOU
4.1 TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR PERSONAL LIFE
While others insist that all humans were “born sinners”, the Egyptian teachings emphasize and build on the positive idea that within each human being is a “treasure” which can be found only by looking for it. The Egyptian teachings unleash the inner hidden potential of the human being to recognize and balance the energies within to learn, gain knowledge, and achieve. Each one of us must know how to manage these energies within and around ourselves, including all the forces, desires, emotions, etc. within each of us. Social laws must follow the same pattern of the energy organization of the universe. As Above So Below. In concentrations, especially when they are massive and uncontrolled, this energy matrix within is potentially dangerous; even deadly. Being hyperactive or angry are human examples of uncontrolled massive energies. It is therefore of paramount importance that the energy matrix be understood, managed, and controlled.
The principle of cosmic order on all levels, including human beings, is simply called ‘Maat’ by the Egyptians. Ma-at is the netert (goddess) that represents the principle of cosmic order; the concept by which not only men, but also the neteru (gods, goddesses) themselves were governed; and without which the neteru (gods, goddesses) are functionless. To solve any problem in your life, you need to empower your Maat within to bring order, balance, and harmony. Maat will guide you in sorting out (giving definition to/ bringing order to) all the chaos (the undifferentiated energy/matter and consciousness) within. More about Maat later on in this chapter.
4.2 PURSUE YOUR OWN PATH TO THE SOURCE
In Egypt, what we now call ‘religion’ was so widely acknowledged that it did not even need a name, because it is life itself in all its aspects. All the knowledge that was based on cosmic consciousness was embedded into their daily practices, which became traditions. The Egyptian model is not about the outer world or a community of believers, dogma, scriptures, rules, or rituals. It is not about simply believing that God is this or God is that or that. It is not just asking one to “believe”, and one is automatically in God’s graces. The Egyptian model of consists of ideas and practices that provide the tools for any spiritual seeker to progress along each one’s Path towards “union with the Divine”. This spiritual Path towards union requires one to engage in the hard and sometimes painful (but joyful) commitment to inner and outer purification. The seeker must gain knowledge of reality/truth, do well in everything, and apply what he/she has learned in the world. It is a philosophy of life; a way of individual behavior in order to achieve the highest morality and internal happiness and peace. The general perception of mysticism is that it is possible to achieve communion with God by attaining knowledge of spiritual truth through intuition acquired by fixed meditation. The Egyptian model for gaining knowledge is based on the utilization of both intellect and intuition. The natural principles and practices of the Egyptian model are as common in the West as in the East. A mystical seeker is anyone who believes that it is possible to have a direct experience of God. The Egyptian model of mysticism is a natural expression of personal religion. The seeker has the right to pursue a life of contemplation, seeking contact with the Source of being and reality. The mystical seekers pursue knowledge of the Reality/Truth of God that cannot be gained through dogmatic religions. The Egyptian model of mysticism (Sufism) is not a matter of creed and dogma, but rather a personal charter. Each one of us is a unique individual. The Ancient Egyptians implemented their beliefs in the individuality of each of us, in all their texts. For example, there were never two identical transformational (funerary) or medical (socalled “magical”) texts for any two individuals. There is no one-size-fits-all dogmatic doctrine. The Egyptian model recognizes the uniqueness of each individual, and as such, recognizes that the Paths to God
...The Egyptian traditions and practices emphasize character building, good behavior, family values, desirability, and the benefits of marriage, harmonic relationships, societal duties, work ethics, accountability, etc. One must live his/her own life, and each one of us must go his/her own way, guided by Ma-at. The concept of Ma-at has permeated all Egyptian writings, from the earliest times and throughout Egyptian history. Ma-at is not easily translated or defined by one word. Basically, we might say that it means that which, of right, should be; that which is according to the proper order and harmony of the cosmos and of neteru and men, who are part of it. Ma-at, The Way, encompasses the virtues, goals, and duties that define acceptable, if not ideal, social interactions and personal behavior. A summary of the Egyptian concept of righteousness can be found in what is popularly known as the Negative Confessions. A more detailed picture of a righteous man and the expected conduct and the ideas of responsibility and retribution can be obtained from the walls of tomb chapels and in several literary compositions that are usually termed as ‘wisdom texts’ of systematic instructions, composed of maxims and precepts. Among them are the 30 chapters of the Teaching of Amenemope (Amenhotep III), which contain many wisdom texts that were later adopted in the Old Testament’s Book of Proverbs.