The scarab beetle is one of the most famous symbols of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians always sought inspiration in nature, which they considered their teacher, a great book of life. Everything in nature, from its smallest inhabitants to distant stars and galaxies, held deep truths within them, becoming keys to unraveling the infinite number of mysteries in the universe. What attracted the Egyptians to this insect from the Scarabaeidae family? By observing its behavior, they noticed that this diligent worker transformed shapeless matter into a perfect sphere in which it would lay its eggs. It would roll it from east to west, which the Egyptians recognized as the journey of the Sun, rising from the world of shadows.
The scarab beetle embodied and symbolized Khepri, one of the three faces of the one eternal Sun god: Ra symbolized the daily Sun, Atum the hidden, nocturnal Sun, and Khepri, the deity with the head of a scarab beetle, personified the morning, rising Sun. Like other solar deities, Khepri served as a demiurge, the creator of the world and mankind. The name “Kepher” translates as “created from oneself”, “created from one’s name”. Since ancient times, it has symbolized not only the daily sun disk but also the invisible creative force that provides the impulse for its movement across the sky and impulse to everything that exists.
According to myth, the scarab emerged from the nostrils of Osiris’ head, thereby announcing his resurrection from the dead in the celestial world. The insect that steadily rolls its ball to protect the seed of new life has become a symbol of the impulse for renewal that arises from inert but living matter, ready to initiate a new cycle of existence.
As a powerful symbol and talisman, Kepher – the scarab – accompanied the Egyptian not only throughout all stages of their life but also after death. The Egyptians believed that after death, the body releases the immortal soul and resurrects in the other world, continuing its journey along the celestial paths. The scarab has always been a symbol of the impulse that the soul receives for its celestial flight, for rebirth. In the spiritual world, after everything material begins to die and decay. He personified the hidden power of the Heart that a person had to awaken within themselves in order to be born, die, and resurrect, to overcome every inertia and resist every temptation that awaits them in life and after death.
It is not accidental that in Egypt, during the process of mummification, they would place a ceramic, stone, or other material heart with a scarab amulet on top, or a scarab figurine, so that the deceased’s body would contain the central symbol of immortality and resurrection. In many Egyptian texts, the Heart Scarab was beautifully described as: “The god who dwells in my heart, my Creator, my Lord who keeps the light within me…” For an Egyptian, a person’s heart was the center of their consciousness, deep knowledge, wisdom, and memories of eternity. It was a special hidden essence that resided in the body and governed the entirety of a person’s existence, and after death, it goes to the other world with the soul…
The heart had the important role in the well-known scene of psychostasis – weighing the heart after death. In order for the soul of the deceased to be able to continue its journey into eternity, the heart of the deceased had to weigh lighter than the feather of the goddess of justice, Maat, on the scales before Osiris’ judgment. And it can only be lighter if it is pure and filled with the light that is the result of good deeds on Earth, if it is free from the heavy earthly burden…
In Egypt, images and figurines of scarabs could be seen everywhere. The base of the figurine was usually marked with sacred symbols and sayings related to the secret of rebirth. In some cases, the scarab had a human face or head. Sometimes they depicted the ship of the god Ra, the bird Bennu (Phoenix – the soul of Ra), and the eye of Horus on its back. In later times, funeral scarabs were placed on faience brooches shaped like pylons on which colored drawings or relief representations of the Sun’s ship were applied. The scarab was placed in a way that gives the impression that it is in the ship; on its left side, Isis was depicted, and on the right side, Nephthys – The sisters of the goddess symbolize the sacred secrets of heaven and earth, and the keys to their decryption.
In ancient Egypt, the scarab beetle had another meaning. This tiny insect became a symbol of the disciple and his journey towards wisdom. Just as the scarab persistently and steadily transforms the shapeless, muddy mass of dung into a ball in which it lays the seed of life, the disciple who walks the path of wisdom must transform the shapeless and muddy mass of his faults and limitations into a perfect, fiery and pure ball that reflects the light of the Spirit. Even the greatest mud can be freed from, and from the darkest depths it is possible to rise again and be reborn, provided that the hidden power and wisdom of the heart is awakened, which gives the soul the ability to set its course towards new territories, towards a new life and a new existence.
The scarab, possessing wings and holding the fiery ball among its legs, becomes a symbol of the new, young, ascending Sun of spring that conquers darkness and rises again to bring a new impulse of life and renewal. The two wings of the scarab symbolize two eyes – the night eye that sees in the dark and is connected to the Moon, and the day eye that gives life to all beings and is connected to the Sun. On its back is the well-known symbol of tau, with a dot in its center where Heaven and Earth meet. Fulfilling its mission on Earth, the Scarab-Sun spreads its wings and flies off into infinite distances, returning to the heavens, the sources that gave birth to it.
In Egypt, the scarab became a close and beloved symbol of every student, one that accompanies them on their journey and assists them in the most difficult trials. It reminded humans that within them lies a hidden heart that can become like the rising Sun and conquer darkness, bringing life, warmth, and light. It reminded them of the sky, immortality, beauty, and the endless depths of the heavenly expanse. It awakened deep memories and symbolized eternal youth that exists beyond the boundaries of space and time, life and death. Croatian text: “Ljubav je poput cvijeta koji polako cvjeta i raste. Da bismo je njegovali, moramo joj pružiti vodu, sunce i ljubaznost. Bez toga, ljubav će uvenuti i umrijeti.”
English translation: “Love is like a flower that slowly blooms and grows. In order to nurture it, we must provide it with water, sunshine, and kindness. Without these, love will wither and die.”