Anubis Ritual
- Riva Baron
- Nov 15
- 9 min read
Anubis is a gentle yet mighty god - a tender friend and a stern judge who can lead one out of the most tangled passages of fate. To him one may turn for magical protection, for guidance in witchcraft, especially in all matters concerning the dead and the healing power of plants. He aids in the release of what has outlived its time, in accelerating change, in restoring justice, and in revealing the best path of destiny.
Origin
The ancient Egyptians often saw jackals wandering near their burial grounds. They believed such animals guarded the dead from their own kind, serving as guides and protectors of souls. From this belief emerged several dog-headed deities across Egypt - Upuaut, Inpu, and Khentimentiu. In time, the god Inpu (Anpu) absorbed the attributes of all three - becoming the supreme canine guide of the underworld. The familiar name Anubis is the Greek pronunciation of Inpu, under which he became known beyond Egypt.
During the Early and Old Kingdoms, Anubis was the sole ruler of the underworld. Later, that role passed to his father Osiris, while Anubis himself became the guardian of embalming, the guide of souls through the Duat (the realm of the dead), the weigher of the heart against the feather of Ma’at, and the deliverer of divine judgment.
The Role and Powers of Anubis
Embalming
It was Anubis who first devised the art of embalming, when he and Isis gathered the torn pieces of Osiris so that his father might rise again. From that divine act came the actual ritual: the body was washed, steeped in sacred oils, and anointed with a mixture of palm wine, natron salt, resins, and fragrant balms that halted decay and turned the skin into shades of black and gold - sacred colours of Anubis.
The internal organs were placed in special protective jars known as canopic vessels, guarded by spirits of the four directions. The most luxurious form of mummification lasted seventy days, precisely the time when the star Sirius - the brightest star from Canis Major constellation, vanished from the sky from ancient Egyptians.
To grant the dead voice, sight, and breath in the next world, the priests of Anubis performed the Opening of the Mouth ritual - a complex ceremony of reawakening:
Purification. The body was cleansed with crystalline natron, while incense burned in a censer shaped like a hand, sanctifying the space.
Return of Vital Force. A piece of meat from a sacrificed bull was brought to the mouth of the mummy or statue, restoring life’s energy to the vessel.
Restoration of Memory. With the heka-staff bearing a ram’s head, the priest touched the face of the deceased, awakening the soul’s “Ba” and reminding it of its true name.
Awakening of the Senses. With a ritual adze and the pesesh-kef knife - also used to cut the umbilical cord at birth - the priest touched the eyes and mouth so the dead might see, eat, and breathe once more. The offering of beer and the foreleg of a bull, symbol of the Eye of Horus, completed the rite.
The Guide Through the Duat
At the moment of death, a fragment of the soul called Ka departs the body, or Khet.
If mummification has been performed, Ka may later reunite with the preserved body and awaken again in the underworld.
It is Anubis who greets the newly freed soul at the threshold, leading it through the perilous paths of the Duat - a realm filled with fire-lakes, shadow demons, and magical snares. Only by passing these trials can the soul reach the Palace of Osiris and stand before the divine tribunal.
The Judgment of Osiris
Unlike the other organs, the heart was left inside the mummy. The Egyptians believed it contained conscience and memory. In the Hall of Two Truths, Anubis would place the heart on one side of a scale, and the feather of Ma’at - goddess of truth and balance - on the other. He then pronounced the first verdict. The Ennead, a council of nine gods, confirmed the outcome.
If the heart proved heavy with wrongdoing, the soul was devoured by Ammit, the Eater of the Dead, and ceased to exist. If it balanced the feather, the soul entered the Fields of Reeds (Aaru) - a mirror of earthly life, where abundance reigned and tireless ushabti servants worked in one’s place.
Protector of the Dead
When Set, god of chaos, tried to steal the body of Osiris - disguising himself as a leopard - it was Anubis who caught and subdued him. He bound Set, cast him into the place of torment, and flayed off his spotted skin. Since then, the leopard pelt became a sacred vestment of Anubis’s priests, symbolizing triumph over disorder, while the jackal mask marked them as his servants.
In the Valley of the Kings, the entrances to royal tombs were often sealed with images of Anubis standing upon nine bows - symbols of conquered enemies and foreign lands. It was a warning: that the god himself stood watch, guarding the threshold between worlds.
Anubis and His Divine Kin
In his sacred work, Anubis is aided by a small divine household:
Inpout (Anput) - his wife, a funerary goddess with a canine head, often viewed as the feminine aspect of Anubis himself.
Upuaut (Wepwawet) - his brother, a white wolf-headed god of war and the opener of paths.
Kebechet - his daughter, a serpent-headed goddess of cool, purifying waters and embalming fluids, who refreshes both the dead and the living.
In early mythology, Anubis was thought to be the son of Ra, the solar god. Later, as cults evolved, he became the son of Osiris and Nephthys. Nephthys - wife of Set - fell in love with Osiris and, taking the form of her sister Isis, conceived a child. Fearing Set’s wrath, she hid the newborn among the reeds. Isis, searching with the help of dogs, found and raised the child as her own.
Other traditions name his mother as the celestial cow Hesat or Hathor, uniting the lunar and solar forces within him.
Curiously, Isis herself was associated with Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation of the Great Dog - Anubis’s own celestial form. In older art, Isis even rides a dog or wears the horns of a cow, blending all his mothers in one.
The Greek Connection
As Egyptian and Greek cultures intertwined, Anubis’s image inspired new syncretic gods.
His cult contributed to the birth of Hecate - goddess of light, crossroads and witchcraft - and Hermes, the divine messenger.
In some temples, they even merged into Hermanubis, depicted with the head of a jackal and the caduceus of Hermes. All three shared one sacred function: psychopomps, guides of souls between worlds. And just as Anubis walked beside the dead, so Hecate was followed by her black dogs.
The Dual Nature of Anubis
At first glance, Inpu - the dark, jackal-headed god of death - may seem a grim figure. Yet for the ancient Egyptians, he embodied hope. Through Anubis, they believed their bodies would remain whole, their souls would reach the underworld, and justice would prevail.
In The Golden Ass, the Roman mystic Apuleius described him as “the messenger between heaven and hell, whose face alternated between the blackness of night and the gold of day.” Anubis stood between worlds - as both guardian of death and midwife of rebirth.
Like many deities of the underworld, he hinted at renewal rather than oblivion. His black body symbolised not decay, but the fertile soil of the Nile, rich with silt and seed. The Egyptians knew: to plant a seed, one must first bury it. So too with the soul - it must descend into darkness to rise again into light. The occultist Aleister Crowley once wrote: “Hades, in a sense, is the womb.” So Anubis, lord of endings, is also keeper of beginnings.
Symbols of Anubis
Sacred Plants
Tamarisk - the healing and resurrection tree of Egypt. In the Book of the Dead, the soul proclaims: “I am the knot within the tamarisk, more radiant than yesterday’s sun.”
Cypress - evergreen symbol of mourning and eternal life. Its resin-rich wood was used for coffins, its oil for embalming.
Sycomore - the sacred fig tree whose wood formed sarcophagi. Under its branches lovers met, offerings were left for the gods, and spirits found shade in the afterlife.
Sacred Stones
Hematite - the source of red pigment for tomb paintings and a stone of protection, believed to drive away evil spirits and open the path to divine contact.
Carnelian - the sunset captured in stone. Placed in sarcophagi, it ensured a peaceful passage through the Duat and a serene existence beyond.
Sacred Animals
North African wolves and jackals, dogs, cows, bulls, serpents, and leopards - each connected to Anubis in myth or ritual.
The jackal and wolf guard the dead, the leopard marks the priest, and the bull offers his strength in sacrifice.
Colors, Scents, and Offerings
Colors: Black, gold, and white
Scents: Frankincense, myrrh, cypress, and cedar.
Offerings: Cool water, beer, bread, dates, figs, beef, and duck.
Festivals of Anubis
The Egyptian year began with the flooding of the Nile - around modern June - and was divided into twelve lunar months. Exact modern dates for the rites of Anubis are lost to time, yet ancient records speak of ten annual celebrations held in his honour. Among them were:
solemn processions in which his statue was carried upon a sacred boat;
offerings of beer and bread laid by a lake at sunset;
inspection of the embalming chambers and ritual purification of tools;
festivals of the Western Lands, where priests in leopard skins sang hymns to the Lord of the Sacred Earth.
Serving Anubis Today
If you feel the pull of the jackal god and wish to walk under his protection, you may begin by simple acts of reverence. Anubis welcomes sincerity over grandeur.
Paths of devotion include:
Study and contemplation. Read the Book of the Dead, the Pyramid Texts, and the Coffin Texts. Learn how the ancients spoke to him.
Acts of compassion. Offer help to those close to death, to the sick, hospices or to shelters for stray dogs or wolves.
Honouring the ancestors. Clean a grave, light a candle, remember their names aloud.
Creating a sacred altar. Place upon it an image or statue of Anubis, add his sacred symbols
Making offerings. Cool water, beer, bread, dates, figs, beef, and duck.
Ritual and meditation. Call to him with humility, listen for signs in dreams, and trust his guidance.
Anubis is calm and patient god, with a parental, protective energy. He rarely punishes mistakes made in earnest, yet respect and courtesy are essential.
Epithets and Sacred Names
Khenti-Amentiu – First Among the Westerners, ruler of those who dwell beyond the Nile.
Khenti-Seh-Necher – First of the Divine Pavilion, keeper of the embalming chamber.
Tepi-Dju-Ef – He Who Is Upon His Hill, protector of necropolises.
Neb-Ta-Djeser – Lord of the Sacred Land, guardian of desert tombs.
Kheri-Sesheta – He Who Presides Over Secrets, master of mysteries and of the hidden arts of preservation.
Ra-Kereret – Lord of the Cave Entrance, sentinel of the underworld gate.
He Who Devours His Father, from the tomb of Ramesses VI: Anubis conceals his father Osiris within the earth, hiding him from harm.
Rosetau – The Passage to the Otherworld, the invisible corridor through which every soul must travel.
Other titles call him Lord of the Dead, Counter of Hearts, Master of the Nine Bows, and Devourer of Millions
The Structure of Anubis Ritual
Preparation
Choose a quiet, private place.
Arrange an altar with the image of Anubis.
Prepare offerings of beer, cool water, bread, and beef.
Wash yourself, wear clean garments, and light nine candles of black, white, or gold.
Purification and Opening
Cleanse the space by invoking the four elements or calling the quarters.
Opening the temple
Ring a bell or clap once.
Prayer to Anubis (Evocation)
Speak aloud your call
Communion
Invocation
Meditation
Divination
Draw cards, runes or meditate for a sign of his counsel.
Closing the temple, gratitudes
You can book a consultation with me with a detailed analysis and a joint ritual.
Prayer to Anubis - Evocation
Dua Inpu, Anubis, God of the Duat,
Neb-Ta-Djeser, Lord of the Sacred Land,
Khenti-Amentiu, First Among the Westerners
I call upon You!
Jackal-headed God,
Your body is the fertile black earth.
You are the Beginning and the End,
Judge of gods and men,
Counter of hearts.
Appear, bless me with Your generous presence,
O Anpu, master of milk-giving cows
and lord of mighty bulls.
Tepi-Dju-Ef, He Who Is Upon His Hill,
Guardian of tombs, ruler of necropolises,
Protector of the dead, first among the western ones —
Come forth, grant me Your signs,
Bestow upon me keen insight, magical protection, and prophetic dreams.
Khenti-Seh-Necher, First of the Divine Pavilion,
You shield bodies from decay,
You wash them with the cool waters of Kebehet,
You open the mouths of the dead and show them the way.
Lead me, I pray, upon the path of knowledge and of grace.
Receive my offerings, O Great God.
Prayer to Anubis - Invocation
I am in You, and You are in me, O Inpu.
I am the one who does not let the sand cover the sacred tomb.
I stand guard at the cave of Ra-Ke-Re-Ret.
I recline upon the nine bows of the enemies, I subdue them, bind them in the place of torment, and flay their skins, burning them in offering to the gods.
Black as night and golden as day, I separate the soul from the shackles of Khat, and lead it to judgment - stern, yet just, measuring the hearts.
Gently I care for my children, granting them drink, food, breath, and sight.
I wash them in the sacred waters of Kebehet.
Closing the ritual
Thank you Anubis
May be always peace between us
May your name be praised forever
Dua Inpu
A Living Testimony
Those who work with Anubis often find their lives stirred into motion.
When I first performed this rite, mundane forces - banks, authorities, new acquaintances -rose suddenly like waves, the shift was intense.
Comments