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Do you know the way to San Jose? We hope so! Cuz that is where we are podcasting from this week.

San Jose is home of the Rosicrucian Museum and burial site for many of the Donner party, pioneers who struck out on the Oregon trail, took a wrong turn and got stuck for the winter.

Mummies, tombs, and hieroglyphics!

At the Rosicrucian Museum, the curators who were decked out in full Egyptian regalia (since we visited on Halloween), led us on a tour of an ancient tomb replica. The hieroglyphs at the tomb's entrance welcome visitors who brought the deceased food. Hey, you get hungry when you're dead and have to wait 20 years before entering the afterlife! Once inside the tomb we learned that the East wall represented birth and life since the sun rises in the east. The south wall depicts scenes of hunting and fishing portraying the deceased as being very skilled. The wall to the west is where the sun sets and so upon it we see the dead meeting the gods of the afterlife. And upon the north wall is a scene of judgment including a scale with a heart weighed against the feather of truth. And on the ceiling was the goddess who eats the sun and gives birth to the moon and then eats the moon and gives birth to the sun each day. Wonder if she gets a tummy ache?

The ancient Egyptians believed that whatever is depicted in hieroglyphics becomes true and therefore heiroglyphs were very sacred. And because of this power, only a few scribes were trained in the art. To become a scribe you had to be a boy and a rich one at that. Then you had to attend school, where you get to sit for eight hours copying the same text over and over. And if your teacher felt you weren't quick enough they would beat your back. If you were dedicated and studied hard enough you would become a scribe, one of the most prestigious positions in the Egyptian society.

You can visit the Rusicrucian Museum online at http://www.egyptianmuseum.org and find a virtual tour and an audio tour that you can download. Better yet visit it in person whenever you are in San Jose.

The Rosicrucian Museum is located in Rosicrucian Park, a picturesque facility encompassing an entire city block. It's the world headquarters of the Rosicrucian Order, a mystical society dating back to antiquity. Many notable historical figures are said to have been Rosicrucians, including Francis Bacon and Benjamin Franklin. The French impressionist composer Claude Debussy was a member of the order, and his music reflects its mystical nature.

Isis and the Seven Scorpions

While we were at the Rosicrucian Museum we learned this story and thought we'd share it with you. Isis, accompanied by her seven scorpions, makes her way to a town in the Nile Delta. The scorpions Petet, Tjetet, and Matet led the way, Mesetet and Mesetetaf walked beside her, while Tefen and Befen brought up the rear. Upon their arrival to town a noblewoman refused to give them shelter, which angered the scorpions. Meanwhile, a peasant girl offered her humble dwelling to Isis who was seeking refuge. However, the scorpions decide to teach the noble woman a lesson by poisoning her son with their venom. Distraught, the noblewoman seeks help for her dying son. Find out what happens to the boy, what Isis does, and what becomes of the noblewoman and the peasant girl.

"Isis and the Seven Scorpions" reminds us of another folktale with seven little guys who care for a maiden...

And here is another Egyptian story incase you missed it back in August: Rhodopis, the Egyptian Cinderella.

More Egyptian

• An introduction to Egyptian hieroglyphic writing and numbering. Interactive examples allow users to create hieroglyphic numbers and fractions.
• Write in hieroglyphics

Happy Listening,

Dennis, Kimberly and Zephyr Goza