A Separation, If It Is Not Too Long, Increases The Desire For The Absent One

Reunions can bring an intensification of feelings of convergent meaning, aiming at an enrichment of personal experience in the Part-Whole relationship.

Cheops finally learns from the mouth of an envoy of Benu, the Great Soothsayer, that the time had come to leave Memphis for Hermopolis, where the high priest of Thoth, the polymorphous god, who manifested himself in the form of the ibis and the baboon, was waiting for him. Meritites, used to the repeated and often prolonged absences of her brother, does not show any sadness, unlike Henutsen, who could not stop crying.

- Don't cry about it, sister, Meritites told her. You should get used to seeing our husband leave like this, often for many days and sometimes even months. We are left with games, children and relatives. It would be a good opportunity for you to visit your mother and father. And when Cheops returns, the pleasure of the reunion will be even greater, because a separation, if it is not too long, can only increase the desire for the absent one. When Cheops returns, you will see that he will love you even more and you yourself will feel your heart more bubbling than before.

Does your own experience reflect a perpetual tension between the need for closeness and the desire for independence, envisioning a meticulous balance between the personal and the impersonal?

Cheops was not particularly surprised to find himself awaited when he appeared at the gates of Thoth's temple in his citadel at Hermopolis, the "City of the Eight," a few days' sail south of Memphis. He had left his residence in the morning, before sunrise, without informing anyone except Henutsen, with whom he had spent the night. The young wife had tried to be cheerful, for Meritites had told her that her husband disliked tears and entreaties. But he felt a great sadness in the depths of his soul.

Since their marriage, he had never been away from her for more than a day, to visit his mother, his royal father, and, more often, the construction sites of the two pyramids. In these few months, the attachment for her husband had grown even more, which made the separation even more difficult. But the moments of farewell did not last long. Khufus had fastened his belt, had taken hold of the long, smooth and solid stick which he used as a staff, as a club against the dogs, and, in case of need, as a club, and had started on his way.

How does looking at breakup as a form of increased desire influence your way of valuing long-distance relationships?

How relevant is it to keep your destination secret, reflecting on how this influences the reception and interpretation of your trip?

He could have kept the sail boat and the rowers at his disposal to cross the flood-created stretch of water between Memphis, turned into an island, and the necropolis, but he had given it up. It seemed to him that when the downward current of the river was as rapid at the end of the flood and the return of the waters to their mother, you could move faster on foot when it came to going up the Nile.

In addition, he liked to walk, to exercise, to cross the roads of Egypt once again studded with peasants, who were hurrying to sow in the newly deposited mud. But he had wanted, above all, to keep the secret of his destination: the only ones who knew him were Benu - the Great Soothsayer from Heliopolis, Anhaf, his mother and his wives. During these days of travel, he had fed on the bread and dates offered by the peasants and drank water from wells or from the river when he could not find wells. He had walked all day and, at nightfall, he had slept most of the time on the banks of the Nile, in the papyrus thickets, or sometimes at the homes of hospitable peasants, who had invited him to share dinner with them and sleep on the terrace of their adobe houses. Arriving near Hermopolis, he had bathed in the river before going to the temple.

In leadership you will always face a dilemma: "You can form a clearer vision of your purpose by focusing your attention on movement and renewed paths, when you feel that you are discovering new realities, or when you perceive differently the intensity of the expression of nature and life your?"

A separation, if not too long, increases the desire for the absent one, if it is perceived as an opportunity for personal rediscovery and growth. In light of efforts to remain untouched by the burden of sadness how do you think the internal struggle between showing courage and feeling vulnerable manifests itself, reflecting on how you manage emotions in public?

Does the balance between keeping a secret and sharing experiences with new people in your life allow you to see the world through a perspective full of revelation and vision?

* Note: Guy Rachet - Cheops and the Ibis conjuration, Lucman Publishing House, 2003