The Coffin texts represent the opus of posthumous literature emerging at the time of the Middle Kingdom (2040-1985. BC).
If ordinary Egyptians had money to buy their coffins, they were also provided the maps and magical formulae in order to reach the heaven.
The texts are instructions how to protect the deceased one from some demonic creatures, avoid the “second death”, obtain the grace of Osiris and his judges and ascend to the realm of the Sun.
Many of these texts evolved later during the New Kingdom into the so-called “Egyptian Book of the Dead” which was believed to have been written by Thoth himself.
The most beautiful specimens are decorated with colorful depictions of Osiris court with instructions on how to answer the question asked by 42 deities during the trial.
Similar texts and formulae were later used by the Gnostics to facilitate their climbing towards the worlds of Pleroma or the Light of God.
The dead one was expected to perfectly memorise each step of that journey. He or she was also supposed to identify themselves with their own virtues and remember all of their knowledge, in order to obtain permission from the guardians of the threshold to pass on to some higher spheres.
One of the main points with the Egyptian magician is to learn magic thoroughly while alive, remember it and use it in the afterlife too in order to have a safe journey through Duat and reach the realm of the Heavenly Earth, the Sun or somewhere else.
Below is a good article on this subject.
Talerman
