Mistress of the Temple

by Yvonne Harlech

Based on the fascinating true story…a novel about Dorothy Eady’s search for her
ancient identity.
1290 BC in the Egyptian city of Abydos, the young priestess Bentreshy is renowned for her spiritual powers—a medium between Isis and the temple. But when she begins an illicit love affair with King Sety I, her spiritual life is thrown into turmoil. By defying temple protocol the pair pit themselves against the powerful priesthood, as King Sety believes their love is sanctioned by the gods.
3000 years later Dorothy Eady is born into an Edwardian family in London. She begins to remember a past life in ancient Egypt, when she lived in a beautiful temple as a follower of Isis. Only Dr Budge, a Keeper at the British Museum, believes her story and helps her unravel the past. Dorothy realises she must return to Abydos, where the truth lies hidden in the mysterious temple, revealing a past life that mirrors her own existence, where ancient secrets are about to change her destiny.
An imaginative fusion of fact and fiction…interweaving the past and present into an enriching novel about love, memory, and the enduring power of ancient Egypt.

Genres: Historical Fiction

302 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2011

About the author

Yvonne Harlech was born in Edinburgh and grew up in Montreal, Canada. She studied English Literature at Concordia University and now lives in Cheshire with her husband. She is the author of Female Parts: the Art and Politics of Women Playwrights, under the name Yvonne Hodkinson, and the historical novels Mistress of the Temple and Harp of Joy, set in ancient Egypt. The novels reflect her deep love for ancient Egypt, its dramatic history and rich heritage.The author is currently writing a novel about Romano-Britain. The story takes place in 1st century Deva, where great myths meet and cultures collide.

Reviews

[Steve Cran · Rating 4 out of 5]

would hesitate to call this book a classic that will be remembered for generation to come, yet this work has several redeeming features. The first feature that stands out is that the author has done extensive research in oder to write this book and there is a rather extensive bibliography at the end of the book for those who wish to do further research.  I found that there was lots of information on Ancient Herbs the way the Egyptians use them. There is also extensive information on life in the Egyptian Temples. One gets a good insight into what life was like in Ancient Egypt.

The core characters are real people as well. King Seti was an actual Egyptian pharoaqh, Bentreshy was a devotee to Isis in the city of Abydos. When the story jumps into modern times Dorothy is a real person and she wrote several books. None the less this is a fictional account of their lives with several incidents put in to fill the blanks. THe main characters of the story are Bentreshy and Dorothy and both in this story are incarnations of the same soul.

What the this tale lacks is a story structure. IT comes off as being a diary of a soul that has been twice incarnated . There is no rising action, or climax in the story.THere is a setting, time and place clearly indicated. Despite the lack of plot you will find yourself glued to the book or reading device just waiting for what comes next.

Bentreshy is the daughter of an Egyptian soldier, who sends her to the temple of Isis as he can no longer properly care for her. In the temple she learns the healing arts of Egyptian herbs, spells of Isis and beauty secrets of Ancient Egyptians. While she grows up in the temple she befriends Nubiti, a songstress, Kebi, a snake charmer and Inhapi a healer. While growing up in the temple she witnesses the mummification of her friend, interacts with Anubis and deals with a sadistic priest. Later she becomes a dedicant to Isis and does not marry, yet she meets King Seti who is definitely not married. 

Dorothy her incarnation in modern times lives through world war I. Her interest in Egypt sets her apart from all the other British children her age. Starting with an accident when she  was young, Dorothy exhibit strange behavior and has visions of ancient Egypt. In her quest to learn more about Egypt she devours books on the subject and learns how to read hieroglyphics. Her skills in Egyptology lead her to a museum which houses relics from Egypt. Together with E . Wallis Budge, a famous scholar, they translate documents and make awesome discoveries. THe world war and Egyptian bombing leads her to the country side. To make a long story short her destiny will lead her back to Egypt.

IF Egypt is your thing then this  book is for you to read.

[Bjørn Oppedal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mesmerizing and magical read., July 26, 2012

This review is from: Mistress of the Temple (Kindle Edition)
The Omm Sety story is well documented in The Search for Omm Sety and Omm Sety's Egypt - mostly due to Mr. Hanny el Zeini who became her best friend in Abydos, Egypt.
According to Ptaah - the creator god of Egyptian mythology - memory from our traumas in this present life is stored in muscle and soft tissues. Cellular memory, however, from parallel expressions or other lifetimes is stored in bone. When people - who have felt drawn to special places with stone statues or buildings from the ancient past - visit such sites, they often experience regressions to other lifetimes. When this occurs access to ancient wisdom suddenly becomes available and Ptaah claims this is due to a resonance phenomenon between stored information in stone and bone from the experiencer. It is immediate and overwhelming, emotionally as well as mentally, as it leads to a paradigm shift for the experiencer.

Yvonne Harlech must have had this magical privilege to produce this masterful, fact-based novel with an extraordinarily rich language with a poetic touch reminding me of Rumi. There is a resonance - of sovereignty, humility and presence - reflecting deep insight and love, whether she describes her characters or the environmental circumstances involving their lives.
The new word - telempathy (telepathy with empathy) - may describe a loving and intuitive recognition within, allowing the creative process to reach this unique level of writing reflected throughout this novel. In addition to her propensity as a writer, at least in my perspective, Yvonne Harlech must have received these additional gifts, partly from visiting and meditating in The Temple of Seti I and The Osirion - arguably one of the major portals to higher wisdom on this planet.
Finally: A highly recommended book aptly received as we enter the new time cycle of feminine energy and wisdom. MAAT.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book if you want to start at the beginning of Omm Sety's life.
Then She was Bentreshy, born in England. Her pull for Egypt started when She was very young. This book, thankfully goes into Her life as training to be a daughter of Isis, and a Priestess. She has
a roomate who talent is a snake charmer & dancer.
Some of the characters in this book make it a wonder & an adventure to read:
Inhapi, the High Priestess of Isis, in charge of training novices
Nubiti, the Royal Chantress who Bentreshy sees after her death, a mummy, but She sees the secret rites for Her performed. And Bentreshy will share an experience with Her.
Kebi, dancer with skills like no other, and a snake charmer supreme.
Dr. Budge, noted & famous Egyptologist and author. Works with the young Bentreshy in the British Museum. He even puts crowns & jewelry of Egypt's Queen on Her young head.
And encounters with the Gods, like Anubis at night.
But the main story is the love of Bentreshy, returned by Sety the first. This book gives just its beginning. With book 2 to follow, "Harp of Joy" we hopefully will read more about their passionate
love, that lasts throughout the centuries of time into eternity.
If you love Ancient Egypt, their Gods & Goddesses, and their sacred rituals, ceremonies and festivals, read this book! I finished it in a few hours, and I want more.

Donna Swindells
Iseum of Hathor, Lady of the West

[Leslie Zehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mistress of the Temple is a wonderful book by Yvonne Harlech about the woman known as Omm Sety. Anyone with an interest in Egypt has probably heard of her and her amazing experiences in Abydos. Yvonne has taken her story and given it an added dimension.

For those who know the story of Omm Sety it is a wonderful journey into how life must have been for Dorothy Eady living these amazing experience. For those who don't know Omm Sety but are fascinated by ancient Egypt it gives us a glimpse into what life must have been like for a temple priestess in Abydos in Pharaonic time.

Yvonne uses story telling as well as historical facts to weave this beautiful tale about a fascinating woman, Omm Sety, and her past incarnation as Bentreshy. Through her descriptive storytelling Yvonne seeds us with ancient wisdom. She takes us to a time that most people feel a strong connection to. And to a magical place, Abydos, which has great significance for all of humanity.

For those who have never had the opportunity to visit Abydos Mistress of the Temple is an opportunity to connect to the transformative powers of this very ancient place that not only summoned Dorothy Eady back home but call to many others on their journey back to the Beloved.

[Elle Sie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book because I had already read Jonathan Cott's biography of the real Dorothy Eady, otherwise known in life as Omm Sety. This was a great fictional story of the real Dorothy Eady, an English woman who after a brain injury began to recall her past life in ancient Egypt, and her ancient Egyptian counterpart, Bentreshy, a priestess of Isis during the reign of Pharaoh Seti the first. I loved the detailed research the author had done to add realism to the details of daily life in 1200BC, especially medicines, rituals and ceremonies and giving more background to real Egyptologists who lived in Edwardian Britain. Harlech used poetic description in parts, which I thought helped to add a mystical touch to the ancient scenes, and show Dorothy's amazement as she started to recall more of her reincarnated self.

[Madeline Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bentreshy Priestess Of Isis

This book brought life back from Dorothy Eady’s life and pursuit of her identity. She was a Priestess that loved the Pharaoh Sety! Her devotion to the Egyptian Mysteries and an empty heart lead her to a King that revealed his own desires for love! True love that transcends time and dimensions! Beautiful story! Grateful that it was available for all to appreciate! Thank you.

[Janet Klieman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating a page turner


What made this book so interesting is that it was both fiction and nonfiction combined Against a backdrop Of ancient Egypt.
It's beautifully written with Artistic detail that transported me To another place in time.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just got back from the Norwich Castle Museum's Egyptian artifacts section this afternoon, it prompted me to write this long delayed review on Yvonne Harlech's book 'Mistress of the Temple.'The book transported me back to 1290 BC, into ancient Egypt. The story is set on two parallel time frames with the young priestess Bentreshy in the Egyptian city of Abydos and her counter-part, Dorothy Eady, born into an Edwardian family in London 3000 years later. The story all embraces you with an authentic feeling of actually being present in Egypt. The research and eloquently worded descriptions interwoven in every paragraph is intoxicating. A love affair between a priestess and a pharaoh, two independent women in different life-times, but both equally determined and strong minded.

[Martine Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich and poetic account of the life of Edwardian Englishwoman Dorothy Eady, who claimed to be a reincarnation of an Ancient Egyptian priestess, Bentreshy. This fascinating woman worked for many years at Abydos, Egypt, where her former presence now draws many curious visitors. Yvonne Harlech portrays two equally fascinating lives, both bound by a love of Egypt. Poetic and magical realist in style, Mistress of the Temple would be an evocative read to take on a holiday to Egypt.