Yes, Wesir/Osiris rules the Duat, however part of the Duat (a small portion in comparison to the rest) the the place for the blessed dead to rest. It is where you go when you pass judgment and come out as worthy. The Field of Reeds is essentially heaven in the sense it is the now but better. However if you don't bring shabti (little servants) with you, you will still have to work in order to survive so it's not exactly fluffy clouds and being able to watch tv 24/7 while someone feeds you grapes.
The other, bigger portion of the Duat is the part that you have to travel to to get to the Hall of the Ma'ati (the Hall of the Two Truths) where you are judged (and from there can enter the fun part). This part is the part that can permanently prevent you from meeting judgment. However, for certain people (enemies of Ra, etc) it is worse than Christian hell. There's "demons" which are named Eater of His Own Excrement and Snake with Two Heads and various not fun beings which unless you know the right words to make them beneficial/go away, they'll rip into your flesh or permanently trap you in their area. There's also a Lake of Fire which has boiling oil in it along with various criminals who are eternally suffering as punishment. Sekhmet sits around the Lake along with various "demons" under her command. There's much worse than that, but that's a clean overview of the part that you don't want to go wandering in.
I wouldn't want to suggest people go wandering in the Hall of the Ma'ati or in the Field of Reeds or the various other safe zones. Even though they are safe, they are still in the Duat. The Duat is a place for the dead, as only dead people are allowed to go there. Otherwise Aset/Isis wouldn't state that she has forever lost her husband with no way of seeing him again, Heru-sa-Aset wouldn't have to do roundabout craziness in order to send his father a letter. Wesir is dead, Sokar (a deity much associated with the dead) is not actually dead like Wesir but rather he is the moment of death itself, Amentet who is the West (Duat) personified, the various forms of Ra/the sun god that are traveling through the Duat as a "dead" deity in need of the renewal that comes in death, etc. There are also various special forms of deities (such as the Sekhmet mentioned earlier) that wander in the non-Wesir space, but this is not the special place for after judgment. These special forms also tend to be intimately connected to the dead/Duat. The Sekhmet mentioned earlier is in her form as a destroyer of the enemies of Ra, and as such overseeing criminals being punished is within her purview. Snake and frog forms of deities (and other primordial forms) and of netjeri (spirits that are sometimes of those deities or are servants of them) are able to travel into/through the Duat because they are linked to the Nun. Since Nun existed before any of creation, they exist somewhat outside of creation itself, and aren't bound by the same rules.
That's why I trend towards avoiding the Duat. Unless you know where you are, where you are going, and have the right guides and knowledge, you might have a lot of issues. If you have the right tools to travel through it, I still wouldn't suggest it as something to do often.
Thank you very much Arisa, very informative. Makes me want to get back into my studies [I ran into a wall where I wasn't finding much in the way of new information so I took a break to study other subjects]
Honestly, there's tons of information written in German and French and a few scholarly texts available through universities/colleges which are in English. I somehow always tend to stumble upon literature with bits of new stuff sprinkled in.
Nekoshema, I would recommend The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt and The Sacred Tradition of Ancient Egypt, both by Rosemary Clark. Excellent books written by someone familiar with magical practices.
In every culture, the place of the dead is not a place for the living to roam freely. You need to have a purpose, and you need to know what to and not to do. The place of the dead, not necessarily any "culture" but literally where I have gone when traveling the realms, is a place where mental and emotional becomes tangible. Your dreams and nightmares become external pains and pleasures. This is, in itself, a way to redress the spirit and quicken the process of facing internal issues. If given the choice, an individual would sweep their problems under a carpet. But existence is about growth, not just existing. The reason why people see others tormented is because they are tormenting themselves. Some fear this place in general because they themselves have mental and emotional issues that will "come to life" and meet them face to face here. It doesn't matter if you're alive or dead, they will manifest. People can become lost here in their own fantasies and nightmares. What they see is real but isn't all at the same time. What they see is what is within them. Only when you can walk there without fear of yourself can you travel such worlds without difficulty. But even then, it's best to have someone with you to watch your back. It's still crazy in some places, as the spirits in those places are crazy. Think mental ward meets physical manifestation of thoughtforms. Not for the faint of heart and not for the weak willed.
I find that people that seek out deities over death are those that also seek to be healed themselves prior to death. People who have lives of purpose that need to access the depths of their mind and heart to sort out the damage. Usually these are fears they can use their life to face and conquer.
If you're an individual that is attracted to a deity over the lower worlds, take it slow. Handled improperly the death realms can push you over the edge into insanity. This isn't fun, cool, or anything to "play" with. It will mess you up big time if you delve in to quickly and then what you see down there will be your own future.
