 The ba of a god was said to periodically leave the divine realm to dwell in the images of that god . By inhabiting these images , the gods left their concealed state and took on a physical form . To the Egyptians , a place or object that was <unk> — " sacred " — was isolated and <unk> pure , and thus fit for a god to inhabit . Temple statues and reliefs , as well as particular sacred animals , like the <unk> bull , served as divine <unk> in this way . Dreams and <unk> provided a very different venue for interaction . In these states , it was believed , people could come close to the gods and sometimes receive messages from them . Finally , according to Egyptian afterlife beliefs , human souls pass into the divine realm after death . The Egyptians therefore believed that in death they would exist on the same level as the gods and fully understand their mysterious nature . 
