Judgment part 2: weighing the heart
The second part of the judgment process was the 'Weighing of the Heart' ceremony. The heart, which contained a record of all the person's actions in life, was weighed against the feather of the goddess Ma'at. This feather was the symbol for truth and justice and helped determine whether the person had indeed been virtuous. If the heart was found to be heavier than the feather, it was fed to Ammut, the 'Devourer', and the soul was cast into darkness. If the scales were balanced, the person had passed the test and was taken before Osiris who welcomed them into the afterlife. For those who were concerned about this test, they could recite the spell inscribed on their heart scarab amulet (magical charm for protection) to prevent their heart from 'betraying' them.
