Flail

The crook and flail depicted in Ancient Egyptian wall art are both symbolic and practical – literal.  The flail was actually used in  obtaining spiritual experience and was a sort of badge of office for a hierophant – in essence the person had attained the status of someone who could induce spiritual experiences in other people.

But it had the added symbolism in that it could be viewed as the spine with the opened crown chakra.

The following Wikipedia definition is taking the literal meaning at its most naïve. 

"The flail is depicted alongside the “crook” as symbols of office for the crowned Egyptian Pharaoh. The flail symbolises the Pharaoh's role as provider of food for his people and the crook symbolises his role as the shepherd of his people. Both crook and flail also serve to link the Pharaoh with Osiris. Depictions of Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the embalming, also include the flail as attribute".

Observations

For iPad/iPhone users: tap letter twice to get list of items.

• Ancestors, the - Art - David Lewis-Williams from The Mind in the Cave
• Ancient Egyptian - The symbolism of Min
• Ancient Egyptian - The symbolism of the god Seker
• Cohen, Leonard - Ballad of the Absent Mare
• Kakuzo, Okakura - The Book of Tea - The Use of the Whisk
• Misc. source - Mayan - The 'priest'
• Palenque - Mayan - The use of the flail
• Palenque - Mayan - Wall panels and inscriptions
• Sacred geography - Ancient Egyptian - Abu Simbel
• Schuré - The Great Initiates – Isis and Osiris
• Tikal - Mayan - Museum pot