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Egyptians' careful observation and profound knowledge of the natural world, revealed to them that certain animals had specific qualities that could symbolize certain divine functions and principles, in a particularly pure and striking fashion. As such, certain animals were chosen as symbols for that particular aspect of divinity.
There was no animal worship in ancient Egypt. The animal-headed neteroo (gods) were symbolic expressions of a deep spiritual understanding. This view is also shared by the Hermetic orders, Masonic orders and the Renaissance Neoplatonists.
Here are a few examples of animal symbolism in ancient Egypt:
The stork is known worldwide as the bird who carries newborn babies to their new families. The stork returns to its own nest with consistent precision, hence a migratory bird par excellence. The stork is the bird chosen to represent the soul.. The ba (or soul) was represented as a bird with a human head - in other words, as the divine aspect of the terrestrial.
The scarab lays its eggs in a ball of dung (matter) and rolls it up by pushing it from west to east (just as the sun seems to turn the heavens in the direction opposite to its own course) into a hole which it has already dug. The beetle enters the hole, closing the entrance behind it, and buries the ball, during which time the young pass through the egg, larval, and nymph stages before emerging into the light as winged (spiritual) creatures, in forty days. In the elaborate symbolism of the funerary texts, the dead king, identified with Asar (Osiris), passed through analogous stages (just like the scarab beetle's eggs) in the night of the underworld and was reborn, as a new Ra in his form of Khepri (the scarab beetle) in the morning. The analogy to the sun disappearing at night and appearing in glory in the morning is clear. The scarab was the symbol of the transforming quality of the sun (a symbol for God), the light that becomes out of darkness.
The Egyptian name for the scarab beetle was Khepri. Ra, who rolled the ball of the sun daily across the sky, was also called Khepri, a multiple word meaning He who Brings into Being (God).
Ra is frequently represented as a large black scarab beetle, sitting in the solar boat and rolling the sun disc, or as a man whose human head is replaced by a scarab beetle. As such, Ra must be the original divine Scarab.
Yahweh (the Hebrew name for the same deity) means exactly the same thing as Khepri.
The serpent, which is a remarkable individualistic animal, bears both a forked tongue (verbal duality) and a double penis (sexual duality). On the metaphysical level, the serpent represents the dualizing principle, the ability of One to divide into Two.
As a symbol of duality, the serpent represents intellect, the faculty by which man can break down the whole into its constituent parts. This is analogous to creation, in the sense that multiplicity is created out of unity.
The cobra was the symbol of Lower Egypt (the North).
The symbol of Upper Egypt was Nekhebet, the vulture, representing primordial reconciliation. Vultures are known to be zealous in caring for their young, and are reputed as haying no male of the species. The female vulture impregnates herself by exposing herself to the winds, i.e. neteroo (gods), which metaphysically is a virgin impregnation. Reconciliation is also a feminine aspect of the universe which is the reason that Egyptian women are shown wearing a vulture headdress. The vulture was the symbol of Upper Egypt (the South).
One of the Egyptian Kingµs titles was, Lord of the diadem of the vulture and of the serpent. The diadem, combining the serpent and vulture, was the earthly symbol of the divine man, the king. The diadem consisted of the serpent (symbol of the divisive intellectual function), and the vulture (symbol of the reconciliation function). The divine man must be able both to distinguish and to reconcile. Since these dual powers re side in man's brain, the form of the serpent's body follows the actual physiological sutures of the brain, in which these particularly human faculties are seated. Located in the middle of the forehead, the diadem represents the third eye, with all its intellectual faculties.
The wild bull is a nearly universal symbol for sexual power. A bull symbolizes boundless strength and fertility. Bulls are esteemed for their sexuality, for a single animal can impregnate an entire herd. The wild bull is a symbol for untamed sexual energy. The lassoing and taming of the wild bull, symbolizes the control of such energy, as shown on many Egyptian wall reliefs.
The name of the jackel-headed neter is Anpu (Anubis) or Wep-wawat (Opener of the ways). He guided the deceased through the underworld. The jackel - dog is famous for its sure homing instinct, day or night. Ancient, as well as modern Egyptians know, if they are lost in the desert, to follow the footprints of a jackal and they will lead them to cultivated land. As such, it is an excellent choice, to have the jackel guiding the soul, through the transformation process.
And we could go on but I will leave that study up to you. These examples are only a few to show the reader how Divine Concepts were symbolized by certain aniamls with unique characteristics that paralleled the Egytpian's understanding of the Spirit World and God. These animals were never worshiped literally; they only reflected the actions of the One True God to whom all worship was due.