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Socrates: And we made four divisions of the divine madness, ascribing them
to four gods,
saying that prophecy was inspired by Apollo, the mystic madness by Dionysus, the poetic by the Muses, and the madness
of love, inspired by Aphrodite and Eros, we said was the best.
Mystery Religions
What makes the mystery religions of great interest is; as vague as
the information on the actual practices that were are, they gives a good glimpse into how strong our ancestors
faith actually was. The stories we know of now about the dieities held great importance to them and formed the
foundation of their beliefs. This was their way, these people knew no other. With all our technology and scientific
knowledge, there is fear we have as a whole lost the pure connection to that world they had experienced. Our advancements
as a species are remarkable to behold, the things we can accomplish from our knowledge are spectacular. But the
price we have paid for these things is taken from our spiritual nature. It is not surprising that the medical and
scientific community recently have taken more interest and seriousness with the ancient arts of Homeopathic practices,
herbal remedies, and other natural therapies. We have been depriving our beings of things that are not synthetic
or processed. If we listen to what our body's and souls are craving we would find it is exactly that we are missing,
the connection to nature and spirit. One does not have to be extremely religious to have this but they do need
to have faith and belief in something in order to have this key. Everyone has some sort of religion, by the very
nature of what they believe in and what they don't and how they live out their daily lives. One could envy those
tribes living in remote areas living the same way as their ancestors unchanged for thousands of years. Their reverence
and worship strengthened by the passage of time. Untainted wise shamans would feel pity for most of us and what
we have become. As we enter the world of the ancients and the mystery religions on this site try putting yourself
in the their shoes, and see the world anew. One can really appreciate this wholesome connection when they view
tribal dances from cultures living remote from our world full of convience abd technology.
Mystery religions have a persistent theme, their spiritual ethos have been associated with Rhea, Eros, Aphrodite and Adonis, Cybele and Attis, Dionysus, Demeter, and Orpheus. Mystery religions were widely practiced within the Roman Empire during the first four centuries of the Christian era. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the secrets of these religions and their initiations are very limited because of their very nature. We do know that they offered hope for a better life in an uncertain world and a life after death. They also offered a sense of belonging and unity to a group. These elements are common to what many individuals seek within any religious community even in the present.
What can not be ignored to anyone who studies or has interest in these religions is what similarities the mysteries have with Christianity. Dionysus for example is often compared to Jesus as well as Apollo. Orphism is discussed where one may see common attributes.
Cybele & Attis
Orphism
Demeter & the Eleusinian Mysteries
The Cult of the Muse
Magick
Eros Worship
Aphrodite
Pindar
