#mystery religions

[creature-wizard]

Did Babylon even have any mystery religions? Like, they were all over Greece and Rome, but I can't find anything suggesting that kinda thing ever took off in Babylon. Literally the only people I can find claiming they had anything like this going on are conspiracy theorists who take Revelation too literally.

[castilestateofmind]

“At a particular level of spiritual development it is immediately evident that the myths of the Mystery religions are essentially an allegory of the states of consciousness which are experienced by the initiate on the path toward self realization. The various deeds and adventures of mythical heroes are not poetical, but real events; they are the specific actions of one's inner being and shine forth from within the one who attempts to follow the path of initiation which leads beyond the fulfilment of the merely human mode of existence“.

- Julius Evola, The Path of Enlightenment in the Mithraic Mysteries.

[spaceintruderdetector]

https://archive.org/details/mystery-religions-in-the-ancient-world-by-joscelyn-godwin

[tea-n-ink]

Homesickness is where the heart is

[illustratus]

Parzival by Fidus

[har-har-harvey]

i have never felt more seen than when gorgug said “i go into a worry”. like babe, i see you, i feel you, i hear you, i know you. plus!!!! the situation with kristen and cassandra! how i just know in my heart that kristen cares for her and wants to help her succeed, but is a literal teenager and doesn’t even know how to do that for herself let alone someone else. and she doesn’t have anyone to look up to or to go to for guidance because really she is the only one and how this is so different to what she had when she was with helio because of that. and the literal anxiety and sorrow and fear i feel about and for cassandra! i go into a worry!!

[porphurios]

Orphic ceremonial bowl (4th century C.E.) showing sixteen naked adepts, eight men and eight women. In the center is the Orphic Cosmic Egg or Omphalos, around which a dragon is coiled. The underside of the bowl shows four Eros figures and the following lines:

Gods, for it whirls through the infinite, great Olympus. Shining Zeus, may the cosmos be born. Hear from afar the swirling fire-wreathed circle. Heaven and earth were one form.

[imaginarylands4000]

[vintage-tigre]

One of the most famous experiments in quantum physics is the double slit experiment. It demonstrates, with unparalleled strangeness, that little particles of matter at the subatomic level only exist as a wave until they are observed.

This suggests that the very act of observing a particle has a dramatic effect on its behavior and could imply that consciousness has a symbiotic relation to the formulation of our physical reality of atomic particles.

This scientific mystery causes some people to believe humans have a dualistic relationship with reality creation - as if we have a psychic entanglement with subatomic particles and we are all creating physical reality with our collective consciousness, or that it proves a God exists and is somehow playing a curious game of peek-a-boo with all of us.

[genderkoolaid]

i know everyone hates organized religion or whatever but man i wish some sort of responsible & trustworthy & not-racist organization existed for modern hellenic polytheism. do you know how fucking cool that could be. like the thing about religion is that in order to do a lot of the best communal aspects you do need some degree of organization.

[adhdedrn]

Options based on the winning result of the five previous polls [one, two, three, four, five]

And hurry - this is a time-limited offer!

[numinous-theo]

Homeric Hymn to Demeter

Interpretations of Religious and Socio-Cultural Significance

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (circa 7th–6th century BCE) is one of the most significant literary works in Ancient Greek religion, offering profound insights into the myth of Demeter and Persephone, the establishment of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and the theological themes of life, death, and renewal.

Attributed to the Homeric Hymns, the poem serves as both a sacred narrative and a theological foundation for the Eleusinian Mysteries, one of the most important mystery cults in Ancient Greece

The Abduction of Persephone

Zeus, without Demeter’s knowledge, permits Hades, the god of the underworld, to abduct Persephone. While gathering flowers in a meadow, Persephone is seized by Hades and taken to the underworld. Her screams go unanswered except by Hekate and Helios, who later reveal the truth to Demeter.

Interpretations of Marriage

This myth can be interpreted as a reflection of ancient Greek societal norms and traditions surrounding marriage, where the man would take his bride away from her family and bring her to his home/household, or oikos, where she'd then become a part of the man's family.

This was an important rite of passage for both the man (who was often much older, around 30) and the woman (who was often much younger, around teenage years).

This bond represented not only their love, but also their family, a crucial institution that contributed to the development and maintenance of the polis.

Demeter's Search (and Grief)

Devastated by her daughter’s disappearance, Demeter wanders the earth in search of Persephone.

Disguising herself as a mortal, she withdraws from her divine role as the goddess of agriculture, causing a famine that threatens the survival of humanity.

The hymn is a profound exploration of maternal grief through Demeter’s relentless search for Persephone. Her anguish disrupts the natural order, illustrating the deep connection between divine emotions and the functioning of the cosmos.

Interpretations of Seasonal Changes

The hymn portrays a cosmic cycle of death and rebirth, with Persephone’s descent and return symbolizing the seasons: the barren winter (her time in the underworld) and the fertile spring and summer (her time on earth with Demeter).

The grief of Demeter is thought to represent the season of winter as Persephone spends the half or quarter (depending on the version) of each year with Hades in the Underworld.

This mythological symbolism of seasonal changes is also quite common among religious traditions and mythologies in the ancient world.

Interpretations connected to Marriage

The grief of Demeter is also thought to represent the grief of a mother after her daughter's marriage. Persephone's abduction is thought to have represented the daughter's transition into the man's household (oikos) and becoming a part of his family.

Demeter at Eleusis

Demeter arrives at Eleusis and is taken in by the household of King Celeus and Queen Metaneira, becoming the nursemaid for their son, Demophon. Attempting to make the child immortal by placing him in the fire, she is interrupted by Metaneira, revealing her divine identity. Demeter then instructs the people of Eleusis to build her a temple.

Eleusis, as a setting, became a holy site, with the Telesterion (initiation hall) serving as the cult’s sacred center. The hymn’s connection to Eleusis reinforced its cultural and religious significance.

The Reunion of Demeter and Persephone

Zeus, pressured by the famine, sends Hermes or Hekate (depending on the version of the myth) to the underworld to negotiate Persephone’s return.

Hades agrees but tricks Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds, binding her to the underworld for part of the year.

Persephone is reunited with Demeter, but her dual residency establishes the seasonal cycle.

The hymn reflects Greek religious concerns about divine justice, cosmic order, and humanity’s role within it. Persephone’s seasonal cycle reassures the faithful of the gods’ ability to maintain cosmic balance, despite temporary disruptions.

Foundation of the Eleusinian Mysteries

The hymn concludes with Demeter teaching the rites of the Eleusinian Mysteries to the people of Eleusis, ensuring the preservation of her worship and promising initiates a blessed afterlife.

The Mysteries promised initiates a deeper understanding of the mysteries of existence, offering hope for a blessed afterlife. This esoteric knowledge distinguished initiates from the uninitiated, who were believed to lack access to such spiritual insight.

Central to the Mysteries was the belief in the immortality of the soul. Initiates were taught to view death not as an end but as a transformation, aligning with the mythological journey of Persephone between the realms of life and death.

Held in spring at Agrai near Athens, the Lesser Mysteries served as a preparatory stage for the Greater Mysteries. Participants underwent preliminary purification rituals and initiations, paving the way for full participation in the Greater Mysteries.

Celebrated annually in September or October, the Greater Mysteries lasted for nine days and culminated in the central rites at Eleusis. These included processions, sacrifices, and secret rituals held in the Telesterion, the sacred hall of initiation.

[thepersonalwords]

God is a sound frequency, and we can all tune in if we just listen. Some find The Rhythm through different melodies, but it's all music.

Jennifer Sodini

[lizardsfromspace]

The best crank on Unsolved Mysteries was that guy who claimed he had discovered a secret code in the Bible, which it turned out meant that he developed a computer program that would look for any word he looked for in the Bible, by looking a certain number of letters apart. And then it would find the word he asked the program to look for. It was the one time even the show seemed fully aware this guy was full of it

I think they talked to him bc he claimed to have predicted the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin & warned him about it, but then he revealed that the Bible Code didn't give like, a date or time, just the word "assassin" near his name. Everything else was just running a search after a tragedy happens and then finding the thing he made the computer look for. He only made one other prediction of the future, a nuclear war in 2006

Anyway we used to have a fringe theory based around someone going "all of these words are in the Bible! As secret codes"

[vspin]

[deepestconnoisseurmoon]

The VVitch (2015)