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"After having acquired all which it was possible for him to learn of the Greek philosophers and, presumably, become an initiate in the Eleusinian mysteries, Pythagoras went to Egypt, and after many rebuffs and refusals, finally succeeded in securing initiation in the Mysteries of Isis, at the hands of the priests of Thebes. Then this intrepid 'joiner' wended his way into Phoenicia and Syria where the Mysteries of Adonis were conferred upon him, and crossing to the valley of the Euphrates he tarried long enough to become versed in the secret lore of the Chaldeans, who still dwelt in the vicinity of Babylon. Finally, he made his greatest and most historic venture through Media and Persia into Hindustan where he remained several years as a pupil and initiate of the learned Brahmins of Elephanta and Ellora."
From: Ancient Freemasonry, by Frank C. Higgins, 32°
Secret Teachings of All Ages: The Life and Philosophy of Pythagoras
*****
Three thousand years ago in ancient Greece a mass religious event took place every year in which a sacred brew was drunk by initiates in a ritual setting.
The Mysteries were celebrated at Eleusis, from around 1500 BCE to the fourth century CE, in honour of the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone. After Persephone's abduction by Hades, god of the underworld, Demeter left Olympus and vowed never to return, nor to allow crops to grow on earth until she and her daughter were reunited. Demeter found refuge in the palace of the king of Eleusis, Keleos, and as a mark of gratitude, she founded a temple there. Fearing that humankind would become extinct without food, Zeus ordered that Persephone be returned so that Demeter would also go back. Before Demeter returned to Olympus she instructed the kings of Eleusis, Keleos and Triptolemus on how to celebrate the rites in her temple, which were to be 'Mysteries' (secret teachings).
Up to three thousand people were initiated each year - any Greek-speaking person who had not committed a murder could present themselves once for initiation. Among those who underwent the rite were Aristotle, Sophocles, Plato, Cicero and a number of Roman emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius. The celebration of the Mysteries began in the autumn, with four days of rites and festivities in Athens. On the fifth day, a solemn procession to Eleusis began, during which rites, sacrifices and purifications took place. On the sixth night, cloaked in secrecy, the climax of the Eleusinian ceremony took place in the inner sanctum of the temple, into which only priests and initiates could enter,.
"The initiates often experienced in vision the congruity of the beginning and the end, of birth and death, the totality and the eternal generative ground of being. It must have been an encounter with the ineffable, an encounter with the divine." ~ Albert Hofmann
Before the climax of the initiation, a sacred potion made of barley and mint, called the kykeon, was administered. The possible psychoactive ingredients in kykeon have been hotly debated. It has been suggested that the mint in the mixture might have provided the mind-altering element as the mint family contains the plant Salvia divinorum, used by the Mazatec Indians of Mexico in a divinatory context. Terence McKenna has suggested that Stropharia cubensis, or another psilocybin-containing mushroom, might be the key.
The most convincing theory about the nature of kykeon results from extensive research by Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl Ruck. In 'The Road to Eleusis' they argue that the parasitic fungus ergot, found on particular wild grasses, is the psychoactive component of kykeon. It would have been simple for an Eleusinian priest to collect the ergot from the wild grass growing near to the temple, grind it into a powder and add it to the kykeon. The theory is further supported by the fact that ergot is commonly found on grain, Demeter was the goddess of grain, and ears of grain featured prominently in the ritual.
LSD is a modern product of ergot, providing an intriguing link between the Greek religious rituals of many thousand of years ago, and today's entheogenic explorations.
As Albert Hofmann - inventor of LSD and investigator of the Eleusinian Mysteries - puts it:
"If the hypothesis that an LSD-like consciousness-altering drug was present in the kykeon is correct - and there are good arguments in its favour - then the Eleusinian Mysteries have a relevance for our time in not only a spiritual-existential sense, but also with respect to the question of the controversial use of consciousness-altering compounds to attain mystical insights into the riddle of life."
From: Council on Spiritual Practices - The Eleusinian Mysteries
*****
Mithraism revolved around not only religion but also advanced astronomy, philosophy and science, and it also embraced what would now be called alchemy, astrology, magic and the occult. The plant sacred to Mithra was mandrake, well known for its associations with magic. The Magi were followers of Mithra before becoming associated with Zoroastrianism (the Illuminati often passed themselves off as Magi).
Soma/Haoma was an Indo-Persian drug used in Mithraic ceremonies. It was the "divine", intoxicating juice of a "legendary" plant drunk by gods and men to induce ecstasy. A powerful stimulant, it was associated with spiritual and medicinal qualities. It could also cause hallucinations, trances, visions and "inner" sight. It was said to confer an inner fire and immortality on those who took it.
From: Illumination - The Mithras Deception
*****
No exploration into yoga and meditation would be complete without a look at the ancient lineage of sacred plants and herbs that many assert are at the origins of religious experience and spirituality. We live in a time of drug hysteria that calls for a more intelligent understanding that doesn’t lump every psychoactive substance, plant, or herb into the same category called dark and dangerous. The Soma was an ancient brew or drink prepared by sages and yogis that was said to bestow health, strength, insight, spiritual visionary experience, and communion with divinity. This sacred drink, also called “Amrita” or “nectar of the gods,” opened the mind, heart, and inner landscape while purifying and healing the body. The word “Amrita” means nectar. It comes from the word “Mrita,” which means death and “A-mrita” means non-death or immortality. Soma use dates back to the ancient time of the Vedas and origins of yoga.
Researchers have suggested that the Soma was made from psychoactive mushrooms or possibly from a combination of plants, like the middle eastern Haoma or Syrian Rue, and various herbs. The formula and exact nature of this “nectar of immortality” has been lost, possibly forever, in the mists of antiquity. The Amazon region holds what is probably a similar sacred brew, called Ayahuasca, which means vine of the soul or vine of the dead. For centuries, and probably thousands of years, this plant admixture has played a primary role in indigenous people’s spirituality, healing, and discovery of a vast pharmacy of medicines and healing herbs. We owe much of our pharmacopeia to the legacy from indigenous peoples and the sacramental practices.
From: http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v21n1/v21n1-33to34.pdf
Voir la pièce jointe 13974
Video:
Carl P. Ruck, Peter Webster - The Mythology and Chemistry of the Eleusinian Mysteries - YouTube
From: Ancient Freemasonry, by Frank C. Higgins, 32°
Secret Teachings of All Ages: The Life and Philosophy of Pythagoras
*****
Three thousand years ago in ancient Greece a mass religious event took place every year in which a sacred brew was drunk by initiates in a ritual setting.
"Blessed is he who, having seen these rites,
undertakes the way beneath the Earth.
He knows the end of life,
as well as its divinely granted beginning."
~ Pindar
undertakes the way beneath the Earth.
He knows the end of life,
as well as its divinely granted beginning."
~ Pindar
The Mysteries were celebrated at Eleusis, from around 1500 BCE to the fourth century CE, in honour of the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone. After Persephone's abduction by Hades, god of the underworld, Demeter left Olympus and vowed never to return, nor to allow crops to grow on earth until she and her daughter were reunited. Demeter found refuge in the palace of the king of Eleusis, Keleos, and as a mark of gratitude, she founded a temple there. Fearing that humankind would become extinct without food, Zeus ordered that Persephone be returned so that Demeter would also go back. Before Demeter returned to Olympus she instructed the kings of Eleusis, Keleos and Triptolemus on how to celebrate the rites in her temple, which were to be 'Mysteries' (secret teachings).
Up to three thousand people were initiated each year - any Greek-speaking person who had not committed a murder could present themselves once for initiation. Among those who underwent the rite were Aristotle, Sophocles, Plato, Cicero and a number of Roman emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius. The celebration of the Mysteries began in the autumn, with four days of rites and festivities in Athens. On the fifth day, a solemn procession to Eleusis began, during which rites, sacrifices and purifications took place. On the sixth night, cloaked in secrecy, the climax of the Eleusinian ceremony took place in the inner sanctum of the temple, into which only priests and initiates could enter,.
"The initiates often experienced in vision the congruity of the beginning and the end, of birth and death, the totality and the eternal generative ground of being. It must have been an encounter with the ineffable, an encounter with the divine." ~ Albert Hofmann
Before the climax of the initiation, a sacred potion made of barley and mint, called the kykeon, was administered. The possible psychoactive ingredients in kykeon have been hotly debated. It has been suggested that the mint in the mixture might have provided the mind-altering element as the mint family contains the plant Salvia divinorum, used by the Mazatec Indians of Mexico in a divinatory context. Terence McKenna has suggested that Stropharia cubensis, or another psilocybin-containing mushroom, might be the key.
The most convincing theory about the nature of kykeon results from extensive research by Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl Ruck. In 'The Road to Eleusis' they argue that the parasitic fungus ergot, found on particular wild grasses, is the psychoactive component of kykeon. It would have been simple for an Eleusinian priest to collect the ergot from the wild grass growing near to the temple, grind it into a powder and add it to the kykeon. The theory is further supported by the fact that ergot is commonly found on grain, Demeter was the goddess of grain, and ears of grain featured prominently in the ritual.
LSD is a modern product of ergot, providing an intriguing link between the Greek religious rituals of many thousand of years ago, and today's entheogenic explorations.
As Albert Hofmann - inventor of LSD and investigator of the Eleusinian Mysteries - puts it:
"If the hypothesis that an LSD-like consciousness-altering drug was present in the kykeon is correct - and there are good arguments in its favour - then the Eleusinian Mysteries have a relevance for our time in not only a spiritual-existential sense, but also with respect to the question of the controversial use of consciousness-altering compounds to attain mystical insights into the riddle of life."
From: Council on Spiritual Practices - The Eleusinian Mysteries
*****
Mithraism revolved around not only religion but also advanced astronomy, philosophy and science, and it also embraced what would now be called alchemy, astrology, magic and the occult. The plant sacred to Mithra was mandrake, well known for its associations with magic. The Magi were followers of Mithra before becoming associated with Zoroastrianism (the Illuminati often passed themselves off as Magi).
Soma/Haoma was an Indo-Persian drug used in Mithraic ceremonies. It was the "divine", intoxicating juice of a "legendary" plant drunk by gods and men to induce ecstasy. A powerful stimulant, it was associated with spiritual and medicinal qualities. It could also cause hallucinations, trances, visions and "inner" sight. It was said to confer an inner fire and immortality on those who took it.
From: Illumination - The Mithras Deception
*****
No exploration into yoga and meditation would be complete without a look at the ancient lineage of sacred plants and herbs that many assert are at the origins of religious experience and spirituality. We live in a time of drug hysteria that calls for a more intelligent understanding that doesn’t lump every psychoactive substance, plant, or herb into the same category called dark and dangerous. The Soma was an ancient brew or drink prepared by sages and yogis that was said to bestow health, strength, insight, spiritual visionary experience, and communion with divinity. This sacred drink, also called “Amrita” or “nectar of the gods,” opened the mind, heart, and inner landscape while purifying and healing the body. The word “Amrita” means nectar. It comes from the word “Mrita,” which means death and “A-mrita” means non-death or immortality. Soma use dates back to the ancient time of the Vedas and origins of yoga.
Researchers have suggested that the Soma was made from psychoactive mushrooms or possibly from a combination of plants, like the middle eastern Haoma or Syrian Rue, and various herbs. The formula and exact nature of this “nectar of immortality” has been lost, possibly forever, in the mists of antiquity. The Amazon region holds what is probably a similar sacred brew, called Ayahuasca, which means vine of the soul or vine of the dead. For centuries, and probably thousands of years, this plant admixture has played a primary role in indigenous people’s spirituality, healing, and discovery of a vast pharmacy of medicines and healing herbs. We owe much of our pharmacopeia to the legacy from indigenous peoples and the sacramental practices.
From: http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v21n1/v21n1-33to34.pdf
Voir la pièce jointe 13974
Video:
Carl P. Ruck, Peter Webster - The Mythology and Chemistry of the Eleusinian Mysteries - YouTube
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