medical doctor. Hypnotherapist. medieval art interpretation. Mithras mystery
I live in Sarrebourg (France) where a marvelous mithraeum was discovered in 1890.
Dominique Persoons proposes a reconstruction of Mithraic ritual based on archaeological remains, frescoes, and zodiacal symbolism. He interprets the mithraeum as a liturgical microcosm governing the descent, purification, and ascent of souls.
Summary of Mithraic philosophy on a drawing of an ornate temple.
It is possible to draw the organisation of a Mithraeum, and also his philosophical consequences. For example, the two columns were probably very different: the south column was 'human'. the winter column. Reincarnated souls appeared there, And further, pure and philosophical souls left through the gate of Capricorn. The northern column was summer time. Pure souls entered the world of the gods, and imperfect souls were rejected by the Moon and passed through the door of Cancer to be reincarnated (metempsychosis), after a six-month journey that became darker and darker.
Dear Veronica, as a woman you cannot attend the ceremonies in the mithraeum. But you can help prepare the feast. You also have a soul, like the slaves. You can therefore hope to ascend to the heavens through the solar cycle, and you will be admitted into Capricorn at the winter solstice. Then your soul will be beautified and purified for six months and it will come out into Gemini and escape from earthly influence to ascend among the gods and goddesses. But if your soul has led an impure life, if you have lacked fervor and courage, if you have not endured your condition and if you have been selfish or dishonest, then you will ascend to the sky towards Saturn, then towards the Moon where you will be prepared to return to Earth. In cancer your soul will be admitted, and you will go down the days. your soul will become heavy and charged with humidity and it will come out on the eve of the winter solstice, in Sagittarius. She wandered among the Manes before integrating a fetus and being reincarnated.
Souls enter Cancer and follow the cycle of the moon passing in front of the altar. They continue to the right and exit in Sagittarius where they are greeted by a piper. In the South-East, pure souls enter Capricorn and follow the cycle of the sun to exit into Gemini and migrate towards the gods. the mithraeum is oriented upside down, west-east. But with Taurus in the North and Scorpio in the South, the Zodiac is almost in normal position, only shifted by two signs.The figure on the left runs with arms raised towards Gemini. It is a soul in the cycle of resurrection which will ascend to Heaven.
here’s a wonderful article, full of meanings to explain the different gods. In the religion of Mithras, the journey of the soul seemed very important. So the sacred rite was based on the Zodiac, which described the different stations of the soul on the way to reincarnation, or resurrection. In this way, the slayer god of Taurus organized the circuit of souls.
here’s a wonderful article, full of meanings to explain the different gods. In the religion of Mithras, the journey of the soul seemed very important. So the sacred rite was based on the Zodiac, which described the different stations of the soul on the way to reincarnation, or resurrection. In this way, the slayer god of Taurus organized the circuit of souls.
this capital from the cloister of the abbey of Monreal in sicily dates from the 12th century and is very disturbing. It’s exactly Mithras (upside down). This means that, contrary to the idea we have of the past, the cult of Mithras was known and understood in the 12th century. Probably less violently than we do today. All this had to be known and respected.
The modern Masonic lodge is organised around the starry vault, but the officers are still arranged in a very similar way to the Mithraeum, respecting the two solstices and the two equinoxes. The Venerable Master in the East is at the spring equinox, the first sign of the ancient Zodiac, and the seat of Mithras, from where he intervenes in the journey of souls.
Organization of a mithraeum according to Beck and Gordon (1978).The soul of man travels through the Universe according to the cycle of the Zodiac. The Mithraeum represents this journey.
Certains mythes de l'Antiquité sont probablement basés sur des récits de « mort imminente » exactement les mêmes que les nôtres. Ainsi, s'expliqueraient le Paradis, l'Enfer, l'âme, le Dieu unique, nos divers «états d'âme»...
One hypothesis is that the mythology of the Roman secret society of Mithras was transformed into an esoteric society, still secret, using the Bible as a screen. Let's take an example: a secret password for today's Masonic lodges is 'Shiboleth'. Shiboleth' means 'ears of wheat', i.e. abundance. Is not the tail of the bull of Mithras an ear of wheat? There are probably dozens of passwords like that. So Hebrew became a secret language for the followers of Mithras, who continued the cult after the fall of Rome, in sanctuaries located near springs or spas, at the same time as the cult of Hercules. Many of these places can be found in France, dating from the 7th to the 10th century. Crypts dating from the 8th and 9th centuries can also be found under Romanesque churches (the church at 'Saint Savin sur Gartempe' has a crypt dating from 800 AD, and a church built above it in 1030 AD). This crypt has a clear mithraeum shape. The modern Masonic rites were probably written in the 15th or 16th century in certain monks' chapters in France or Germany. This would explain why in the 17th century 'pro-Masonic' lodges sprang up in several different parts of Europe: Germany, Ireland, Scotland etc.... the French lodges or guilds were destroyed by Louis XV.
Hello Gabriel,
the article you present on the relationship between the religion of the unconquered sun and 18th-century English Masonry notes the similarity of the (supposed) rituals. It is possible to draw attention to a few visual aspects:
- the followers face each other
- initiation was secret
- there are several levels of progression in the ritual
- temples are small and often private
- the temples are oriented according to the sun, and the place of the Pater (with his solar crown) is theoretically in the east (rising sun).
- In 1976, Richard Gordon showed that each Mithraic grade corresponded to a star, in particular the sun and the moon, and had a specific place in the lodge. Similarly, Masonry has retained references to the moon and the sun, and a specific place for each officer.
- Mithraism works according to the path of the souls in the rotating wheel of the Zodiac. Particularly the cycle of resurrection, Masons also venerate the 'Eternal East'. The Orthodox make the Pilgrimage of the 12 Prayers, which recalls the 12 signs of the Zodiac.
- Finally, the Masonic ritual uses a biblical esotericism with the use of many Hebrew words that have nothing to do with Judaism. The link between these two secret societies is missing. It is probably to be found in the organisation of Chapters within Catholic monasteries, reserved for monks, and secrets, whose rituals and organisation are also close to Mithraism. Mithraic symbols can also be found in medieval sculpture.
All this points to the survival of Mithraism after the 6th century in a pseudo-biblical form that had nothing to do with the religion of Moses. It would have constituted the esoteric side of Catholicism, hidden in the form of 'crypts', which, as the name suggests, were secret.
AVE , Hello, I'd like to offer you a Platonic interpretation of the Trier Relief. The Sun and Moon show a Platonic dualism, which is added to the zodiac.
The axis of the sun is in line with the axis of Mithras' arm and gaze, and also with the dog below. The axis of the Moon passes through the middle of Mithras' head. This axis passes slightly outside the gate of Cancer, the gate of descent catabasis (the gate of generation). This blue line is that of earthly reincarnation. The axis of the sun crosses the lunar axis on the torso of Mithras. He can therefore distribute souls either along the line of the moon, towards a return to the earth, or upwards, towards solar resurrection.
greetings