The Mysteries

What can ancient religious rituals teach us about life?

The Fate of Persephone by Walter Crane, 1877.

“Nothing is better than those mysteries. For by means of them we have transformed from a rough and savage way of life to the state of humanity, and have been civilized. Just as they are called initiations, so in actual fact we have learned from them the fundamentals of life, and have grasped the basis not only for living with joy but also for dying with a better hope.”

—Cicero

For some 2000 years, travelers from all over Greece and the Mediterranean world came to the temple of Demeter at Eleusis to be initiated into what the ancients called the Mysteries. These ceremonies were open to men and women, free and slave alike, as long as they could speak Greek and had not committed murder.

Some known initiaties of the Mysteries include the playwright Aeschylus, the philosopher Plato, and the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.

But what was it that kept these seekers, including some of the most prominent thinkers of their age, coming to Eleusis generation after generation? Why did they speak so highly of the Mysteries, and what was it that they found there?

We are told that those who had been through the Mystery initiations no longer feared death, and found a greater joy in life.

While we don’t know exactly what the Mysteries involved (their contents were secret, and revealing those secrets was punishable by death) we do know that the ceremonies involved a combination of ritual, drama, story, music, dance, and philosophical teachings designed to bring about a transformation of consciousness in the initiate.

They did so by providing the initiate with a direct experience of the divine, one that was not dependent on religious belief or philosophical speculation. (Whether or not they also involved psychedelic drugs is a matter of debate among scholars.)

The Eleusinian Mysteries centered on the story of the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone. In the well-known myth, Persephone is abducted by Hades, god of death and the underworld, and later returned to her mother and earthly life… though only for six months of the year, because of the six pomegranate seeds she had eaten while captive.

Reflecting on the myth of Persephone, we can see the archetypal theme of death and rebirth, which is the pattern for initiation ceremonies throughout many cultures and times. Initiates in the Mysteries likely experienced a symbolic death and rebirth, one that, in the process, removed their fear of death. (To “die before you die” is a well-known spiritual teaching.)

The Eleusinian initiation likely also involved a symbolic journey through the underworld. As a therapist as well as a lifelong spiritual seeker, I’ve observed that this journey can take many forms: depression, grief and loss, or, as in the case of Persephone, recovery after a trauma. Whatever form it takes, passing through the underworld journey is often necessary before we can experience life as mature, initiated human beings.

The Eleusinian Mysteries were not the only mystery religion in the ancient world. There were also mysteries of Dionysos, Orpheus, Mithras, Isis, and other deities. These Mysteries would have focused on other gods and myths, but likely used similar methods to transform the consciousness of the initiate.

The Mysteries of Eleusis were finally shut down in 392 AD under the emperor Theodosius, leaving us with a question that has persisted for the last 1,632 years…

Where are Western spiritual seekers supposed to go for initiation, for the kind of mystical experience that conquers our fear of death and shows us how to live well, and with joy?

For the past two millennia, many have found answers in Christianity, whose rituals of baptism, confirmation, and the Mass provide a kind of initiatory experience, as well as a promise of life after death.

For others, esoteric traditions like Freemasonry have provided ritual experiences that, in their structure and methods, parallel the initiations found in the ancient Mystery schools.

In the modern era, Jungian psychoanalysis and other forms of therapy have provided a direct encounter with the mythic dimension of the psyche, which many patients and therapists find sacred.

Others have left Western culture entirely, seeking initiation in traditions like Indo-Tibetan tantra, Afro-Caribbean religions, or the Ayahuasca ceremonies of South America.

Throughout history—though more commonly now because of modern rescuscitation techniques—some few individuals have medically died and come back to life, in the form of Near Death Experiences—and have been forever transformed by it (see the excellent

Coming Home

channel).

And now, psychedelic-assisted therapy offers the promise of a “measurable” mystical experience, one that (as in the Johns Hopkins research on psilocybin for terminal cancer patients) can even take away the fear of death.

I don’t believe there is any one “right” place to find initiation or a genuine mystical experience in our postmodern age. As the cultures of the world continue to morph and blend into a thousand thousand forms, new kinds of initiation will continue to emerge, even as old ones die away or transform into new guises.

And genuine seekers will find initiation wherever they can get it.

But whatever forms they take, the most effective initiations will continue to use the same tools that have always worked to transform human consciousness: myth, symbol, ritual, meditation, prayer, story, song, and in some (but not all) cases, a judicious use of psychoactive plants. And genuine initiations will follow the same archetypal structure of providing the candidate with an experience of death, rebirth, and a direct experience of the sacred.

Have you experienced an initiation in your life? Have you gone through an experience that changed your relationship to death? Where have you found the most direct experience of the sacred? Let me know in the comments.

---

Article I’m Reading

I Think It’s Bill Plotkin:

River Kenna

finds initiatory wisdom in the works of philosopher and ecopsychologist Bill Plotkin. I read Bill’s book Soulcraft while working on my undergraduate thesis, and found a lot of value in it.

Podcast I’m Listening To

The Orphic Mysteries and Ancient Astrology:

Kristin Mathis

and Drew Levanti provide a three-hour masterclass on the Orphic Mysteries over at The Astrology Podcast. (You don’t need to be a student of astrology to enjoy this one.)

Quote of the Week

“Blessed is he who has beheld the mysteries, descending in the Netherworld. He knows the aim; he knows the origin of life.”

—Pindar

---

That’s all for this week! As always, I appreciate your feedback on Mindful Mondays. What was your favorite thing I shared this week? What would you like to learn more about? Let me know by replying to this email or leaving a comment, below.

Thanks for reading,

Chris Cordry, LMFT

PS: Initiates in the ancient mysteries were led by a guide known as a mystagogos. If you feel like you could use an experienced guide for your own growth and transformation, therapy or coaching can help. Just reply to this email and we can set up a free consultation to see whether working together might be a good fit.

PPS: If you’re not already subscribed to Mindful Mondays, enter your email address below to get my latest writing delivered straight to your inbox. One email per week, no spam ever, and you can unsubscribe at any time:

If you enjoyed this week’s edition, please consider sharing it with a friend. Personal recommendations are one of the best ways for me to grow my readership and share the benefits of mindfulness with the world. Thanks!