History of Occultism Pg2

Pythagoras

This brilliant man was the first to discover many principles of mathematics, physics, and music, on which modern science is based. He was the first to assign ratios to the musical tones and the Pythagorean theorem is taught in geometry classes of today. He was said to have studied under the Magi in Persia and then under the priests of Thoth in Egypt and his occult influence is extraordinary:
Pythagoras believed that, at the deepest level, reality was mathematical in nature. His detailed doctrine of numbers is the basis for numerology. He believed there were vibrations connecting all things to each other and to the divine, a core occult belief predating quantum physics by thousands of years. He taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls and claimed to remember all of his previous incarnations. He was considered a magician and sorcerer in his own time and remains a powerful occult influence to this day. Pythagoras died in exile at Metapontum around 500 B.C.

Rome: The Mystery Cults

During the Roman Empire, a variety of sects arose that had in common the celebration of a mystery, revealed only to initiates in secret ceremonies. These cults were primarily Greek in origin, though they soon incorporated elements from Egypt and Persia, and they were primarily fertility cults.

Best known of these cults were the worship of the corn goddess Demeter in Greece; the Great Mother goddess Cybele and her son Attis in Cappadoci; Astarte (Aphrodite) and her son Adonis in Syria; Ishtar and her son Marduk in Persia and the rites of Dionysius (the Greek Bacchus), while Roman soldiers brought the cult of Mithra, the sun god of the later Zarathustran priests, from the Middle East.

In the mystery cults most of the sacred rites focused on the idea of personal resurrection after death. Rites were often in the form of a sacred drama -- a private version of the older Greek and Persian fertility dramas. Mime, song, and dance also played important roles.

Although each ritual was slightly different, most of the rituals contained the following elements: (1) a confession of the initiate's sins to the group; (2) the swearing of secrecy on pain of death and eternal damnation; (3) the ritual drama; (4) baptism, either by fire or water; (5) the touching or handling of sacred objects; (6) the eating of a ritual meal, usually food that had been sacrificed to the gods, and sometimes (7) ritual copulation.

Like the rituals of the Magi and the Egyptian Hermetic priests, the mystery cults recognized different grades of aspirants. The highest plane of knowledge -- that of complete union with god -- was available only to a few, and then after long apprenticeship.

~KB~

Note: This extensive chronology of occult evolution is taken from the work of Louis Stewart, primarily from his book Life Forces. It is being offered in installment form. Next: The Druids

History of Occultism Page One

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