Mysteries of the Mystery Schools Revealed
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
The word “Mysticism” itself comes down to us from the Greeks and is
derived from a root meaning “to close.” The mystic was one who had been
initiated into the secret esoteric knowledge of Divine things. The term
“mystical,” then might be applied to any closed circle whose secrets
were revealed only to the initiated. The philosophers borrowed the word
from the priests and applied it to their own speculative doctrines and
thence it passed over into the Christian Church.
Mystery Schools have throughout time and place, as centers of sacred
esoteric knowledge. This divine knowledge was taught to initiates who
often became leaders of the people, starting movements that transformed
societies. Often the information taught by the Mystery Schools was
secret, so as one might expect, then as today, it is not “public
knowledge” and this should be kept in mind when studying this
information.
“How was it possible that the Hibernia initiate, a thousand years or
more before the Incarnation, could have had a vision of Christ?”
According to universal mythology, and the teachings handed down for
centuries in the esoteric Mystery Schools (even to our own day), the
evolution of our planetary system as a whole, has to pass through seven
stages. These are echoed in shorter periods within the Earth itself.
The third
of these shorter periods is said to have reproduced at a quicker tempo
than the original creation, or separation from the general cosmic
substance, of the Sun and the Moon; and this is the period described in
the Book of Genesis, where seven “days” are spoken of. The seven “days”
are, of course immense periods, but the word day (in Hebrew Yom) represents not only an age of time but also a sevenfold group of spiritual Creator Beings, the Elohim.
One of these “Groups” (the word is very inadequate) whose leader Head
was Jehovah, had a Moon-like nature. This group was especially
associated with the power of reflecting, upon the Earth, those
influences poured forth by the other Groups who represented the
spiritual force of the Sun. Therefore, being in a sense “nearer” to the
Earth they could impart to humanity wisdom concerning the spiritual Sun. Eleanor Merry, in The Flaming Door,
writes that these Beings were variously described in all ancient
mythology and religion as “Moon Beings.” They have already been
mentioned as the Pitris. They were from the West, the “Gods
of the shining land of Death,” who inspired the initiates in the
Mysteries. As “reflectors” from the Moon of glory of the Elohim of the
Sun, their supreme mission was to prepare humanity in all the different
Mystery sanctuaries of the world, for the Advent of the Sun-Logos,
Christ.
Christ was called by other names in previous religions, and
this “Being held the central place in all the old Mysteries.” He was
spoken of in ancient India as Vishvakarman, who was the
“Light of the World” in Persia as Ormuzd; in the Zend-Avesta it is said
of Him: “He will descend to Earth; He will overcome age, death, decay;
He will create free decision; then, when the time is ripe for the
resurrection of the dead, He will have the victory of life. He will be
the victorious Saviour, surrounded by Apostles.” In Egypt, He was known
as Osiris; in Greece as Apollo; by Moses as the I AM. The influence of
the lunar Beings, as teachers about the descent of the Sun-Logos to
Earth, is also to be found in the wisdom known as the Gnosis, which in
Christianity appeared as a sect that were regarded as heretical. Why?
Because this wisdom (wonderfully written down in the well-known Pistis
Sophia) could fully explain the cosmic nature of Christ but could not
explain [for the satisfaction of the Church] His humanity.
All of the mystery wisdom seemed intent on reminding human
beings that we are all “born out of God.” Merry writes further, “From
the physical point of view, all men had their ancestors behind them, so
from the spiritual point of view they were ‘sons of God,’ Who was the
Father of all. The content of all the Mystery schools consisted in
educating such people as were especially fitted for it, to eliminate
the physical consciousness (for the time being) and attain a clear
spiritual consciousness in which they could perceive something of the
manner of their descent from God. And in all the Mysteries it was
taught that there was one Son of God Who was supreme, and of Whom it
was foretold that He would one day descend to the Earth, in a Man.”
She encourages us to study the four Gospels to discover the two points of view shown there. “The God descended
is especially to be found in Matthew and John. (The Word made Flesh.)
The heights from which He descended are alluded to in Luke’s genealogy:
‘from Adam, which is the Son of God,’ and also in Mark, where we are
immediately made aware of the Divinity in Jesus in the way in which the
Gospel opens and especially in the recognition of the God in Him by the
demons: ‘We know Thee Who Thou art, the Holy One of God.’” (Mark I) …
These two poles of existence, the divine and the human, both in
doctrine and in ritual, would necessarily be represented in some form
in every school of the Mysteries, which was concerned with the central ideaof Earth-evolution, namely, its Creative Logos.