Articles

Psychology of Mysticism Seminar

The following notes are from a Psychology of Mystical And Religious Experience Seminar presented by Todd Swanson in Abiquiu, New Mexico in June 2006.

Women in the Mysteries

Women in the Mysteries

The role of women in the Eleusinian Mysteries, particularly in the early phases of the rituals, was likely significant, as suggested by the association with Demeter, a goddess deeply tied to agriculture and fertility — both realms traditionally linked to women in ancient Greece.

The Lesser Mysteries: Structure, Rituals, and Connection to the Greater Mysteries

The Lesser Mysteries: Structure, Rituals, and Connection to the Greater Mysteries

The Lesser Mysteries of the Eleusinian cult served as a preparatory initiation for participants who wished to undergo the Greater Mysteries in Eleusis later in the year.

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter Synthesis

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter Synthesis

In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, after searching in vain for her daughter Persephone, Demeter disguises herself as an old woman and arrives at Eleusis.

Profanation of the Mysteries

Profanation of the Mysteries

The profanation of the Eleusinian Mysteries offers unique glimpses into the deeply secretive and sacred nature of the rites. These acts of sacrilege, particularly those from 415 BCE, provide scholars with valuable, if fragmented, evidence of what occurred during the rituals.

Comparative Analysis of Greek Mystery Cults

Comparative Analysis of Greek Mystery Cults

The ancient Greek world was a rich tapestry of mystery cults — esoteric religious groups that offered initiates secret knowledge, personal transformation, and often the promise of a blessed afterlife. Central among these were the Eleusinian Mysteries, but they coexisted with numerous other cults that provided varied spiritual experiences.

Catharsis and Reconstruction of Identity in the Eleusinian Mysteries

Catharsis and Reconstruction of Identity in the Eleusinian Mysteries

The Eleusinian Mysteries were one of the most profound religious experiences of the ancient Greek world, blending ritual, psychology, and philosophy to facilitate deep personal transformation.

Silence and the Light

Silence and the Light

What is the Sacred? Is it objectively real, or is it a perception or an illusion, or the phenomenological presence of supernatural being(s)? If the Sacred is not real, what is the experience of the Sacred?

The Night Sky Above Eleusis

The Night Sky Above Eleusis

Poetic fancy saw in the Milky Way a road, either the road of the gods, or the road by which stood the palaces of the gods, or the road traveled by the souls of the dead, or the path of the sun. Initiates possibly read a tapestry of stories relating to the experience they underwent.

The Experience and Ritual of the Mysteries

The Experience and Ritual of the Mysteries

The Eleusinian Mysteries were not mere ritualistic performances or theoretical exercises; they were profound, transformative experiences that shaped the initiates’ understanding of life, death, and the divine.

Womb of Fire: A Study of the Eleusinian Mysteries

Womb of Fire: A Study of the Eleusinian Mysteries

The Eleusinian Mysteries deliberately induced an artificial crisis that led to significant emotional, spiritual, and psychological restructuring for the initiates. This transformative experience can be understood as a symbolic rebirth from a “womb of fire,” offering profound insights into the human condition and the potential for renewal.

Firewalking in the Land of Lightning

Firewalking in the Land of Lightning

Over nearly two years, I had the privilege of participating in lunar calendar ceremonies during Hindu festivals in Malaysia. These festivals, often spanning three days, enveloped me in a world where prayer rose amidst glorious clamor, and activities swirled like rushing water into a hollow, spinning and thrusting in predetermined courses shaped by the surrounding events.

Dreams, Oracles, and Visions

Dreams, Oracles, and Visions

Dreams have always held a mysterious allure, beckoning us into realms where the boundaries of reality blur and the impossible becomes tangible. In dreams, time bends like a river of mercury, logic twists into surreal landscapes, and we find ourselves dancing with shadows of our deepest desires and fears.

The Eleusinian Mysteries and Metanoia: Inducing Transformation through Ritual

The Eleusinian Mysteries and Metanoia: Inducing Transformation through Ritual

The Eleusinian Mysteries, ancient initiation rituals held in honor of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone, induced an artificial crisis in participants that led to a profound change in consciousness — metanoia.