Ancient Mysteries Visited 🍻
I made it there
Across the world
The site of the ancient world’s greatest mysteries
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Cicero called it such
Marcus Aureulius too
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
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Apparently they were all initiated
And became epoptai -
Beholders of the sacred mysteries
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To speak them or write them down
Was punishable by death
Do I dare it?
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Do I know?
Am I capable of contemplation?
Of holy discernment?
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To speak it out loud or write it down
Might reduce the unknowable to something
Which could be ignored
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So of course we must have a healthy respect
Some may even say a fear
As they used to say - fear is the root of love
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But these mysteries
Offer empowerment and perspective
Beyond the chaos of this life
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Beyond the fear
Beyond uncertainty
Beyond death
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The initiates walked from Athens
Fasting 14 or 16 miles for three days
Along the sacred path
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Offering sacrifices and libations
at the temples along the way
carrying the sacred objects, not knowing
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They arrived at Eleusis
They entered the square
They went under the arches
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Painted with stars
But before that
Offerings
Libations
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Ritual cleansing
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Anyone could join
Slaves, children, citizens
As long as they had not murdered
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And could understand the language
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Invocations
To Artemis and Posideon
At the entrance
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Asking for blessings
Guidance
Strength
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The ability to endure in the face of the unknown
3000 pilgrims
Priests and priestesses
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Orators, torch bearers, music and dancing
They walked to Eleusis
To see and hear and do the ancient mysteries
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The music created a narrative
The music keyed the action
When it stopped and the lights went down the action paused and the people in procession
Moved forward
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They arrived and were blessed
and blessed the ground with libations
The priestesses were Melissae - honey bees
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I can only assume the blessings that were offered included Ancient Greek mead -
Methos
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Then, they drank the kykeon
The mysterious potion
And the Gods came down
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The pageant at some point started
The priests and priestesses dressed up
Costumes - make up - masks
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The Gods And Goddesses came down
They acted out the story of the theft of Persephone
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Flowers and fruit
and spring
disappearing from earth
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They acted out Demeter’s forlorn search and holy wrath
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They showed how Zeus was swayed by the suffering of the people brought on by Demeter’s wrath
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Her daughter had been bargained off to the king of the underworld! The king of metal and industry and the dark realm of the dead, without her consent!
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The people suffered
Without Persephone, Demeter did not bring the grain-
there was drought and famine
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Zeus agreed to help get her back
The flower and the grain would be reunited
But a balance would be achieved
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A cycle
Winter and
Summer
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Fall
And
Rising
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Marcus Aurelius said, that those who witnessed the mysteries had nothing to fear from death
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Cicero said, that of all the things the Greeks gave the world, the Eleusinian mysteries were the greatest gift.
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Life
Death
Regeneration
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A sheaf of grain
Reaped
In silence
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May we all see and share
In the mysteries
Towards Regeneration
-F. Golbeck
Dear Friends in Mead!
I hope that this find you and yours well.
That the full moon was beautiful in your part of the world.
And that your hearts are full and joyful.
I (frank) am in Greece for a wedding. I got to go to Eleusis. It was epic.
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The team has been holding it down at the meadery and supplying our markets with new fresh meads coming out of the tanks that everyone has been asking for.​
Love!
Frank