Persephone and the Lesser Greek Mysteries Part 1:

 

Persephone and the Lesser Greek Mysteries Part 1:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

Herein the soul is likened to Persephone imprisoned by Hades; and the lesser mysteries were meant to instill a type of longing within the soul for its release. I can only assume, that a lot of what was involved in these mysteries would have been contemplative and devotional, and clearly, it does resemble the Probationer, who after having studied the student curriculum--upon signing the Oath, is endowed with a similar aspiration. Thus, Hades represents the physical body and the material world, according to and is viewed by Taylor as a prison for the soul. The soul has forgotten its nature and laments for emancipation, that is the deeper cause of dissatisfaction with oneself and the world, attachment therefore leads to suffering. The lesser mysteries seem to have been meant to lead the initiate towards the soul’s longing and eventual awakening, and only after this initiation, were the initiates allowed to partake in the higher mysteries. The Dionysian and Apollonian aspects of the tragedy accurately correspond to this, as Dionysian ecstasy--experienced by the soul and the longing for its release from the shackles of materiality. Perhaps it is that the mysteries invoked in the initiates a fuller and more joyful and creative experience of life, and the reason they were held in such high veneration. It is probable that their emancipation resulted from what they experienced during the higher mysteries, as having been the true nature of consciousness. The experience of pure consciousness, or at least a glimpse thereof--served to unveil to them their true natures, thus, transforming their suffering into joy, as it culminated in the expression of their True Wills--attained as a consequence.

In order to leave Hades; Persephone had to make her way out through a dark and treacherous cave. She had been rescued by Zeus who took pity on her situation--after witnessing the lamentation of her mother, he thus made it, that she would only spend half the year in Hades, and the other half will be spent reunited with Hera. The time spent in Hades was during winter and autumn, when Nature was believed to be wailing along with her, thus the world turned dark and the natural things died or went away, as Gaia pined for her beloved companion. Persephone, her mother and the monsters of Hades are associated developmentally with the Animus or Anima, and the Shadow. These parts of the psyche are very deeply felt and worked with by the Neophyte, for whom the Anima has been obscured by his ignorance of the goddess, which summons a vampire, who threatens to lead the Neophyte astray. The integration of the Shadow with the Ego forms a large part of overcoming the ordeal, which leads to the Neophyte’s projection of the Great Work, or the map that will serve him along the path of return. This projection is his God and is entirely unique, as it took the Neophyte’s work with the Tarot and these unresolved psychic issues to conceive his own Great Work, this, being the aim of initiation--establishes a link between the initiate and the Supernal Triad, or the great mother in Binah and the Will of Chokmah. The great mother in Greek mythology is Rhea and her lower form Hera is the Greek equivalent of Juno and manifests in Malkuth to the Neophyte, and her daughter is Persephone. Persephone and Hera’s reunion represents the Anima which is an aspect of the shekinah once work with the lower astral has been completed, that must be united with in order to be born into the new life. The Outer Order grades may be conceptualized as the courtship between the Fool and the Goddess, and once complete union is attained, they are wedded in Tiphareth, where the daughter is placed back upon the throne of the mother, this is the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, or what is called in Thelema, Knowledge and Conversation with one’s Holy Guardian Angel. The story of Persephone and her escape from Hades was the narrative of the lesser mysteries, that would have had the same effect as the Neophyte initiation, which Crowley said gives the initiate direction. The will then unites with the shekinah, that in their union produces the Adam Qadmon as projected onto the Tree of Life, and becomes a representation of the Neophyte’s Angel, his own personal god--who he will aspire to unite with throughout the outer grades. After the initiation the magician becomes Dionysus, or embodies the deeper understood characteristics of the Fool, thus, his life takes the form of a Greek tragedy, as he embarks upon the hero’s journey.

“Love is the law, love under will.”