Ancient Secrets of the Eleusinian Mysteries – Walking the Sacred Way

 

 

Little to nothing is known about The Eleusinian Mysteries and probably never will be as nothing was ever written down.

Participants of this member’s only cult were sworn to secrecy; to spill the beans resulted in instant death.

These ancient Greek rites really are a mystery story and are actually the origin of the word for mystery; the Greek word mysterion, means “secret rite or doctrine”.

What little we do know is thanks to the ancient Greek geographer and travel writer of the day; Pausanias, who wrote the first tourist handbook, a sort of ancient  ‘Rough Guide to Greece’.

We do know that initiation was open to males, females, children, the old, slaves and free people.

The only stipulations were that you must not be a barbarian, in other words you had to speak Greek (any none Greek speakers were considered to be barbarians by the ancient Greeks) and you must not have committed murder.

 

The Eleusinian Mysteries:

the most famous of all secret religious rituals of ancient Greece

 

This enigma called The Eleusinian Mysteries; the most famous of all secret religious rituals of ancient Greece, took place in Eleusis, today Eleusina, about fourteen miles northwest of Athens from around 1600 BCE to 392 CE, a major festival during the Hellenistic era which later spread to Rome.

Practically all important thinkers and writers of ancient Greece, including Socrates and Plato; everyone who was anyone that is, was an initiate of the Mysteries.

The Mysteries were intended to take man to another level; a divine place where he became a god and consequently immortal.

The main goal was sanctification of the soul, a physical, emotional and spiritual cleansing.

The rituals revolved around the connection between life and death and the myth of Demeter, goddess of life and agriculture and her daughter Persephone, goddess of death and Queen of the Underworld (Hades).

 

 

In the same way that Persephone, against her wishes, visited the land of the dead and returned to that of the living each year, so would every human die only to live again on another level of existence or in another body.

 

A Pilgrimage

 

Each year, in the autumn, when The Eleusinian Mysteries came around, the Athenian pilgrims would set off to walk fourteen miles along The sacred Way (the“Iera Odos”) to Eleusis.

 

 

The “Iera Odos” – the Sacred Road is today a motorway in the same area still bearing the same name.

 

 

The fact, that until the arrival of the Romans in Greece, the Sacred Way was the only road in all of central Greece, says everything about the significance of the Eleusinian Mysteries to the ancient Greeks.

It’s worth mentioning here that the myth of Demeter and Persephone is just that, a myth, however the mysteries themselves actually happened, they were a reality, not a myth.

 

The Ancient Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone

 

 

The myth of Demeter, goddess of harvest and agriculture, one of the oldest gods of ancient Greece and her daugter, Persephone (also known as Kore or Cora – maiden), is a story of love and abduction in Ancient Greek mythology.

Persephone was assigned the task of painting all the flowers of the earth but before she could complete her task, she was whisked away by Hades, God of the underworld, who had fallen in love with her at first sight and carried her off to his kingdom; the Underworld – Hades.

 

 

Demeter, her mother, mad with sorrow, hunted everywhere for Persephone, going as far as to disguise herself as an old lady with a lighted torch in her hands.

Demeter, roamed the Earth for ninety days looking for her daughter Persephone.

 

 

In retaliation for the abduction of her daughter, Demeter caused a terrible drought in which the people suffered and starved, depriving the gods of sacrifice and worship.

 Finally, the sun God Helios took pity on Demeter and told her that Hades had carried Persephone off to his underworld.

Demeter found Hades and they struck a bargain, Persephone would live four months on Earth, with the living and eight months in the underworld. (The number of months spent in each place differs, depending on which story is read).

Before being set free from the underworld, Persephone was persuaded to eat six pomegranate seeds.

In ancient mythology to eat the fruit of one’s captor meant that one would have to return to that captor.

 

 

During the months Persephone spent above ground with her mother, the world was fruitful however, when Persephone was in the underworld, the plants withered and died (This explains the seasons).

Persephone’s rebirth is symbolic of the revival of all plant life and a symbol of eternal life flowing from one generation to another.

The myth addresses the theory of transformation and the cycle of life; existence does not end with death; there is no death, only change from one state of being to another.

This concept is more or less the foundation of the Eleusinian Mysteries.

 

The Eleusinian Mysteries:

What were they searching for?

 

 

What we know of The Eleusinian mysteries comes from a mish mash of works by ancient Greek writers who were probably initiates themselves.

As the mysteries were actually protected by the Athenian law under penalty of death they didn’t tell us much and what they did, well, remember; nothing is set in stone and what really went down at Eleusis stayed at Eleusis.

The Mysteries were performed for over a thousand years and in that time gave innumerable people a higher understanding of life, death, resurrection and reincarnation

 

From the mouths of the initiated

 

 

According to Plato (c.428-347 B.C) the ancient Greek philosopher and himself an initiate:

“The ultimate goal of the Mysteries was to lead us back to the principles from which we descended, a perfect enjoyment of intellectual spiritual good; death is not the end of one’s life but only the beginning of another part of the journey”

He also stated in his dialogue on the immortality of the soul, the Phaedo:

 “Our mysteries had a very real meaning: he that has been purified and initiated shall dwell with the gods“

Plutarch (AD 46–after AD 119) another philosopher and Platonist adds more clarity to the question of the mysteries with his words:

“Because of those sacred and faithful promises given in the mysteries, we hold it firmly for an undoubted truth that our soul is incorruptible and immortal.

Let us behave ourselves accordingly“

He went on with:

“When a man dies he is like those who are initiated into the mysteries. Our whole life is a journey by tortuous ways without outlet. At the moment of quitting it come terrors, shuddering fear, amazement; then a light that moves to meet you, pure meadows that receive you, songs and dances and holy apparitions“

 

The Lesser and the Greater Mysteries

 

 

The Eleusinian Mysteries were divided into two parts: the Lesser mysteries and the Greater Mysteries:

 

“The Lesser Mysteries”

 

“The Lesser Mysteries” took place in the spring when newcomers were initiated into the cult.

 “The Greater Mysteries” were  held in late September and only the initiated took part. (The initiates of spring’s “Lesser Mysteries” must wait a year before attending the “Greater Mysteries”).

 

 “The Greater Mysteries”

 

The ‘Greater Mysteries’ lasted for ten days, revolving around the concept of rebirth and eternal life, based on the myth of Persephone and her return to Earth from the Underworld and her reunion with her mother Demeter, which symbolized the flow of everlasting life.

Probably it was re-enactment of the death and rebirth of Persephone which the initiates maybe watched or played some part in.

The myth was depicted in a cycle with three phases: the “descent”, the “search” and the “ascent”, meant to represent emotions from sorrow to joy.

At some point, way back in antiquity, Dionysus was associated with Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and her daughter Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, as Dionysus was himself a god of fertility.

It’s said Dionysus and his cult, often attended the Greater Eleusinian Mysteries, only here he was known as Iacchus, son of Zeus and Demeter or Persephone.

 

 

There’s some disagreement amongst historians about this, some think it was just a mix up of names, as Iacchus, sounds similar to Bacchus; the Roman name for Dionysus.

However the god of wine did attend, under whatever name, accompanied by his entourage of singing , drinking and dancing maenads and satyrs, carrying their pinecone –topped magic wands; the thyrsus, without which they went nowhere.

 

 

A helping hand in ascending to higher levels

 

As with many ancient (and some not so ancient) rituals and religions worldwide, the ancient Greeks were known to resort to a little help in reaching euphoria; a state of Greek ecstasy; that overwhelming, pleasurable, emotion of  the use of potions or philtres for magical or religious purposes was rather common.

It was no secret that the priestess Pythia of the Oracle at Delphi, sat above a crater in the earth, which emitted fumes, said to have hallucinogenic properties, which she inhaled, causing her to slip into semi-consciousness, which enabled her to prophesize the future.

 

 

At Eleusis, rumour has it, things were no different; a little kykeon, a drink containing a powerful psychoactive ingredient, went a long way in helping the faithful pilgrims to reach a higher level of perception.

 

Kykeon – Hallucinogens – opioids – magic mushrooms

 

At some point during the rituals of the Mysteries, after a period of fasting, the followers of Demeter were given a powerful psychoactive potion called kykeon to drink which would heighten their experiences.

 

 

Kykeon was an Ancient Greek drink, there are various recipes, some were made with wine and grated cheese but it was usually made from water, barley and the naturally occurring substance, ergot; fungi that grows on rye and other grasses such as wheat and contains LSD-like psychedelic alkaloids.

Other contenders for enhancing the out of body experiences, achieved during the course of the Eleusinian rituals, were psychoactive mushrooms – magic mushrooms and opium, derived from Papaver somniferum; the opium poppy.

 

 

In Ancient Greece the poppy was a symbol of sleep and death, associated with Morpheus, God of dreams and Demeter, Goddess of agriculture.

Morpheus slept in a cave full of poppy seeds while shaping dreams and this is why the opium – based medication, used for insomnia, as well as pain, is known as morphine.

 Gossip heard through the ancient grapevine is that the cult of Demeter brought the poppy to Eleusis from Crete, where we know for sure opium was produced.

And a good time was had by all!

 

Let the Journey Begin

Walking the Sacred Way

 

 

The pilgrimage to Eleusis began around noon, at the end of September, for the fourteen mile trek, on foot, along the Sacred Way (Ἱερὰ Ὁδός, Hierá Hodós), to Eleusis where they would arrive late evening.

 

 

Devotees of Demeter and Persephone gathered at the ancient Agora of Athens from where they would then set off for the city gate of the Keraimeikos cemetery, the largest necropolis of ancient Greece and from there, onward to Eleusis.

 

 

Along the way they would have passed the olive tree of Plato, under which he is thought to have taught his students 2,400 years ago; one of the twelve olive trees that surrounded the Academy.

 

 

The tree is now long gone, it was knocked down by a bus in 1976; the broken part was carried off to the Agricultural University of Athens.

 

 

The remaining lower part of the trunk and its gigantic roots were later discovered missing, most likely stolen for firewood as often happens in Greece.

According to Pausanias the next landmark would have been another tree; the sacred fig tree, given by Demeter to mankind as she searched for her daughter Persephone.

Alas, this tree too, is now gone

Next to Demeter’s fig tree, there was built a temple dedicated to Demeter and Persephone, today the site of the chapel of Saint Savas, built with fragments of the old temple, where today, people still ask the Saint for cures, especially women with breast cancer.

 

 

Next along the way, so says Pausanias, beyond the River Ilisos (or Ilisus), originally a tributary of the Kifissos River, now rechanneled to the sea, was the shrine of Zeus the Savior, where now stands the church of Saint George.

 

 

 The pilgrims would now be at the halfway mark: the Thebes crossroads where The Sacred Way meets the road to Thebes, once lined with magnificent marble monuments, yes, you guessed it; these treasures are too now gone.

After leaving the plains of Thebes, they climbed the slopes of Mount Aigaleo, known then as Poikilon Oros and passed by the temple dedicated to Demeter and Apollo, later destroyed by Christians, where now stands the Byzantine church of Daphne, again, built with fragments of the destroyed temple.

 

 

Standing at the end of the mountain pass was the Temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, where, below the rock face, were many niches used to place offerings.

 

 

The sea was now in view, the travelers gazed across the bay to the island of Salamis and the Sacred Lake of Eleusis, they were nearing their destination.

 

 

 Before continuing their journey, they would bathe in the sea, dreaming of what mysteries lay ahead.

On the outskirts of Eleusis, the procession would stop to rest at the Kallichoron Well, as did the goddess Demeter, weary after wandering for days in search of her daughter Persephone.

 

 

Pausanias tells us that here at the well, the maidens of Eleusis, in order to cheer Demeter up and give her courage to continue her quest, danced for her, hence the name of the well; the Kallichoron  – The Well of Fair Dances.

Leaving the Kallichoron Well, in a carnival state of mind, they crossed a stone bridge across a river, built by Hadrian, to be met by the citizens of Eleusis: They had arrived.

 

 

The people of Eleusis would mock and insult the faithful followers of Demeter; this was considered lucky and encouraged them to leave their self importance behind.

In front of them loomed the Hill of Mysteries, their eyes fell upon Pluto’s Cave and the Sanctuary of Demeter; the spiritual heart of the ancient Greek world.

Only initiates could pass through the gate, into the presence of the goddess, which was protected on either side by statues of Demeter and her daughter Persephone.

 

 

Things Done – Things Shown – Things Said

 

 

The works of ancient Greeks, such as our friend Pausanias, from testimonials of ancient philosophers and through interpreting paintings on ancient Greek pottery, which in themselves tell a story; hinting of what the rituals involved, such as baskets of poppies and pomegranates, animal sacrifices, feasts and dances, have helped us form a general idea of what the rituals involved.

The Eleusinian Mysteries maybe, just maybe mind you, have gone something like this:

Four ranks of people took part in the Eleusinian Mysteries:

Priests and priestesses, initiates, (those participating in the rituals for the first time), those who had already taken part at least once and the épopteia (Greek: ἐποπτεία); those who had experienced the final climax of the mysteries and had learnt the secret – The keepers of the secrets.

On arrival at Eleusis, which would probably have been around midnight, the cult members, or initiates, sat vigil to Demeter until early morning when they would then gather before the Great Hall; the Telesterion (“Initiation Hall” from the Greek word τελείω, “to complete, to fulfill, to consecrate, to initiate”).

 

 

At some point, it’s thought the participants would descent and ascent Pluto’s Cave to re-enact the journey from darkness to light or death to rebirth, most logically, this would have happened before gathering in the Telesterion.

Pluto’s Cave is rumoured to be the entrance to Hades, the Underworld, through which Hades would have carried Persephone.

 

 

The Telesterion, a square hall with rock-cut seats, said to hold up to one thousand spectators, was where the followers would watch and maybe take part in the mysteries.

In the centre of the hall, was a palace where sacred objects used during the rituals were kept, only priests were allowed to enter here.

Before any of the cult members or initiates were allowed to enter the Telesterion they were instructed to recite:

“I have fasted, I have drunk the kykeon, I have taken from the kiste (box) and after working it have put it back in the calathus (open basket)”.

Who knows what was in the box, what was done with what was in the box and what was the open basket?

  The secret died with the initiates.

It’s thought that the rituals were divided into three acts, all three together known as:

 

The unrepeatables (the aporrheta)

 

Things done (dromena): a reenactment of the Demeter and Persephone myth.

Things shown (deiknumena): Displaying the sacred objects, whatever they may have been, probably performed by a priest.

Things said (legomena): Most likely a running commentary about the things shown.

To repeat the unrepeatables meant death!

 

Party Like A Greek!

 

 

The ten day rituals ended with an all-night ancient Greek rave party, held in the Rharian Field, thought to be the first place in which the grain of Demeter grew.

The next morning all headed for home, some I’m sure, feeling very much the worse for wear but for others, their lives would never be the same again; they were enlightened; they had experienced the mystical wonders and secrets of Eleusis.

For us, thousands of years later we can only wonder; what was the finale, the climax to the Eleusinian Mysteries?

No one knows.

The mystery remains.

 

The End but the Mystery lives on

 

 

The mysteries ended when Christianity took over the Hellenistic religion and became the main religion of Greece.

The last pagan emperor of Rome, Julian, who ruled from 361 to 363, attempted to restore the Eleusinian Mysteries and was the last emperor to be initiated into them; around thirty years later, Emperor Theodosius I, closed the sanctuaries during the Persecution of pagans in 392 AD.

The last traces of the Mysteries were wiped out in 396 AD, when Arian Christians under Alaric, King of the Goths, destroyed and desecrated the old sacred sites, leaving only ruins and rubble where once the people of the ancient world gathered to experience the truths of life, of death, and the promise of rebirth.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Cicero, a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher and Academic skeptic; it goes a long way in helping to understand just what the Eleusinian Mysteries were all about.

“For among the many excellent and indeed divine institutions which your Athens has brought forth and contributed to human life, none, in my opinion, is better than those mysteries. For by their means we have been brought out of our barbarous and savage mode of life and educated and refined to a state of civilization; and as the rites are called ‘initiations,’ so in very truth we have learned from them the beginnings of life, and have gained the power not only to live happily, but also to die with a better hope,”

Cicero