THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

++Introduction to the Mysteries++

The actual source of Greek wisdom stems from the magnificent institutions of Hindu,
Chaldean,
and Egyptian thought. Egyptian wisdom was patterned after the shadow cast by the
sanctuaries of Ellora, Ur, and Memphis upon the thought substance of a primitive
people.
Thales, Pythagoras, and Plato contacted many distant cults and brought back the
lore of
Egypt and the Orient in their teachings.

Philosophy emerged from the religious Mysteries of antiquity. In order to

understand the
depths of philosophic thought one must familiarize himself with the teachings of
the
initiated priests designated as the first custodians of divine revelation. The
Mysteries
claimed to be the guardians of a transcendental knowledge so profound as to be
incomprehensible save to the most exalted intellect. They were so potent as to be
revealed
with safety only to those in whom personal ambition was dead and who had
consecrated their
lives to the unselfish service of humanity.

The Mysteries were secret societies which bounded their initiates to inviolable
secrecy.
Symbolism is the language of the Mysteries, mysticism, and philosophy. However, it
is also
the language of all of Nature as every law and power is manifested to the limited
sense of
perceptions of man through the medium of symbol. Every form existing in the sphere
of being
is symbolic of the divine activity by which it is produced. Symbols have allowed
man to
communicate to each other thoughts which transcend the limitations of language. In
a single
figure a symbol may both reveal and conceal, for to the wise the symbol is obvious,
while
to the ignorant the figure remains inscrutable. He who seeks to unveil the secret
doctrine
of antiquity must search for that doctrine not upon the open pages of books but in
the place
where it was originally concealed.

Initiates preserved their knowledge upon monuments and their knowledge of chemistry
and
mathematics is hidden within mythology. This was done in order to prevent these
secret
processes from falling into uncultured hands and being perverted.

++The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies++

Philsophic religious doctrines of the pagans were divided to meet the needs of the
philosophic mind and mind of the layman. To the discerning few esoteric spiritual
teachings
were revealed while to the majority only exoteric literal interpretations were
given.

In order to simplify the great truths of Nature and the abstract principles of
natural law,
the vital forces of the universe were personified, becoming gods and goddesses of
the
ancient mythologies. While the multitudes brought offerings to the altars of these
gods, the
wise recognized the symbolic concretions of great abstract truth.

The Mysteries were seculsive schools of philosophic and religious thought. Many
great minds
were initiated into these secret fraternities by strange and mysterious rites.
After being
admitted, the initiates were instructed in the secret wisdom which had been
preserved for
ages. Many of these ancient cults have vanished from the earth without revealing
their
secrets but some have survived.

Much of the ritualism of Freemasonry is based on the trials which candidates were
subjected
by the ancient hierophants before keys of wisdom were entrusted to them. All the
perfection
of civilization and advancement in the sciences in antiquity is the result of these

teachings. Their chief object was to teach the doctrine of one God, the
resurrection of man
to eternal life, the dignity of the human soul, and to lead the people to see the
shadow of
the deity, in the beauty, magnificence, and splendor of the universe.

The decline of virtue, which has preceded the destruction of every nation of
history, caused
the Mysteries to become perverted. Sorcery took the place of divine magi and
perversion
(Bacchanalia) ruled supreme. The pagan Mysteries opposed the Christians during the
early
centuries of their church because Christianity did not demand virtue and integrity
as
requisites for salvation. The ideals of early Christianity were based upon the high
moral
standards of the pagan Mysteries, and the first Christians who met under the city
of Rome
used the subterranean temples of Mithras as their places of worship. The modern
church has
borrowed much of the sacerdotalism from this cult.

The Mysteries were devoted to instructing man concerning the operation of divine
law in the
terrestrial sphere. They believed that no man could live intelligently who did not
have a
fundamental knowledge of Nature and her laws. These cults were moralistic and
philosophic.
Few of these cults actually worshiped antropomorphic deities and taught virtue.

Sun worship was an integral part of nearly all pagan Mysteries which indicates an
Atlantean
origin. The Solar Deity was a beautiful youth with long golden hair to symbolize
the rays of
the sun. The Sun God was slain by the wicked who personified the principle of evil
in the
universe. The Sun God was brought back to life through ritual and ceremony and
became the
Savior of His people. The secret processes by which he was resurrected symbolize
how man
can overcome his lower nature, master his appetites, and give expression to the
higher side
of himself.

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The Mysteries were organized for the purpose of assisting the struggling human
creature to
reawaken the spiritual powers which, surrounded by the flaming ring of lust and
degeneracy,
lay asleep within his soul.
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In the ancient world nearly all secret societies were philosophic and religious. In
mediaeval times they were cheifly religious and political though few were
philosophical. In
modern times they are largely political and fraternal; although, Masonry maintains
its
ancient religious and philosophic principles. There were scores of these ancient
cults.
Those of Pythagoras and the Hermetists show an Oriental influence while the
Rosicrucians
gained much of their wisdom from Arabian mystics.

++The Druidic Mysteries of Britain and Gaul++

The original and primitive inhabitants of Britain reformed their nationional

institutes.
Their priest, or instructor, was known as Gwydd but, it became necessary to divide
his
office between the superior priest and a lower ranked priest. He became known as a
Der-Wydd
(Druid) and the lower priest was known as the O-Vydd (Ovate). However, both also
went by the
genral name of Beirdd (Bards), or teachers of wisdom.

The origin of Druid is disputed. Some believe that it comes from the Irish word
"Drui" (the
men of the oak trees) and others believe it comes from Teutonic, Welsh origins.
The forest gods and tree deities of the Greeks were called dryades. In word
"druidh"
means wise man or sorcerer and in Sanskrit the word "dru" means timber.

The Druids held great power and were seen as the mediators between the gods and
man. They
made armies sheath their weapons when ordered to do so. The Drudic order had a deep
understanding of Nature and her laws. They studied geography, physical science,
natural
theology, astrology, and medicine. They used herbs and crude surgical instruments.
The
Druids cured by magnetism and charging amylets with their fludic influence.
Universal
remedies were mistletoe and serpent eggs.

Mistletoe was a sacred symbol of universal medicine as it grew on the oak tree. The
Druids
worshiped the Supreme Deity through the symbol of the oak. During certain seasons
mistletoe
was cut using a consecrated golden sickle.

The Druids were initiates of a secret school which closely resembled the Bacchic
and
Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece and Egyptian rites of Isis and Osiris. This school
is known
as the Druidic Mysteries. Their secret teachings were never written and only
communicated
orally. It is thought that the Mysteries were of Greek or Oriental origin.

Sun worship played an important part in the rituals of Druidism. The Druidic
Pantheon
includes a large number of Greek and Roman deities. This amazed Caesar during his
conquest
of Britain and Gaul.

The school of the Druids was divided into three distinct parts and their secret
teachings
are practically the same as the mysteries concealed under the allegories of Blue
Lodge
Masonry. The lowest division was the Ovate- this was an honorary degree which
required no
purification or preparation. The Ovates dressed in green, the Druidic color of
learning,
and were expected to know about medicine, astronomy, poetry if possible, and
sometimes
music.

The second division was the Bard. They were robed in sky-blue, to represent harmony
and
truth, and were assigned the labor of memorizing 20,000 lines of sacred poetry.
They were
chosen as teachers of candidates (neophytes) seeking entrance into the Druidic
Mysteries.
Neophytes wore the three sacred colors blue, green, and white.

The third division was the Druid who ministered the religious needs of the people.
They
dressed in white- symbolic of purity, and the color used by them to symbolize the
sun.
The spiritual head of the organization was the Arch-Druid. The Arch-Druid wore the
iodhan
moran or breastplate of judgment, which possessed the mysterious power of
strangling anyone
who made an untrue statement while wearing it.

The Druids lived an ascetic life of strict abstinence. Celibacy was not demanded
but few
married. The Druids believed in three worlds and in transmigration from one to the
other.
In a world above this happiness predominated and in the world below, misery. The
transmigration was to punish and reward and also purify the soul. In the present
world man
has the freedom to choose or reject Good and Evil as they are finely balanced.

There are three objects of metempsychosis: collect into the soul the properties of
all being,
acquire knowledge of all things, to get power to conquer evil. There are also three
kinds of
knowledge: Knowledge of the nature of each thing, of its cause, and its influence.
There are
three things which grow less: darkness, falsehood, and death; and three things
which
constantly increase: light, life, and truth.

Teachings of Druids divided into simple moral code and the esoteric doctrine of
priests.
Druids taught reincarnation, puratorial type of hell where people were purged of
sin and
would pass on to unity with gods after. Druids taught that all men would be saved,
but some
must reincarnate many times to learn the lessons of human life and overcome
inherent evil.

Neophytes were taught in secretive locations such as the forest and caves. Here
they were
instructed in the laws of creation, personalities of the gods, laws of Nature,
secrets of
occult medicine, mysteries of celestial bodies, and the rudiments of magic and
sorcery.
Initiations took place at the solstices and equinoxes. The birth of the Sun God was
celebrated on December 25th.

The Druids had a Madonna, or Virgin Mother, with a Child in her arms that was
sacred to
their Mysteries. Their Sun God was resurrected at the time of year Christians
celebrate
Easter. The Cross and Serpent were sacred to the Druids also. The oaken cross was
symbolic
of their superior Deity and they worshiped the sun, moon (especially important),
and stars.
They worshiped Mercury in the form of a stone cube. They also had great veneration
for the
Nature spirits (fairies, gnomes, and undines), whom many offerings were made to.

Druidic temples were built in dense groves of oak and were either circular (emblem
of
universe), oval (allusion to the mundane egg -from which universe or our first
parents were
issued, sepentine (serpant was the symbol of Hu, the Druidic Osiris), cruciform
(cross is an
emblem of regeneration), winged (represents motion of Divine Spirit). Their cheif
deities
were two- male and female, father and mother, Hu and Ceridwen, distinguished by the
same
characteristics as belong to Osiris and Isis, Bacchus and Ceres, and others.

Hu, the Mighty, regarded as the first settler of Britain, came from a place which
the Welsh
Triads call the Summer Country, the present site of Constantinople. Albert Pike
asserts that
the Lost Word of Masonry is concealed in the name of the Druid god Hu.

Initiation rites of the Druidic Mysteries consisted of being buried in a coffin to

symbolize the death of the Sun God and being sent out to sea in an open boat. Many
lost
their lives but those who lived were "born again" and were instructed in the hidden
truths.

++Rites of Mithras++

Derived from the Persian Mysteries, the cult of Mithras was powerful and had at
least one
Roman emperor initiated into the order. Their teachings were carried to nearly all
parts of
Europe. The Mithraic cult is a simplification of the teachings of Zarathustra
(Zoroaster),
the Persian fire magician. Mithras is the send title for the sun and he dwells
within it.
Mithras has a male and female aspect and is most magnificent of the Yazatas (Izads,
or Genii,
of the sun). As Mithra, this deity represents the feminine principle and represents
the
mundane universe. She represents Nature as receptive and terrestrial and only
fruitful when
bathed in the light of the sun.

The Persians believed that two principle coexisted in eternity. The first of these,
Ahura-
Mazdra, or Ormuzd, was the Spirit of Good. From Ormuzd came forth a number of
heirarchies of
good and beautiful spirits (angels and archangels). The second of these was
Ahriman; a pure
and beautiful spirit that later rebelled against Ormuzd, being jealous of his
power. This
did not occur unil Ormuzd created light as before he was not conscious of his
existence.
Ahriman became the Spirit of Evil and individualized a host of destructive
creatures from
himself to injure Ormuzd.

When Ormuzd created the earth, Ahriman entered into its grosser elements. When
Ormuzd did a
good deed, Ahriman placed the principle of evil within it. When Ormuzd created the
human
race, Ahriman became incarnate in the lower nature of man. For 3,000 years Ormuzd
ruled the
celestial and spirit worlds with light and goodness. Then he created man and ruled
with
wisdom and integrity for 3,000 years more. Then the power of Ahriman began, and the
struggle
for the soul continues for 3,000 more years until the power of Ahriman is
destroyed. While
Ormuzd and Ahriman struggle for control Mithras, God of Intelligence, stands as
mediator
between the two. There is a simularity between alchemical mercury and Mithras as
mercury
acts as a solvent and Mithras seeks to harmonize two celestial opposites.
Mithraism and Christianity is tightly interwoven and the two share many
similarities.

The rites of Mithras were performed in caves. The cavern is symbolic of earth, or
the lower
world of darkness. The cave was adorned with signs of the zodiac, Cancer and
Capricorn which
represented the summer and winter solstices. They represented the gates of the
souls
descending (Cancer) from heaven to earth and ascending (Capricorn) from earth to
heaven.

Initiation into the rites of Mithras consisted of three degrees. In preparation the
candidate
would undergo self-purification, build up the intellectual powers, and control
animal
nature. In the first degree the candidate was given a crown upon the point of a
sword and
instructed in the mysteries of Mithras' hidden power. The crown represented his
spiritual
nature, which must be objectified and unfolded before he could truly glorify
Mithras; for
Mithras was his own soul, standing as mediator between Ormuzd, his spirit, and
Ahriman, his
animal nature.

In the second degree he was given the suit of armor of intelligence and purity and
sent into
the darkness of the subterranean pits to fight the beasts of lust, passion, and
degeneracy.
In the third degree he was given a cape woven with symbols of the zodiac. After his
initiations were over, he was hailed as one who had risen from the dead and became
a full
member of the order. Candidates who passed were called "Lions" and their foreheads
were
marked with the Egyptian cross. Mithras is pictured with the head of a lion and two
pairs of
wings. Throughout the ritual were references to the birth of Mithras as the Sun
God, his
sacrifice for man, his death that men might have eternal life, and his resurrection
and the
saving of all humanity.

Mithraic culture was widely spread across Europe and Masonic references to the
"Lion" and
the "Grip of the Lion's Paw" have strong Mithraic influences. The ladder of seven
rungs in
Mithraic initiation is mirrored in the Masonic ladder. These societies also both
refuse to
permit women. The Mithraic legend is largely a symbolic representation of the sun
as it
rises and sets.

Some think that Mithra was a supreme heavens god (origin of the Freemason's Eye)
rather than
a Solar Deity. The Mithraic rites superseded the Mysteries of Bacchus and became
the
foundation of the Gnostic system. Mithras slaying the bull with a sword represents
the rays
of the sun (sword) releasing the vital essences of earth (blood of the bull) which
fertilize
the seeds of all living things. Dogs were sacred to the cult of Mithras and
symbolized
sincerity and trustworthiness. The serpent represented Ahriman, the Spirit of Evil,
and
water rats were sacred to him.