IN the celebration of the mysteries of Phoibos Apollo, it was forbidden to eat anything upon which terrestrial fire had passed. Wherefore all the food of his votaries was sun-baked, and his chief sacrifice consisted in fruits from high trees ripened by the sun's rays.
With these mysteries of Apollo were associated those of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen, because both man and woman are admitted to the highest; and also because Eve and Adam, being thus initiated, were eaters only of fruits uncooked; and, in one of the historical senses of the allegory, Eve and Adam were the first Messengers. It was, therefore, an offence against Phoibos and Zeus for their votaries to eat anything on which fire had passed, or any fermented wine. Their wine was the pure juice of the grape drunken new, and their bread was unleavened and sun-baked.
The last Messengers must be initiated, as were Eve and Adam, into these inmost and highest mysteries of the perfect humanity, which constitute the highest of all castes, and entitle those who attain to them to sit on the golden seats. 2
These mysteries have also an inward significance which is not hard to find.
In the mysteries of Phoibos and Zeus, the initiated attained to the condition of a grand Hierophant. ("See! I tell you all things.") He was enlightened by the "sun," and was in the fourth interior circle of spirits, which is that of the Christs of God. 3 To this interior circle Jesus of Nazareth aimed to pass after his resuscitation; as was implied when he said, "I will drink no more of the grape until I drink its blood new in the kingdom of God."
Next in order were the orgies of Her who rose from the sea; and in these the initiates might eat fish which are truly fish, having fins and scales, but baked with fire, not raw. Wherefore as that
Goddess is the Angel of Harmony, or of the Sweet Song, the eating of fish became a symbol of brotherly love and union; and two small fishes together was the mystical type of little children dwelling together in unity or charity. 2 For fishes swim in pairs; and He who fished for men drew them unto him by love. And all fishers were under the protection of the Sea-Queen. There are two mystical truths belonging to the mysteries of Maria the Sea-Star; and they are, in their interior sense, the two fishes which Jesus imparted to the multitude. Of this I shall tell you more afterwards when I speak to you of the twelve baskets of bread. For these are the baskets which the twelve virgins carried in the divine orgies.
In the mysteries of Bacchos it was permitted to the outer circle to eat, if indeed they would, of all flesh save of the unclean. This is, they might eat of all clean beasts of the field and birds of the air. This was the fourth and lowest caste. But the votaries of Iacchos (the mystic Bacchos), having known all the higher rites, abstained from these things, though they allowed them to the multitude who are in the body only. For none of those who worshipped Dionysos (or Iacchos) were uninitiated in the rites of Demeter and Aphrodite. And for this reason there were substituted for the mysteries of Dionysos those of Ceres, the Earth Mother, in which the use of flesh was entirely prohibited. For this reason also one hears not of the mysteries of Bacchos save in connection with wine, whether fermented or not; for the interior significance of his rites had reference to the truth and meaning of things. The orgies of Ceres and Bacchos were therefore united, the Goddess being honoured in her bread, and the God in his chalice of truth. For in that these are body and spirit, solid and fluid, outer and inner, they comprise all things in earth and in heaven.
And beyond the circle of Dionysos lay yet another--that of
48:1 London, March 27, 1881. Received in sleep. 48:2 See No. XXII. also Dreams and Dream-Stories, No. IX. 48:3 Comp. Hymn to Phoibos, Part II, No. XI. 49:1 Comp. Hermes to his Neophytes, Part II, No. XII, pt. 2. 49:2 Comp. Hymn of Aphrodite, Part II, No. XIV (2). 52:1 See Part II, No. XIII, pt. 2, and Appendix, note R.
Footnotes
