Mystery Schools
Mystery religions, mystery cults, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries (Greek: μυστήρια), were religious schools of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiates (mystai). The main characteristic of these religious schools was the secrecy associated with the particulars of the initiation and the ritual practice, which may not be revealed to outsiders. The most famous mysteries of Greco-Roman antiquity were the Eleusinian Mysteries, which predated the Greek Dark Ages. The mystery schools flourished in Late Antiquity; Emperor Julian, of the mid-4th century, is believed by some scholars to have been associated with various mystery cults—most notably the mithraists. Due to the secret nature of the schools, and because the mystery religions of Late Antiquity were persecuted by the Christian Roman Empire from the 4th century, the details of these religious practices are derived from descriptions, imagery and cross-cultural studies.
Additional resources
Articles
- Ceremony, Freemasonry, and the Mysteries by John Algeo.
- Mysteries in Theosophy World.
- Iamblichus: The Egyptian Mysteries by The Theosophy Company.
- Winter Solstice 1955, in 4 parts by Boris de Zirkoff. See January-April, 2005.
- "Christmas and the Winter Solstice" by Alan E. Donant. Originally published in Sunrise 49 no.2 (December 1999 -January, 2000), 58.
Books and pamphlets
- Besant, Annie. The Mysteries.
- Knoche, Grace F. The Mystery Schools.
- Purucker, Gottfried de. The Four Sacred Seasons.
- Woods, Charlotte. The Mystery Religions: A Study in Regeneration. London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1947. This was a Blavatsky Lecture delivered at the annual convention of the TS in England, at Besant Hall, London, May 26, 1947.
