Definition of Eleusinian Mysteries

In Ancient Greece the sanctuary of the city of Eleusis located on the outskirts of Athens had a sacred value, because the Greeks believed that this place was connected with two Olympian deities: Demeter and her daughter Persephone The first was the goddess of farming and abundance in nature and the second was the deity associated with the underworld.

In order to venerate both, sacred rituals were performed, known as the Eleusinian Mysteries. Those who have studied these cults maintain that their remote origin could come from Ancient Egypt. In any case, rituals with similar characteristics existed in other ancient civilizations.

The rites that took place in the sanctuary of Eleusis were not integrated into the religion official, since they were secret cults and the initiates acquired the commitment not to reveal information of any kind about the rituals.

While official rites were forbidden for those without citizenship rights, foreigners or women, anyone could participate in the Eleusinian rites. There was only one requirement to participate: not to have been charged with murder.

An enigma for historians

The sources that are conserved are very scarce. The main one is Anthem Homeric to Demeter. On the other hand, Plato, Aristotle, and later Pausanias and Cicero made some mention of the rites at Eleusis. Later, Christian theologians harshly criticized this type of cults as pagan traditions contrary to the Holy Scriptures.

Although there are more unknowns than certainties in this cult, researchers have reached the following conclusions. Those who were initiated for the first time in the rite (the mystai) wore their eyes covered. The person who organized the rite was a hierophant or high priest, who in turn was assisted by two priests.

The ritual took place in the month of September and consisted of two parts: a rite that was contemplated by all attendees and a secret part that took place inside the sanctuary. It is foreseeable that there were animal sacrifices and that some kind of potion was drunk.

Finally, it is believed that the experience in the sacred space connected the participants with the divinities and with their own spirit.

On the objective of this cult there are several interpretations. It is said that it was related to life after death, more specifically with the hope to get some kind of privilege in the Hereafter. Other scholars maintain that it was related to the search for abundance in earthly life.

The ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms could explain the enigma of the Eleusinian cult

Secret rituals were developed for approximately 2,000 years and were banned from the 4th century AD. C when polytheism was in the process of dissolution.

There are two hypotheses about what really happened in the sanctuary of Eleusis

For some researchers it is very likely that the initiates took some type of substance hallucinogenic and because of this they will experience a spiritual connection that is difficult to explain in rational terms.

Others deny this hypothesis and they affirm that the rite consisted of a representation night theater accompanied by music and in which an instrument was used to invoke the gods.

Photo: Fotolia - Haris Andronos