The Temple of Divine Mysteries
What is a Mystery School

Mystery schools, or religions, were popularized in history and literature during hellenistic times, but their origins are as old as the earliest civilizations. The word "mystery" is derived from the Greek myein, "to close" , for the rites of the mysteries were closed to the uninitiate. Mystery schools were to be found in many cultures; Sumer, Egypt, Persia, Syria, Greece and celtic Britain are but a few. Christianity itself is recognized as a mystery religion. With the emergence of global cultural awareness and religious tolerance, mystery religions are again growing in popularity.

Though the central deities of the mystery religion differ from culture to culture, they all share common belief systems and practice similar rites. Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience provides us with a good summary of these criteria:

"They were centered on a divine female as the vessel of transformation, even if they were cloaked in patriarchal form; their purpose was to secure eternal life in the afterworld, through rebirth or redemption; they contained an erotic-sexual element of union with the primal mother; there was preparation and consumption of special food and drink as part of the transformative process or as reenactment of a holy meal of the gods and goddesses; there were blood sacrifices; there were elements of magic and ecstacy in the rites; the initiate was revealed the secrets and instructions of the cult. The rites consisted of religious dramas of the deities, reenactments of the heiros gamos (sacred marriage),and/or the death and rebirth of a deity."

I feel that a mystery religion is a spiritual tradition that worships the trinity as manifest in its various aspects, and honors the myth of birth, death and resurrection as reflected in the cycle of the seasons. Many mystery religions combined various philosophical teachings with spirituality, creating the mystery school. A mystery school is not only worship, it is education. In the ancient times, many years of intense study were required before initiation was even considered. According to Proclus, it took Plato thirteen years of study under four Magi before he was initiated into the mysteries of Hermes-Thoth. The initiation itself was arduous, and in many traditions if the postulant failed the tests he was given, he was put to death.

The Temple of Divine Mysteries is a mystery school. It does not execute its failing initiates (!) But does follow all the other criteria as closely as possible:

1. "They were centered on a divine female as the vessel of transformation, even if they were cloaked in patriarchal form..."

   Both masculine and feminine energies are duly honored within the Temple. At full moon, the Goddess is honored in her many aspects; at new moon, the God is honored through reflection upon the symbolism of the moon's (month's) corresponding tree.

2. "...their purpose was to secure eternal life in the afterworld, through rebirth or redemption..."

   The Temple believes in eternal life and continuity of consciousness whether it is in the before, during or afterlife. Continuity of consciousness throughout lifetimes is necessary in order to understand and fulfill one's true purpose. Through the spiritual process of rebirth, one regains that continuity and is enabled to fulfill that purpose.

   In Carl Jung's Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, Jung classifies rebirth into five different types. One of these is termed, participation in the process of transformation . This occurs when the individual experiences a rebirth through the viewing, or participation in, religious rites. Mystery religions teach that the initiate can "become" the focal deity, and enter the realm of immortality and divine wisdom. This is similar to the Jungian concept of initiation. Jungians feel that rites of initiation involving the identification with mythic, archetypal deities or heroes provides the initiate with a moment that is "out-of-time", and lets one enter the realm of the Collective Unconscious to gain access to Divine Knowledge. The Temple of Divine Mysteries, adhering to the Hermetic concept that the universe is mental, agrees with this Jungian view.

3. "...they contained an erotic-sexual element of union with the primal mother..."

   Witchcraft is a fertility religion, with its magickal practices rooted in sympathetic origins. The Temple feels that this union is neccessary to ensure fertility of the plants and animals, and survival of the human species. The Temple acknowledges this union in two primary forms: seasonal plays are performed on the Sabbats, and the rite of Cakes and Ale is performed at every ritual. These rites both place an emphasis on the union of God and Goddess, of creative yin/yang energies combined. The Temple feels that the sexual act is the sacred, creative union of spiritual energies; it is a transformative healing process that should not be taken lightly.

4. "...there was preparation and consumption of special food and drink as part of the transformative process or as reenactment of a holy meal of the gods and goddesses..."

   At the Temple of Divine Mysteries, feasting is an integral part of the High Holiday rites. Each type of food and drink is particular to each holiday, and the Temple tries to follow those traditions as closely as possible. The feast is to remind us of a time long ago when the gods once walked the earth, and those that loved them nourished them with foods that strengthened both body and soul. The modern proctices of sacrifice, libation and burnt offerings are but echoes of those ancient times. The Temple follows the ancient Sumerian belief that if you dine with someone, you share a special bond with them that cannot be broken. All food is sacred to the Temple - it is one of the physical manifestations of love.

5. "...there were blood sacrifices..."

   The Temple does not perform blood rituals!

   As practitioners of the religion of Witchcraft, we follow the Wiccan Rede:

   An it harm none, do what thou wilt

   We must not harm ourselves or other creatures. The regular rite of Cakes and Ale can, however, be interpreted as a blood sacrifice. The Temple believes in the existence of the God of Vegetation (Osiris, Attis, Adonis, the Green Man, etc.); therefore, in the rite of Cakes and Ale, the cakes are the flesh of the God and the ale (wine or juice) is the blood. We do not feel that is our place to either condone or condemn the blood rituals of other religions.

6. "...there were elements of magic and ecstacy in the rites..."

   If there is a need to do so, the Temple performs magick in order to assist in the fulfillment of the Great Plan, of which we are all part.

The Temple of Divine Mysteries is designed as a working model of the collective consciousness, or godhead. All members are solitary practitioners who recognize different cultural pantheons; yet its members acknowledge that all deities emanate from a single source. By incorporating several cultural nuances, the Temple recognizes a global religion with emphasis on love, education and understanding.

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Temple of Divine Mysteries

The Magickal Reference Library