DeConick A.D

44
THE MATRIX OF ANCIENT SPIRITUALITY
Figure 1.3 Statue of Mithras slaying Taurus, in a Mithraeum beneath Mithraic baths, Ostia
Antica, Italy. Photo courtesy of April D. DeConick.
bag, spear, and helmet as souvenirs of his progress and was called the
Bridegroom. The ladder of progress through the planets and the collection
of souvenirs continued until the initiate had attained the final stage,
the Father (figure 1.4).
The Mithraic mysteries were about Roman soldiers invading the heavenly
world, and their progressive transformation into the unconquerable
sun god Mithras. Architecturally, the setup of their halls and caves reveals
that the Mithraic initiation ceremonies took place virtually in the stars,
along the wheel of the zodiac. The benches are marked with zodiac symbols.
As the initiates walked (or danced) around the cave and sat on different
benches, they advanced through the houses of the zodiac, ascending
from planet to planet.
Persephone’s Darlings
It was the progressive transformation of the person from human to Other
that enabled the person to communicate with the gods in the otherworld.
Although this communication might be brief and temporary, it
was enough to guarantee the person favoritism, even nepotism. Through