Last time, we talked about Pythagoras. Today, we're gonna talk about a few other old Greek dudes. Let's see what we got.
Epimenides was a poet. He was able to astral project and he remembered his previous incarnations on Earth. Like Pythagoras, he was a vegetarian.
Another poet, Empedocles, claimed to be a god. He jumped into Mount Etna, thinking that people would take his vanishing without a trace to mean he was definitely a god. Like really, you guys.
Orpheus is a legendary figure that may or may not have actually existed? If you’re familiar with Greek mythology, he’s the lyre player that went to the underworld to save his wife. His music and poems were enchanting and drew animals to him. His dismembered body continued to sing even after death.
Apollonius was a vegetarian, too. Seems like a trend. I wonder if that was just common in Ancient Greece or if it was specifically tied to magic. I feel like it's probably the latter. Apollonius studied with the Brahmins, Babylonians, and Egyptians to learn magic. He could predict the future and teleport, supposedly, and was once put on trial for murdering a young boy in order to divine with his entrails. (I don't recommend trying this.)
Mystery religions were made up of members who had to be initiated in order to learn the groups' secrets. Some of the cults that we know of are the mystery cults of Dionysus, Cybele and Attis, Isis and Osiris, and Mithras.
These groups had a lot in common. In most of them, fertility was the focus. Also in most of them, it was believed that vegetarianism and asceticism were necessary to access your inner divinity and end the reincarnation process.
That's all for this week. Stay safe!
- me