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Article ¦ .. «¦¦' THE ANCIENT M:tS:TElIlS. ¦ ' ← Page 4 of 7 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
¦ .. «¦¦' The Ancient M:Ts:Telils. ¦ '
and then presenting him with a vessel filled with the water of the Nilea Let this water , " said he , "be to thee a draught of Lethe or oblivion for all the false counsels that you have heard from the lips of the uninitiated . The novice was then instructed to prostrate him self before the statue of the great goddess Isis , while the chief hieroph ant pronounced over him these words : —
" Isis , great goddess of the Egyptians , we pray thee to impart thy spirit to thy new votary , who has surmounted so many dangers and difficulties , in order to present himself before thee ; give him victory in like manner over the trials of his soul ; and render him obedient to thy laws , that he may deserve admission to thy august and sacred mysteries . "
All the hierophants repeated this invocation , in chanted chorus , and the president presenting the novice with a strengthening draught , Said : — " May this draught be to thee the cup of memory , and ever keep in thy mind the lessons of wisdom which thou hast received . "
Herein further might have been symbolized the several ages of the world , referred to in Ovid's Metamorphoses ; thus the iron door guarded by three armed men , would represent the aye of iron , and also the darkness of the infernal abodes guarded by the three-headed Cerberus ; the second door would be typical of the age of brass ; while the age of silver would be represented by the door of ivory , which , like the gate of heaven , introduced the novice into the
sanctuary of the gods , resplendent with gold and light , that is to say , the a e S ^ ld 9 or perfect happiness . Previously to taking the oath of secrecy , the candidate was thus addressed by the presiding hierophant : — " Aspirant for the mysteries , the intrepidity you have shewn in surmounting the obstacles which you have encountered in your mysterious journey , and the anxiety you have long testified to be admitted to a participation of these solemn rites , prove to us that you are endowed with a mind and soul capable of appreciating so high a privilege ; and that in admitting vou to these sacred and aiurust mvsteries . we receive among : us
a devoted worshipper of the great mother , the goddess Isis . " The novice was seldom if ever permitted to go beyond the above steps for some further space of time ; and before his admission to any further knowledge , his mind was prepared by a coarse of meditation and instruction under the priests of Isis and Osiris .
Apul ^ eius says of his initiation : — " I was conducted step by step , through devious paths , close to the gates of death , and after having touched the threshold of the abode of Proserpine , and having been purified by the- elements ^ I returned to life . At midnight I . saw the sun shining with a divine brightness ; I saw the gods of the infernal regions and of the celestial plains ; I approached them , and adored them , " Here Apuleius , with the aame reverence for the mysteries as
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
¦ .. «¦¦' The Ancient M:Ts:Telils. ¦ '
and then presenting him with a vessel filled with the water of the Nilea Let this water , " said he , "be to thee a draught of Lethe or oblivion for all the false counsels that you have heard from the lips of the uninitiated . The novice was then instructed to prostrate him self before the statue of the great goddess Isis , while the chief hieroph ant pronounced over him these words : —
" Isis , great goddess of the Egyptians , we pray thee to impart thy spirit to thy new votary , who has surmounted so many dangers and difficulties , in order to present himself before thee ; give him victory in like manner over the trials of his soul ; and render him obedient to thy laws , that he may deserve admission to thy august and sacred mysteries . "
All the hierophants repeated this invocation , in chanted chorus , and the president presenting the novice with a strengthening draught , Said : — " May this draught be to thee the cup of memory , and ever keep in thy mind the lessons of wisdom which thou hast received . "
Herein further might have been symbolized the several ages of the world , referred to in Ovid's Metamorphoses ; thus the iron door guarded by three armed men , would represent the aye of iron , and also the darkness of the infernal abodes guarded by the three-headed Cerberus ; the second door would be typical of the age of brass ; while the age of silver would be represented by the door of ivory , which , like the gate of heaven , introduced the novice into the
sanctuary of the gods , resplendent with gold and light , that is to say , the a e S ^ ld 9 or perfect happiness . Previously to taking the oath of secrecy , the candidate was thus addressed by the presiding hierophant : — " Aspirant for the mysteries , the intrepidity you have shewn in surmounting the obstacles which you have encountered in your mysterious journey , and the anxiety you have long testified to be admitted to a participation of these solemn rites , prove to us that you are endowed with a mind and soul capable of appreciating so high a privilege ; and that in admitting vou to these sacred and aiurust mvsteries . we receive among : us
a devoted worshipper of the great mother , the goddess Isis . " The novice was seldom if ever permitted to go beyond the above steps for some further space of time ; and before his admission to any further knowledge , his mind was prepared by a coarse of meditation and instruction under the priests of Isis and Osiris .
Apul ^ eius says of his initiation : — " I was conducted step by step , through devious paths , close to the gates of death , and after having touched the threshold of the abode of Proserpine , and having been purified by the- elements ^ I returned to life . At midnight I . saw the sun shining with a divine brightness ; I saw the gods of the infernal regions and of the celestial plains ; I approached them , and adored them , " Here Apuleius , with the aame reverence for the mysteries as