Ancient Psychedelia: Alien Gods & Mushroom Goddesses
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| Campbell points out in Occidental Mythology that the Mithraeums were not suited for ritual slaughter or sacrifice of that nature, and there is no evidence that it occurred in them at all, despite the general impression that has been given in history where the bull is slaughtered as part of the ritual in Mithraism. It’s far more likely that the consumption of the mushroom occurred, though we know that by this time, the cow had become a part of the meal for many worshipers. (31) The early Persians had no beliefs in idols or images of the goddesses or gods. According to Herodotus: ”As to the customs of the Persians, I know them to be these. It is not their custom to make and set up statues and temples and altars, but those who do such things they think foolish, because, I suppose, they have never believed the gods to be like men, as the Greeks do; but they call the whole circuit of heaven Zeus, and to him they sacrifice on the highest peaks of the mountains; they sacrifice also to the sun and moon and earth and fire and water and winds. From the beginning, these are the only gods to whom they have ever sacrificed; they learned later to sacrifice to the “heavenly”Aphrodite from the Assyrians and Arabians. She is called by the Assyrians Mylitta, by the Arabians Alilat (13d), by the Persians Mitra.” (32) So, according to Herodotus, Mithra as well, is a “feminine” deity, which makes her an extremely unlikely candidate to be a “solar deity” in the first place. One of the main aspects of the Mithraic “Mysteries” is the initiate’s consumption of an Eucharist-like substance, as representative of the “sacrificial bull.” This is a direct carry-over from the Soma-Haoma consumption. (33) The Phrygian Cap of Liberty The cap that Mithra wears, the Phrygian Cap, originates of course from Phrygia, and goes back to early Mycenaean Greek. (34) In Mithra, we see remnants of a long past era, and in the red cap of the French revolutionaries we still see it in modern times (26b, c, d, g). Additionally, Orpheus of Greek fame as well as Attis of Phrygia, also wear the Phrygian cap of liberty.  |
 (26c, d) Mithra, Roman. Louvre c. 100-200 AD  (26g) Mithraeum in the Alban Mountains South of Rome c. 160-200 AD Additionally, Mithra is said to have been born from a rock. Conspicuously, he is presented with either the rock on his head appearing to be a mushroom, or the rock he is born from appears to be one (26a, b).   R: (26b) Mithra (31) Franz Cumont, the Mysteries of Mithra (Chicago: Open Court, 1903, originally published as ‘Texts et monuments figures relatif aux mysteres de Mithra’, Brussels: Lamartin, 1896-9) 180-1) (32) Herodotus, Histories, I.131.1-3 (33) Mushrooms, Myths and Mithra, p. 44; M.J. Vermaseren, Mithras, the Secret God (London: Chatto and Windus, 1963), 17-18, originally Mithras de geheimzinnige God, (Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1959), citing F. Lommel, Der Mithra Mythus, Bonn, 1920 (34) ibid, p. 46-7; H.W. Bailey, "The Second Stratum of the Indo-Iranian Gods" in Mithraic Studies, John R. Hinnels, ed. vol. 1, First International Conference, Manchester, 1971, Manchester Univ. Press: Rowman and Littlefield, 1975, Chapters 5-6 |
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