| The ancient Mystery Religions - such as the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Mithraic Mysteries, and the Mysteries of Isis - constitute a great riddle at the heart of Western culture. These religions centered around a secret revealed in rites of initiation reflecting the archetypal pattern of death and rebirth. The Mysteries served as vehicles of profound psychological and cultural transformation. Suppressed by Christianity, they have nevertheless continued as a subterranean current in the culture and psyche of the West. This talk will explore the ways in which rediscovering the secrets of these traditions can help us more effectively confront the current planetary crisis, in which the Earth is moving with perilous speed towards a death experience from which rebirth is by no means assured. |