The word “Mysticism” itself comes down to us from the Greeks and is derived from a root meaning “to close.” The mystic was one who had been initiated into the secret esoteric knowledge of Divine things. The term “mystical,” then might be applied to any closed circle whose secrets were revealed only to the initiated. The philosophers borrowed the word from the priests and applied it to their own speculative doctrines and thence it passed over into the Christian Church.

Mystery Schools have throughout time and place, as centers of sacred esoteric knowledge. This divine knowledge was taught to initiates who often became leaders of the people, starting movements that transformed societies. Often the information taught by the Mystery Schools was secret, so as one might expect, then as today, it is not “public knowledge” and this should be kept in mind when studying this information.

“How was it possible that the Hibernia initiate, a thousand years or more before the Incarnation, could have had a vision of Christ?” According to universal mythology, and the teachings handed down for centuries in the esoteric Mystery Schools (even to our own day), the evolution of our planetary system as a whole, has to pass through seven stages. These are echoed in shorter periods within the Earth itself. The third of these shorter periods is said to have reproduced at a quicker tempo than the original creation, or separation from the general cosmic substance, of the Sun and the Moon; and this is the period described in the Book of Genesis, where seven “days” are spoken of. The seven “days” are, of course immense periods, but the word day (in Hebrew Yom) represents not only an age of time but also a sevenfold group of spiritual Creator Beings, the Elohim. One of these “Groups” (the word is very inadequate) whose leader Head was Jehovah, had a Moon-like nature. This group was especially associated with the power of reflecting, upon the Earth, those influences poured forth by the other Groups who represented the spiritual force of the Sun. Therefore, being in a sense “nearer” to the Earth they could impart to humanity wisdom concerning the spiritual Sun. Eleanor Merry, in The Flaming Door, writes that these Beings were variously described in all ancient mythology and religion as “Moon Beings.” They have already been mentioned as the Pitris. They were from the West, the “Gods of the shining land of Death,” who inspired the initiates in the Mysteries. As “reflectors” from the Moon of glory of the Elohim of the Sun, their supreme mission was to prepare humanity in all the different Mystery sanctuaries of the world, for the Advent of the Sun-Logos, Christ.

Christ was called by other names in previous religions, and this “Being held the central place in all the old Mysteries.” He was spoken of in ancient India as Vishvakarman, who was the “Light of the World” in Persia as Ormuzd; in the Zend-Avesta it is said of Him: “He will descend to Earth; He will overcome age, death, decay; He will create free decision; then, when the time is ripe for the resurrection of the dead, He will have the victory of life. He will be the victorious Saviour, surrounded by Apostles.” In Egypt, He was known as Osiris; in Greece as Apollo; by Moses as the I AM. The influence of the lunar Beings, as teachers about the descent of the Sun-Logos to Earth, is also to be found in the wisdom known as the Gnosis, which in Christianity appeared as a sect that were regarded as heretical. Why? Because this wisdom (wonderfully written down in the well-known Pistis Sophia) could fully explain the cosmic nature of Christ but could not explain [for the satisfaction of the Church] His humanity.

All of the mystery wisdom seemed intent on reminding human beings that we are all “born out of God.” Merry writes further, “From the physical point of view, all men had their ancestors behind them, so from the spiritual point of view they were ‘sons of God,’ Who was the Father of all. The content of all the Mystery schools consisted in educating such people as were especially fitted for it, to eliminate the physical consciousness (for the time being) and attain a clear spiritual consciousness in which they could perceive something of the manner of their descent from God. And in all the Mysteries it was taught that there was one Son of God Who was supreme, and of Whom it was foretold that He would one day descend to the Earth, in a Man.”

She encourages us to study the four Gospels to discover the two points of view shown there. “The God descended is especially to be found in Matthew and John. (The Word made Flesh.) The heights from which He descended are alluded to in Luke’s genealogy: ‘from Adam, which is the Son of God,’ and also in Mark, where we are immediately made aware of the Divinity in Jesus in the way in which the Gospel opens and especially in the recognition of the God in Him by the demons: ‘We know Thee Who Thou art, the Holy One of God.’” (Mark I) … These two poles of existence, the divine and the human, both in doctrine and in ritual, would necessarily be represented in some form in every school of the Mysteries, which was concerned with the central idea of Earth-evolution, namely, its Creative Logos.