Sacred Secrets in Ancient Histories

Understanding Cult Practices in Ancient Times

22 Dec, 20244 min read

The human drive to seek the divine and finding "the one" had always been the primary motivation. The fear, uncertainty, and the need for community can be seen as the roots of the term cult. It can be defined as a small group devoted to a person, idea, or philosophy. It is often applied to a religious movement that exists within a tension with the dominant religious or cultural inclination of a society. Some scholars define its characteristics as a religious group with a charismatic leader who exercises total control, isolation from society, an emphasis on transcendence, and rigid rules that exploit its' members, including sexually and financially. The cultists' action of isolating from families to focus fully on the cult has triggered a widespread alarm. In the 1970s, the anti-cult movement argued that cult members were being brainwashed and they did not have free will. The abduction of a heiress named Patty Hearst played a significant role in this.

Going back to the ancient societies, they were also the same. In the shadows of temples and city-states, the idea of the cults in the hope of building a bridge between humans and the gods emerged. These ancient societies were deeply spiritual, and their lives revolved around the mysterious forces of nature. This was the best environment to form specialized religious cults in an attempt to explain the unknown.

The oldest cult that is known is The Eleusinian Mysteries in Ancient Greece. In The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the poem of the story of the earth goddess Demeter, Persephone, daughter of Demeter, has been kidnapped by the underworld god Hades. Demeter was so distraught that she stopped nurturing the natural world. Later on, disguised as a human, Demeter arrives at Eleusis to search for Persephone, and the city takes her in as a nurse. She feels obliged to reward them for their hospitality and reveals herself. After revealing her identity, she commands a temple to be built for her. Then she shares her secret rites, which consequently become the central theme of the Eleusinian Mysteries. But initiation to these rites was not simple. Participants had to prepare for at least half of the year or more and nurture themselves spiritually to embrace the secret revelation. The Greater Mysteries at Eleusis was celebrated annually during September and October. It included a ritual bath in the sea, three days of fasting, and completion of the still-mysterious central rite. These acts completed the initiation, and the initiate was promised benefits in the afterlife.

Moving on to Ancient Rome, the cults served as vital expressions of religious worship, and the rituals that emphasized tradition were central to Roman cults. They provided spiritual meaning through collective and individual practices. One of the best-known cults in Ancient Rome is the Cult of Mithras; it gained prominence from the 1st to 4th centuries CE. Mithras was a god of the sun and truth in Persian tradition but later adapted into Roman culture because Mithras had all the qualities of a good soldier that intrigued Roman people. Mithraism was associated with loyalty and military virtue, making it popular among soldiers. Many mithraea, the sacred underground temples that resembled the caves, were located near military camps.

This highly secretive cult involves symbolic trials to demonstrate the candidates' worthiness. Their rituals involved astrological themes, and they believed in the soul's elevation through planetary spheres after death. The all-male membership and secretive rituals fostered a sense of exclusivity and elitism. Members were expected to adhere to values like loyalty, courage, and fraternity. Roman Mithras is commonly portrayed ritually sacrificing a bull. Known as the “tauroctony,” it was seen as a sacrifice to give birth to the world. This image symbolizes the cosmic renewal aligning with themes of rebirth and creation. It typically includes Mithras, wearing a Phrygian cap, kneling on the back of a bull, and plunging a dagger into the bull's neck.