In Episode 443, Christine Mathis, historian of ancient astrology and magic, and astrologer Drew Levanti join me to talk about the ancient Greek mystical tradition known as Orphism and how it influenced ancient astrology.
Orphism is an ancient Greek mystery cult founded by the legendary Orpheus, who was a poet, musician, and mystic.
It is a mystery religion because members of the Orphic cult had to be initiated and sworn to secrecy by oaths.
The Orphics believed that the soul was immortal and subject to reincarnation, and part of the purpose of entering the mysteries was to help ensure a better life in the future.
Emphasis was placed on the use of poetry and music as a way to remember man’s divine origin and attain divinity.
The study of this subject is important from the perspective of ancient astrology, since Orpheus Firmicus is listed by Maternus as one of the legendary founders of Hellenistic astrology, and astrological texts contain traces of the Orphic influence of figures such as Valens and Critodemus.
Christine and Drew’s work focuses specifically on the Orphic hymns, and during the episode we read some excerpts from Christine’s translations of the Hymn to the Planets and Stars that invoke the gods associated with those celestial bodies.
Join us as we explore Orphism and its enduring influence on the rich tapestry of ancient astrology.
Christine and Drew’s websites
Time signs
- 00:00:00 Login
- 00:00:47 What is Orphism?
- 00:02:25 Christine’s background
- 00:05:40 Drew’s background
- 00:08:38 Overview of Orphic Hymns
- 00:10:25 Who is Orpheus?
- 00:20:34 Parallel between Hermes and Orpheus
- 00:27:14 Space is alive
- 00:33:13 Macrocosm and microcosm
- 00:37:31 Other mysterious cults
- 00:46:00 Astral Temple Traditions
- 00:48:49 The purpose of Hermeticism
- 00:49:25 Unspeakable
- 00:54:27 Ecstatic states
- 00:59:13 Orphic mysteries and other mysteries
- 01:10:41 Sun and soul
- 01:19:38 Plato’s myth about Earth and reincarnation
- 01:24:21 Gates of the Milky Way
- 01:32:41 Pythagoras
- 01:34:07 Anthem of the stars
- 01:58:26 Orpheus hymns time frame
- 02:10:33 Hymn to Ares-Mars
- 02:29:15 Hymns influenced astrology
- 02:34:56 Music, numbers and proportion
- 02:37:26 The magic of hymns for today
- 02:40:54 Astrology as a language
- 02:42:16 The first astrology texts were written in verse
- 02:49:43 Orphic hymns bring astrology to life
- 02:52:10 Christine and Drew Websites, Substack and class
- 02:54:47 Christine’s upcoming book on Hymns of Orpheus
- 02:57:34 End credits
Watch the video version of this episode
Watch a video version of this episode on Orphic mysteries on YouTube:
–
Transcription
Here is the full transcript of this episode: Episode 443 Transcript
Listen to the audio version of this episode
Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it in MP3 format:
Podcast: Play in a new window | Download (Duration: 3:01:18 — 166.5MB)
Subscribe: | More
