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‘The Elesusinian Mysteries’. It is argued that kykeon was a psychedelic substance used in these ancient Greek mysteries.

The Eleusinian Psychedelic Rebirth Rites of Ancient Greece are Making a Comeback

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The Eleusinian Mysteries were transformative rituals that took place in ancient Greece, extending out of Mycenaean traditions (approximately 1500 BC) and the Greek Dark Ages. For over two millennia this experience - which many claim may have been a psychedelic session - was not only tolerated by ancient civilization, but celebrated by it.

Men, women, slaves, and emperors all went to Eleusis to drink the magical potion called kykeon and to experience healing and spiritual insights. The only requirements to participate in the rituals and drink the kykeon were to speak fluent Greek and never to have committed a murder. So, the effects of taking part in this intensely life-affirming and healing experience were felt by vast numbers of people over the 2000 years that these rites took place.

A votive plaque known as the Ninnion Tablet depicting elements of the Eleusinian Mysteries

A votive plaque known as the Ninnion Tablet depicting elements of the Eleusinian Mysteries ( CC BY 2.5 )

Celebrating Demeter and Persephone

The rituals were a celebration of the harvest cycles, principally based upon the Greek myth of Demeter, the goddess of grain and agriculture and her daughter Persephone, who was carried off by Hades, the god of the Underworld. In her desolation at her daughter’s abduction, Demeter caused the rivers to run dry. No crops could grow, and humans began to starve.

Persephone became known as the goddess of vegetation, due to the intricate plant-based bargaining that led to her return. She was permitted to live above ground with her mother for nine months of each year. But because she had eaten three pomegranate seeds during her time in the Underworld, she was to return there to Hades for three months.

When Persephone returned to Demeter, the goddess of grain caused the rivers to run, plants to grow, and the sun to shine. When Persephone left Demeter each year to spend three months with Hades, Demeter would grieve, and make the weather harsh again. This is the mythical basis for the changing of the seasons. A primary focus of the Eleusinian Mysteries was to celebrate the yearly passing of winter and the restoration of the earth’s fertile periods.

The Return of Persephone.

The Return of Persephone. ( Public Domain )

What Was Kykeon?

What could be a more appropriate concluding element to these celebrations of nature’s changing states and agricultural potential than to consume kykeon, a usually grain-based drink which was understood to induce visionary states?

There are many different possible contenders for the brew’s entheogenic component: the most probable being ergot, a parasitical fungus that grows on barley and rye grain which contains the alkaloids ergotamine. Albert Hofmann, the scientist who synthesized LSD in 1938, believed that ergotamine was the psychoactive ingredient that fueled the Eleusinian Mysteries.

‘Hecamede mixing kykeon for Nestor.’ Tondo of an Attic red-figure cup, ca. 490 BC. From Vulci.

‘Hecamede mixing kykeon for Nestor.’ Tondo of an Attic red-figure cup, ca. 490 BC. From Vulci. (Public Domain)

Reflecting on the hallucinatory qualities of kykeon, one initiate described what happened poetically; "At midnight I saw the sun flaring in bright white light". In coming together to unite, dance, consume the kykeon potion, and revel in its revelatory effects together, the people who took part fostered a powerful sense of connection to friends, family, and the wider world. In this sense, the Mysteries provided a potent antidote to feelings of isolation, depression, and social disenfranchisement.

Psychedelics Return to Light

With the advent of the Holy Roman Empire, the Mysteries were banned and the healing potential of kykeon, and of all psychedelic substances, began to go underground in the Western world. Until now. Something major, indeed an event of seismic proportions, has just happened.

In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized MDMA therapy as a breakthrough treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This amazing leap forward for (legal) psychedelic medicine has been brought to us by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. And, in the UK, approval has just been granted for the world’s first study investigating MDMA-assisted therapy as a treatment for alcoholism, led by Dr. Ben Sessa of the University of Bristol. In both projects, the once-forbidden psychoactive substance will be legally administered to promote healing and emotional health.

A few capsules, each containing approximately 0.1 grams of MDMA crystals.

A few capsules, each containing approximately 0.1 grams of MDMA crystals. (CC BY SA 3.0)

With one or more skilled healers present, the sessions, both psychedelic and non-psychedelic, are carefully supported and guided. This process, the intelligent management of psychedelic Set and Setting to bring about transcendence and togetherness, is exactly what a shaman does, and indeed, is designed to create an exact replication of the transformative, healing experience which the Mystery rites delivered to those who participated in them in Eleusis.

State recognition of the proven safety and power of these substances to heal those damaged by war and abuse (in controlled conditions), is a defining moment. With the exception of the first wave of research into psychedelics following the discovery of LSD, this return is the first time since the days of the Eleusinian mysteries that mainstream culture has openly embraced the healing and re-birthing potential of the psychedelic journey. Ancient wisdom is being re-embraced.

Given the record-breaking levels of mental illness in our culture the return of this profound and very effective method of healing has come (to quote Terence McKenna) ‘not a moment too soon’.

Our culture may finally be intelligent enough to appreciate the benefits of these medicines for human well-being and spirituality.

Henryk Siemiradzki. Phryne in Eleusus (1889)

Henryk Siemiradzki. Phryne in Eleusus (1889). (Public Domain )

Top Image: ‘The Elesusinian Mysteries’. It is argued that kykeon was a psychedelic substance used in these ancient Greek mysteries. Source: certified su/CC BY NC SA 2.0

By Julian Vayne and Rosalind Stone

Julian Vayne is a founding contributor to the Blog of Baphomet and the author of Getting Higher: the Manual of Psychedelic Ceremony (2017), available from the Psychedelic Press and from Amazon.

Rosalind Stone is a journalist and researcher with words in Talking Drugs, VolteFace, Kaltblut, the Third Wave, the Guardian and Psychedelic Press UK: Psychedelic Literature Review.

The information presented in this article is the opinion of the authors and not Ancient Origins. Ancient Origins does not recommend the recreational use of psychedelic drugs, nor medical use, unless under the supervision of a professional.

References

Read more about the Greek mythic lore of the passing of the seasons on the Blog of Baphomet, “Dionysis’ Doorway” by Nikki Wyrd: https: //theblogofbaphomet.com/2016/05/08/dionysus-doorway/

Ben Sessa’s novel, To Fathom Hell or Soar Angelic (Psychedelic Press, 2016), is about the experience of reintegrating psychedelics into western medicine and society.

 

Comments

Many P Hall right again.

Julian Vayne and Rosalind Stone's picture

Julian Vayne & Rosalind Stone

Julian Vayne is a founding contributor to the Blog of Baphomet and the author of Getting Higher: the Manual of Psychedelic Ceremony (2017), available from the Psychedelic Press and from Amazon.

Rosalind Stone is a journalist and researcher with... Read More

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