What is a Mystery School?

[Plenum]

I honestly have no idea about what this concept is.

-- have you ever been part of a mystery school?
-- how do you actually envisage it working? (in terms of commitments, financial contributions, is it professional/purely amateur in one's own time).
-- how would the hierarchy be structured?
-- who would you actually trust to be the 'head' of such a school? and by that, I mean, at the end of the day, you are not going to have a lot of direct information or contact with that individual, except by reputation.

[Aion]

While all the rest is variable, I'd say in principle that a Mystery School is concerned with teaching and revealing the mysteries of the universe to those who are prepared to face them.

[Plenum]

and so a 'school' is of use because it is able to concentrate such efforts, and helps connect the seeker with those are able to facilitate that seeking?

[Plenum]

ok, I can see that my resistance to the concept of a Mystery School is mainly centered on organisational issues.

That is, trusting that such individuals are actually who they claim to be (that is, more adept, advanced, and actually have something to offer).

And the secondary issues of financing, is part of supporting those individuals in their chosen roles.  Every organization needs access to funding; and in this case, it would come from it's member/subscription base.

So the basic issue is trust (for me).

[Aion]

and so a 'school' is of use because it is able to concentrate such efforts, and helps connect the seeker with those are able to facilitate that seeking?

Basically. However I would make this the difference between a regular school and a mystery school in that a mystery school typically involves some manner of initiation.

On the topic of trust, I might ask that you consider for what reason others might trust you?

[Plenum]

yes, these questions always end up being flipped back on the self, and so the issue of self-trust is at the heart of that one.  Basically, not backing my own choices and decisions.  (The word 'confidence' has an associated word - 'diffidence' - which would be apt here).

regards initiation, would you consider Reiki as a mystery school?  or would that be too far a stretch?

[AnthroHeart]

The Reiki symbols they use for practice and initiation are somewhat secretive. I used to know them.

[Aion]

Then the question of trust in others is the fear of their ability to sway or potentially interfere with your free will maybe?

I have thought about that and I think you could consider it to be a type of 'mystery tradition' but not necessarily a mystery school. That being the practice itself, but it could be included in a mystery school curriculum or could be shaped in a way that could be oriented like a mystery school.

This is actually similar to the approach I have taken in my studies with Reiki. I think there is a certain power in the mystery and mysticism within the process of initiation which is analogous to unveiling a subject as though excavated.

The truth is that Reiki is a system of contacting and making use of intelligent energy and holds the potential for making contact with intelligent infinity. It's simplicity is its virtue, as well as what makes it flexible even to the point of complexity.

I believe that Reiki has mostly been explored through its healing aspects but I believe that it is like Chi Gung/Qi Gong in that it has application across one's whole life.

[Monica]

I honestly have no idea about what this concept is.

-- have you ever been part of a mystery school?

Yes

-- how do you actually envisage it working?  (in terms of commitments, financial contributions, is it professional/purely amateur in one's own time).
-- how would the hierarchy be structured?
-- who would you actually trust to be the 'head' of such a school?  and by that, I mean, at the end of the day, you are not going to have a lot of direct information or contact with that individual, except by reputation.

If those questions must be asked, then we don't have the components here, so it's all moot. In other words, if we could do it here, we'd all know the answers to those questions already. It would be obvious.

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[Monica]

PS.  A Mystery School isn't on Earth, so this thread shouldn't be in the 'Life on Planet Earth' sub-forum. 

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[Plenum]

Then the question of trust in others is the fear of their ability to sway or potentially interfere with your free will maybe?

perhaps influence me in a way that I didn't want to be influenced.  Perhaps an inability to say 'no' when it was in my own best interests.

PS.  A Mystery School isn't on Earth, so this thread shouldn't be in the 'Life on Planet Earth' sub-forum. 

 so you mean all the activity takes place on a spiritual plane?

- -

actually, in reference to the OP, I do have some tangential knowledge about a Mystery School, just no direct experience of one.

My friend was an academic at an Alice Bailey-themed Esoteric School, and you can see how structured and organised it is, and how many people are involved in it.  You would sign up for courses each semester, and you would have assignments and essays and reports, much like taking a university degree.

You can also see by their application forms, how detailed the vetting process is before they will accept you as a student.

My friend also told me that once they received your application, they would have one of their astrologers do an in-depth chart, to determine your personality, and would also have their psychics scan you for suitability.

I don't know how the financial arrangements worked.  My friend certainly wasn't paid to do this work.  (He has since passed away, unfortunately).

ps, I didn't actually consider the organization he was part of as a 'Mystery School'.  He never referenced it by those terms.  But in the wider context, I think it fits the definition.  (Esoteric School?)

[Monica]

 so you mean all the activity takes place on a spiritual plane?

No, not all of it. But a great deal of it. It certainly isn't mundane, so I think this isn't the best place for this discussion. Just my 2 cents!

actually, in reference to the OP, I do have some tangential knowledge about a Mystery School, just no direct experience of one.

My friend was an academic at an Alice Bailey-themed Esoteric School, and you can see how structured and organised it is, and how many people are involved in it.  You would sign up for courses each semester, and you would have assignments and essays and reports, much like taking a university degree.

You can also see by their application forms, how detailed the vetting process is before they will accept you as a student.

My friend also told me that once they received your application, they would have one of their astrologers do an in-depth chart, to determine your personality, and would also have their psychics scan you for suitability.

I don't know how the financial arrangements worked.  My friend certainly wasn't paid to do this work.  (He has since passed away, unfortunately).

ps, I didn't actually consider the organization he was part of as a 'Mystery School'.  He never referenced it by those terms.  But in the wider context, I think it fits the definition.  (Esoteric School?)

That sounds more like a school of metaphysics. Not a mystery school.

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[Plenum]

That sounds more like a school of metaphysics. Not a mystery school.

yes, that's what I was thinking originally.

I guess I'm struggling to grasp the concept of what and how a Mystery School is/works.

(and hence why I defaulted to this subforum; which may be wrongly categorized for someone who has more direct understanding).

do you think this is an accurate representation/description of a Mystery School?

[Aion]

Well, I think it's important to look at historical context. Just as an example the Eleusinian Mysteries were an ancient mystery school.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleusinian_Mysteries

A mystery school is one which teaches such mysteries. I think the modern idea of a mystery school is more like the Rosicrucians, that is a body of individuals who are organized through their natural association of the heart with no true outer body of organization (despite groups calling themselves as such). It is considered the true 'inner order' of the Golden Dawn and is not of the physical body and is of the higher vehicles. Supposedly communication and communion in such a school is all astral or metaphysical or mostly.

Also the Orphic Mysteries.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphism_(religion)

[Nicholas]

The one single thing that a modern 'mystery school' could do without right now is this...

15.12 Questioner: How does an individual go about balancing himself? What is the first step?

Ra: I am Ra. The steps are only one; that is, an understanding of the energy centers which make up the mind/body/spirit complex. This understanding may be briefly summarized as follows. The first balancing is of the Malkuth, or Earth, vibratory energy complex, called the red-ray complex. An understanding and acceptance of this energy is fundamental. The next energy complex, which may be blocked is the emotional, or personal complex, also known as the orange-ray complex. This blockage will often demonstrate itself as personal eccentricities or distortions with regard to self-conscious understanding or acceptance of self.

The third blockage resembles most closely that which you have called ego. It is the yellow-ray or solar plexus center. Blockages in this center will often manifest as distortions towards power manipulation and other social behaviors concerning those close and those associated with the mind/body/spirit complex. Those with blockages in these first three energy centers, or nexi, will have continuing difficulties in ability to further their seeking of the Law of One.

This can be observed clearly by our 'elder' folk, whether they are grandparents or retired members of society in general and offer their hard earned 'pearls'. They pretty much all seem to carry this "I have already learned" persona.

Who else is willing to raise their hand in concession here? (I raise mine!)

I feel this urge within me all the time, the desire to aid someone in the direction I  perceive they need to go in. I even hear these subtleties in Scott Mandelkers LOO teachings. 

What do we actually mean to say, when we say "In my view"? 

What I am trying to say here is that we are in any moment, at risk of our own self narrative taking over and doing the work that only our true  self is ultimately qualified to undertake. That's why a covert Mystery School in my eyes, (that is to bring focus towards metaphysical studies) is on the one hand, advantageous, yet on the other hand quite unhelpful and even isolating.

This reality we all share is  the Mystery School (by the way, a car just tooted its horn outside my window as I hovered over the italic button). 

[Monica]

do you think this is an accurate representation/description of a Mystery School?

Apparently there are lots of similar organizations that call themselves mystery schools, so I can't say that it's not. It's just different from what I experienced and thus think of as a mystery school. This one seems to be emphasizing 'unbroken lineage,' classes to impart knowledge, and healing sessions and meditations for a fee. It seems to be very commercialized.

[Monica]

I think the modern idea of a mystery school is more like the Rosicrucians, that is a body of individuals who are organized through their natural association of the heart with no true outer body of organization (despite groups calling themselves as such). It is considered the true 'inner order' of the Golden Dawn and is not of the physical body and is of the higher vehicles. Supposedly communication and communion in such a school is all astral or metaphysical or mostly.

Exactly! Less 'passing on of knowledge' and more actual application of said knowledge, by actually working together on the inner planes.

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[Aion]

In historical context there would basically be two sides to a Mystery. There is the exoteric side which revolves around the rites, ceremonies and beliefs regarding the Mystery and then you have the esoteric side which corresponds with adept understanding and study. To progress from the outer order to the inner order one had to complete the work of the outer order.

To the people, they saw them as the initiates whom would first study in public and learn all of the exoteric features of the Mystery and then they would graduate to the inner order and begin to work on the true secrets of the Mystery which are discovered only internally. Hence the 'Mystery School' which is both exoteric and esoteric is called as such because of its association with some great Mystery of the universe and less so because of its secrecy.

The truth is the secrecy is more something put in by elitist mindset to reserve it for those of power. This has convoluted the idea somewhat.

I've seen it suggested that at one point 'Right Hand Path' corresponded with the exoteric work and 'Left Hand Path' corresponded with the esoteric work. Hence the corruption of the concept of the Left Hand Path being negative almost seems like a clever confusion to keep people away from inner orders.

[Monica]

In historical context there would basically be two sides to a Mystery. There is the exoteric side which revolves around the rites, ceremonies and beliefs regarding the Mystery and then you have the esoteric side which corresponds with adept understanding and study. To progress from the outer order to the inner order one had to complete the work of the outer order.

To the people, they saw them as the initiates whom would first study in public and learn all of the exoteric features of the Mystery and then they would graduate to the inner order and begin to work on the true secrets of the Mystery which are discovered only internally. Hence the 'Mystery School' which is both exoteric and esoteric is called as such because of its association with some great Mystery of the universe and less so because of its secrecy.

The truth is the secrecy is more something put in by elitist mindset to reserve it for those of power. This has convoluted the idea somewhat.

True. Or, sometimes it was to avoid persecution by the Christians, who thought they were 'satanic'.

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[Aion]

Well yeah, that was the core of that misunderstanding but is also due partly to magicians falsely attributing it as such. I actually haven't examined the exact 'lineage' of that change in ideas, but I feel it was actually a misinterpretation of Victorian occultism which took a novel approach to 'dark' practices. I think that was the time that the idea of 'black magic' became really widespread as an idea and threat. There have been fears of dark magicians and shamans for a long time but it was in that time that the concept became somewhat regularized.

[Monica]

Well yeah, that was the core of that misunderstanding but is also due partly to magicians falsely attributing it as such. I actually haven't examined the exact 'lineage' of that change in ideas, but I feel it was actually a misinterpretation of Victorian occultism which took a novel approach to 'dark' practices. I think that was the time that the idea of 'black magic' became really widespread as an idea and threat. There have been fears of dark magicians and shamans for a long time but it was in that time that the concept became somewhat regularized.

But there really were dark magicians as well. What I'm referring to is that the fundamentalist religious people thought that any magician was dark, that it was all 'satanic.' They were so fear-based and rigid in their thinking that they couldn't tell the difference.

Add to that, that there were mystery schools within the religions too. Rumor has it that the Pope's bathtub is painted with astrological symbols. At the higher levels, the religions have the knowledge, but it's kept secret and only a watered-down version is fed to the masses. The 'mystery schools' were secret attempts to share this knowledge without the permission of the religious leaders in power.

In an effort to thwart the dissemination of occult knowledge (which would empower the masses and they couldn't allow that), the religious leaders taught that all occult knowledge was evil and anyone engaging in it would be deemed a heretic and put to death.

But there were other reasons for secrecy too. It was thought that occult secrets could be dangerous in the hands of people who weren't ready for it. Hence, the initiation process to weed out those who weren't ready.

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[Matt1]

A mystery school in my understanding is simply a school teaching esotericism/occultism through a series of different initiation or grades. The most popular School of this type in recent times would probably been the Golden Dawn, with its inner order being Rosicrucian, with the 3rd order being of a non physical school. I guess the issue with mystery schools is that any one can start such a school and make study program to learn and practice the occult. However i would say that the best aspect would probably be being able to work with other like minded people directly.

With that being said i don't think any mystery school lasts for very long based on what i have seen. I think the original mystery schools probably go back to the wisdom given in the Atlantian contacts/Egypt. That was pasted down through the ages via different schools, becoming distorted through time.

[Aion]

Well yeah, that was the core of that misunderstanding but is also due partly to magicians falsely attributing it as such. I actually haven't examined the exact 'lineage' of that change in ideas, but I feel it was actually a misinterpretation of Victorian occultism which took a novel approach to 'dark' practices. I think that was the time that the idea of 'black magic' became really widespread as an idea and threat. There have been fears of dark magicians and shamans for a long time but it was in that time that the concept became somewhat regularized.

But there really were dark magicians as well. What I'm referring to is that the fundamentalist religious people thought that any magician was dark, that it was all 'satanic.' They were so fear-based and rigid in their thinking that they couldn't tell the difference.

Add to that, that there were mystery schools within the religions too. Rumor has it that the Pope's bathtub is painted with astrological symbols. At the higher levels, the religions have the knowledge, but it's kept secret and only a watered-down version is fed to the masses. The 'mystery schools' were secret attempts to share this knowledge without the permission of the religious leaders in power.

In an effort to thwart the dissemination of occult knowledge (which would empower the masses and they couldn't allow that), the religious leaders taught that all occult knowledge was evil and anyone engaging in it would be deemed a heretic and put to death.

But there were other reasons for secrecy too. It was thought that occult secrets could be dangerous in the hands of people who weren't ready for it. Hence, the initiation process to weed out those who weren't ready.

...

I can imagine each school has its reasons for the degree of secrecy they keep. I mainly wanted to point out that 'Mystery' doesn't always refer to the secrecy. Those are all things I have read as well and in experience I'd say the reasons for secrecy are as varied as the intentions behind the schools.

[Matt1]

I think the biggest secret is that all the knowledge is already out there if you are willing to look but being able to work directly with others and following a structured program of learning makes it probably a bit better than simply going it alone.

If you look at the reviews or testaments of people who have been part of mystery schools, i am always surprised to see that they normally use books that are in publication. I also believe there is a risk of wanting to be in the know or with the in crowd, feeling special because of the secrecy.

[Aion]

Well, in the concept of initiation there is what Tibetans might call 'direct introduction'. This concept is often found in Buddhism and is the basis for initiations and empowerment rituals (I think they typically call it a 'transmission'). The idea is basically that a master or teacher can both entrain a student to a higher state of awareness as well as telepathically deliver information that otherwise cannot be put in to words and writing or which is deemed too esoteric to do so. It may also precede receiving new materials which corresponds with the 'download'. This is supposedly the true power behind initiation and thus group ritual and magical work, is this capacity for intelligent energy to be shared and thus the gateway to intelligent infinity brought ever closer.

Another aid is that the crystallized individual can temporarily, potentially permanently, provide a state of balancing for the one receiving at the higher level. The task of the receiver (Qabalah means 'to receive') is to thus integrate and channel the energy received, this then elevating the personality and identity in to higher states of awareness until eventually the personality is shed like water left behind as creatures rise from the primordial goo.

[Diana]

The above explanation on "initiation" was very excellent, Aion.

[AnthroHeart]

There was a school that taught astral projection/lucid dreaming, but to take their program you had to have abstained from self-pleasure for at least a year.

[Monica]

There was a school that taught astral projection/lucid dreaming, but to take their program you had to have abstained from self-pleasure for at least a year.

Goodness gracious, they sound really uptight! Unless they are also teaching how to accumulate, harness and channel all that energy (instead of just letting it build up), I'd suggest finding another.

[AnthroHeart]

There was a school that taught astral projection/lucid dreaming, but to take their program you had to have abstained from self-pleasure for at least a year.

Goodness gracious, they sound really uptight! Unless they are also teaching how to accumulate, harness and channel all that energy (instead of just letting it build up), I'd suggest finding another.

Their leader also claimed to be Beelzebub, another name for the devil.

I don't want to try to even remember the website, because I don't want their energy.

[Monica]

Their leader also claimed to be Beelzebub, another name for the devil.

Ah, then maybe he wanted a flock of sexually frustrated sheep to feed off of. Yikes!

I don't want to try to even remember the website, because I don't want their energy.

That sounds like a wise decision!

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