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HISTORY The Western mystery tradition traditionally started in Ancient Egypt , Ancient Greece , Rome and Israel , while it contains many characteristics from the Pagan people of Ancient Britain and Scandinavia , such as the Celts . Ancient figures associated with the Western tradition include Plato , Pythagoras and other Greek philosophers, Hermes Trismegistus , Akhenaten and other Pharaoh s of Ancient Egypt . Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece were the most known sources of what we currently call ''Western Mystery Tradition''. Egypt was considered more advanced in Mysticism , and thus many Ancient Greek Philosopher s travelled to Egypt in order to learn their Tradition s. Some people believe that certain traditions may have been imported to Egypt from the "lost continent" of Atlantis . The Dark Ages The appearance of Jesus and the introduction of Christianity influenced the tradition deeply, but during the Dark Ages the ancient Western mystery tradition was heavily opposed by the Christian Church and many figures associated with it were victims of the Inquisition , especially the Witch es and members of secret mystical societies. The tradition remained alive in Mediæval France , Mediæval Britain and Mediæval Germany , mainly due to the work of many secretive esoteric orders such as the 17th Century Rosicrucian s, who helped to transfer the ancient tradition in the recently discovered New World ( North America ). It is also possible that the Arabs may have had preserved some of the secrets into some of their Islam ic traditions. It is worth noting that in Middle Ages , although Christianity opposed Occultism , many people remained interested in Astrology and some kings or queens had personal astrologers for advice. The European Enlightenment The European Enlightenment was very positive for the ancient mystical tradition. Especially after the 19th Century the Western mystery tradition started becoming more and more famous among the general public who started again being interested in subjects such as Witchcraft , Ritual Magic , Mysticism , Divination , Rosicrucianism , Freemasonry , Occultism , Spiritism and Astrology . The Separation Of Church And State , the Democracy and the advances in personal Freedom Of Thought And Speech apparently helped in this revival. The Second World War Emergent occultic and esoteric systems found increasing popularity in the early 20th century, especially in Western Europe. Occult lodges and secret societies flowered among European intellectuals of this era who had largely abandoned traditional forms of Christianity. The spreading of secret teachings and Magick practices found enthusiastic adherents in the chaos of Germany during the interwar years. Many influential and wealthy Germans were drawn to secret societies such as the infamous Ordo Templi Orientis and the Thule Society . Leading figures of these groups included Dietrich Eckart , Karl Haushofer , Karl Maria Wiligut and his protege Heinrich Himmler , all of whom figured prominently in the nascent Nazi Party. In Himmler's case, his personal occult fascination became a national civil religion when he promoted his racial occultism and symbology using the full authority of the Nazi state, even if Hitler was more than a little suspicious of devotion to anything beyond the Nazi Regime. Eventually, Hitler's paranoia and fear of competing institutions, coupled with Himmler's opportunism led to the Gestapo suppressing Himmler's fellow occultists who were not directly sanctioned by the state. During the Second World War , occult luminaries in Britain, most notably Aleister Crowley and the Duke Of Hamilton functioned as informal intermediaries between the warring goverments of Britain and Hitler's Germany. Deputy fuhrer Rudolph Hesse eventually made his famous escape to Scotland during the war, hoping to strike a peace bargain with Britain using the help of the Duke of Hamilton, an old occult lodge associate. The Collapse of the Soviet Union Little information is known about the status of the Western mystery tradition in the officially Atheist Soviet Union and its "satellites" during the ruling of the Communist Party . It is believed by some that the Soviets had a scientific interest in subjects traditionally studied by the Western mystery tradition, such as Telepathy and Astrology . A number of people associated with Mysticism chose to leave the countries where Communism was installed. For example, G. I. Gurdjieff , an influential individual from Armenia , fled to France after the Bolshevik s overtook the ruling of Russia . The Universal White Brotherhood of Bulgaria , founded by Peter Deunov and extended by Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov , also chose to continue its activities in France and other Western countries after the Second World War and the introduction of Communism into Bulgaria . These two examples, although not directly associated with the core of the Western mystery tradition, demonstrate a pattern which supports the claim that the Soviet-controlled states were negative not only to mainstream Religion but also to Mysticism and Occultism . It is known that after the Collapse Of The Soviet Union , several mystical societies, such as the Rosicrucian s, gained profound revival in Eastern Europe and Russia which resulted in the foundation of many new jurisdictions and lodges. Today Nowadays the Tradition is experiencing a profound revival in North America and Europe , while many Western mystical organisations have presence all over the world. Today the tradition is undergoing an import of Eastern ideas, mainly Taoism , Tantra , Buddhism , Hinduism and Yoga , which began mainly by the Theosophical Society of the 19th century and now is continued by many people with Syncretic or Eclectic backgrounds. PHILOSOPHY Today, the Western mystery tradition is a mixture of ancient philosophy, paganistic and Christian thought, medieval ideas, and also contains some imports from Asia and modern Science . However, the true Tradition, seems to focus on individual spiritual progress through Initiation into some sort of Brotherhood , group Ritual s, study of Philosophy and the cosmic laws and their practical application with the aims of Alchemy , Meditation , Divination and Ritual Magic . Initiation The concept of Initiation plays a very important role in the Western mystical tradition, and most people who are related with this tradition are initiated in one or more Mystical Organisation s. Initiatoric societies existed in Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt . They were working as schools or colleges for the spreading of their secret teachings to worthly individuals. The teachings were not accessible to the general public, a tendency symbolised by the Greek phrase "Ουδείς αγεωμέτρητος εισείτω" (which may be translated as "no person without knowledge of Geometry should get in") found in Plato 's Academy . The tradition of initiation and secrecy is well-preserved today, although it is criticised by many people, mainly those related to the New Age phenomenon, which has the view that Knowledge should be as open as possible. The Main Themes The main themes of the Western mystery tradition include:
The Teachings Teachings and practices relevant to the Western mystery tradition and Occultism include:
ORGANISATIONS Organisations which were or are related to the Western mystery tradition include:
PEOPLE Modern people who are related to the Western mystery tradition include:
Historical individuals who are related to the Western mystery tradition include:
TEXTS Historical texts associated with the Western Mystery Tradition include:
SEE ALSO
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