part in Mexican divination, and a special caste of augurs

called Teopixqui, or Teotecuhtli (masters or guardians of divine things) were set apart for the purpose of interpreting dreams and of divining through dreams and visions, which was regarded as the chief route between man and the supernatural. The senses were even quickened and sharpened by the use of drugs and the ecstatic condition was induced by want of sleep, and pertinacious fixing of the mind upon one subject, the swallowing or inhalation of cerebral intoxicants such as tobacco, the maguey, coca, the snake-plant or ololiuhqui, and similar substances. As among some tribes of the American-Indians, it was probably believed that visions came to the prophet or seer pictorially, or that acts were performed before him as in a play. They also held that the soul travelled through space and was able to visit those places of which it desired to have know- ledge. It is also possible that they hypnotised themselves by gazing at certain small highly-polished pieces of sand- stone, or that they employed these for the same purpose as crystal-gazers employ the globe. The goddess Tozi was the patron of those who used grains of maize or red beans in divination.
Charms and Amulets. — The amulet was regarded in Mexico as a personal fetish. The Tepitoton, or diminutive household deities of the Mexicans were also fetishistic. It is probable that most of the Mexican amulets were modelled on the various ornaments of the gods. Thus the traveller's staff carved in the shape of a serpent like
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that of Quetzalcoatl was undoubtedly of this nature, and was even occasionally sacrificed to. The frog was a favourite model for an amulet. As elsewhere, the thunder- bolts thrown by the gods were supposed to be flint stones, and were cherished as amulets of much virtue, and as symbols of the fecundating rains.
Vampirism. — As has been seen, Sahagun confounds the Mexican necromancer with the vampire, and it is inter- esting to note that this folk-belief must have originated in America independently of any European connection. But we find another instance of what would seem something like vampirism in Mexico. This is found in connection with the ciupipiltin or ghosts of women who have died in child- birth. These haunt the cross-roads, crying and wailing for the little ones they have left behind them. But as in many other countries, notably in Burma, they are malevo- lent— their evil tendencies probably being caused by jealousy of the happiness of the living. Lest they should enter their houses and injure their children, the Mexicans at certain times of the year stopped up every possible hole and crevice. The . appearance of these ghosts (Sahagun describes them as " goddesses ") at cross-roads is highly significant, for we know that the burial of criminals at such junctions was merely a survival of a similar disposal of the corpse of the vampire, whose head was cut off and laid at his side, and who was entombed at cross-roads for the purpose of confusing him as to his whereabouts.
Nagualism. — Both in Mexico and Central America a religio-magical system called Nagualism obtained, the purpose of which was to bring occult influence against the whites for their destruction. The rites of this strange cult usually took place in caverns and other deserted localities, and were naturally derived to a large extent from those of the suppressed native religion. Each native worshipper possessed a magical or animal spirit-guide, with which he was endowed early in life. This system certainly flourished as lately as half a century ago, and there is good reason to believe that it is not yet extinct.
Central America. — Notices upon magic and sorcery amongst the Maya, Kiche, and other Central American peoples are even rarer than those which relate to Mexico, and we have to fall back almost solely upon the native legends to glean anything concerning the subject at all. The great storehouse of Central American legend is the Popol Vuh, for an account of which the reader is referred to the author's Popol Vuh, London, 1909. We find in this interesting native mythi-history, that some of the elder gods are regarded as magicians, and the hero-twins, Xblan- que and Hun-ahpu, whom they sent to earth to rid it of the Titan Vukub-cakix, are undoubtedly possessed of magical po vers. As boys we find them equipped with magic tools, which enable them to get through an enormous amount of work in a single day, and when they descend into Xibalba, the Kiche Hades, for the purpose of avenging their father and uncle, they take full advantage of their magical pro- pensities in combating the natives of that drear abode. Xibalba itself possesses sorcerers, for we find two within its borders, Xulu and Pacaw, who assist the hero-gods in many of their necromantic practices.
As regards divination, we find that the Maya possessed a caste of augurs, called Cocomes or the Listeners ; and prophecy appears to have been periodically practised by their priests. In the so-called books of Chilan Balam which are native compilations of events occurring in Central America previous to the Spanish Conquest, we find certain prophecies regarding, amongst other things, the coming of the Spaniards. These appear to have been given forth by a priest who bore the title, not the name, of " Chilan Balam," whose offices were those of divination and astrology but these pronouncements seem to have been coloured
at a later date by Christian thought, and hardly to be of a genuine aboriginal character. There are certain astrolo- gical receips in the books, all of which are simply borrowed from European almanacs of the century between 1550 and 1650. Amulets were in great vogue amongst the Maya, and they had the same fear of the last five days of the year as had the Mexicans, who regarded them as nemontemi or unlucky, and dicTno work of any description upon them. These days the Maya called uyayayab, and they considered that a demon entered their towns and villages at the beginning of this period. To avert this, they carried an image of him through the village in the hopes that he might afterwards avoid it.
Mezazoth, The : A schedule which, when fastened on the doorpost, possessed talismanic qualities. It is said in the Talmud that whoever has the mezazoth fixed on his door, and is provided with certain personal charms, is protected from sin.
Michael : An archangel ; in the Hebrew, " He who is equal to God." In Revelation it is said : " there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon " : and from this it is deduced that Michael was the leader of the celestial hierarchy, — as against Lucifer, the head of the disobedient angels. Michael is mentioned by name four other times in the Scriptures ; in Daniel as the champion of the Jewish Church against Persia ; in Jude as the archangel who fought with Satan for Moses' body ; by Gabriel he is called the prince of the Jewish
Church ; and in the prophecy of Enoch, " Michael who
commands the nations." His design according to Randle Holme is a banner hanging on a cross ; and he is represented as victory with a dart in one hand and a cross on his fore- head. Bishop Horsley and others considered Michael as only another name for the Son of God. In one of the Jewish rabbinical legends he is the ruler of Mercury, to which sphere he " imparts benignity, motion and intelli- gence, with elegance and consonance of speech."
Michael Medina : (See Healing by Touch.)
Microcosm, The : Or the Pentagram, a little world (Greek Micros, small ; Kosmos, a world) — a five-pointed star,
"which represents Man and the summation of the occult forces. It was believed by Paracelsus that this sign had a marvellous magical power over spirits ; and that all magic figures and kabalistic signs could be reduced to two — The Microcosm, and the Macrocosm (q.v.).
Microprosopus, The : One of the four magical elements in the Kabala ; and probably representing one of the four simple elements — air, water, earth, or fire. The word means " creator of the little world."
Mictlan, the Mexican Hades : (See Hell.)
Mid-day Demons : The ancients frequently made mention of
s 'certain demons who became visible especially towards mid-day to those with whom they had a pact. They appeared in the form of men or of beasts, and let themselves be enclosed in a character, a figure, a vial, or in the interior of a hollow ring.
Midiwiwin, The : A secret society or exclusive association of the Ojibway Indians of North America. The myth of the foundation of this society is as follows : Michabo, the Creator, looking down to earth saw that the forefathers of the Ojibway were very helpless. . . . Espying a black object floating on the surface of a lake he drew near to it and saw that it was an otter — now one of the sacred animals of the Midiwiwin. He instructed it in the mysteries of that caste, and provided it with a sacred rattle, a sacred drum, and tobacco. He built a Midiwigan, or Sacred House of Midi, to which he took the otter and confided to it the mysteries of the Midiwiwin. In short, the society is one of these " medicine " or magical associations so
' common among the North-American Indians (q.v.). When
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a candidate is admitted to a grade and is prepared to pass on to the next, he gives three feasts, and sings three prayers to the Bear Spirit in order to be permitted to enter that grade. His progress through the various grades is assisted by several snake-spirits ; and at a later stage by the poiver of certain prayers or invocations, — a larger snake appears and raises its body, thus forming an arch under which the candidate takes his way to the higher grade. When the Indian belongs to the second grade he is supposed to receive supernatural power, to be able to see into the future, to hear what comes afar off, to touch friends and foes however far away they may be, and so on. In higher grades he can assume the form of any animal. The third grade confers enhanced power, and it is thought that its members can perform extraordinary exploits, and have power over the entire invisible world. The fourth is still more exalted.
When an Indian is ready to undergo initiation, he erects a wigwam in which he takes steam-baths for four days, one on each day. On the evening of the day before initiation he visits his teachers in order to obtain from them instructions for the following day. Next morning the priests approach with the candidate at their head, enter the Midiwigan, and the ' proceedings commence. The publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology con- tain several good accounts of the ritual of this society.
Militia Crucifera Evangelica : (See Rosicrueians.)
Mimetic Magic : (See Magic.)
Mines, Haunted : The belief that mines are haunted is an ancient and universal one, probably arising from the many weird sounds and echoes which are heard in them, and the perpetual gloom. Sometimes the haunting spectres are gigantic creatures with frightful fiery eyes. Such was the German " Bergmonch, a terrible figure in the garb of a monk, who could, however, appear in ordinary human shape to those towards whom he was well-disposed." Frequently weird knockings are heard in the mines. In Germany these are attributed to the Kobolds, small black beings of a malicious disposition. White hares or rabbits are also seen at times. The continual danger attending the life underground is productive of many supernatural " warnings," which generally take the form of mysterious voices. In the Midland Counties of England the " Seven Whistlers " are well known and their warnings solemnly attended to. A light blue flame settling on a full coal-tub was called " Bluecap," and his work was to move the coal- tub towards the trolley-way. Bluecap did not give his services for nothing. Every fortnight his wages were left in a corner of the mine, and duly appropriated. A more mischievous elf was " Cutty Soames," who would cut the traces, or soams, yoking an assistant putter to the tub. Basilisks, whose terrible eyes would strike the miner dead, were another source of dread to the worker underground. These, as well as the other mysterious foes who dealt fatal blows, may be traced to the dreaded, but by no means ghostly, fire-damp. Mines of the precious metals are still more jealously guarded by the supernatural beings. Gnomes the creatures of the earth-element, are the special guardians of subterranean treasure, and they are not over-anxious that their province be disturbed. Mines containing precious stones are equally well looked after. The Indians of Peru declare that evil spirits haunt the emerald mines, while a mine in the neighbourhood of Los Esmeraldos was said to be guarded by a frightful dragon. It has also been stated that the poisonous fumes and gases which ofttimes destroy the lives of miners are baleful influences radiated by evil spirits.
Mirabilis Liber : The greater part of this book is attributed to Saint Cesaire. It is a collection of predictions concerning the saints and the sibyls. It is surprising to find in the
edition of 1522 a prophecy of the French Revolution. The expulsion and abolition of the nobility, the violent death of the king and queen, the persecution of the clergy, the suppression of convents, are all mentioned therein, followed by a further prophecy that the eagle coming from distant lands would re-establish order in France.
Miraculum Mundi : (See Glauber.)
Mirendola, Giacomo Picus da : Italian Astrologer and Kabalist (1463-1494). This astrologer's family played a prominent part in a number of the civil wars which con- vulsed mediaeval Italy, while they owned extensive lands in the neighbourhood of Modena, the most valuable of their possessions being a castle bearing their own name of Mirandola ; and it was here, in the year 1463, that Giacomo was born. He appears to have been something of an Admirable Crichton, never showing any fondness for playing children's games, but devoting himself to study from the very outset ; and, according to tradition, before he was out of his teens he had mastered jurisprudence and mathematics, he had waded far into the seas of philosophy and theology, and had even dabbled in those occult sciences wherewith his name was destined to be associated after- wards. A boy of this kind naturally felt small inclination to remain at home, and so it is not surprising to find that Giacomo soon left his brothers to look after the family estates, and proceeded to various universities in Italy and France. While in the latter country his interest in astrology and the like deepened apace, thanks partly to his making a close study of the works of Raymond Lully ; and in i486 Giacomo went to Rome, where he delivered' a series of lectures on various branches of science. While thus engaged his erudition won high praise from some of his hearers, but certain members of the clergy suspected him of heresy, reported his doings to the Inquisition, and even sought to have him excommunicated. The pope, however was of course rather averse to quarrelling with a member of so powerful a family as the Mirandolas, and accordingly he waived violent measures, instead appointing a body of Churchmen to argue with the scientist. A lengthy altercation ensued, and throughout it the jury displayed the most consummate ignorance, it being recorded, indeeds that some of them imagined that " Kabal " was a man, who had written against Christianity, and that the Kaba- lists were the disciples of this hypothetic person. Giacomo must have been deeply chagrined by this stupidity on the part of his opponents, he must have felt that to argue with such people was utterly vain ; yet he published a defence of the ideas and theories promulgated in his lectures, and in 1493 the pope, Alexander VI., brought the affair to a con- clusion by granting the offender absolution. Thereupon ' Mirandole went to live at Florence, and here he stayed until his demise in 1494, occasionally essaying alchemy, but chiefly busy with further kabalistic studies.
Apart from the Apologia Pici Mirandoli cited above, Giacomo was author of several books of a theological nature, the most important of these being his Conclusiones Philosophies, cabalislicce et theologicce, published in i486, and his Disputationes adversus Astrologiam Divinalicum, issued in 1495. His works appear to have been keenly admired by such of his contemporaries as were not averse to speculative thought, and it is interesting to find that a collected edition of his writings was printed at Boulogne in 1496, and another at Venice two years later.
Mishna, The : A compilation of Hebrew oral traditions, written about the end of the second century by a certain Rabbi of Galilee. Its doctrines are said by the Jews to be of great antiquity and they believe it to be the oral law delivered by God to Moses, at the same time as he received the written law. It forms the framework of the Talmud. (See Kabala.)
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Misraim, Rite of : (See Cagliostro.)
Mithraie Mysteries : (See Mysteries.)
Mitla, Subterranean Chambers of : (See Subterranean Crypts.)
Modern Times, The Socialist Community of : A community founded on Long Island, in 1851, which numbered among its members a good many spiritualists.
Moghrebi. Arab sorcerer : (See Semites.)
Mohanes : Shamans or medicine-men of the Indians of the Peruvian Andes. Joseph Skinner writing of them in his State of Peru, London 1805, says : " These admit an evil being, the inhabitant of the centre of the earth, whom they consider as the author of their misfortunes, and at the mention of whose name they tremble. The most shrewd among them take advantage of this belief, to obtain respect ; and represent themselves as his delegates. Under the denomination of Mohanes, or Agoreros, they are con- sulted even on the most trivial occasions. They preside over the intrigues of love, the health of the community, and the taking of the field. Whatever repeatedly occurs to defeat their prognostics, falls on themselves ; and they are wont to pay their deceptions very dearly. They chew a species of vegetable called puripiri, and throw it into the air, accompanying this act by certain recitals and incan- tations, to injure some, to benefit others, to procure rain, and the inundation of the rivers, or, on the other hand, to occasion settled weather, and a plentiful store of agricul- tural productions. Any such result having been casually verified on a single occasion, suffices to confirm the Indians in their faith, although they may have been cheated a thousand times. Fully persuaded that they cannot resist the influence of the puripiri, as soon as they know that they have been solicited by its means, they fix their eyes on the impassioned object, and discover a thousand amiable traits, either real or fanciful, which indifference had before concealed from their view.
" But the principal power, efficacy, and, it may be said misfortune, of the Mohanes, consist in the cure of the sick. Every malady is ascribed to their enchantments, and means are instantly taken to ascertain by whom the mischief may have been wrought. For this purpose the nearest relative takes a quantity of the juice oifloripondium, and suddenly falls, intoxicated by the violence of the plant. He is placed in a fit posture to prevent suffocation, and on his coming to himself, at the end of three days, the Mohan who has the greatest resemblance to the sorcerer he saw in his visions, is to undertake the cure, or if, in the interim, the sick man has perished, it is customary to subject him to the same fate. When not any sorcerer occurs in the visions, the first Mohan they encounter has the misfortune to represent his image."
Methods of Medicine Men. — It cannot be denied, that the Mohanes have, by practice and tradition, acquired a pro- found knowledge of many plants and poisons, with which they effect surprising cures on the one hand, and do much mischief on the other ; but the mania of ascribing the whole to a preternatural virtue, occasions them to blend with their practice a thousand charms and superstitions. The most customary method of cure is to place two ham- mocks close to each other, either in the dwelling, or in the open air : in one of them the patient lies extended, and in the other the Mohan, or Agorero. The latter, in contact with the sick man, begins by rocking himself, and then proceeds by a strain in falsetto, to call on the birds, quad- rupeds, and fishes, to give health to the patient. From time to time he rises on his seat, and makes a thousand extravagant gestures over the sick man, to whom he applies his powders and herbs, or sucks the wounded or diseased parts. If the malady augments, the Agorero, having been joined by many of the people, chants a short
hymn, addressed to the soul of the patient, with this burden : " Thou must not go, thou must not go." In repeating this he is joined by the people, until at length a terrible clamour is raised, and augmented in proportion as the sick man becomes still fainter and fainter, to the end that it may reach his ears. Molucca Beans as Amulets : (See Fascination.) Monaciello, The : The Monaciello or Little Monk seems to have lived exclusively in that portion of Southern Italy called Naples. The precise place where he dwelt does not appear to be accurately known, but it is supposed to have been in the remains of Abbeys and Monasteries. When the Monaciello appeared to mortals, it was always at the. dead of night ; and then only, to those who were in sorest need, who themselves had done all that mortal could do to pre- vent or alleviate the distress that had befallen them, and after all humain aid had failed. Then it was that the Monk appeared, and mutely beckoning them to follow, he led them to where treasure was concealed — stipulating no conditions for its expenditure, demanding no promise of repayment, exacting no duty or service in return. Men have vainly asked, was it actual treasure he gave, or did it merely appear so to the external senses, to be changed into leaves or stones when the day and the occasion of its requirement had passed ? And if actual treasure, how did it come in the place of its concealment, and by whom was it there deposited ?
In Germany, the wood-spirit Rubezahl performed similar acts of beneficence and kindness to poor and deserving, persons and the money he gave proved to be, or passed for the current coin of the realm ; while in Ireland, the O'Donoghue, who dwelt beneath the waters of an inland lake, and rode over its surface on a steed white as the foam of its waves, distributed treasures that proved genuine to the good, but spurious to the undeserving. Monad is a theosophical term which literally means a unit (Greek Monas). The Monad is frequently described as a " Divine Spark," and this impression is particularly apt, for it is a part of the Logos, the Divine Fire. The Logos has three aspects, Will, Wisdom and Activity, and, since the Monad is part of the Logos, it also has these three aspects It abides continually in its appropriate world, the monadic, but, that the divine evolutionary purposes may be carried out, its ray is borne downwards through the various spheres of matter when the outpouring of the third life wave takes place. It first passes into the Spiritual Sphere by clothing itself with an atom of spiritual matter and thus manifests itself in an atomic body, as a spirit possessing three aspects. When it passes into the next sphere, the Intuitional, it leaves its aspect of Will behind and in the Intuitional Sphere, appears in an Intuitional body as a spirit possessing the aspects of Wisdom and Activity. On passing in turn, from this sphere to the next the higher mental, it leaves the aspect of Wisdom behind, and appears in a casual body as a spirit possessing the aspect of activity. To put this some- what abstruse doctrine in another form, the Monad has, at this stage, manifested itself in three spheres. In the spiritual it has transfused spirit with Will, in the Intuitional it has transfused spirit with Wisdom, and in the higher Mental it has transfused spirit with Activity or Intellect, and it is now a human ego, corresponding approximately to the common term " soul," an ego which, despite all changes, remains the same until eventually the evolution- ary purpose is fulfilled and it is received back again into the Logos. From the higher mental sphere the Monad descends to the lower mental sphere and appears in a mental body as possessing mind, then betakes itself to the astral sphere and appears in the astral body as possessing emotions, and finally to the hhysical sphere and appears in a physical body as possessing vitality. These three lower bodies, the
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mental, the astral, and the physical, constitute the human personality which dies at death and is renewed when the Monad, in fulfilment of the process of reincarnation, again manifests itself in these bodies. (See Theosophy, Evolution,- Sphere, Life Waves, Monadic Sphere, Logos.) Monen : A Kabalistic term covering that branch of magic i which deals with the reading of the future by the computa- tion of time and observance of the heavenly bodies. It thus includes astrology. Money : Money which comes from the devil is of poor quality, and such wealth, like the fairy-money, generally turns to earth, or to lead, toads, or anything else worthless or repulsive. " A youth," sa3'S Gregory of Tours, " received a piece of folded paper from a stranger, who told him that he could get from it as much money as he wished, so long as he did not unfold it. The youth drew many gold pieces from the papers, but at length curiosity overcame him, he unfolded it and discovered within the claws of a cat and a bear, the feet of a toad and other repulsive fragments, while at the same moment his wealth disappeared." In popular superstition it is supposed that if a person hear the cuckoo for the first time with money in his pocket, he shall have some all the year, while if he greet the new moon for the first time in the same fortunate condition, he shall not lack money throughout the month. Mongols : (See Siberia.) Monk : A medium. (See Spiritualism.) Moo : Queen of Yucatan. (See Atlantis.) Moors : (See Arabs.)
Mopses, The : A secret association imported into Germany, which celebrated the rites of the gnostic Sabbath. It replaced the Kabalistic " goat " by the Hermetic " dog " as an object of worship. The candidate for the order was brought into the circle of adepts with the eyes bandaged in the midst of a great uproar, and after saluting the idol was initiated. The sign of recognition was a grimace. Tho whole doctrine of the society was that of black magic. The Mopses recruited only among Catholics, and for the oath at reception they substituted a solemn engagement on honour to reveal no secrets of the order, — the practices of which much resembled the Sabbath of mediaeval sorcerers. Ttforelle, Paolo : (See Italy.) Morgan, Professor De : (See Spiritualism.) Morgan le Fay : Sister of Arthur and wife of King Urien of Gore. Arthur gave into her keeping the scabbard of his sword Excalibur, but she gave it to Sir Accolon whom she loved and had a forged scabbard made. Arthur, however, recovered the real sheath, but was again deceived by her. She figures as a Queen of the Land of Faerie and as such appears in French and Italian romance. It was she who, on one occasion, threw Excalibur into a lake. She usually presents her favourites with a ring and retains them by her side as does Venus in Tannhaiiser. Her myth is a parallel of that of Eos and Tithonus and is probably derived from a sun and dawn myth. Morien : It is commonly supposed that Morien, or Morienus as he is sometimes styled, was born at Rome in the twelfth century, and it is also reported that, like Raymond Lully and several other early chymists, he combined evangelical ardour with his scientific tastes. While still a mere boy, and resident in his native city, Morien became acquainted with the writings of Adfar, the Arabian philosopher, and gradually the youth's acquaintance with these developed into tense admiration, the result being that he became filled with the desire to make the personal acquaintance of the author in question. Accordingly he bade adieu to Rome and set out for Alexandria, this being the horre of Adfar ; and, on reaching his destination, he had not to wait iong ere gaining his desired end. The learned Arabian
accorded him a hearty welcome, and a little while after- wards the two were living together on very friendly terms, the elder man daily imparting knowledge to the younger, who showed himself a remarkably apt pupil. For some years this state of affairs continued, but at length Adfar died, and thereupon Morien left Alexandria and went to Palestine, found a retreat in the vicinity of Jerusalem, and began to lead a hermit's life there.
Meanwhile the erudition of the deceased Arabian acquired a wide celebrity, and some of his manuscripts chanced to fall into the hands of Kalid, Soldan of Egypt. He was a person of active and enquiring mind, and observing that, on the cover of the manuscripts, it was stated that the secret of the philosopher's stone was written within, he naturally grew doubly inquisitive. He found, however, that he himself could not elucidate the precious documents ; and therefore he summoned illuminali from far and near to his court at Cairo, and offered a large reward to the man who should discover the mystery at issue. An endless number of people presented themselves in consequence, but the majority of them were mere charlatans, and thus the Soldan was duped mercilessly.
Betimes news of these doings reached the ears of Morien. It incensed him to think that his old preceptor's wisdom and writings were being made a laughing-stock, so he decided that he must go to Cairo himself, and not only see justice done to Adfar' s memory, but also seize what might prove a favourable opportunity of converting Kalid to Christianity. The Soldan was inclined to be cynical when the hermit arrived, nor would he listen to the latter's attacks on the Mahommedan faith ; yet he saw fit to grant Morien a house wherein to conduct researches, and here the alchemist worked for a long time, ultimately per- fecting the elixir. He did not, withal, make any attempt to gain the proferred reward ; and instead he took his leave without the Soldan's cognizance, simply leaving the precious fluid in a vase on which he inscribed the suggestive words : " He who possess all has no need of others."
But Kalid was at a loss to know how to proceed further, and for a long time he made great efforts to find Morien and bring him again to his court. Years went by, and all search for the vanished alchemist proved vain ; but once, when the Soldan was hunting in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, one of his servants chanced to hear of a hermit who was wont to create gold. Convinced that this must be none other than Morien, Kalid straightway sought him out ; so once more the two met, and again the alchemist made strenuous efforts to win the other from Mahomme- danism. Many discussions took place between the pair, both speaking on behalf of their respective religions, yet Kalid showed no inclination to desert the faith of his fathers. And therefore Morien relinquished the quest in despair, but it is said that, on parting with the Soldan, he duly instructed him in the mysteries of the transcendent science.
Nothing is known about Morien's subsequent history, and the likelihood is that the rest of his days were spent quietly at his hermitage. He is credited with sundry alchemistic writings, said to have been translated from Arabic, but it need hardly be said that the ascription rests on the slenderest evidence. One of these works is entitled Liber de Distinctione Mercurii Aquarum, and it is interesting to recall that a manuscript copy thereof belonged to Robert Boyle, one of the founders of the Royal Society ; while another is entitled Liber de Compositione Alchemia, and this is printed in the first volume of Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa. Yet better known than either of these, and more likely to be really from Morien's pen, is a third treatise styled De Re Metallica, Metallorum Transumtatione, et occulta summague Antiquorum Medicine Libelhts, which.
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■was repeatedly published, the first edition appearing at Paris in 1559.
Morrell, Theobald : (See Spiritualism.)
Morse, J. J. : A well-known English trance or inspirational medium who began to practice about 1870. Early in his career the phenomenon of " elongation " was witnessed in connection with him, but these physical manifestations soon ceased, and he developed trance-speaking faculties of a high order, and delivered numerous eloquent discourses to spiritualists throughout the country.
Morzine, Devils of : (See Switzerland.)
Moses, Rev. William Stainton : One of the best known mediums connected with modern spiritualism, and probably, after Home, one of the most successful. He was born in 1839, at Donington, in Lincolnshire, the son of a school- master, and was educated at Bedford Grammar School and Exeter College, Oxford. He made good progress at the University, but before his final examination his health broke down, and he was forced to go abroad. On his return he graduated Master of Arts, and in 1863 was ordained. From that time until 1870 he was a curate, first in the Isle of Man and afterwards in Dorsetshire. Again his health gave way, and he was obliged to abandon parish work, and seek a change of occupation. In 1870 he became tutor to the son of Dr. and Mrs. Stanhope Speer, with whom he resided, and who were henceforth among his staunchest supporters. A year or two later he was appointed English master in University College School, but increasing ill-health compelled him to retire in 1899. Towards the close of his life Mr. Moses suffered greatly from depression and kindred nervous disorders. His life as a clergyman and as a schoolmaster was beyond reproach, and his duties were discharged in a way that won respect alike for his intelligence and efficiency.
His attention was first directed to spiritualism by the reading of R. Dale Owen's book on The Debatable Land, in 1872. He attended numerous seances, held by such mediums as Home, and soon afterwards he himself devel- oped powerful mediumistic tendencies, and gave seances to the Speers and a few select friends. The best accounts of his sittings are those written by Dr. and Mrs. Speers who kept separate records of the performances, and there are occasional accounts by others who were admitted to the circle. The phenomena were at first confined to raps and levitations of furniture, but gradually the manifestations became more varied and more pronounced. Toilet articles in Mr. Moses' room moved about of themselves and formed a cross on his bed, " apports " of perfume, pincushions, pearls, and other articles were brought by the spirits, and the medium himself would float about the room. Towards the end of the year " spirit lights " began to make their appearance, and seem to have created a profound impression on the sitters, though to judge from the descriptions they give, it would seem that Mr. Podmore's explanation of " bottles of phosphorus " is not far from the truth. Musical instruments also were heard playing in the air, besides raps, thuds, and other noises.
Perhaps his most important manifestations, however, were the automatic writings published under the title of Spirit Teachings. These purported to come from several spirits, " Imperator," " Rector," and others, and were mostly of a theological caste. Though of a high ethical tendency, they evinced a departure from Christianity, and suggested the religion of spiritualism as the only rational human creed. Unlike many automatic writings Mr. Moses' productions were not written in extravagantly high-flown language, nor were they altogether meaningless. But it must be remembered that he was a man of education and not likely to fall into such errors.
Other work done by him in connection with Spiritualism
was his assistance in the founding of thS British National Association of Spiritualism, and to serve on the Councils of the Psychological Society, and the Society for Psychical Research. He severed his connection with the latter body, however, because of the position they took up with regard to certain professional mediums. He was also president of-- the London Spiritual Alliance from 1884 onwards. Among his most popular works, besides Spirit Teachings, were Psychography, Spirit Identity, and The Higher Aspects- of Spiritualism.
Why did Stainton Moses become a medium ? There are few questions more puzzling than this to the student of spiritual psychology. That professional mediums, and those private mediums who have anything to gain by their performances, should carry on deception from year to year, is comprehensible. But that a clergyman, who had hitherto led an uneventful and exemplary life, should deliberately and systematically practise a series of puerile tricks for ihe purpose of mystifying his friends, is certainly not so. We are forced to admit, then, either that his observers were victims to hallucination and self-deception, or that the phenomena he produced were genuine manifestations from, the spirit- world. Moss-Woman The : The Moss or Wood Folk, dwelt in the forests of Southern Germany. Their stature was small and their form strange and uncouth, bearing a strong resem- blance to certain trees with which they flourished and decayed. They were a simple, timid, and inoffensive race, and had little intercourse with mankind ; approach- ing only at rare intervals the lonely cabin of the wood-man or forester, to borrow some article of domestic use, or to beg a little of the food which the good wife was preparing for the family meal. They would also for similar purposes appear to labourers in the fields which lay on the outskirts of the forests. A loan or gift to the Moss-people was always repaid manifold. But the most highly-prized and eagerly-coveted of all mortal gifts was a draught from the maternal breast to their own little ones ; for this they held to be a sovereign remedy for all the ills to which their natures were subject. Yet was it only in the extremity of danger that they could so overcome their natural diffidence and timidity as to ask this boon — for they knew that mortal mothers turned from such nurslings with disgust and fear. It would appear that the Moss or Wood folk also lived in some parts of Scandinavia. Thus we are told that in the churchyard of Store Hedding, in Zealand, there are the remains of an oak wood which were trees by day and warriors by night. Mountain Cove Community, The : A spiritualistic community founded in Mountain Cove, Fayette Co., Virginia, in the autumn of 1851, under the leadership of the Rev. James Scott and the Rev. T. L. Harris. Both mediums had. settled in Auburn in the previous year, and had obtained a considerable following. While Harris was absent in New York the command to form a community at Mountain Cove was given through the mediumship of Scott, and about a hundred persons accompanied him to Virginia. The members were obliged to deliver up all their possessions, again at the command of the spirits. Dissensions arose and. pecuniary difficulties were experienced, and only the advent of T. L. Harris in the summer of 1852 saved the community from dissolution. However, the dissensions and difficulties remained, and early in 1853 the community finally broke up. Muscle-reading : The concentration of thought on any particu- lar object produces a tendency to muscular activity. Thus if a name be thought of the muscles of the larynx may range themselves as if for the pronunciation of that name. This is known as " subconscious whispering." Or there may be an unconscious movement towards the object ia the mind. It is the interpretation of these involuntary
Basket used in the Mithraic mysteries to carry sacred serpents
Mitnr,
Mithraic temple
Inlaid pavement, showing Eleusinian neophyte carrying a sheaf of corn and fire
American-Indian drawing of the initiation ceremony of the Midiwiwin
ANCIENT MYSTERIES
[face p. 230
INITIATE INTO THE ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES,
accompanied by Demeter and Persephone
From Michaels, Century of Archaologicnl Discovery
(with permission from the publisher, Mr. John Murray)
[face p. 281
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movements by a second person, or percipient, that fre- quently passes for genuine telepathy. The thought- reading exhibited on the public platform, when it is not the result of fraud, may be in reality muscle-reading. The act of reading these slight muscular indications of the thoughts may be unconscious or instinctive — indeed, must be so, since they are much too fine to be perceived by the grosser consciousness.
Myers, Frederic William Henry (1843-1901) : Poet, essayist, and student of psychic science, was born at Keswick, Cumberland, and educated at Cheltenham and Cambridge. In 1865 he became classical lecturer there, but in 1872 abandoned this post for that of school inspector. He published several volumes of poems and essays, some of the former of considerable beauty, though it is chiefly as an essayist that he is known. He has done excellent work in the region of psychic science, being one of the original group who founded the Society for Psychical Research in 1882, and remaining to the end of his life one of its most useful members. Though he did not belong to the sceptical school of which Mr. F. Podmore is the chief representative, Mr. Myers' view-point was decidedly not that of the average spiritualist. The evidence for the survival of the soul after death he found not in the somewhat puerile " spirit " manifestations, but in the subliminal Conscious- ness, that wide region that lies beneath the threshold of man's ordinary consciousness, wherein Mr. Myers believed to discern traces of unused faculties, clairvoyance, retro- cognition, precognition, telekinesia, and so on. All the phenomena of trance, hypnotism, automatism, and spiritualism he grouped together as phenomena of the subliminal consciousness. The results of his researches were embodied in a posthumous work entitled Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death (1903). He also wrote the introduction to Gurney's Phantasms of the Living. He died at Rome in 1901. and was buried at Keswick.
Myomancy was a method of divination by rats or mice and is .supposed to be alluded to in Isaiah lxvi., 17. Their peculiar cries, or some marked devastation committed by them, was taken for a prognostic of evil, ^lian relates that Fabius Maximus resigned the dictatorship in conse- quence of a warning from these creatures ; and Cassius Flaminius, according to Varro, retired from the command of the cavalry for no greater reason. From Herodotus we learn that the army of Sennacherib, when he invaded Egypt was infested by mice in the night, and their quivers and bows gnawed in pieces ; in the morning, therefore, being without arms, they fled in confusion, and many of them were slain. Such a foreboding of evil could not very well be questioned, or its consequences averted, by the com- mander, but very different was the case when one of Cato's soldiers told him in affright that the rats had gnawed one" of his shoes. Cato replied that the prodigy would have been much greater if the shoe had gnawed a rat ! Hor- apollo in his curious work on the Hieroglyphics of Egypt, describes the rat as a symbol of destruction, and, what is more to our purpose, the Hebrew name of this animal is from a root which signifies to separate, divide, or judge ; and it has been remarked by one of the commentators on Horapollo that the mouse has a finely discriminating taste. An Egyptian MS. in the " Bibliotheque Royale " at Paris, contains the representation of a soul going to judg- ment, in which one of the figures is depicted with the head of a rat and the well-known wig. It is understood that the Lybian rats and the mouse of Scripture are the same as the Arabian jerbo a, which is characterised by a long tail, bushy at the end, and short fore-legs. The mice and emerods of gold, I. Sam. v., 6, 7, were essentially charms having a precise symbolic meaning.
Mysteries : From the Greek work mucin, to shut the mouth, and mustes an initiate : a term for what is secret or con- cealed. Although certain mysteries were undoubtedly part of the initiatory ceremony of the priests of ancient Egypt, we are ignorant of their exact trend, and the term is usually used in connection with certain semi-religious ceremonies held by various cults in ancient Greece. The mysteries were indeed secret cults, to which only certain initiated people were admitted after a period of preliminary preparation. After this initial period of purification came the mystic communication or exhortation, then the revela- tion to the neophyte of certain holy things, the crowning with the garlands, and lastly the communion with the deity. But the mysteries appear to have circled round the semi- dramatic representation or mystery-play of the life of a deity.
It has often been advanced as a likely theory to account for the prevalence of these mystic cults in Greece, that they are of pre-Hellenic origin, and that the Pelasgic aboriginal people of the country strove to conceal their religions from the the eyes of their conquerors. But against this has to be weighed the evidence that for the most part the higher offices of these cults were in the hands of aristocrats, who, it may be reasonably inferred, had but little to do with the inferior strata of the population which represented the Pelasgic peoples. Again, the divinities worshipped in the mysteries possess for the most part Greek names, and many of them are certainly gods evolved upon Hellenic soil at a comparatively late period. We find a number of them associated with the realm of the dead. The earth-god or goddess is in most countries often allied with the powers of darkness. It is from the underworld that grain arises, and therefore we are not surprised to find that Demeter, Ge, and Aglauros, are identified with the underworld. But there were also the mysteries of Artemis, of Hecate, and the Cherites, — some of which may be regarded as forms of the great earth-mother.
The worships of Dionysus, Trophonious, and Zagreus were also of a mysterious nature. The Eleusinian and Orphic mysteries are undoubtedly those of most importance to the occult student ; and from the results of archasology, such as vase-painting and so forth, we have been able to glean some general idea of the trend of these. That is not to say that the heart of the mystery is revealed to us by any such illustrations, but these supplemented by what the Christian fathers were able to glean regarding these mystic cults, enable us to push our investigations in the proper quarters. Important as such matter is, however, it is extremely slight in character.
Eleusis. — The mysteries of Eleusis had for their primal adoration Demeter, Kore or Persephone, — the mother and the daughter — whose myth is too well-known to require repetition here. Pluto, the third figure in the drama is so unimportant as to be relegated to the back- ground. Other " nameless " divinities appear to have been associated with these, under the name of " the gods " and " the goddesses " ; but the theory that those are supposed to descend from an aboriginal period, when gods were nameless, is too absurd for discussion. The nameless god is of no value to anyone, not even a savage, and a mere nodding acquaintance with mythological science is surely sufficient to show that such nameless gods are merely those whose higher names are hidden and unspoken. In Egypt, for example, the concept of the Concealed Name was extremely common. The " name of power " of 1 god, if discovered, bestowed on the discoverer sway over that deity, and we must therefore dismiss the idea of the nameless divinities of Eleusis as not in accordance with mythological fact. A more probable view is that which would make these gods later titles of the married pair
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Pluto and Kore ; but this, in view of the facts just stated, is also unlikely. Dionysus is also a figure of some import- ance in the Eleusinian mystery, and it has been thought that Orphic influence brought about his presence in the cult ; but traces of Orphic doctrine have not been dis- covered in what is known of the mysteries. A more baffling personality in the great ritual drama is that of Iacchus, who appears. to be none other than Dionysus under another name. But Dionysus or Iacchus does not appear to be a primary figure of the mystery.
We find in early Greek legends allusions to the sacred character of the Eleusinian mysteries. From the fifth century their organisation was in the hands of the Athenian city, — the royal ruler of which undertook the general management, along with a committee of supervision. The rites took place at the city of Eleusis, and were celebrated by a hereditary priesthood, the Eumolpedie. They alone, or rather their high priest, could penetrate into the inner- most holy of holies ; but there were also priestesses and female attendants on the goddesses.
The celebration of the mysteries, so far as can be gleaned, was somewhat as follows : In the month of September, the Eleusinian Holy Things were taken from the sacred city to Athens, and placed in the Eleusinion. These probably consisted to some extent of small statues of the goddesses. Three days afterwards the catechumens assembled to hearken to the exhortation of one of the priests, in which those who were for any reason unworthy of initiation were solemnly warned to depart. All must be Greeks or Romans above a certain age, and women and even slaves were admitted ; but foreigners and criminals might not partake. The candidates were questioned as to their purification, and •especially as regards the -food which they had eaten during that period. After this assembly, they betook themselves to the sea-shore and bathed in the sea, being sprinkled .afterwards with the blood of pigs. A sacrifice was offered up, and several days afterwards the great Eleusinian pro- cession commenced its journey along the sacred way, its central figure being a statue of Iacchus. Many shrines were yisited on the way to Eleusis, where, upon their arrival, they celebrated a midnight orgy.
It is difficult to come at what occurred in the inner circle ; but there appear to have been two grades in the celebration, and we know that a year elapsed before a person who had achieved one grade became fit for election to the higher. Regarding the actual ritual in the hall of mystery, a great •deal of controversy has taken place, but it is certain that a dramatic representation was the central point of interest, the chief characters in which were probably Demeter and Kore, and that the myth of the lost daughter and the ■sorrowing mother was enacted before a highly-impressed audience. It has been stated that the birth of Iacchus was announced during the ceremony ; but this has not been handed down to us on good authority. Of scenic display, there was probably little or none, as excavation has proved that there was not room for it, and we find nothing regard- ing scenery in the accounts presented in many inscriptions ; but the apparel of the actors was probably most magnificent, and was heightened by the Rembrandtesque effect of gloom and torchlight.
But certain sacred symbols were also displayed before the eyes of the elect. These appear to have been small idols of the goddesses, of great antiquity and sanctity. We know that the original symbols of deity are jealously .guarded by many savage priesthoods. For example, the Uapes of Brazil keep careful watch over the symbols of Jurupari, their god, and these are shown only to the initia- ted— any woman who casts eyes on them being instantly poisoned. It is also stated by Hippolytus that the ancients were shown a cut corn stalk, the symbol of Demeter and
Kore. This, however, can hardly be trusted any more than the theory that the Eleusinians worshipped the actual corn as a clan totem. Corn as a totem is not un- known elsewhere, as for example in Peru, where the cconopa or godlings of the maize fields were probably originally totemic ; and we know that amongst savage people totem- ism often carries in its train the concept of the full-fledged mystery. But if the Eleusinian corn was a totem, it was certainly the only corn totem known to Greece, and corn totems are rare. The totem has usually initiated with the hunting condition of man : when he arrives at the agricul- tural stage we generally find that a fresh pantheon has slowly evolved, in which full-fledged gods took the place of the old totemic deities. The corn appears to him as a living thing. It is growth, and within it resides a spirit. Therefore the deity which is evolved from this concept is more likely to be of animistic than of totemistic origin.
The neophyte was then made one with the deity, by partaking of holy food or drink. It will be recalled that when Persephone reached the dark shores of Hades she partook of the food of the dead — thus rendering it. im- possible for her to return. Once the human soul eats or drinks in Hades, it may not return to earth. This belief is universal, and it is highly probable that it was symbolised in the Eleusinian mysteries. There was nothing, however, particularly secret about this sacrament, as it is painted on many vases which have been brought to light. A great deal of the ritual undoubtedly partook of the character of agricultural magic, — a description of sympathetic sorcery. Among barbarians the medicine-man sprinkles water over the soil to incite the rain-spirit to do likewise. It is not long ago since, in the Isle of Mull, a long carved stone in a certain churchyard was filled with water, until the depressions upon it overflowed, to symbolise a well-watered country. All sorts of imitative rites took place on similar occasions — most of which will be familiar to students of folklore. It has been thought that the token of the grow- ing cornjmay have served as an emblem of man's resurrec- tion, and the fact that most persons approach the Eleu- sinian mysteries for the purpose of ensuring themselves a happy immortality would go far to prove this. M. Foucart has ingeniously put forward the theory that the object of the Eleusinian mysteries was much the same as that of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, — to provide the initiates with elaborate rules for avoiding the dangers of the under- world, and to instruct them in the necessary magical formulae. But it does not appear than any such purpose was attained in the mysteries ; and we know of no magic formulae recited in connection with them. Friendship with the Holy Mother and Daughter was to the Eleusinian votary the chief assurance of immortality.
A great many offshoots of the Eleusinian cult were established in several parts of Greece.
Dionysiac. — The most important cult next to the Eleu- sinian was the Orphic, which probably arose in Phrygia, and which came to be associated with the name of Dion- ysus, originally a god of vegetation, who was of course also a divinity of the nether world. In this case, it was also desired to enter into communion with him, that immortality might be assured. His celebrations were marked by orgies of a bacchic description, in which it was thought that the neophyte partook for the nonce of the character and the power of the deity himself. The rites of the cult of Diony- sus were on a much lower grade than those of Eleusis, and partook more of the barbarian element, and the devouring of an animal victim was supposed to symbolise the incar- nation, death and resurrection of the divinity. Later the Dionysiac mysteries became purified, but always retained something of their earlier hysteric character. The cult possessed a fairly wide propaganda, and does not appear
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to have been regarded by the sages of its time with great friendliness. The golden tablets relating to the Orphic mystery found in tombs in Greece, Crete and Italy, contain fragments of a sacred hymn. As early as the third century B.C. it was buried with the dead as an amulet to protect him from the dangers of the underworld, and the fragments bear upon them incantations of a magical character.
Attis and Sybele. — These mysteries arrived at a later period on Hellenic soil. Passionate and violent in the extreme, they yet gained considerable sway in a more degenerate age, and communion with the deity was usually attained by bathing in blood in the taurobolium or by the letting of blood.
These Phrygian mysteries were full of the conception of the re-birth of the god Attis, who was also of an agrarian character; and' in brief it may be said of these mystic cults as a whole that they were primarily barbarian agricul- tural rites to some extent intellectualised.
Mithraic Mysteries. — The Mithraic cult was of Persian origin, Mithra, a personification of Light being worshipped in that country some five hundred years before the Christian era. Carried into Asia Minor by small colonies of magi, it was largely influenced by the religions with which it was brought into contact. Chaldean Astrology contributed much of the occult traditions surrounding the creed of the Sun-god, while to a certain extent it became hellenized when the Magi strove to bring the more barbaric portion of their dogma and its usages into harmony with the Hellenic ideal. To the art of Greece also it owed that ideal repre- sentation of Mithra Tauroctonous which formed the central object in the temples of the cult. The wide geographical area it traversed and the immense influence thus exercised was, however, due to the Romans. The rites originally reached Rome, Plutarch tells us, through the agency of Cilician priates conquered and taken there by Pompey. Another source, doubtless, was through the large number of Asiatic slaves employed in Roman households. Again the Roman soldiery must have carried the Mithraic cult to Rome as they certainly were the means of its diffusion, as far north as the mountains of Scotland, and southwards to the borders of the Sahara Desert.
Mithraism may be said to have been the only living religion which Christianity found to combat. It was strong enough to exert a formative influence on certain Christian doctrines, such as those relative to the end of the world and the powers of hell. Mithra was essentially the divinity of beneficence. He was the genius of celestial light, endowing the earth with all its benefits. As in his character of the Sun he puts darkness to flight so by a natural transition he came to represent ethically truth and integrity, the sun of goodness which conquers the night of evil. To him was ascribed the character of Mediator betwixt God and man ; his creed promised a resurrection to a future life of happiness and felicity. Briefly the story of Mithra is this : His life he owed to no mortal mother. In the gloom of a cavern Mithra sprang to being from the heart of a rock, seen by none but humble shepherds. He grew in strength and courage, excelling all, and used his powers to rid the world of evil. Of all his deeds of prowess, however, that one became the central motive of his cult wherein, by slaying a bull, itself possessed of divine potentialities, he dowered the earth with fruitfulness and miraculous crops. From the spinal cord of the bull sprang the wheat of man's daily bread, from its blood the vine, source of the sacred drink of the Mysteries, and from its seed all the different species of useful animals. After this beneficent deed Mithra ruled in the heavens, yet still keeping watch and ward over mankind, granting the petitions asked in his name. Those who followed him, who -were initiated into his mysteries passed under his divine
protection, especially after death when he would rescue their souls from the powers of darkness which fain would seize upon the dead. And yet again Mithra would come, when the earth was failing in her life-sustaining powers, and again he would slay a divine bull and give to all abun- dant life and happiness.
The mysteries and rites inspired the votaries with awe while giving to their hearts hope of a future life, transcend- ing that which they had known. The temples, mithrasums as they were called, were either built underground or were caves and grottoes in the depths of dark forests, symbolising the birthplace of their god. Among his worshippers were slaves and soldiery, high officials and dignitaries, all ming- ling fraternally in a religion which called them Brethren. The rites were of magical significance. In order to bring their lives into closer communion with the divinity of Mithra, the neophytes must pass through seven degrees of initiation successively assuming the names of Raven, Occult, Soldier, Lion, Persian, Runner of the Sun and Father. Each of these grades carried with them symbolic garments and masks, donned by the celebrants. The masks represented birds and animals and would seem to indicate the existence of belief in the doctrine of metempsychosis ; or perhaps they were a remnant of totemic belief. An almost ascetic habit of life was demanded, including prolonged fasting and purification. The oath of silence regarding the rites was taken, and before entering the higher grades a ceremony called the Sacrament was held where consecrated bread and wine were partaken of. Dramatic trials of strength, faith and endurance were gone through by all, a stoical attitude and unflinching moral courage being demanded as sign of fitness in the participant. The drinking of the sacred wine, and the baptism of blood, were supposed to bring to the initiate not only material benefit but wisdom ; they gave power to combat evil, the power to attain to an immortality such as that of their god. An order of priests were connected with this cult, who faithfully carried on the occult tradition and usages, such as that of initiation, the rites of which were arduous ; the tending of a perpetual fire on the altars ; prayers to the Sun at dawn, noon and evening. There were sacrifices and libations, musical rites including long psalmodies and mystic chants. The days of the week were each sacred to a Planet, the day of the Sun being held especially holy. There were seasonal festivals, the birth of the Sun being solemnized on the 25th of December, and the equinoxes were days of rejoicing, while the initiations were held preferably in the spring, in March or April. It is believed that in the earliest days of the cult some of the rites were of a savage and barbaric character, especially the sacrificial element, but these, as indicated, were changed and ennobled as the, beneficence of Mithra took precedence of his warlike prowess. The Mithraic brotherhoods took temporal interests as well as spiritual ones under their care, were in fact highly organised communities, including trustees, councils, senates, attor- neys and patrons, people of high status and wealth. The fact of belonging to such a body gave to the initiate, be he of noble birth or but a slave, a sense of brotherhood and comradeship which was doubtless a powerful reason of the ascendancy which the Mithraic cult gained over the Roman army, whose members, dispersed to the ends of the earth in lonely solitudes amid wild and barbaric races, would find in this feeling of fraternity, this sharing in the worship and ritual of the Sun-god, an infinite comfort and solace.
Mysteries of the Pentateuch : {See Kabala.)
Mystic City of God : {See Agreda, Marie of.)
Mysticism : The attempt of man to attain to the ultimate reality of things and enjoy communion with the Highest. Mysticism maintains the possibility of intercourse with God, not by means of revelation, or the ordinary religious
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channels, but by dint of introspection, culminating in the feeling that tha individual partakes of the divine nature. Mysticism has been identified with pantheism by some authorities ; but it differs from pantheism in that its motive is religious. But mysticism is greatly more specula- tive than ordinary religion and instead of commencing its nights of thought from the human side, starts from the divine nature rather than from man. The name mysticism cannot be applied to any particular system. Whereas religion teaches submission of the will and the ethical har- monies of life, mysticism strains after the realisation of a union with God Himself. The mystic desires to be as close to God as possible, if not indeed part of the Divine Essence Itself ; whereas the ordinary devotee of most religious systems merely desires to walk in God's way and obey His will.
Mysticism may be said to have originated in the East, where it probably evolved from kindred philosophic con- cepts. The unreality of things is taught by most Asiatic religions, especially by Brahminism and Buddhism, and the sense of the worth of human personality in these is small [See India). The Sufis of Persia may be said to be a link between the more austere Indian mystics and those of Europe. We find Sufism first arising in the ninth century among the Persian Mahommedans, probably as a protest against the severe monotheism of their religion ; but in all likelihood more ancient springs contribute to its revival. In the Persia of Hafiz and Saadi, pantheism abounded, and their magnificent poetry is read by Mahommedans as having a deep mystical significance, although for the most