In episode 443 historian of ancient astrology and magic Kristin Mathis and astrologer Drew Levanti join me to talk about an ancient Greek mystical tradition known as Orphism, and how it influenced ancient astrology.

Orphism is an ancient Greek mystery cult founded by a legendary figure named Orpheus, who is said to have been a poet, musician, and mystical figure.

It is a mystery religion because members of the Orphic cult had to be initiated, and were sworn to secrecy with oaths.

The Orphics believed the soul was immortal and subject to reincarnation, and part of the goal of becoming initiated into the mysteries was to help ensure a better life in the future.

There was an emphasis on remembering one’s divine origin, and the use of poetry and music as ways of accessing the divine.

The study of this topic is important in terms of ancient astrology because Orpheus is listed as one of the legendary founders of Hellenistic astrology by Firmicus Maternus, and there are traces of Orphic influence in astrological texts by figures like Valens and Critodemus.

Kristin and Drew's work focuses in particular on the Orphic Hymns, and during the course of the episode we read some excerpts from some of Kristin's translations of the hymns for the planets and the stars, which invoke the deities associated with those celestial bodies.

Join us for a captivating exploration of Orphism and its enduring influence on the rich tapestry of ancient astrology.

Kristin and Drew's Websites

https://www.kristinmathis.com

https://archeastrology.com

Timestamps

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:47 What is Orphism?

00:02:25 Kristin's background

00:05:40 Drew's background

00:08:38 Orphic Hymns overview

00:10:25 Who is Orpheus?

00:20:34 Parallels between Hermes and Orpheus

00:27:14 The cosmos is alive

00:33:13 Macrocosm and microcosm

00:37:31 Other mystery cults

00:46:00 Astral temple traditions

00:48:49 Purpose of Hermeticism

00:49:25 The unspeakable

00:54:27 Ecstatic states

00:59:13 Orphic mysteries vs. other mysteries

01:10:41 The Sun and the soul

01:19:38 Plato's Myth of Er and reincarnation

01:24:21 Milky Way gates

01:32:41 Pythagoras

01:34:07 Hymn of the Stars

01:58:26 Time frame of Orpheus Hymns

02:10:33 Hymn to Ares-Mars

02:29:15 The hymns influenced astrology

02:34:56 Music, numbers, and ratio

02:37:26 The magic of the hymns for today

02:40:54 Astrology as a language

02:42:16 Early astrology texts were written in verse

02:49:43 Orphic hymns enliven astrology

02:52:10 Kristin and Drew's websites, Substack, and class

02:54:47 Kristin's future book on Orpheus Hymns

02:57:34 Closing credits

Watch the Video Version of This Episode

Watch the video version of this episode on the Orphic mysteries on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP4t1UwKXAU

-

Transcript

A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 443 transcript

Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode

Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3: