Taylor - Eleusianian and Bacchic Mysteries.pdf - Platonic Philosophy

Bacchic Mysteries. 139evidently of a Saturnian and zoogonic, or intellectual and vivific rank ;and hence, as weare informed by the philosopher Sallust,amongthe mundane divinities she is thedeity of the planet Saturn.*So that in consequence of this, our intellect (or intuitivefaculty) in a descending state must aptlysymbolize with the divinity of Ceres. ButPluto signifies the whole of a materialnature ;since the empire of this god, according to Pythagoras, commences downwardfrom the Galaxy or milky way. And thecavern signifies the entrance, as it were, intothe profundities ofaccomplished bysuch a nature, which isthe soul s union with thisterrestrial body. But in order to underderstandperfectly the secret meaning of theother parts of this fable, it will be necessaryto give a more explicit detail of the particulars attending the abduction, from the beautiful poem of Claudian on this subject.From*Hence we may perceive the reason whyCeres as well as Saturn was denominated a legislative deity; and why illuminationswere used in the celebration of the Saturnalia, as well as in theEleusinian Mysteries.