Taylor - Eleusianian and Bacchic Mysteries.pdf - Platonic Philosophy

Bacchic Mysteries. 163intellect about a mortal nature, and the miseries with which such operations are (withrespect to imperfect souls like ours) attended.Nor is it without reason that lacchus, orBacchus, is celebrated by Orpheus as thecompanion of her search : for Bacchus is theevident symbol of the imperfect energies ofintellect, and its scattering into the obscureand lamentable dominions of sense.But our explanation will receive additionalstrength from considering that these sacredrites occupied the space of nine days in theircelebration; and this, doubtless, because,according to Homer,* this goddess did notdiscover the residence of her daughter tillthe expiration of that period. For the soul,in falling from her original and divine abodein the heavens, passed through eight spheres,* "Hymn to Ceres. For nine days did holy Demeter perambulatethe earth . . and when the ninth shining morn had come, Hecatemet her, bringingnews."Apuleius also explains that at the initiation into the Mysteriesof Isis the candidate was enjoined to abstain from luxurious foodfor ten days, from the flesh of animals, and from wine.book xi. p. 239 (Bohn).Golden Ass,