74. Goddess Worship in the Ancient Temples

Written by Amy

Season 3 of The Earth Keepers Podcast continues with a discussion about goddess worship in the ancient temples featuring clips from mystic and ethnobotanist Terrence McKenna and author of The Immortality Key, Brian Muraresku.

In this season, I'm taking us on a journey to explore what happens when an entire society of people lose their connection to the only land they’ve ever known.

And I'll be exploring this question by following just one branch of my family tree back through the Mormon Pioneer days in Utah and Idaho and then back to my ancestors who left Sweden for America.

In this episode, we're exploring religious precursors to Christianity in Greek and Roman culture where goddess worship in the ancient temples was common.

I share all about the Eleusinian Mysteries, the myth of Demeter and Persephone, the theories about the entheogenic contents of the kykekion drink and how it all relates to the Mormon religion.

If you've done any genealogy research into your own family origins, want to know more about how organized religion influenced your ancestor's beliefs, are curious about how plant medicine and shamanic ritual was integrated into early religion, and want some ideas about how you can reconnect with the land in a place and time your ancestors wouldn't recognize, you're going to love this season of The Earth Keepers podcast.

Here's what I share in this episode:

What is the civilization known as Old Europe
Who the Greek Goddess Hestia is in Greek mythology
How women's work was considered sacred in Old Europe
The festivals of the Eleusinian Mysteries and how they were created
The myth of Demeter and Persephone
Terrence McKenna's theory about the entheogenic kykekion drink
The different potential plant medicines that may have been used in the kykekion
The similarities between the Eleusinian Mysteries and the Mormon Temple rituals
What Joseph Smith said the secret of Masonry is
The ideas behind The Immortality Key
How religious leaders could lead a large group of people through a collective religious experience
What brought the Eleusinian Mysteries to an end
Why the Christian church wanted to stop the worship of gods and goddesses
Who kept the traditions alive in secret