Exploring the Poetic Nature of Early Astrological Texts

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: