Earth Ancients

Recaptures the magical vitality of the original Orphic Hymns• Presents literary translations of the teletai that restore important esoteric details and correspondences about the being or deity to which each hymn is addressed• Includes messages inscribed on golden leaves meant to be passports for the dead as well as a reinvention of a lost hymn to Number that preserves the original mystical intent of the teletai• Explores the obscure origins and the evolution of the Orpheus myth, revealing a profound influence on countercultures throughout Western historyAs famous Renaissance philosopher Marsilio Ficino wrote, “No magic is more powerful than that of the Orphic Hymns.” These legendary teletai of Orpheus were not simply “hymns”—they were initiatic poems for meditation and ritual, magical, and ceremonial use, each one addressed to a specific deity, such as Athena or Zeus, or a virtue, such as Love, Justice, and Equality. Yet despite the mystical concepts underlying them, the original hymns were formulaic, creatin