International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Volume 17 | Issue 2 Article 8 7-1-1998 Cybele, Attis, and the Mysteries of the "Suffering Gods" A Transpersonal Interpretation Evgueni A. Tortchinov Department of Oriental Philosophy and Culture St. Petersburg State University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies Part of the Philosophy Commons, Psychology Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Tortchinov, E. A. (1998). Tortchinov, E. A. (1998). Cybele, Attis, and the mysteries of the ’’suffering gods": A transpersonal interpretation. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 17(2), 149–159.. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 17 (2). Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies/vol17/iss2/8 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals and Newsletters at Digital Commons @ CIIS. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Transpersonal Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CIIS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cybele, Attis, and the Mysteries of the ''S UITertng.cc "' G o d s " A Transpersonal Interpretation Evgueni A. Tortchinov Department of Oriental Philosophy and Culture St. Petersburg State University St. Petersburg, Russia This study offers a transpersonal interpretation of the ancient cults of the Phrygian (Minor Asia) gods Great Mother Cybele and her lover Attis. Because of its contradictions, the classical interpretation of Frazer, who considered these mysteries to be magical cults offertility or agricultural cults, is rejected. The author prefers a transpersonal and psychological interpretation of the mysteries of Cybele and Attis as a cathartic act of spiritual death and rebirth closely related to the Basic Perinatal Matrixes (BPM) described by Grof. The study analyzes in detail the cults of the suffering gods of the ancient Near East and compares the mysteries of the Phrygian gods with other contemporary cults (mysteries of Adonis, Osiris, etc.). HIS STUDY offers a psychological the Frazerian interpretation and the correctness T interpretation of some cults and rites of Frazer's methodology. The first critic who heretofore researched in detail by evaluated the theory sceptically was the religious specialists in the field of religious studies. These thinker and Russian writer of symbolistic are the so-called cults of dying and resurrecting orientation Merezhkovsky (1865-1941), who lived gods of the ancient Near East, such as Attis, in the West as a refugee since 1920. In his essay Adonis, and Osiris. Here, I shall limit the borders "The Secret of the West: Atlantis-Europe," of this research to the cults and mythologies of Merezhkovsky criticized Frazer rather sharply. the Great Mother, Cybele, and her lover-youth, It must be noted that Merezhkovsky felt the core Attis, and some related rites (e.g., the Syrian rites of the problem extremely deeply, and though his of Adonis). interpretations are not always scientific or The cults mentioned were analyzed in detail rigorously academic, his intuitions were by J. Frazer in his classic work, The Golden surprising, and I consider them to be of essential Bough, through which his understanding of these importance. For example, after gathering data cults and mythologies became widely known. about an abundance of ritual castrations in these Briefly speaking, Frazer regarded the cults of cults and characterizing their "eunuch spirit," these gods as agricultural cults of fertility, the Merezhkovsky, rather venomously, debunks the foundation of which was the agricultural cycle and interpretation of the cults of the suffering gods stages in the living cycles of agricultural plants; as the cults of fertility: he also connected them with archaic agricultural If all the religion of the suffering God-the magic. The Frazerian point of view, due to his primordial religion of all humankind-is an scholarly authority, still predominates in religious "agricultural cult of fertility" and nothing studies, though some thinkers and scholars have more, how can we understand the myth, raised serious doubts about the completeness of preserved by Damascius, about the god The International journal ofTranspersonal Studies, 1998, Vol. 17, No.2, 149-159 149 © 1999 by Panigada Press Eshmun, Adonis of Canaan, who castrated who see the prototype of all Near Eastern cults of himself ... so as to be safe from the loving chase the suffering gods as the Mesopotamian cult of of the goddessAstronoya-Stellar Astarte, the Tammuz (Dumu-zi, Dumu-zi Absu). That is why same goddess as Aphrodite Celestial, Urania? Here the false "god offertility" transforms into the comparison of Hellenistic and Roman sources the real god of eunuchs, Attis. Is it possible to with the Mesopotamian materials is useful imagine something more different from the enough for the reconstruction of the basic cult. cult of fertility? (Merezhkovsky, 1991, No. 4, The Roman variety ofthe cults and mysteries of pp. 70-71) the suffering gods was described in detail by the Belgian scholar, F. Cumont, in his book Oriental The question Merezhkovsky raised against the Religions in Roman Paganism (1956). The Frazerian perspective is very acute. Definite materials therein are very important for the scepticism is also found in the words of the present study. Russian mythologist 0. M. Freidenberg (lectures In this paper, I will first of all analyze the in Leningrad State University, 1939/1940): mystery cults ofthe ancient Near East using the This school treats religion even more example of the cults of the Great Mother Cybele unsatisfactorily than it does with the folklore and Attis, the standard and best known ones. [italics added]. The English School regarded Some description of their myths and related rites every religion as descended from primitive magic and in this sense the religions of will be given, also comparing them with similar antiquity, the Mexican religion, or the cult of cults of other Eastern gods (Osiris, Adonis, etc.). Our Lady had no differences among them. The critical analysis of the Frazerian approach is (Freidenberg, 1978, pp. 10-11) also important in this case. Then, I would like to suggest a new psychological interpretation of the It is, of course, impossible to speak about the material based on the theories, approaches, and mystery cults of antiquity without Frazerian experimental data of transpersonal psychology. material and without evaluating Frazerian The cult of the Phrygian (region in Asia Minor, concepts: every attempt to speak of something contemporary Turkey) godAttis has been closely new in this field is still connected with the connected with the cult of the Great Mother Frazerian point of view and its reevaluation. I, (Magna Mater), the goddess Cybele, the mother too, cannot escape such a link. Therefore, one of of all the gods, symbol of the ever-feminine the tasks of this paper is a critical reevaluation principle of the world. During the second Punic of Frazer's classic theory of religious studies and War, this cult was established (with some ethnology. limitations eliminated later by Emperor Claudius) Our knowledge of the Near Eastern cults of in Rome as an official one: Cybele became the the suffering gods is generally based on data of protectress of the Eternal City. This cult, which Hellenistic or Roman sources. From IV-III B.C., became popular, to the exclusion of all others, from these cults became widespread through the the beginning of the Imperial Period, flourished Hellenistic world, entering into a syncretic in Rome and its Empire until the end of IV A.D. relation with the religion of the Greeks; from the (i.e., until the complete victory of Christianity). beginning of the Imperial (Principate) Period they We have three varieties oftheAttis myth. Two began their spread into the Western part of the of them were given by Pausanias (one of these Roman Empire (with the exception of the cults of two was also repeated by Emperor Julian the Cybele and Attis, which were venerated by the Apostate in his philosophical poem about Cybele), Romans since the second Punic War, 218-201 and one has been told by the Christian author B.C.). On the one hand, this situation makes the Arnobius, who pointed to a pagan priest task of the researcher easier because it provides Timotheus Eumolpides (Egypt, IV-III B.C.) as his detailed and rather understandable sources ofthe primary source. Arnobius declares that Timotheus narrative type, but on the other hand, it prevents found the myth of Attis in ancient secret books us from reconstructing the basic myths and the and sacred mysteries of antiquity. related rites (the exception is the cult ofisis and The first version (according to Julian the Osiris because of the abundance of the ancient Apostate):Attis was an orphan left by his mother Egyptian materials). But there are many scholars on the bank of a river. He became a handsome 150 The International journal ofTranspersonal Studies, 1998, Vol. 17, No.2 youth, who was in love with Cybele, who forbade immortal. Resurrected Attis, together with him to love any other woman. Nevertheless, Attis Cybele-Agdistis, ascends into the celestial world fell in love with the river nymph Sangaria (apotheosis). (Sangarios) and had sexual intercourse with her This myth has many common features with the in a cave. Cybele caused him to go mad, and Syrian myth about Adonis (ancient semitic during this time of madness he castrated himself. Adon-the Lord; compare with the biblical title Then he was pardoned by Cybele, who caused him of God as Adonai-Our Lord, or more literally, to ascend to the celestial worlds. My Lords). Pausanias also practically equates The second version of Pausanias tells us that Attis with Adonis. Attis was an earthly youth who was by birth Let us now return to Attis.