Ritual ‘Divine Connection’ In Antiquity Was Real According To New Studies

 Estimated read time | 4 min

Before smartphones and social media people believed in rather fantastic origins to explain reality at large, there were many mysteries which science had not gotten around and the world seemed as a more mystical place filled with contrast, adventure, pain, joy and suffering all combined.

In the midst of burning questions dealing with natural existentialism, ancient societies and civilizations formed complex mythologies which permeated and idealized the human phenomenon, they created Gods and Goddesses of utility and character which were meant to explain or interact with the reality of the world they were living in.

The Divine Origins of the Word ‘Enthusiasm’

For these ancient cultures, their Gods and their myths were everything that existed, they simply had no other way to explain reality and so, in an attempt to connect to this divinity or divinities they took upon a myriad of ways to achieve this.

Rituals vary in size and form, set & settings and while there are striking similarities amongst different cultures around the globe, it was the ancient Greeks which coined the word ‘Entheos’ (transliterated), which basically means to be ‘one with the Gods’ or ‘possessed by the divine’.

The word was related to ancient rituals, mystics, shamanism but also this evolved to more colloquial things, ‘divine inspiration’ in a more basic form, especially in such a culture that was rich in poetry, music, philosophy etc.

 They saw themselves as avatars of their ‘Gods’.

Naiveness or Instinct?

While today we think of our ‘inner world’ and our inner connection to the self as more of an optimistic intellectual construct some psychologist discovered or created somewhere along history, for the ancient societies, along with the Greeks, this inner connection was a -frenzy-, a state of ecstasy, a reality of 'beingness'.

And as we look at these ancient societies with our current knowledge and our plethora of scientific definitions as primitive or naive, ignorant, could it be that it is perhaps us the ones who have been stolen of such gift, that 'divine connection' which more than fairy tales and fantasy could be a real phenomenon with modern scientific back up?

While the word ‘Entheos’ was the root for our current word for ‘Enthusiasm’, which currently means to apply any sort of optimistic joyful energy to something or to look forward to something with joy, passion, zeal etc., the root ‘Entheos’ is also where the word -Entheogen- comes from.

When ‘Hallucinations’ Become Replicable They're No Longer ‘Hallucinations’

The current research on Entheogens has the scientific community baffled (just like Quantum Physics did in the 1900’s) as we are currently on the verge of a ‘psychedelic renaissance’ having serious studies on Entheogen based experiences due to their potential use in medicine when treating afflictions which currently plague our society like, anxiety disorders, depression and PTST (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Entheogens are psychoactive substances found in nature and most mammals which induce and ASC (Altered State of Consciousness) where perception of the world shifts, these have been used by generations of the aforementioned societies to achieve such ‘divine connection’, however modern research spearheaded by Rick Strassman author of ‘The Spirit Molecule’, has shown baffling (and replicable) results where experiencers report phenomena like disembodied experiences, travelling into other dimensions, ego death, space/time travel, interaction with non-human entities, meeting with source or as some call it ‘God’ etc. and while experiencers rarely show negative physical or psychological effects which are sometimes present in the form of ‘bad trips’, most of the experiences are highly positive and as the experiencers describe ‘loving’, often people describe unity with the ALL, a common concept which some psychologists in the past have deemed as ‘mystical psychosis’ but as more research on ASC stacks it is a concept, an understanding beginning to be seriously poised as an underlying reality rather than a mental illness.

As per usual with the modern research of Consciousness these experiences which are stacking and congruent with other ASC research like OBE’s and NDE’s offer more questions than answers.

Different theorists, like Brian Muraresku have pointed to the idea that psychedelics were heavily used in these ‘rites of passage’ by ancient societies like the stories of the Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greek society, this research could start confirming the notion that rather than fantastical mythological tales of naive societies, we are speaking of genuine ‘Divine Connection’.

More on ‘Enthousiasmos’ …