Christ Conspiracy_ The Greatest Story Ever Sold - Acharya S [166]
Indeed, these "sacraments" constituted a significant part of the mysteries, as many schools and cults have used sex and drugs in their initiation rites. One such widespread sex-related rite is circumcision, albeit it is an anti-sex one. Although it is widely perceived to be a Jewish custom, circumcision dates back to at least 2300 BCE in Egypt and is also found in other parts of Africa, as well as in Fiji, Samoa, Assyria, Phoenicia, Mexico and South America, prior to the introduction of Judaism and/or Christianity., In Egypt, it was the priests only who were circumcised, but Israel was a "priestly nation," so all of its males were to be circumcised. In contrast to this anti-sex mutilation, however, have been a number of pro-sex, as well as pro-drug, rituals. Even though they have fervently attempted to set themselves apart from the rest, pretending to reject these concepts about sex and drugs, esoteric Judaism and Christianity have also utilized these rites and rituals.
Obviously, there is a downside to sex and drugs, as there is with virtually every human experience. However, mature cultures and individuals have possessed the ability to utilize these powerful devices wisely, and the taboo status itself makes them dangerous, in that they no longer come with the "instruction manual" of initiation. Also, there is an enormous difference between sacred sex and promiscuity, as well between the plantdrugs, or "entheogens" ("generating God"), and the potent extracted chemicals causing such turmoil today.
Sex and the Ancient World
Prior to its vilification, sex was venerated from the earliest times of human history, not only for erotic and spiritual or "tantric" reasons, but also because it was the act of reproduction. As it is today, fertility was very important to the ancients. In fact, the fecundity of the earth was identified with the fertility of the human being. Thus, the rain falling upon and fertilizing the womb of Mother Earth was considered the sperm of Father Sky. In effect, sex-worship was nature-worship, and nature-worship extended to the heavens, where the stars themselves were even named for trees, as noted. Nature was all-important to the ancients, as they realized they were not only dependent upon it but also inexorably linked to it. Jackson describes the natureworship that developed from this perception:
The Savior-God religions, Christianity included, are based on the worship of nature. Nature may be defined as the material universe and the forces at work in the cosmos, which operate independently of man. Among the varieties of natural religion were: the worship of the earth, of trees, and other plants; of volcanoes, mountains, water, and wind; of animals; of stars, planets, the moon, the sun, the sky, etc.2
The myths of the various human cultures, in fact, ubiquitously reflect this connection to and reverence for nature, especially in regard to the birth process, which was obviously the single most important event in a life and which introduced the human being into the natural world. The reproductive organs and genitalia have thus been a source of tremendous interest. In the ancient world, phallic and yonic symbols were seen everywhere in nature: a cave was a womb; a natural pillar was a phallus; mushrooms resembled both. Furthermore, many nonsexual words can be traced to roots meaning "womb," "menses," "vagina," "phallus," "penis," or "semen."
Sexual symbols were also reproduced abundantly in art, architecture and other cultural artifacts, including religion. In fact, it would probably not be an overstatement to say that every religion/cult has had something to do with sex, including the popular religions of today. Indeed, within organized religions such as Judaism and Christianity phallic and vulval symbols abound that are no longer properly understood by the people. Yet, these sexual symbols hold occultic power; hence, they have been