"ancient theology”

The Western Occult Esoteric Mystery Tradition

“Then, there was another dimension. The fantasy suggested that this particular manifestation of wisdom—the House of the Holy Spirit founded by frater C.R.—was only an instance of a much older tradition. The older tradition, revealed to fratres R.C. by the wise men of “Damcar” in Arabia (according to the first “Rosicrucian manifesto”), had, it was alleged, provided the secret language of a pristine, angelic religion, unspoiled by fallen human hands. Knowledge of that supernal tongue had manifested itself among the truly wise (the chosen vessels) since time immemorial. The Rosicrucian tradition, then, was not only a historic movement, it was also an example of a secret meta-history manifesting through time, glimpsed by many but understood by only a few. - The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians: The World's Most Mysterious Secret Society. Tobias Churton

Most people think that there are all these different religions, present and past, and that they are all significantly different. But that is only on the surface.

“The Truth is One. The Sages speak of it by many names.” — The Rig Veda

"ancient theology”

The Eternal Tradition Perennial Philosophy Ancient and Future Science

The Western Occult Esoteric Mystery Tradition

Intro

divine truth was once revealed to humanity in its pure form, and that all true religions and philosophies are echoes of that original light.

There is and was a Primordial Tradition

Western - rather than Eastern Mystery - it is occult, hidden, secret, esoteric - only for the initiated Tradition - it is ancient and is handed down and passed on

The Prisca Theologica - Ancient Theology The Western Mystery Tradition

primordial wisdom tradition that has been transmitted through time via a secretive mystery schools or esoteric lineage.

The Western Occult Esoteric Mystery Tradition

All the different branches of the same spiritual and philosophical tree. This "tree" can be thought of as a primordial wisdom tradition or Prisca Theologia—a universal spiritual stream that evolves and diversifies over time.

Syncretism

syncretism emerges as a core mechanism of the Western Mystery Tradition's evolution and continuity. The various branches did not develop in isolation but frequently blended, fused, integrated, or synthesized elements from diverse sources. Hermeticism itself is rooted in a "syncretic figure" , and Pico's

900 Theses explicitly drew on a wide array of sources. Renaissance thinkers actively synthesized "pagan" philosophies with Christian thought and Jewish Kabbalah , and alchemy combined Egyptian, Greek, and various religious traditions. This process of syncretism is not merely an incidental feature but a fundamental mechanism by which the Western Mystery Tradition, and the

Prisca Theologia concept within it, developed, evolved, and maintained its perceived continuity across centuries.

The Transmission

In the mists of prehistory, there existed a civilization so advanced that its very name evokes wonder and mystery: Atlantis. This was no mere myth, but a beacon of human potential, a golden age where spirituality and technology danced in perfect harmony. The Atlanteans were masters of their world—wielding energies that seemed godlike, healing souls with profound wisdom, and erecting marvels that defy modern imagination. Yet, as with all great heights, there came a fall. Corruption crept into their society, twisting their gifts into tools of discord. The Earth itself rebelled, and the skies unleashed fire in the form of asteroid bombardments, culminating in a cataclysmic Deluge that swallowed Atlantis whole.

But wisdom, like light, cannot be extinguished so easily. Foreseeing the doom, a cadre of enlightened Atlantean priests and seers took action. They encoded their sacred knowledge in texts, symbols, and oral traditions, entrusting this treasure to a chosen few. These survivors, bearing the flame of Atlantis, scattered to distant lands—Egypt, Sumeria, and even among the Druids—intent on preserving the Prisca Theologia, the primal theology, so that a future age might see its renaissance. Their mission was clear: keep the small light of the Ancient Tradition alive, that it might one day blaze forth, awakening humanity to its spiritual heritage and elevating consciousness to new heights.

Egypt: The Alchemy of the Soul

In the fertile lands of Egypt, the Atlantean legacy took root. Guided by these mysterious strangers, the Egyptians wove this wisdom into their spiritual fabric. During the Old Kingdom, a time of unparalleled advancement, alchemy emerged—not merely as a science of metals, but as a path to transform the soul. The myth of Isis, Osiris, and Horus crystallized this teaching: Osiris, slain and resurrected, embodied the spirit’s journey through death and rebirth. Yet, as centuries passed into the New Kingdom, the purity of this knowledge waned, diluted by politics and power. Still, its embers glowed in the hearts of the initiated, a testament to its enduring power.

Sumeria: Communion with the Gods

Across the ancient world, in Sumeria, the Atlantean flame burned differently. The priests and kings here claimed communion with the Annunaki, beings of immense power revered as "gods." Were these the echoes of Atlantean masters? Through this contact, Sumerians gained knowledge of agriculture, law, and the cosmos, becoming architects of civilization. Their ziggurats stretched toward the heavens, as if yearning to reclaim the lost glory of Atlantis.

Babylon: Mapping the Stars

From Sumeria, the thread of wisdom wove its way to Babylon. Here, the night sky became a divine map. Babylonian astrologers, heirs to Atlantean celestial sciences, charted the stars and planets, crafting the zodiac—a system that encoded the soul’s journey through time. Their legacy gifted humanity a way to read the rhythms of the cosmos.

The Kabbalah: A Hidden Stream

As empires rose and fell, the Jewish people emerged, carrying a mystical tradition with roots in the Sumerian priest class. The Kabbalah, with its intricate Tree of Life, mapped the divine blueprint of creation. It offered initiates a path to reunite with the Source, preserving the Atlantean wisdom in a new form, hidden yet potent.

The Essenes, Hellenistic Egypt, and Jesus

In the deserts of Judea, the Essenes guarded the ancient ways, their scrolls whispering of a Messiah who would embody the enlightened soul. In Hellenistic Egypt, Greek and Egyptian traditions merged, birthing new expressions of the old wisdom. Into this world came Jesus of Nazareth, his teachings of love, forgiveness, and inner divinity resonating with the core of the Prisca Theologia. Whether an Essene initiate or a direct channel of Atlantean light, his message rippled through time, reshaping the spiritual landscape.

Hermeticism: The Golden Thread

As Rome crumbled, the wisdom of Egypt and Greece fused into Hermeticism. Named for Hermes Trismegistus, a figure echoing the Atlantean sage, it distilled the ancient teachings into a single maxim: "As above, so below." This unity of cosmos and soul became a beacon for seekers through the darkening Middle Ages.

The Medieval Ages: Guardians of the Flame

In medieval Europe, the flame flickered in secret. Alchemists sought the Philosopher’s Stone—symbol of spiritual perfection—while the Knights Templar guarded relics hinting at their esoteric lineage. In monasteries, monks preserved manuscripts that spoke of a forgotten golden age, ensuring the tradition endured.

The Renaissance: A Reawakening

The Renaissance dawned as a rebirth of spirit and intellect. Scholars like Ficino and Pico della Mirandola unearthed Hermetic and Kabbalistic texts, recognizing them as fragments of the Prisca Theologia. The Rosicrucians, emerging in the 17th century, claimed this heritage, their manifestos calling for a reformation of soul and society.

The 19th Century: Lodges and Luminaries

The Industrial Revolution brought new vessels for the ancient wisdom: magical lodges and secret societies. Eliphas Levi and Madame Blavatsky synthesized the teachings for a modern age, while Aleister Crowley pushed their boundaries with bold, controversial insights. These figures kept the Atlantean flame alive, passing it from initiate to initiate.

The Present Day: A Global Awakening

Today, in the 21st century, we stand at a threshold. The internet, global media, and globalization have unlocked the ancient wisdom once confined to dusty tomes. The teachings of Atlantis, Egypt, Sumeria, and beyond are now accessible to all. This unprecedented openness heralds a potential renaissance of the Prisca Theologia—a reawakening of the human spirit. The small light, preserved through millennia, can now blaze forth, illuminating a path to higher consciousness.

Yet, this gift comes with a call to action. The wisdom of the ages is not mere knowledge; it is a summons to transform. As heirs to the Atlantean priests, the Druids, and every guardian of this lineage, we are invited to reignite the flame within. The journey of the Prisca Theologia is not just a tale of the past—it is a living current, urging us to evolve, to remember our divine potential, and to build a future where humanity shines as brightly as Atlantis once did.

Tradition

Evola’s Ideas of Tradition

Urreligion Urreligion is a postulated "original" or "oldest" form of religious tradition. The concept contrasts with later organized religions such as the early theocracies of the Ancient Near East and in later world religions.

the Neoplatonic bishop Augustine of Hippo (4th century) argued that Christianity was not a novel religion but rather the explicit revelation of ancient mysteries that had existed "at the origin of the human race". This established a precedent for viewing Christian truth as continuous with earlier, universal wisdom.

Occult, Esoteric, hidden, Secret…

Central to the Western Mystery Tradition is the understanding that its wisdom is often "occult, hidden, secret, esoteric—only for the initiated," emphasizing an ancient body of knowledge that has been carefully handed down and passed on through time

Other Major Streams

• The Sanatha Dharma
• The Tao
• Indigenous and Shamanistic

The Term

The term prisca theologia appears to have been first used by Marsilio Ficino in the 15th century. Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola endeavored to reform the teachings of the Catholic Church by means of the writings of the prisca theologia, which they believed was reflected in Neoplatonism, Hermeticism, and the Chaldean Oracles, among other sources.

Ficino saw himself as one member of a venerable sequence of interpreters who added to a store of wisdom that God allowed progressively to unfold. Each of these “prisci theologi,” or “ancient theologians,” had his part to play in discovering, documenting, and elaborating the truth contained in the writings of Plato and other ancient sages, a truth to which these sages may not have been fully privy, acting as they were as vessels of divine truth.

Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola aimed to reform Christian theology by integrating these ancient sources, believing they preserved divine wisdom.

Pico's controversial thesis, stating that "There is no science that more greatly certifies the divinity of Christ than [Jewish] magic and Kabbalah"

Ficino’s "six great theologians"

Ficino's influential list of "six great theologians" included Zoroaster, Hermes Trismegistus, Orpheus, Aglaophemus (the supposed teacher of Pythagoras), Pythagoras, and Plato. This lineage was believed to have transmitted ancient wisdom, originally received by Moses from God, through an unbroken chain of intermediaries.

• Hermes Trismegistus: Revered as a figure of profound wisdom, Hermes Trismegistus was considered the foundational figure of Prisca Theologia and the Hermetic tradition. His writings, the

Corpus Hermeticum, were central to this belief system, emphasizing the oneness of God and the purification of the soul.

• Zoroaster: Identified as a source of Prisca Theologia through the Chaldean Oracles, which were attributed to him. He was believed to have instructed Pythagoras in Babylon and inspired Chaldean doctrines of astrology and magic.
• Orpheus: Regarded as a significant priscus theologus alongside Hermes Trismegistus, Orpheus was thought to have established an esoteric mystery religion and authored sacred writings. His religious rites were asserted to have been learned in Egypt, thereby linking him to Mosaic writings in the eyes of Christian syncretists.
• Pythagoras: Believed to have been taught by Orpheus's disciples that numerical proportions dictate the structure of all things, a wisdom later transmitted to Plato. Neopythagoreanism, a later philosophical current, portrayed Pythagoras as a central and original figure in Greek philosophy who received his insights as a divine revelation. This revelation was thought to have been given even earlier to wise men of the ancient Near East, including the Persian Magi, the Hebrews (Moses in particular), and the Egyptian priests.

The Perennial Philosophy

Prisca theologia is understood to have existed in pure form only in ancient times and has since undergone continuous decline and dilution; but the perennial philosophy asserts that the "true religion" periodically manifests itself in different times, places, and forms, potentially even in modern times.

A key point: that the western esoteric tradition is based on the ancients having known more than we do today - this is very different than our modern world view and the religion of “progress”. Most people today think we are at the peak of scientific and technological knowledge, and don’t think the people of the past have much to teach us.

Degradation of Tradition: The Lost Tradition

A defining characteristic of this concept is the belief that this primordial wisdom existed in its purest form only in ancient times, subsequently undergoing continuous decline and dilution. This perspective implies that the oldest religious principles and practices are inherently considered the most pristine, being closest to the original divine revelation.

Understanding the cyclical nature of all things - time, the earth, human history. That there have been many different civilizations before ours.

For people in the middle ages and renaissance, there was more of a closeness to the Ancient world, and therefore more of an awareness of the stories and myths and knowledge that things have been lost and the Ancients were more advanced in many ways.

26,000 year seasonal Cycle

13,000 years ago we moved into Autumn and Winter - the Tradition did become largely lost, forgotten, transmitted down into a much smaller representation….

The legend of Atlantis, a powerful and advanced island nation that purportedly sank into the ocean around 9600 BCE, originates in the dialogues Timaeus and Critias by the Greek philosopher Plato. These Platonic texts are considered cornerstones of the Western esoteric tradition, with Timaeus particularly influencing mystical traditions such as Gnosticism, Hermeticism, and Kabbalah through its detailed cosmology. Within Plato's narrative, the story of Atlantis is attributed to an Egyptian priest who reportedly shared it with the Athenian statesman Solon some 9,000 years prior, thus embedding an ancient Egyptian connection within the legend itself.

The Western Esoteric Tradition is full of debates about how old things are The Corpus Hermeticum - in the renaissance they thought it actually dated back to hundred of years BC,,,, Graham Hancock - things just keep getting older

John Amos Comenius, who promoted pansophism (universal knowledge).

"prisci theologi" (ancient theologians)

Hermes Trismegistus, Orpheus, Pythagoras, and Plato. Moses,….

Scholarly Doubt

modern academic critiques, particularly from scholars like Kocku von Stuckrad, often characterize Prisca Theologia as an "invented tradition". This perspective suggests that its construction served specific purposes for the culture in which it was recognized, rather than representing a purely discovered, unbroken historical lineage. For instance, the authenticity and historical origins of Hermetic texts have been a major point of scholarly debate; modern scholars generally date the

Corpus Hermeticum to the Hellenistic period (200 BCE - 300 CE) rather than ancient Egypt, despite earlier beliefs.

The academics cannot find a “smoking gun” that definitively proves a lineage and transmission, but that is because it is a transmission of an initiatory current that is subtle and not obvious. Because you have to be an initiate to see it and understand it….

The Mythic Origins: Before History

From the divine and stellar realms

• Atlantis / Hyperborea / Lemuria
• The primordial civilizations
• The science of spirit and matter unified
• Survivors of the cataclysm carry the knowledge
• The Watchers / Elohim / Fallen Angels
• From The Book of Enoch: transmission of divine arts to humanity—astrology, metallurgy, enchantments

Fallen Angels

Ancients sometimes say that the gods or fallen angels, the elohim, or extraterrestrial or extradimensional beings taught high magick and alchemy to humans

• Zozimos about humans being taught alchemy by them….

The Book of Enoch tells of the Watchers, a group of fallen angels who descended to Earth and taught humans arts such as metallurgy, astrology, and enchantments.

The Destruction of Atlantis

The Tower of Babel - confusion of tongues

Humanity attempted to rise up to being gods without moral developement

Remnants of a Previous Civilization

The lost continent of Atlantis, as described by Plato and expanded upon in esoteric traditions, is often considered the cradle of the Western Mystery Tradition. Atlantis is imagined as a highly advanced civilization where science and spirituality were one. After its fall, survivors are said to have carried its wisdom to other lands, seeding the esoteric traditions of Egypt, Sumeria, and beyond.

A priestly and kingly religion

That this is perhaps a priestly and kingly religion, a Royal Art & Science It is not and never has been mainstream and taught to the masses For much of history, the masses could not read and were not educated If it came from the gods/angels/ets - then they transmitted it to only the chosen few

Yeshua perhaps was the establishment of the Tradition for all, but his life and teachings were then turned into “The Church” as a organized political structure

Sumeria

Annunaki

Ancient Sumerian myths speak of the Annunaki, powerful beings who gifted humanity with knowledge of the stars and the workings of the cosmos.

A well-established concept of secrecy (pirištu, katimtu, niṣirtu) was central to Mesopotamian knowledge, particularly for reserved divine secrets passed from gods to royalty, and subsequently to classes of scholars and scribes.

Egypt

• Thoth
• Alchemy from the black land
• Mystery schools of Isis and Osiris

Babylon & Persia — Magi and Stars

• The Chaldeans as astrologer-priests
• Zoroastrianism: dualism, fire worship, the war between Light and Darkness
• The lineage of the Magi (source of the word “magic”)

Zoroastrianism: Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, founded by the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in ancient Persia. It incorporates both monotheistic and dualistic elements. Many scholars believe Zoroastrianism significantly influenced the belief systems of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Zoroaster was reputedly an instructor of Pythagoras in Babylon and an inspiration for the Chaldean doctrines of astrology and magic.

Pythagorean Mysticism

• number, geometry

Jewish Mysticism — The Kabbalistic Stream

• The Tree of Life as divine cosmology
• The concept of divine emanations (Sephirot)
• The hidden and encoded esotericism in Hebrew sacred texts
• The Merkavah mystics and the Book of Enoch
• Biblical Patriarchs and Prophets

Alexandria Egypt as a Hub

• The fusion point: Greek philosophy + Egyptian mysteries + Jewish Kabbalah + Persian gnosis
• Birth of Hermeticism: The Hermetic Corpus
• Neoplatonism, Gnosticism, Chaldean Oracles
• Greek Philosophy becomes synthesized with various mystical/spiritual traditions

Ancient Astrology: Western astrology has its roots firmly in Babylonian tradition, with Babylonian priests credited with spreading this knowledge to Greece. The ancient Greeks then refined it, integrating elements such as the four classical elements (Fire, Earth, Air, Water) and an understanding of the equinoxes.

Alchemy

The black land - khem from Egypt

The Library of Alexandria

• knowledge lost

Kabbalah: The Hebrew word kabbalah means "tradition," and in medieval Jewish culture, it came to identify the mystical, esoteric tradition of Judaism. Kabbalah is understood as a dynamic phenomenon, representing the "mutable tradition of the Divine mystery as it unfolds itself to human cognition". Kabbalists themselves claimed it preserved the original knowledge Adam received from God.

Tarot: The earliest references to Tarot cards date to the 1440s and 1450s in northern Italy.

Hermeticism

Rome to Renaissance — Hidden Currents

• The esoteric flame goes underground during Christian orthodoxy
• Alchemy in the Islamic Golden Age → translated back into Latin
• The Renaissance Revival
• Ficino, Pico della Mirandola
• Magic as divine science
• Kabbalah enters Christian theology
• Rosicrucians: the secret brotherhood of enlightened initiates

Enlightenment to Occult Revival

• Freemasonry, Enlightenment occultism
• 19th-century Golden Dawn, Theosophy, Crowley & Thelema
• 20th-century chaos magic, neo-paganism, psychological alchemy (Jung)
• All of it rediscovering the ancient threads

HGD & Crowley

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (ritual magic, Tarot, Kabbalah) Thelema & Crowley’s system of personal will and ritual magic) Chaos Magic (pragmatic approach to belief systems and magic) Astrology revival in 90’s, Girmoire revival, … Current teachers of the tradition - Greer, Echols, Kraig, ….

Now Today

Now today this tradition can be seen in full(at least what has not been lost) It can be synthesized. Brought together by the individual into their own version.

All the texts are there online and easily accessible We have almost too much information - and one needs to sift through it and create a wholistic mystery school curriculum That is what I am attempting to do for myself.

This will of course be my version of the tradition - I don’t make any claim to its universality or objective truth - it am creating what fits me

Many people will scoff and dismiss what I say - they are adhering more to an objective “scientific” and historical view of the past.

I think the past is full of mysteries and magic - that that view is far too reductionistic, materialistic, psueudo-scientific.

That myths often hold more truth than history.

Creating Your Own Religion

Crowley’s idea of “creating your own religion”

Western Yang, Eastern Yin

Western Solar, Eastern Lunar?

The idea that the western path can be seen as the Yang And the eastern Tao and Vedic can be seen as the Yin The western way is perhaps more emphasis on action and creation and ascending up. While the eastern is more about going within and waking up.

Synthesis of Solar & Lunar Spiritual Streams

“It is the Hebrew alphabet that represents, you could say one of the earliest languages that your western languages are based off of. So you could say the Sanskrit is the root language for the East and it is the Hebrew that is the root language for the West. Sanskrit is how the beings of the underworld create. It is a serpentine, lunar path, a yogic path. The Eastern path, these are lunar paths, they are serpent paths. They involve the perspectives of the Kundalini beings raising consciousness all the way up to the source. Then you have the idea of the Abrahamic traditions, which draw heavily upon the Hebrew language. And this represents a transition away from that Lunar perspective, the underworld and the human in the underworld rising up. This new, you could say, Western approach is all about the idea of the promise of the evolution from moon into sun, foreshadowing Christ, foreshadowing the covenant between the upper world and earth. Before that covenant Earth is seen as a chaotic place ruled by desires, ruled by giants, the Nephalim. Who are these beings? These are the serpentine beings we are referring to that helped to develop the Sanskrit language. Yes, these are the beings that oversaw the earth, and they had dominion over the earth. And there were a lot of positive things about this, very matriarchal, but there were also some imbalances about this. So the masculine principle was being summoned in at that time representing the cosmic light coming down, representing fire descending from above, transforming the world - paradoxically through a flood through a forgetting. But what caused that flood? All of that light flashing from the upper worlds, causing a temporary forgetting a temporary amnesia. It was your very enlightenment as a species that caused your forgetting. You understand? It was your enlightenment, the great flash of clarity from the upper sources that caused your species to experience the Tower of Babel crumbling. You have spent every moment since that time period until now sorting out all of that information. That is the power of the Yod He Vau He. It is a power you have been digesting for over 2,000 years. And now you are finally coming to terms with this power. And now you're blending it with the serpentine power. And this represents a new language forming - it is a blending of the Hebrew language and the Sanskrit. They are now coming together forming a super tongue.” - From private session with Ryokah