No, but only because I haven't looked closely into them yet. It's probably time to change that. Thomas Taylor's writings on the Orphic and Bacchic mysteries strongly shaped or re-shaped my approach to Christianity, though.
As for banishing-- Yes, that was my original thought, too, and there is definitely an element to that. Christian services do traditionally begin with water and censing, which is both highly useful and found in other traditions as well ("And so therefore first that priest that governeth the work of fire must sprinkle with the lustral waters of the loud, resounding sea.") But I think that the associations based on the Golden Age make more sense. Do you happen to know if counterclockwise movement was used specifically for purificatatory or exorcistic purposes in Classical times?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2023-02-26 08:51 pm (UTC)As for banishing-- Yes, that was my original thought, too, and there is definitely an element to that. Christian services do traditionally begin with water and censing, which is both highly useful and found in other traditions as well ("And so therefore first that priest that governeth the work of fire must sprinkle with the lustral waters of the loud, resounding sea.") But I think that the associations based on the Golden Age make more sense. Do you happen to know if counterclockwise movement was used specifically for purificatatory or exorcistic purposes in Classical times?