The Greek Gods, for some, are far away on Mt. Olympus. But for the many converging on the Pacific Northwest for the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Gods are much closer. These ask the question that the known world asked for over 3000 years:

“If you knew there was a place where the Gods walked the earth, wouldn’t you go?”

The work of the scholars of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church and it’s colleagues for the past 34 years has focused on bringing that question back into the world. The Mysteries were, and still are, an oath bound event. It was said that it was ill advised to tell what you experienced.

For thousands of years, longer even than the current millennia’s long pilgrimage to Mecca, people from around the world converged on the city of Eleusis, Greece. Thousands upon thousands each year would make their way on foot to learn of the mysteries. It was said that those that attended no longer feared death. The sacred Psychodrama of Demeter, her daughter the Kore, and her descent into the underworld to become the bride of the Plutarch is not something unknown to history.

So what was it that made people connect so deeply that the known world would make the pilgrimage to experience it, year in and year out? Without giving way to breaking their oath, participants say that at some point throughout the weekend it becomes very personal. Two such participants have been using their experiences to fuel an art project based on the Gods and Goddesses of the Mysteries.

Cassie Gendlek

Cassie has been a long time attendee of the Mysteries. Her first year attending was 2007. She had been an avid reader of the Greek Mysteries when she was young. When she came home to Wicca in her teens, the Greek Pantheon greeted her with open arms. After a near decade of solitary practice, she went along with her college Pagan Club to her first SMF. Seeing the Gods walking the earth for the first time changed her to her core, and she vowed to be in service to the Mysteries of Eleusis from then on. It wasn’t long before Cassie was a member of the priesthood that was putting on the event.

Now in her tenth year of service, she has started using her digital editing skills to bring out the essence of the Gods as she see’s them through the photo’s of,

Dusty Dionne

"Aphrodite, The Goddess of Love"

Aphrodite is the essence of seduction, temptation, and being happy about both of them. She offers us what we most desire: a chance to be loved. The rose represents the intoxicating effects of falling in love and the lengths you will go to obtain it.

"Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt"

Artemis is a powerful roll model of a Goddess for many women in the Craft. She represents an independence from the confines that Man puts on Woman. She is her own person, a "virgin" in the sense that no man holds sway over her. As a Moonlit Deity, she brings a sense of wonder into the realm of the Greek Gods.

"The Pythoness, The Oracle of Delphi"

The Oracle of Delphi is one of the most recognizable non-deities in Greek Mythology. She was the priestess of Apollo, the Pythoness, the Pythia. The smoke in her cauldron represents the divinatory smoke that once rose from the crack beneath her chair, Its visions alighting Gods and Men alike to their future.

"Athena, Goddess of Strategy"

Athena came fully formed from the skull of Zeus. She is often referred to as his favorite child. That is why her spear is crackling with the energy of the Father that she was born from. Her stroke of brilliance is a gift much needed by the Gods as they deal with Demeter's grief. Her abilities are sharp and effective, represented by her spear in this picture.

Each of these models are part of the 2017 production. The Eleusinian Mysteries occur every year over Easter Weekend. You can register and find out more at www.SpringMysteries.com.