---

The Sun Never Sets On The Roman Empire

In the late third century, the Roman Empire was in the midst of a spiritual war, a war which on one side had the traditional mystery religions, imperial cults and pantheon and on the other, Christianity. It is often assumed that Christianity triumphed after the Edict of Milan by Constantine in 313 and especially the Theodosian Decrees of 379 - but it should be noted that Theodosius specifically attempted to stifle the spread of Arianism, a Christian heresy that promotes God as completely separate from Christ, as Arians presume God “created” the Divine Logos. At the time, the orthodoxy stated that God and Christ were “consubstantial”, and as such God and the Logos were of the same substance, and coequal, and both having always existed. One was not greater than the other. This was the establishment of the power of the Roman Church.

But how does this matter when we talk about Mithras? From the 1st century to the 4th, Mithraism grew and spread within the ranks of the Roman Legions. Mithras, you could say, was a hero to soldiers everywhere, for one very important reason: the Mithraic Mystery was a link between the Roman soldier and the power and prestige of the Emperor. The Romans passed their power from the Paters, the patriarchs of aristocratic families to the senate; Senex, meaning Old Man, is the root of the word Senate. Then, in the time of the early Empire, the Emperors would adopt an heir, passing on the Imperial title from 'father' to 'son'. In a patriarchal society, this is to be expected. If Mithras is the Hero of the soldiers, the rising son, who is the father whom recognizes his prestige, and gives Mithras his honors?

That would be Sol Invictus. The Unconquered Sun, or Invincible Sun, was established as a major force in Roman religion in 274, when Aurelian used the iconography of the “Invincible Sun” to officially dedicate a Cult of Sol Invictus. One and a half centuries prior, Hadrian’s Pantheon had elevated Sol to a direct patron of Imperial power. This Imperial Cult is critical to the Roman tradition - Sol Invictus was, like Mithras, a patron of soldiers; however, Sol Invictus was also quite popular amongst the elite class of the empire. Invictus as a title was tacked onto the existing god Sol; Sol exists in a state of Invincibility, while being able to confer that title upon others, namely Mithras and the Emperor.
Mithras must slay a bull (this ritual called the ‘Tauroctony’), and when he does, he shares the meat with Sol himself, and they shake right hands. The right-handed shake confers kingship from Sol unto Mithras, who now becomes the new “Mithras Sol Invictus”, having proven his worth. One sun rises, and one sun sets. A father and a son, consubstantial, coequal, coterminous.

Note that in the Mithraic Mysteries, there were Seven initiatory titles - Corax, Nymphus, Miles, Leo, the minor adepts, and then the major, Perses, Heliodromus, and Pater. I may expand on this structure another time, but what is relevant now is that we recognize the highest role, Pater. Just as Mithras ascends to become Sol Invictus, so does the initiate ascend and shake hands with the Pater of his local sect. He feels as Mithras felt, and because the cult of Sol Invictus had imperial sponsorship, the soldiers who comprised a good bulk of the cult felt a personal connection and loyalty to the station of the emperor. Remember when we talked about Arianism? This is why it was bad, in the eyes of the State. If we have a trinity which is meant to replace the Sol-Mithras dichotomy, and the aspect which represents the common man (Mithras, the hero of soldiers, and Christ, the shepherd) are worth less than the Father, it upsets the societal balance. One man, the emperor, the hand of Sol/God on earth, is equal to the nation- but never greater.

Our third puzzle-piece is Apollo (conflated with Helios), the all-seeing, all-hearing spirit of the sun. Britannica says Apollo is the “god of divine distance, who sent or threatened from afar; the god who made men aware of their own guilt and purified them of it; who presided over religious law and the constitutions of cities; and who communicated with mortals through prophets and oracles his knowledge of the future and the will of his father.” Sounds a lot like the Holy Spirit, who resides with Prophets and speaks to men on behalf of God.

Now you see…we have a Father, Sol. The Son, Mithras. Note that these two are, just as in Christianity, linked more closely with each other than with the third member of the triune. And last, the Spirit, Apollo. These three deities served important functions in the societal fabric of the Roman State; when that state adopted Christianity, it should be no surprise that we have instances of Christ depicted with a solar halo, Christ shown in the chariot of Helios, and so on. Constantine even declared Dies Solis as the Roman day of rest; that day is Sunday, when Christians attend church. Christmas is celebrated December 25th, the day Mithras was born from stone - most assuredly not the day Christ was born.

Now, aren’t we missing a special someone? The Virgin Mary, of course! Named the Queen of Heaven, the Morning Star which heralds…the sun, what a shock! Now, you and I both know that the Trinity is the sun gods, and Christ is Mithras, so why is this “Morning Star” lady relevant? There is another Queen of Heaven, another Morning Star. It would be the Babylonian Ishtar, associated with the Roman Venus. Why is Venus/Ishtar/Mary specifically the mother of Christ/Mithras? We have two, equally viable options.

First, because Mithra began as a Persian god. How we transfer the Venus archetype from person to person is important, so please pay attention. Anahita of the Zoroastrian faith, the Iranian version of the Sarasvati river deity of the Vedas (which, again, is another can of worms, since we are about to connect Vedism to Christianity through only three degrees of separation), was one of three gods elevated to a triune of Zoroastrianism by Artaxerxes II; the others being Ahura Mazda, or Ohrmazd, and Mithra. Anahita, a virgin, had given a miraculous birth to Mithra - and, being the premier goddess of Zoroastrianism, she was promptly associated with Ishtar and the planet Venus by the Babylonian subjects of the Persian Empire.

While this trinity is every bit as interesting (Ohrmazd having another layer, the Spenta Mainyu, equivalent to the Holy Spirit, thus bringing us to our four figure finish), it isn't relevant to Rome, which is the foundation of all modern western nations, and seeing as I live in a western nation that explicitly larps as the New Rome, I will get on with my point about the crypto-roman conspiracy that grips western civilization to this day.

The second reason why Mary is specifically the mother of Christ (the crypto-Mithras), is because she is the analogue of the Roman Venus, first and foremost. Our Persian discussion is relevant for the historical background that led us to understand how we can translate Mary to Venus, and the Virginal property to Mary, and for those reasons only.

Venus, the Goddess, is the Mother of Aeneas - The founder of the city of Rome! As Britannica says, “With Anchises, Venus had a child of great import to Rome: the warrior hero Aeneas. According to Virgil, Aeneas established a royal lineage that included the gens (clan) of the Julii, the ancestors of Julius Caesar (it should be noted that Caesar’s adopted son Augustus was Virgil’s chief patron).” Julius Caesar, the man whose name all subsequent Tyrants have taken for themselves. Again, by implying adoption into the line of Caesars, emperors not only make themselves Sol Invictus - but also tie themselves to the divine mother of their people.

Therefore, as Venus was the mother of the old Rome, so will Mary be the mother of the New Rome. This was the goal of the early Christian Emperors; to rebuild the imperial cult in a new shape, with the same archetypes that made them so successful and none of the variable weaknesses held by the old system.

The Roman Imperial Cult was reborn for the age of Pisces - hence the Christian obsession with the fish symbol. Even to this day, the Pope holds the title of the old Roman priests - Pontifex Maximus. The Mystery is revealed now. Go look at the Statue of Liberty; you'll see a distinctly Solar crown, as the statue bears the torch of Mithras in one hand, trading out his dagger for a book (the tablet of law.) But which law? The law of the Piscean age in “the west”, the Christian Bible. The seal of the U.S. Senate bears the phrygian cap of Mithras. The house, two bronze Fasces. Now You see… the Roman Empire lives and reigns, the only thing to do is identify the Emperor. Maybe we should look for a first citizen? A chief executive, even…

---

I dreamt of marble halls and gold standards

---