Mithraic sacred banquet rite

Setting: The Spelaeum, or Mithraeum, is dimly lit by flickering oil lamps. The initiates, arrayed according to their grade upon the flanking podia, observe a profound silence. The central Tauroctony relief looms, depicting the foundational sacrifice. At the head, near the representation of the Bull-Slayer, stands the Pater, flanked perhaps by the Heliodromus and the Perses. Before him rests a simple table or altar bearing unleavened bread and a krater containing a mixture of water and wine.

I. The Invocation of the Unconquered Mediator

(The Pater raises his hands towards the Tauroctony.)

Pater: Hearken, O initiates bound by the sacred oath, dwellers within this terrestrial cavern which mirrors the vast cosmic vault! Attend now as we invoke the presence of the Invincible God, Mithras, born not of woman but sprung forth from the Petra Genetrix, the Living Rock, witness to the primordial dawn. O Sol Invictus, Lord of the Sun's chariot, whose effulgence dispels the Stygian gloom; Thou Tauroctonus, whose necessary sacrifice of the Primordial Bull seeded the very fabric of this mutable cosmos with life; Thou Mediator, bridging the chasm between the immutable Aether and this sublunar sphere wherein our souls transiently reside! Descend, O Radiant One, or rather, turn Thy benevolent gaze upon this assembly gathered in Thy name. Let Thy numinous power infuse this humble space, transforming mundane substance into spiritual sustenance, just as Thy generative act transmuted death into burgeoning existence. Be present, Lord Mithras, in the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup!

II. The Consecration of the Elements

(The Pater gestures towards the bread.)

Pater: Behold this bread, fashioned from the terrestrial grain, whose ultimate origin traces back to the very spinal marrow and tail of the Sacrificed Bull, a gift nurtured by Luna's careful gathering and Sol's potent rays. Let it not be mere grist for the belly, but become, through Thy divine agency, O Mithras, the panis vitalis, the bread of life, fortifying the spirit against the corrosive influences of the lower spheres and the baleful gaze of Tartarian shadows.

(The Pater then gestures towards the krater.)

Pater: Observe this vessel, containing the mingled essence of the vine and the pure spring – the blood of the earth and the tears of the nymphs. Let this admixture represent the very lifeblood shed by the Bull, the primordial fluid from which sprang the manifold forms of creation. May it become, by Thy will, O Cosmocrator, the potus immortalis, the draught of immortality, cleansing the soul's passage and reminding us of the celestial font from whence we came and towards which, through Thy guidance, we strive to return.

III. The Formula of Participation

(The Pater breaks a portion of the bread and holds it aloft.)

Pater: Accipite ergo, receive therefore, not as common nourishment, but as a token of the cosmic feast, a participation in the eternal sacrifice and the ensuing creation.

(He partakes.)

(He then takes a sip from a separate cup filled from the krater.)

Pater: Gustate nunc, taste now, not as mere liquid to quench mundane thirst, but as the celestial libation, affirming the soul's journey through the seven planetary gates, guided by Thy light, O Heliodromus Divine!

IV. The Distribution and the Silent Communion

(The Pater directs the Heliodromus and Perses, or other high-ranking initiates, to distribute small portions of the consecrated bread and sips of the consecrated liquid to the assembled initiates, beginning with the highest grades and proceeding downwards. The distribution occurs with solemnity and in near silence, broken only by the necessary murmurs of distribution.)

(Each initiate, upon receiving the bread, silently consumes it, meditating upon the strength derived from the Tauroctony. Upon receiving the drink, they sip it with reverence, contemplating the soul's purification and ascent.)

V. The Affirmation of the Mystai

(Once all have partaken, the Pater speaks again.)

Pater: Now, fortified by the sacrament, let the spirit within each mystes affirm its celestial origin and its terrestrial duty. As the Raven (Corax) bears messages between realms, so let our thoughts ascend. As the Bridegroom (Nymphus) awaits union with the divine, so let our souls yearn. As the Soldier (Miles) battles the forces of disorder, so let us stand firm in virtue. As the Lion (Leo) embodies solar fire and strength, so let our spirits burn bright. As the Persian (Perses) guards the sacred fruits of creation, so let us cherish life. As the Sun-Runner (Heliodromus) traverses the heavens, so let our souls strive upward. And as the Father (Pater) guides this community, so let us embody wisdom and care, reflecting the ultimate providence of Mithras himself.

VI. The Prayer of Cosmic Harmony

Pater: O Mithras, Lord of the Wide Pastures, who commands the turning constellations and maintains the equilibrium between the diurnal effulgence guided by Cautes with uplifted torch, and the nocturnal descent overseen by Cautopates with lowered flame! Grant that we, Thy servants, may navigate the vicissitudes of fate and the cycles of existence with unwavering loyalty to the light. May the generative power we have ingested bind us closer to Thy mysteries, strengthen our resolve against the entropic pull of the lower darkness, and prepare our immortal essence for its eventual, triumphant ascent beyond the stellar spheres, back to the Aetherial homeland.

VII. The Seal of Silence and Dismissal

Pater: The rite is concluded. The sustenance has been shared. The divine essence permeates our being. Remember the oath, guard the mysteries beheld within this sacred cave. What has been consumed in shadow must illuminate the soul within, but remain unspoken to the profane world without. Nunc silentio discedite, depart now in silence, carrying the invincible Sun within your hearts.

(The initiates file out slowly and in order, leaving the Spelaeum enveloped once more in its quiet sanctity, the lamps casting long shadows from the ever-watchful image of the Tauroctonus.)