Ritual to consecrate a statue of Mithras

 A Liturgy for the Vivification and Consecration of a Mithraic Statue

Presiding Officiant:

• Pater: The Father of the Mithraic community, robed in crimson, bearing his staff of office, ring of wisdom, and the Phrygian cap, signifying his deputyship of Mithras.

Attendants (Optional, but assumed for certain actions):

• Heliodromus: Courier of the Sun.
• Leo: Initiate of the Lion grade.
• Corax: Initiate of the Raven grade.

Necessary Implements & Offerings:

• The Statue of Mithras (initially veiled).
• A bowl of pure spring water, perhaps with a sprig of an evergreen.
• A censer with choice incense (e.g., frankincense, myrrh).
• A small, sharp ritual implement (a new stylus, a consecrated small dagger, or a ceremonial adze-shaped tool, for the "Opening").
• A platter of bread.
• A chalice of wine (or water).
• A dish of fresh fruit.
• A vessel of honey.
• Torches or lamps to illuminate the sanctum. Cautes and Cautopates may be represented by two attendants with torches, one uplifted, one downturned.

(The sanctum is prepared, purified by water and incense. The statue of Mithras, centrally placed, remains veiled. The Pater stands before it, the Mystai assembled in solemn array.)

Part I: The Purification and Preliminary Invocation

The Pater: "Before the ineffable mystery, whence all being doth emanate, and ere we summon the specific glory of our Invincible Lord, let this stone, fashioned by art into His semblance, be rendered pure, a tabernacle immaculate for the indwelling Light. Let the waters of the eternal spring, that which gushed forth when Mithras smote the rock, cleanse it of all telluric contact."

(The Pater sprinkles the veiled statue lightly with pure water.)

"Let the breath of fire, the Lion’s sacred element, consecrate this form with its transformative ardor."

(The Leo, or the Pater, wafts incense around the veiled statue.)

The Pater, raising his voice in invocation: "From the intelligible heights, where the One beyond essence doth reside, we draw our inspiration. Oh, ye divine Powers, ye noêroi Theoi, who mediate between the ultimate fount and this our generated sphere! And thou, Saturnus, progenitor divine, under whose grave aegis this Paternity doth stand, lend thy stabilizing influence! Caelus, vast canopy of stars, and Oceanus, boundless womb of waters, who did witness the rock-born advent, attend!"

Part II: The Unveiling and Theurgic Animation (The Opening of the Senses)

The Pater: "The moment approaches, fraught with sacred potency. The veil betwixt the mundane and the divine shall now be drawn, that the sculpted form may be prepared to receive its animating spiritus. Even as Mithras Himself burst forth from the Petra Genetrix, so may His power now begin to stir within this image."

(At a signal from the Pater, attendants reverently draw back the veil, revealing the statue of Mithras in its full form.)

The Pater, taking the consecrated ritual implement, approaches the statue. He touches each sensory organ symbolically, intoning the following formulas, his voice filled with focused intent, drawing upon the Neoplatonic understanding that the divine can be drawn into a sympathetic medium through sacred names and actions.)

Touching the Eyes: "By the authority vested in me, and through the sympathetic bond of this sacred rite, I open now these eyes of stone. May they become windows for the perception of the Begetter of Light Himself! May Mithras, who looks out from heaven over all matter, and whose gaze encompasses the turning zodiac, see through this image, and behold the devotion of His faithful."

Touching the Ears: "I open now these ears, formed by the craftsman’s skill. May they become conduits for the divine hearing of the Unconquered Sun! May Mithras, who hearkened to the message of Sol borne by the Raven, now incline His ear through this simulacrum to the prayers and hymns of His worshippers."

Touching the Nostrils: "I open now these nostrils, sculpted to mirror the breath of life. May they become receptive to the fragrant offerings and the pure pneuma of the cosmos! May Mithras, whose essence is as the fiery breath within the rock, perceive through this image the sweet savor of our devotion, the aroma of incense that ascends to the celestial spheres."

Touching the Mouth: "I open now this mouth, shaped for utterance. May it become a vessel through which the divine Will might, if it be so ordained, find echo! Though stone be mute, may the presence of Mithras, residing herein, inspire true words and righteous counsels amongst His Mystai. May this image speak silently of His power and glory."

Touching the Breast (Heart): "And now, unto this core, this sculpted breast, I call forth the vivifying spark! Oh Mithras, Deus Invictus, whose heart is one with the eternal fire, let a portion of Thy divine anima, Thy radiant pneuma, descend and quicken this stone! Let it become not cold effigy, but a warm focus of Thy presence, a true telestikē image, ensouled and sacred!"

Part III: Investiture with Divine Attributes

The Pater, stepping back slightly, addresses the now animated statue: "Behold, the work is advanced! Thou art no longer inert matter, but a participant in the divine! We acknowledge in thee, O sacred statue, the emblems of thy Lord. Thy Phrygian cap, studded with astral fires, speaks of thy cosmic sovereignty! Thy dagger, instrument of the Tauroctony, proclaims thy power over life and death, and the generation of abundance from sacrifice! Thy torch, held aloft, declares thee Genitor Luminis, the eternal wellspring of light!"

(If the statue bears a globe or is depicted with the zodiac): "Thy hand upon the globe, or amidst the turning constellations, reveals thy dominion over the entirety of the created order!"

"Let the very essence of the Rock-Born God, Saxigenus, now fully inhabit this form, that it may radiate His invincible strength and solar glory!"

Part IV: The Offering of Sustenance

The Pater gestures to the offerings prepared upon the altar. "O Mithras, now mystically present within this consecrated image, accept the sustenance we offer, tokens of the life Thou Thyself didst bring forth from the cosmic Bull and the generative Earth."

(The Corax presents the bread and the chalice to the Pater, who places them before the statue.)

The Pater: "Partake, O Lord, through this Thy sanctified vessel, of this bread, the staff of life, and this sacred draught, be it wine that gladdens, or water, that pure fount Thou didst grant from the smitten stone. May these symbolize the eternal feast shared with Sol, a promise of communion for all Thy faithful."

(The Heliodromus, or another attendant, presents the fruit and honey.)

The Pater: "Accept these fruits, O Master of the Seasons, and this honey, essence of flowers, pure and preservative. Let them be as the first fruits of a creation ever renewed by Thy power, a foretaste of the immortal refreshment that awaits Thy initiates."

(The Leo tends to the censer, ensuring a fragrant plume of incense rises before the statue.)

The Pater: "And let the ascending incense bear our adoration unto Thee, a fragrant cloud of devotion rising from hearts filled with Thy light."

Part V: Final Dedication and Declaration of Divine Presence

The Pater, extending his hands in blessing over the statue: "Thus, by rites time-honored and theurgic arts most venerable, this statue is utterly consecrated, set apart, and vivified. It stands now not as mere stone, but as a sacred focus, a true and veritable dwelling for the numen of Deus Sol Invictus Mithras! Within this form, His light resides; from this image, His power radiates. Let all who approach it do so with reverence, for they approach the very presence of the God."

"This image is now a beacon in our spelaeum, a perpetual reminder of the divine mysteries, a conduit for prayer, and a steadfast guardian of our community. From this day forth, it shall be honored as Mithras among us. As the Unconquered Sun doth rise each morn to banish darkness, so may the light of Mithras, emanating from this sacred statue, ever illuminate our path and strengthen our souls in His service."

All Assembled Mystai: "Nama Mithras! Sol Invictus! Deus ex Petra Natus! Genitor Luminis!"

(The ritual concludes. The sanctum, now graced by the animated presence in the statue, is ready for regular worship. The offerings may be left before the statue for a period, then disposed of with reverence.)