Frescoes of the Villa of the Mysteries,
Pompeii
Spiritual Heritage of the Greeks
The Way of the Soul
A study week in Pompeii
With
Agnes Hidveghy
Frescoes of the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii
The Villa of the Mysteries is situated outside the city walls of Pompeii. It was rebuilt in the second
decade BC of a Roman farmhouse into a Greek villa and decorated with life-size human frescoes.
At the time of the great earthquake in 62 AD, the villa has already been used for agriculture. By the
eruption of Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD, life in Pompeii was finished by a 3-5 m thick layer of ash rain.
Through this disaster, valuable information about life in this ancient city was preserved. However,
no evidence has been found, how the villa with its frescoes was used or what kind of activities went on in
it. In the beginning of the twentieth century, the villa was discovered and excavated by archaeologists
Maiuri.
There are no interpretations of the frescoes handed down to us. It is certain that the
representations are in connection with the Dionysian Mysteries.
It is possible to see that this place was a spiritual school, where students were taught and
accompanied on the path of practice.
Among the Greek Gods in Olympus, Dionysus is the only one who was transformed. He is called
the "Thrice Born". In the Greek pantheon, he is the equivalent of what we call Christ.
His bride Ariadne is the soul that has passed through the way of transformation. This way of the
"Divine Bride" is described in the pictures of the frescoes in the Villa.
It is astounding that just this room in Pompeii has been preserved in the best condition! Holy
messages live their own lives: They find their way to where they are needed.
This work is one of the finest examples of how ancient knowledge is expressed in images. It is part
of our spiritual heritage and one of the roots of the Christian ideas. During 2000 years, it was kept for us
under the lava that covered and preserved it.
These life-size frescoes, created at the end of the world month of Aries, convey the knowledge of
the universal way of the transformation of the soul. This is embedded in cosmic structures according to
the corresponding time, expressed in beauty without suffering. Suffering as a fundamental principle of life
developed later in the age of the Pisces, as shown in the last 2000 years. We are now at the beginning of
the new world month of the Age of Aquarius. Only now, we can capture the frescoes in their essential
statement without the veil of the Christian perspective.
The knowledge of the law of the octave and the idea of the zodiac is at the background of these
frescoes, as it is woven into the ancient Greek art everywhere. Through cosmological structures, the
images of antiquity speak to our deepest layers – as they are our spiritual heritage.
Through them, we can receive valuable impulses for our practical life and guidance for the spiritual
way. Read more: http://www.arssacra.org/articles.php?p_ID=56&lang=2
The frescoes gave me support and guidance before I met my teacher. They present a wonderful
way to understand the knowledge of the cosmic role of man and the way to its realization. The frescoes of
the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii were one of my most important studies.
Daily guide to the Villa and work with the given topics. Discussions in the group: to bring
together the ideas with the practical experience of the power of the individual notes of the octave in the
seven days; the possibility to work on the body and to use it as an anchor. In the evenings, pleasant gettogether in one of the atmospheric restaurants in Pompeii.
In one afternoon, a visit to the National Museum in Naples.
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Recommended preparatory reading:
Linda Fierz-David:
Women's Dionysian Initiation: The Villa Of Mysteries In Pompeii
Linda Fierz-David with Nor Hall:
Dreaming in Red: The Women's Dionysian Initiation Chamber in Pompeii
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Organizational
When:
1. One Week in German with English translation
Sat 26 April - Sunday 4 May 2014
Time: Saturday evening – Sunday morning
Where: Hotel Villa dei Misteri, Pompeii
Seminar costs:
€ 500 – students € 350 –
(this does not include admission to the Villa and the museum).
Information & Registration:
Reijo Oksanen
Phone +41 55 611 18 13 –
Email: reijo.oksanen@gmail.com
Travel and Accommodation:
Individual organization; details at registration.
Number of participants:
Limited to 12 persons/week.
Final registration after payment of the deposit of € 200, - towards the seminar costs
Bronze bust of Dionysus from Herculaneum
National Museum