REVISTA & ESCOLAS DE MISTÉRIOS

  LIBERATION FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD IN THE RELIGIONS, MYTHOLOGIES, AND SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS OF THE FIVE CONTINENTS Introduction Since the earliest records of human history, one question has echoed across cultures, civilizations, and ages: Is humanity destined to remain bound to the material world, or does a higher reality exist beyond matter? From the priests of Ancient Egypt to the shamans of Siberia, from the philosophers of India to the Buddhist monks of the Himalayas, from the Orphic initiates of Greece to Christian mystics and Sufi masters, a fundamental idea appears again and again: the physical universe is not the ultimate reality. In countless cosmologies, earthly existence is viewed as a temporary stage, a spiritual school, an exile, an illusion, a trial, or a process of refinement intended to guide the soul toward higher states of consciousness and existence. Although the world's religions and mythologies differ enormously in their narratives, symbols, and doctrines, man...