expressed which was
different from what was present in the mythical consciousness, but it
was looked upon as a deeper truth, symbolically expressed in the myth.
Man is confronted with his own sense-nature in the form of a hostile
monster. He sacrifices to it the fruits of his personality, and the
monster devours them, and continues to do so till the conqueror
(Theseus) awakes in man. His intuition spins the thread by means of
which he finds his way again when he repairs to the maze of the senses
in order to slay his enemy. The mystery of human knowledge itself is
expressed in this conquering of the senses. The initiate knows that
mystery. It points to a force in human personality unknown to ordinary
consciousness, but nevertheless active within it. It is the force
which creates the myth, which has the same structure as mystical
truth. This truth finds its symbol in the myth.

What then is to be found in the myths? In them is a creation of the
spirit, of the unconsciously creative soul. The soul has well-defined
laws. In order to create beyond itself, it must work in a certain
direction. At the mythological stage it does this in images, but these
are built up according to the laws of the soul. We might also say that
when the soul advances beyond the stage of mythological consciousness
to deeper truths, these bear the same stamp as did the myths, for one
and the same force was at work in their formation.

Plotinus, the philosopher of the Neo-Platonic school (A.D. 204-269),
speaks of this relation of mythical representation to higher knowledge
in reference to the priest-sages of Egypt. "Whether as the result of
rigorous investigations, or whether instinctively when imparting
their wisdom, the Egyptian sages do not use, for expressing their
teaching and precepts, written signs which are imitations of voice and
speech; but they draw pictures, and in the outlines of these they
record, in their temples, the thought contained in each thing, so that
every picture contains knowledge and wisdom, and is a definite truth
and a complete whole, although there is no explanation nor discussion.
Afterwards the contents of the picture are drawn out of it and
expressed in words, and the cause is found why it is as it is, and not
otherwise."

If we wish to find out the connection of mysticism with mythical
narratives, we must see what relationship to them there is in the
views of the great thinkers, those who knew their wisdom to be in