John P. Lundy, in his enormous Christianity, describes the cave of Mithras as follows: "But this cave was once embellished with the symptoms of the zodiac, melanoma and Capricorn. The summer season and wintry weather solstices have been mainly conspicuous, because the gates of souls descending into this lifestyles, or passing out of it of their ascent to the Gods; melanoma being the gate of descent, and Capricorn of ascent. those are the 2 avenues of the immortals passing up and down from earth to heaven, and from heaven to earth. " The so-called chair of St. Peter, in Rome, used to be believed to were utilized in one of many pagan Mysteries, probably that of Mithras, in whose subterranean grottoes the votaries of the Christian Mysteries met within the early days in their religion. In Anacalypsis, Godfrey Higgins writes that during 1662, whereas cleansing this sacred chair of Bar-Jonas, the Twelve Labors of Hercules have been chanced on upon it, and that later the French came across upon a similar chair the Mohammedan confession of religion, written in Arabic. Initiation into the rites of Mithras, like initiation into many different historic colleges of philosophy, apparently consisted of 3 very important levels. coaching for those levels consisted of selfpurification, the build up of the highbrow powers, and the keep an eye on of the animal nature. within the first measure the candidate was once given a crown upon the purpose of a sword and suggested within the mysteries of Mithras' hidden energy. most likely he used to be taught that the golden crown represented his personal non secular nature, which needs to be objectified and opened up prior to he might actually glorify Mithras; for Mithras was once his personal soul, status as mediator among Ormuzd, his spirit, and Ahriman, his animal nature. within the moment measure he was once given the armor of intelligence and purity and despatched into the darkness of subterranean pits to struggle the beasts of lust, ardour, and degeneracy. within the 3rd measure he was once given a cape, upon that have been drawn or woven the indicators of the zodiac and different astronomical symbols. After his initiations have been over, he was once hailed as one that had risen from the lifeless, used to be suggested within the mystery teachings of the Persian mystics, and have become a full-fledged member of the order. applicants who effectively handed the Mithraic initiations have been referred to as Lions and have been marked upon their foreheads with the Egyptian pass. Mithras himself is usually pictured with the pinnacle of a lion and pairs of wings. through the complete ritual have been repeated references to the beginning of Mithras because the sunlight God, his sacrifice for guy, his dying that males may need everlasting lifestyles, and finally, his resurrection and the saving of all humanity by means of his intercession prior to the throne of Ormuzd. (See Heckethorn. ) whereas the cult of Mithras didn't achieve the philosophic heights attained by means of Zarathustra, its impact upon the civilization of the Western international used to be far-reaching, for at one time approximately all Europe was once switched over to its doctrines. Rome, in her sex with different countries, inoculated them together with her non secular ideas; and lots of later associations have exhibited Mithraic tradition.