George Lizos was one of the first priests to train in Greece for Hellenic Polytheism since the country legally recognized the ancient worship of the Olympians as a formally recognized and allowed religion. He is a Cypriot with a British education and is also known as a lightworker. His style of practice infuses some New Age concepts with Hellenic polytheism. It’s a modern take on a very old religion and may appeal to some seekers looking for an accessible way to develop a personal relationship with the Greek deities.
In the beginning of the book, the universe, cosmos and the nature of the Gods is defined without making a distinction between the author’s lightworker point of view and Hellenic polytheism. Lizos states in the chapter, mythology vs. theology, that the misconceptions of the Greek Gods comes from the myths. Since the deeper meanings were only understood by those who went through the secret mystery schools and that knowledge is lost, he proposes that much of how the gods are viewed today is misconstrued. I strongly suggest that if you are not already familiar with the most common Greek myths, that you start with or supplement your reading of this book with learning Greek mythology. New Age concepts like soul purpose and ascension are part of Lizo’s spirituality. He views the universe as pure and loving and the Gods as extensions of this are also loving. This doesn’t gibe with the mythology or with the Greek Magical Papyri and is certainly a modern interpretation. The Greek gods are known for drama!
The book is structured around the twelve Olympians and each God and Goddess has a chapter to introduce them with their virtues discussed in the beginning. For example, Hera’s virtues are fearless speech, pride or magnanimity while Zeus is known for justice and orderliness. For every Olympian God or Goddess there is a guided meditation called an Ascending which starts with an activation mantra. Next come questions to prompt thoughts about the qualities of a given deity within one’s own life. Translations of ancient Orphic Hymns to English open a bridge to the way these deities were viewed in the distant past but were difficult to find a melody to sing along with. If you are so inspired, perhaps write a few new lines, and see if the Gods are favorable to you! The symbolism associated with a deity lists their sacred animals, plants, fruits and offerings. Finally, a guided meditation called an Activation Meditation is intended to open the practitioner to the energy of the God or Goddess within. If you already do a lot of meditation or journey work, this will be very basic as it is designed for people who do not regularly do this.
In the last section, A Year with the Gods, shows how members of the Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes created a modern wheel of the year that corresponds with the modern Celtic based wheel of the year. This seems to be a matter of practicality since in ancient times different city states, had different religious calendars of events and were dedicated to different deities. If you really want to be a reconstructionist, it would be necessary to pick a city and time period and this doesn’t allow for easy community celebrating with other Hellenics today. Guidance on performing rituals, what to do monthly, how to work with moon cycles, receiving signs from the Gods and opening up your intuition round out the final chapters. Some of these topics also feature in some of the author’s other books.
Secrets of Greek Mysticism offers a more modern, psychological approach to the ancient Olympians. New Age influence is notable in some of the author’s views which can be compatible but is not traditional. The audience for this book would most likely be pagans who want to develop a relationship with Greek deities and are looking for specific ways to develop their worship and rituals as a solo or household practitioner. The book is footnoted in sections and has an extensive bibliography.
Recommended.
~review by Larissa Carlson
Author: George Lizos
Hampton Roads Publishing, 2024
238 pages, $19.95
