Business First:
SAVE THE DATES: Live Chats (on topics TBD) will be on July 13th, August 17th, & September 28th — all at 2pm EDT.
I’m adding a new section to my posts: a “How to Cite this Post” feature that gives you an easy way (besides linking to it, ofc) to reference my work if you’re using it in your own writing. From now on, it will appear at the top of all articles and videos, and I’ll be working to go back through my old posts to update them.
How to cite this post: Mathis, Kristin. “Live Chat on Physis.” Accessed June 28, 2025. https://mysteriamundi.substack.com/publish/post/166749857.
The force is strong in this one (the Hymn to Physis, that is). Our discussion, like the hymn itself, twisted and turned in fascinating ways, always revealing more and more esoteric depths! Below you’ll find a summary of the chat, with timestamps and a list of accompanying resources and links.
Summary and Timestamps
(00:02:04 - 00:11:15) Full Reading of the Hymn to Physis in Greek and English
(00:15:03 - 00:17:48) Astrological Connections and Physis as “Helmswoman”
Physis as the “dynamic life-steerer” of the cosmic birth chart (and relationship to the Thema Mundi)
(00:22:55 - 00:25:20) The Concept of "Otherness as Daily Regimen"
Key phrase allotriomorphodíaita = "alien/strange form way of living"
(00:28:47 - 00:36:57) Hērakleitos Parallels and the Steering Principle
Strong connections between this hymn and Hērakleitos' philosophy, particularly the fragment about wisdom being "that which steers all through the all"
Different Greek terms for helming: kybernētēs (pilot/guide) vs. oîax (steering mechanism)
(00:37:19 - 00:47:01) Thunderbolt, Aithēr, and Later Gnostic Texts
Shared vocabulary and concepts with Zeus Kéraunos, Athēna, the much later Gnostic "Thunder, Perfect Mind" text
(00:50:26 - 01:05:04) Fire-Breathing, the Greek Magical Papyri, and Ritual Practice
Rare word pyrípnous (fire-breathing) appears only in this hymn, Aithēr hymn, and later Greek Magical Papyri
Possible connections to actual breathing practices in Orphic rituals, following Egyptian traditions
(01:12:17 - 01:18:41) Relationship to Chaos, Prōtogonos, and Mithraic Imagery
The different Orphic cosmologies that are often confused/conflated in non-academic internet discussions.
The rare grammatically female form of Prōtogoneia (feminine of Prōtogonos/firstborn)
Mithraism, Protogonos, & Astrology/Astronomy
(01:25:03 - 01:27:49) Physis and Sacred Number Theory
Physis as Hymn #10 connects to early Pythagorean number theory (& other Pythagorean number connections)
Epithets connecting the Hymn of Physis to dozens of other deities
(01:27:51 - 01:30:27) Closing with the Hymn to Mnēmosynē (Memory)
You’ll read in many places on the internet that this Roman-era relief from Modena is an image of Protogonos, an Orphic deity. But in the chat, we go into why the truth is much more complex - and what this image may have to do with Mithraism, Roman-era astrology, and more.
