Crypt

A secret subterranean vault, some for the purpose of initiation, others for burial purposes. There were crypts under every temple in antiquity. There was one on the Mount of Olives, lined with red stucco, and built before the advent of the Jews. Curetes. The Bi-iest-lnitiates of ancient Crete, in the service of Cybele. Initiation in their temples was very severe; it lasted twentyseven days, during which time the aspirant was left by him.self in a crypt, undergoing terrible trials. Pythagoras was initiated into these rites and came out victorious. Cutha. An ancient city in Babylonia after which a tablet giving an account of "creation" is named. The "Cutha tablet" speaks of a "temple of Sittam", in the sanctuary of Nergal, the "giant king of war, lord of the city of Cutha", and is purely esoteric. It has to be read symbolically, if at all. Cycle. From the (J reek Iniklos. The ancients divided time into endless cycles, wheels within wheels, all sucii periods being of various durations, and each marking the beginning or the end of some event either cosmic, niuiidanr. pliysii-al or int-taphysical. There were eycU-s of only u few years, and cycles of immense duration, the pn-at Orphic cycle, referring to the ethnological change of races, lasting 120,000 years, and the cycle of Cassandrus of 136,000, which brought about a complete change in planetary inHuenecs and their correlations between men and gods — a fact entirely lost sight of by modern astrologers. Cynocephalus (Gr.).. The Egyptian llopl. There was a notable ditl'erence between the ape-headed gods and tlie "Cynocephalus" {Simi<i hamadryas) , a dog-headed baboon from upper Kgypt. The latter, whos«sacred city was Hermopolis, was sacred to the lunar deities and ThothIlerraes, hence an emblem of secret wisdom — as was Ilanuman, the monkey-god of India, and later, the elephant-headed Ganesha. The mission of the Cynocephalus was to show the way for the Dead to the Seat of Judgment and Osiris, whereas the ape-gods were a