Mithra: The Light Bearer Behind the Veil

Long before Christianity reached the Roman Empire, before even the rise of the Hebrew prophets, there was Mithra; known in the Indo-Iranian world as Miθra, the god of light, "truth", and covenant. But this figure was more than just a benign solar deity. In the ancient mysteries and mythologies that survived conquest and collapse, Mithra appears as a divine manipulator of cosmic order, a torchbearer who moves the heavens, demands sacrifice, and promises hidden knowledge to his initiates.

Christians know another being by the title of Light Bearer—Lucifer, the one who once walked among the stars, who sought to ascend above the Most High, and who now works beneath the surface of the world’s religions and power structures. The parallels between Mithra and Lucifer are not coincidental, nor are they trivial. Mithra holds the torch. Lucifer brings the light. Both command legions. Both demand worship. Both sit at the heart of astral religion, which replaces the worship of the Creator with reverence for created lights—the sun, stars, and planets.

In Zoroastrian tradition, Mithra is called the "Lord of Covenant" and is associated with judgment and cosmic truth, yet he is not the Supreme God, but a usurping force who acts in place of the Most High: the very ambition Lucifer was condemned for. Later, in the Roman Empire, Mithras becomes the god of the legions, celebrated as Sol Invictus; the Invincible Sun; whose birthday, December 25, was eventually absorbed into Christianity under imperial pressure.

The Roman Catholic Church, founded in the imperial shadow of Mithraic Rome, carries within its ritual architecture the same solar symbolism: sunburst monstrances, eastward orientation, incense, priestly mitres, and the elevation of Sunday; the day of the sun. The bishop’s mitre, tall and pointed, is more than an ecclesiastical garment; it is a relic of an older priesthood, one that predates Christianity itself. The word mitre is commonly said to derive from the Greek mítra, meaning headband or turban, but the trail doesn’t end in Greece. That same word, mítra, is believed by many to have deeper Indo-Iranian roots, tied to Mitra; the ancient Aryan deity of contracts, covenants, and heavenly light. In both the Vedic and Persian traditions, Mitra was a solar being, a divine mediator who upheld cosmic order, (a fake one) and whose followers formed one of the earliest known priestly classes. These priests wore ceremonial headgear that echoed divine status; not unlike the mitres worn today by Catholic bishops and popes.

This is more than coincidence. The mitre is not merely named after mítra — it is a vestige of the Mitraic priesthood. It embodies the authority of the sun god’s earthly representatives, not the humility of Christ’s disciples. The man who wears it claims divine mediation between heaven and earth — the very role Mitra held in the ancient world. By wearing the mitre, the clergy align themselves not with the suffering servant on the cross, but with the enforcer of cosmic law, the light bearer who seeks worship and obedience. The mitre is not Christian at all; it is the crown of Mitra, and it has been worn ever since by those who rule in his name, even under the guise of Christ.

Mithra’s origins, though cloaked in layers of conflicting legend, reveal something far more sinister beneath the surface. While Roman-era depictions describe Mithras emerging fully formed from a rock, this image is symbolic; not of a miraculous birth, but of a counterfeit creation, imitating Christ's divine incarnation. Earlier Indo-Iranian traditions link Mithra to Anahita, the ancient water goddess, often regarded as his mother or divine consort. Anahita, flowing with the deceptive purity of false cleansing, the archetypal opposite of Mary, the mother of Christ.

Whereas the Vatican later gave Mary the title "Stella Maris" (Star of the Sea), this was no innocent metaphor ; it seems a recasting of Anahita’s role, importing pagan aquatic goddess worship into Christian imagery under the guise of Marian devotion. The sea, long associated with chaos, serpent myths, and feminine elemental power, is not a biblical symbol for Mary ; but it is consistent with the mystery religions that venerated the divine feminine in her dark, primordial form.

The name Mithra or Mehr, far from being a neutral “covenant,” was always bound to the sun and blood-oath. “Mehr” eventually came to mean “sun” and “love”; but not agape love; rather, the possessive love of a cosmic deceiver, seeking worship at any cost. Mithra was not simply a figure of light; he was the light bearer, the usurper of true divinity, demanding allegiance from kings, soldiers, priests, and now, perhaps, entire religious systems still bowing to him unknowingly.

As Scripture warns, "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14, KJV). So it's no surprise that the one called Mithra, bearing the torch and crowned with the sun, would deceive the world not with darkness, but with blinding, false illumination — a counterfeit light, masquerading as divine truth.

Mithraism in the Roman World

By the 1st century AD, the cult of Mithras (Greek Mithras) had spread among Roman soldiers and communities. Classical scholarship confirms Mithraism was a mystery religion separate from mainstream Zoroastrianism. It flourished especially in the 2nd–4th centuries AD as a kind of “soldier’s cult.” Roman emperors like Commodus and Julian were noted initiates, and Emperor Diocletian even consecrated a Mithraeum (temple) in 307 AD. The rituals were secret and gender-exclusive (only men, often soldiers), centering on communal meals, oaths, and a seven-grade initiation system (Corax, Nymphus, Miles, Leo, Perses, Heliodromus, Pater). Early Church writers understood Mithraism as rival to Christianity in Rome, not because it was the same thing, but because it also offered mystical rites.

In the late third century, Roman Emperor Diocletian ruled during a time when the empire was deeply intertwined with sun worship. At the heart of the Roman spiritual system was Sol Invictus; “the Unconquered Sun”; a powerful celestial deity that symbolized divine authority, order, and immortality. Though Diocletian didn’t officially convert to Mithraism, his imperial ideology was soaked in the same solar theology that permeated Roman culture. The sun god, whether called Sol or Mithras, was not just a religious figure; he was the spiritual justification for absolute imperial rule.

Diocletian believed that his authority was granted by the heavens. His coins bore the image of Sol Invictus, and he presented himself as chosen by the gods, even taking the divine title “Jovius” to link himself to Jupiter. In this structure, the emperor was not merely a political leader; he was a reflection of the divine sun, a ruler of cosmic order.

And this is where the conflict with Christianity became unavoidable. The early Church flatly refused to worship the emperor or the sun. Christians would not burn incense to Sol. They would not call Caesar divine. They would not participate in rituals designed to uphold the cosmic hierarchy that propped up Rome’s identity. To Diocletian, this wasn’t just religious disagreement—it was spiritual rebellion. If the emperor’s power came from the sun god, then Christians were traitors to the order of the cosmos.

That’s why Diocletian launched what became known as the Great Persecution, the bloodiest campaign against Christians in Roman history. Churches were destroyed, scriptures were burned, and thousands were killed for refusing to submit. Sounds eerily familiar to the Inquisitions; when so-called infallible popes, claiming divine authority, ordered countless souls to be burned at the stake. Not acts of Christlike mercy, but brutal displays of power by those serving Mithra’s throne, not Christ’s cross. But spiritually, this was more than just persecution; it was a Luciferic attempt to crush the light of Christ with a false light, a counterfeit sun that promised order while delivering death.

Diocletian’s system was a shadow of the true kingdom. It promised divinity through power, ritual, and blood, but not the kind offered by Christ; who laid down His life instead of demanding others’ lives in worship. What Diocletian enforced through fear, Christ offered through love. And that’s why, despite the emperor’s violence, the Church endured.

Diocletian’s sun worship represents more than a forgotten Roman religion. It’s a spiritual pattern that continues to echo today; wherever power exalts itself above God, cloaked in light but rooted in pride. Christ didn’t just oppose that system; He shattered it. And through His followers, even in chains, He exposed the great lie: that human divinity through ritual is no substitute for the cross.

Julius Caesar, in turn, worshipped a solar deity believed to control a false cosmic order. Like Pharaoh, who saw himself as the son of the sun god Ra, Caesar was told; by Christ—to let God's people go. This pattern continues from Mithras to Sol Invictus, the "unconquered sun," believed to dwell within the solar orb and govern the cosmos.

So if Christ commanded Caesar to release God's people, and yet pope Gregory reinforced Caesar’s solar calendar; realigning society with it; then we remain under the dominion of the beast system: the papacy. This is not God's divine order, but man's. When a man lusts for power, he will enslave others. Such is the nature of ego.

Archaeology has confirmed many Mithraic temples (mithraea) across the Roman Empire. Excavations beneath Roman churches reveal Mithraeums with distinctive art. For example, under the Church of Santa Prisca on Rome’s Aventine Hill was found a second-century Mithraic shrine. This Mithraeum had a central statue of Mithras killing the bull and frescoed walls illustrating cult rituals. (These finds include bull-slaying scenes, processional figures, and even seven initiation scenes in one painting.) Likewise, under the Church of Santo Stefano Rotondo was discovered a 2nd–3rd c. Mithraeum with frescoes and iconography of the Persian deity.

Santa Prisca Mithraeum

The iconography of Mithraic art reinforces its solar character. Mosaics and reliefs frequently depict zodiacal and sun motifs around the bull-slaying scene.

Mithras and the Zodiac

Similarly, mosaics at the Mithraeum in Ostia Antica (Rome’s port) show Mithraic symbols: one panel illustrates Heliodromus (the “Sun-runner,” or torchbearer) holding a whip and a disk of light, and another shows the “Pater” (father figure) with Saturn’s symbols. These art pieces (below) highlight the astrological and solar elements of the mystery rites.

Mithraism and the Medieval Introduction to the Tarot Cards

Mithraism vs. Christianity: Parallels and Differences

While Mithraic worship was independent, early Christians often compared the two. Church Fathers condemned Mithraic rites as counterfeit or devilish parodies of Christian rituals. Justin Martyr (c. 155 AD) famously noted that Mithraic initiations involved bread and a cup of water “with certain incantations” – and he called this a Satanic imitation of the Christian Eucharist. In his First Apology, Justin writes: “That bread and a cup of water are placed… in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated” – and he scornfully asserts “the wicked devils have imitated [Christian] mysteries… in the mysteries of Mithras”. Likewise, other Fathers (Tertullian, Augustine) claimed that pagan cults were demonic counterfeits.

The early Church Fathers may not have come out and said Mithras was literally Lucifer, but their labeling of mystery religions as demonic tells you everything you need to know. They recognized these cults as counterfeit spiritual systems; tools of deception designed to lead souls away from Christ.

The idea that “Mithra is another name for Lucifer” isn’t about playing word games or chasing Latin translations of Isaiah 14:12. It’s about identifying the spiritual archetype behind the mask. Mithras, the radiant solar god who claims dominion over the cosmos, is the very image of Lucifer; the light-bringer, the usurper of divine authority, the one who imitates Christ to deceive the world. Mithras doesn’t have to be called Lucifer in ancient texts to be Lucifer in function and essence.

Yes, Mithraic rituals mirrored Christian sacraments; initiation, sacred meals, spiritual hierarchies; but this wasn’t coincidence. It was deliberate mimicry. Satan doesn’t create; he counterfeits. Mithraism was one of his most polished imitations.

Historians dismiss this as conspiracy, but that’s because they limit themselves to surface-level documents and ignore the deeper metaphysical agenda.

Mithras was never just a Roman cult figure. He was; and is; the same rebellious spirit that tempted man in Eden, masquerading as light, wisdom, and cosmic order. In other words: Lucifer.

Christmas, the Sun and the Calendar

Reframing the Evidence: Mithras Is Lucifer Hidden in Plain Sight

A key point of contention is why Christmas is celebrated on December 25. The Roman festival Natalis Invicti ("Birth of the Unconquered Sun") fell on this date, established under Emperor Aurelian in the late 3rd century. This wasn’t just a vague solar celebration; it was the glorification of Sol Invictus, the invincible sun god. Older sources rightly connect this with Mithras, whose identity as the solar deity aligns with the Luciferian archetype: light-bringer, cosmic ruler, and counterfeit saviour.

Some scholars have tried to downplay this by saying the festival wasn't "uniquely Mithraic," but that’s just misdirection. Mithras, Sol Invictus, and Lucifer are masks of the same being—worshipped as light, praised as conqueror, and enshrined in Rome’s highest altars. When early Christians adopted December 25 as Christ’s birthday, they didn’t remove the pagan influence—they absorbed it. Church fathers like Cyprian and Chrysostom even admitted the alignment between Christ and the pagan sun god, spinning it theologically by calling Jesus the “true Sun.” But in doing so, they concealed the fact that this was Lucifer’s calendar all along.

Likewise, the switch from Saturday (Sabbath) to Sunday worship was not an innocent theological shift. Sunday is the day of the Sun; the day of Mithras, the solar god of Rome, now disguised as “the Lord’s Day.” Early Christian writings like the Didache and Justin Martyr's apologies mention Sunday, but the real power behind that day is not resurrection—it’s solar dominion. The Church didn’t just adopt pagan timing; it surrendered to the system of Lucifer under the guise of Christ.

The Gregorian Calendar: A Luciferian Reset

When Pope Gregory XIII reformed the Julian calendar in 1582, it was presented as a practical correction. But skipping 10 days wasn’t just about aligning Easter with the equinox; it was a symbolic realignment to the solar cult's rhythm. The Gregorian calendar fortified Caesar’s old sun-based system, further binding the world to Lucifer’s timekeeping. The pope’s coat-of-arms, bearing dragons and griffins, speaks volumes—not just as noble heraldry, but as esoteric symbols. Dragons have always represented Satan, the great deceiver (Revelation 12), and here they guard the calendar that now governs our lives.

Even national symbols bear the mark of the solar cult. Argentina’s “Sun of May,” for example, links to the Incan sun god Inti, but the deeper current is the same: solar worship, rebranded as nationalism. The Nazi use of solar and runic symbols, including the swastika, wasn’t just racial; it was esoteric. Their leadership drew from the same well of ancient Luciferian symbolism, even if cloaked in modern terms. Hitler’s occult obsession and the post-war “ratlines” that helped Nazis flee to Argentina; often aided by clergy; suggest a hidden network not just of politics, but of spiritual allegiance to the same ancient power.

Let’s be clear: the popular academic “debunking” of the Mithras-Lucifer connection serves to protect the system, not illuminate the truth. Saying Mithras wasn’t “called Lucifer” in ancient texts misses the forest for the trees. Lucifer is the archetype behind the mask: the shining deceiver who offers false light. Mithras was that light-bearer—ruling from the center of the solar system in Roman mystery religion, surrounded by the zodiac, demanding loyalty through secret initiation.

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Church iconography; halos, incense, solar motifs; is not just tradition. It’s layered with esoteric meaning. The Church built its temples on old mithraea not to cleanse them, but to absorb their power, to sanctify the image of Lucifer under Christian names.They signal allegiance to the same power that inspired Rome’s emperors and mystery cults: the false sun, the adversary of God.

Mithras Is Lucifer

Mithras didn’t vanish in the 5th century. He was baptized, renamed, and enthroned within Christian architecture, calendars, and rituals. Today’s world still follows his time; measures its days by his orbit, celebrates his feast on December 25, and bows to his light every Sunday.

This isn’t ancient history. It’s the Beast system still operating, disguised as tradition. The Church aligned itself not with the God of the Bible, but with the counterfeit light of Lucifer—Mithras, Sol Invictus, the false saviour. The truth has been hidden in plain sight, encoded in stone, scripture, and ceremony.

The sun-god was never dethroned. He was enthroned anew; under the cross.

Which may also help explain why the pope chooses to disregard yet another command of Christ.

"And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

— Matthew 23:9, KJV

He even adorns himself in gold, the colour of the sun, as he sits upon a golden throne

While presenting Catholics with a solar disc as a symbol of unity with the sun god

Whislt branding them with the solar cross

Mithraism and Modern Power Structures

The Knights Templar and Freemasonry were heavily influenced by Mithraic rites. In fact, the 1870 charter of the Mithras Lodge in Washington, D.C., links this ancient worship directly to secret societies in America. The Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), founded by Freemason Karl Kellner, includes the 7th degree as a Mithraic initiation rite.

The initiation levels of Mithraism are especially revealing. The first stage, known as the Raven, is associated with secret knowledge and has been linked symbolically to the Tower of London and possibly even to Bohemian Grove, where modern elites conduct ritualistic gatherings. The second stage, the Nymphus, represents transformation and is symbolized by the bee or chrysalis—deeply tied to sun worship.

Suns and bees - the Vatican

The Miles, or soldier, is an initiate branded with the sun cross, a clear solar emblem of allegiance. At the highest level stands the Pater, or Father, who functions as the earthly representative of Mithras himself.

The Roman Catholic Church and Mithraic Parallels

Despite its profession of Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church has adopted practices and doctrines that appear far more aligned with Mithraic tradition than biblical truth. The change from God’s ordained Sabbath (Saturday) to Sun-day aligns not with Christ, but with the worship of the sun god. The Church’s use of graven images, incense, halos, and even zodiacal symbolism mirrors the rites of Mithras far more than anything found in the teachings of Christ.

Mithras surrounded by the zodiac, with Christ on the cross.

Even the ritual of infant baptism, though widely accepted today, may reflect Mithraic purification rites more than Christian theology, especially considering the scriptural teaching in Deuteronomy that children are innocent and that forgiveness comes through faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This alignment with ancient sun worship was further exposed in 2019 when the Vatican hosted a ceremony venerating the Earth goddess Pachamama in its gardens—a striking echo of Earth Mother worship rooted in pagan mystery traditions

Cosmic Rule and the Deception of Kings

The sun, long referred to as the “eye of Mithras,” remains a sacred symbol among occult and elite circles. In Bohemian Grove, world leaders gather before a giant bird in an annual ritual; but could the Raven, Mithraism’s first initiate, also be playing an unseen role? The symbols of Mithras are everywhere, often hidden in plain sight. The Statue of Liberty, dedicated to the sun god, echoes this reverence. Bull sacrifices still practiced in Spain hark back to the central Mithraic myth of slaying the bull. Nazi Germany, steeped in occult Aryan ideology, embraced the swastika and sun wheels; direct solar imagery; while Argentina, with the sun emblazoned on its flag, became a haven for Nazi escapees, assisted by sympathetic clergy.

The Ultimate Deception

Mithras, known as the Kosmokrator, was believed to command the movement of the cosmos. His followers, known as “the hidden ones,” still influence the world today through secret societies, religious institutions, and elite gatherings. Behind the veil of piety and tradition, many continue to worship Lucifer under Mithras’s name, reinforcing a counterfeit cosmic order(still clinging to God's people, driven by an insatiable lust for power) that mimics, mocks, and seeks to replace the divine truth.

As the prophet Daniel revealed, the empires of Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome all played roles in a larger beast system opposed to God. The continued survival and hidden dominance of Mithraism confirms the depth of Lucifer’s strategy.

But Christ will return. He will crush the serpent’s head and restore all things. Until that day, we must remain vigilant—discerning those who worship the true Son from those who still bow to the deceptive brilliance of the sun.

"And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

— Revelation 17:5, KJV

And the serpent promised : "Ye shall be as gods"