In making his case for the mystical origins of philosophy, Algis Uždavinys quotes Proclus on the many mystical Greek traditions that describe hieratic rites of ascent. He goes on ultimately to show the Egyptian origins of philosophy.

We must demonstrate that each of these doctrines is in accord with the first principles of Plato, and with the Mystic traditions of the theologians; for the whole of Hellenic theology is the offspring of Orpheus mystagogy, Pythagoreans being the first to have learned the initiation rights of the gods from Aglaophamus, while Plato in turn received from the Pythagorean and Orphic writings the complete science of these matters. - Proclus, trans. Saffrey-Westerink

Uždavinys is keen on proving that there are two sides to philosophy: one the analytical and discursive, which we are familiar with in contemporary academia, and a more mystical, hieratic discipline devoted to the nurturing and salvation of the human soul.

The following painting depicts the godly Orpheus guiding his dead wife Eurydice from the depths of Hell. Unfortunately, Orpheus cannot resist looking back at her - contradicting Hades’s order - and she is lost to him forever.