A review of the libretto of Mozart's The Magic Flute is presented and the famous possibility that the plot was altered during its creation is noted. The Masonic origin of the work is then considered which leads to a review of some ancient mystery cults. Linkages are established between the initiation ceremonies of the ancient cults, the rites of the Masons, and the plot of the opera which is seen to be a camouflaged Masonic initiation.

Portions of the myths of Isis, Dionysus, Orpheus, Demeter and others are considered. Using psychohistorical examination, an evolutionary tradition of ancient mystery mythology may be discerned which portrays the projections of a struggle for patriarchal ascendancy. Psychoanalytic myth analysis further reveals that this mystical mythology focuses on the problems of ambivalence, separation and differentiation. It is suggested that this mythology of separation deserves equal footing with the oedipal mythology of competition in modern psychoanalytic perspective.