If this war happens it looks like I’m not just going to be a Nazi and a Zionist, but an oath-breaker too. So be it. May Dionysos forgive me.

Speaking of Communists, they are especially gifted at causing suffering, which makes for good art. In keeping with that, my wife posted about the jewel of her collection of ballet shoes, which was signed by Maya Plisetskaya:

She signed in Russian and English. The shoes are heavily broken in. I had strong feet when I danced, but these shoes are too broken for me to ever have worn! there is literally no blocking left in them. They’re darned around the tip; extra stitches are added at the vamp to add support for the dancer ( Soviet shoes were notorious for breaking down mid-performance) and stitching along the side to take up slack and highlight the foot. They’re absolutely broken and absolutely gorgeous. One of the things I find fascinating with shoes is that, having been a ballet dancer myself, I can read the shoes: date them, look at the ways they’ve been broken in or prepared for use and tell something of the dancer. Here, her shoes tell me she was a powerhouse with incredibly strong feet.

You should read the rest of the post, as she discusses her lineage of dancers and how she honors them.

Hey guys, I’ve upgraded! According to the folks at r/dionysus I am no longer a Nazi but a Zionist now.

Which is really weird because I generally don’t talk politics outside of history, and have certainly never discussed how any piece of land inherently belongs to any population (except the territory which Anglos call Alberta, Montana and Wyoming which did, does, and shall always belong to the Blackfoot Confederacy! Technically our empire extended down into New Mexico but I’m not partial to the in-between states so y’all can go ahead and keep them.)

It’s weird that they’ve somehow inferred my Zionism from the fact that I’ve been discussing the polytheistic religions of the ancient Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and venerate many of the divinities once revered there and throughout the Levant, but I’m not bothered by the apparent accusation. I don’t believe that border disputes should be settled by divine fiat; on the contrary I am of the opinion that might makes right, and the Jews have always been formidable fighters, from their utter devastation of the Amalakites to their defeat of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and assorted other Arab states in the Six Days War. This is why there deserves to be a modern state of Israel (nor do I believe that they should have given up the territory won during that epic confrontation, any more than the Blackfeet should have stopped fighting the French and Americans, or signed the humiliating treaties they were presented with; but since I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the Knesset — or a Blackfoot Chief — that’s not really my call to make. I am content to stay out of politics entirely — I’m not even registered to vote — and instead focus on serving Dionysos as an Orpheotelest.)

The Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, on the other hand, despite claiming to have founded a Thousand Year Reich, saw their polity collapse within a dozen years, and — as if that wasn’t shameful enough — were largely brought down by a bunch of rag-tag Commies led by a semi-literate, inept horse-thief from the Caucasus. There are a bunch of reasons why I have resented being lumped in with such ilk (mostly by a group moderated by a buffoon who hasn’t had an idea he hasn’t plagiarized from me for almost as long as the Third Reich lasted, a pedophile from Australia, and a former teenaged demonolator, no less) but after their socialism, their leader being a syphilitic meth addict, and a couple others I could name, the fact that the NSDAP were such losers has always severely chafed me. Sorry, but I like winners.

So, while confused, I am pleased that they have now taken to calling me a Zionist and will continue to cheer on the IDF as they trounce Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the Islamic Republic of Iran, their proxies and allies, and anyone else who threatens Jews around the globe. And may Yahweh Sabaōth and Dionysos Abraō continue to bless their efforts and grant them victory.

And may those dumb enough to make themselves foes of a Blackfoot find diversions other than harassing me (like figuring out their genders) or so help me I will publish the dirt I have on you disgusting antisemites. And that will just be my opening salvo.

Now back to writing prayers for Dionysos.

O Dionysos, Lord of the winding road and hidden gate,
companion of wanderers, outcasts, and heroes,
guide me through the labyrinth before me.

When the corridors seem endless
and every turning resembles the last,
keep my spirit from exhaustion and bitterness.
Do not let confusion become hopelessness,
nor fear become surrender.

Grant me the wisdom to recognize illusion,
for many paths glitter while leading deeper into darkness.
Teach me to distinguish the voice of truth
from the echo of my own desires and anxieties.
Let me not follow pride into ruin
or despair into stillness.

Carry a torch before me through the twisting halls.
Reveal what is hidden:
the traps laid by others,
the traps I have laid for myself,
the old wounds that distort my judgment,
and the fears that stalk behind me like beasts in shadow.

If I must face a monster within the maze,
grant me courage enough to confront it honestly.
If I must endure solitude,
let me remember that the Gods still walk unseen beside mortals.
If I stumble or lose my way,
do not abandon me to panic or self-hatred,
but guide me back toward the living path.

O Liberator, Loosener, giver and taker of Life,
teach me that the labyrinth is not only a prison
but also a place of transformation.
May I emerge from its winding depths wiser than I entered,
more compassionate, more truthful, and less afraid.

And when at last I reach the center—
whether it holds revelation, sorrow, joy, or judgment—
grant me the strength to meet it with open eyes.

Lead me onward through mystery and darkness
until I again behold the open sky.

O Dionysos Philokapnos,
as this incense rises into the air,
may all heaviness, malice, and corruption
be carried away with the smoke.
Cleanse this space
of fear,
of hate,
of harmful intent,
and let every shadow depart
before the sacred fragrance and living light.
Through your graciousness and power,
may only what is life-sustaining remain.
Let peace dwell here,
let truth remain here,
let your spirit be felt here,
O Dionysos Psolos.
May this place be blessed with renewal—
fit for joy, celebration, prayer, and Bacchic ecstasy.

O Dionysos Xenodokos and Plektos,
I thank you for the sweetness woven into life:
for ripe fruit and cool rain,
for music that stirs the heart,
for companions who lighten sorrow,
and for the strange beauty of being alive at all.
Thank you for nights of celebration
and for the wisdom hidden inside grief.
Thank you for the courage to begin again after failure,
and for moments of freedom when the soul remembers its own joy.
May gratitude keep me humble in times of abundance
and hopeful in times of hardship.
Let me never grow blind to wonder
or careless with the gifts placed before me.
May my life itself become an offering of thanks—
through kindness, honesty, creativity, and love.

O Dionysos Charidōtēs,
I give thanks for this day,
for the breath within me,
for those I love,
and for every small joy that keeps the spirit alive.
May gratitude deepen and expand my heart,
and teach me to cherish what is good.

Blessed be bull-horned Dionysos,
Lord of wild mountains and fertile valleys,
keeper of the sacred cup, bearer of the fruitful branch,
awakener of hidden truths within the human soul.

May your blessing descend like rich wine poured into empty vessels,
filling hearts with courage, inspiration, fellowship, and joy in living.
Where spirits have become dry with sorrow, bring renewal.
Where fear has hardened the heart, bring liberation.
Where despair has silenced song and laughter,
destroy the tyrant and restore the sacred fire of life.

Blessed be the God who dances between celebration and grief,
teaching mortals that both belong to the fullness of existence.
Through your mysteries may we learn
that tears and laughter are not enemies,
but companions upon the same sacred road.
May we neither flee sorrow nor worship it,
but move through life honestly,
awake to all its beauty and fragility.

O Liberator,
bless those who seek truth beneath appearances.
Bless the artists who reveal hidden realities
through music, theater, poetry, and dance.
Bless the wanderers who refuse to let fear imprison their spirits.
Bless the outcast and forgotten, and remind them
that dignity belongs to every human soul.

May your followers honor you not only through celebration,
but through compassion, courage, hospitality, and reverence for life.
May every feast deepen friendship,
every ritual awaken wisdom,
and every shared cup strengthen peace among companions.

Bless the vineyards and the forests,
the drums and the flutes,
the stages where stories are told,
and the sacred spaces where
hearts open without shame.
May your spirit continue to inspire
creativity against dullness,
freedom against oppression,
and joy against hopelessness.

And when darkness falls upon the world,
may your torch still burn through the night—
wild, untamed, loving, and abundant with life.
May those who invoke your name remember
that sacred ecstasy is not escape from life,
but deeper participation in its mystery.

Blessed be Dionysos,
now and for all ages to come.
May the vine continue to grow,
may the wild ones continue to run,
may the songs continue to be sung,
and may your liberating spirit endure
wherever human beings seek
beauty, truth, and renewal.

May Dionysos bless all Dionysians
who walk the ivy-covered path
with sincerity and reverence.
May Dionysos bless his people
with abundance and luck,
ferocious integrity and savage grace,
joyful hearts, clear minds, and steadfast spirits,
as well as an unwavering commitment
to their God and his traditions.
May their gatherings be filled
with honest fellowship,
music, dance, screaming,
inspiration and holy terror.
ecstatic celebration,
liberation and blessedness.
I pray that Dionysians find
courage in times of hardship,
wisdom in times of confusion,
and renewal after sorrow or exhaustion.
May the cup be shared in peace,
the flame kept burning through every season,
and the mysteries of the Liberator create new life in them.
May artists, seekers, wanderers, and celebrants alike
find inspiration in your worship,
and receive your blessings graciously.
And so may the tradition flourish through every generation.

O Dionysos Diosphōs, walk beside me
through dark roads and uncertain hours.
Guard my body, steady my mind,
and strengthen my spirit, Egersiphaēs.
Turn away malice, misfortune, and hidden danger,
let no cruelty take root within or around me,
and let fear not rule my heart, Zaphleges.
May I move beneath your protection
with courage and clear sight, doing what is
just and honorable, Hēdymelēs.

O Dionysos Axiopistos I pray,
clear my mind of confusion
and my heart of selfishness.
Help me to see truth plainly,
to choose what is just,
and to walk with wisdom,
courage, and compassion in the world.
May I neither deceive nor be deceived,
and always seek what is best
with an unwavering conviction.
May I do you honor through my choices
and my actions, Dionysos, and never be
a source of scandal for you, my God.
But if I should err, may I be swift
in recognizing it, and righting it,
and never repeat such ignoble
behavior again, having inscribed
the lesson upon my heart, O Lord.

If you’re having trouble with some of the untranslated epithets, remember that there’s always this collection over at the Bakcheion.

O Dionysos Dēmosios, Thesmophoros, Stheneus;
I call to you on behalf of my community, my city,
my country, O breaker of chains and companion
of the forgotten; teach us, I pray, to see one another
clearly and without contempt, even if the other person’s
beliefs are stupid and wrong.

May no person be lifted up through the humiliation of another.
May no voice be silenced by fear, poverty, hatred, or power.
Help us to remember that every soul carries dignity,
and that justice without compassion becomes cruelty.

Where there are walls between people,
teach us how to build tables instead.
Where prejudice has taken root,
plant understanding and civility.
Where inequality causes suffering,
stir hearts toward courage and change.

Let us celebrate the full humanity
of one another, as we would celebrate
sacred wine shared among companions.
Break down ignorance, iniquity, and injustice,
and help us to see one another as worthy
of respect, solitude, equality before the law,
and liberty above all. Dionysos Pareinaios,
may we build a society shaped by compassion,
fairness, and freedom, in the image of your blessed Nysa.

O Dionysos Eleutherios,
teach us to recognize the inherent worth
within every human being
and to rejoice in the richness
of our differences rather than fear them.
Where there is hatred, sow understanding.
Where there is oppression, awaken courage.
Where people are divided
by fear, ignorance, pride, or cruelty,
plant compassion and justice instead.
O Dionysos Arariskō,
may no one be denied dignity because of
wealth, gender, race, age or station.
Instead we should model you
whose rites are open to all.
O Dionysos Beboskēkaios,
may those who thirst and hunger
be satisfied, those who suffer find relief in you.
May the powerful learn humility
and temperance,
and the oppressed find
liberty, protection and hope.
May all of our people prosper
through the power of your blessing.
O Dionysos Luthēnaios,
help us build a society
where freedom is shared,
where voices are heard
and given due consideration,
and where no one is treated poorly
just because of their inferior birth.
Guide our hearts away from prejudice
and indifference; may we treat the stranger
with kindness, and ferociously defend our own.
O Dionysos Mēdōmethēs,
may justice walk beside mercy,
and may liberty grow
like a living vine
through every land
where your name is known.

May Dionysos Abrokomēs bless
this garden with life and abundance.
May the soil remain rich, and free of tangled weeds,
may we receive gentle rain, and warm sunlight
to encourage the growth of all the plants in our garden,
which is consecrated to the Fair Folk, the Land Spirits,
and the Gods of Life. Keep blight, drought, and ruin
far from this place, and let the roots burrow deep,
the vines climb high, and flowers open to reveal
more colors than a rainbow has.
May bees find sweetness here, birds sing as lovely as Orpheus,
and may all who enter find peace, shelter, and inspiration.
May this garden become a small sanctuary of renewal—
a place where beauty, nourishment, and wonder grow together,
under the watchful gaze of Dionysos who is called
Borimos, Gonimōdēs, Dendrikos, Euanthēs, and Zōophoros.

By the ox-goad, and the sacred cup,
by the living Earth, and the stars above,
I dedicate myself to the path of Dionysos,
Lord of transformation, mystery, and liberation.
I swear to seek truth without cowardice,
joy without callousness,
freedom without condescension,
and ecstasy without calamity to self or others.
I shall honor the sacredness of life,
the dignity of fellow-seekers,
and the divine spark carried within all mortal souls.
I shall not turn celebration into formality,
nor mystery into profanity,
nor passion into cupidity.
I shall remember that wine gladdens the heart
but must never enslave the mind.
I shall seek balance between abandon and wisdom,
between wildness and civility,
between revelation and madness.
I shall honor music, poetry, theater, dance,
and all the arts that are sacred to our God.
I shall offer hospitality to the stranger,
comfort to the suffering,
and resistance to cruelty and tyranny where I encounter them.
If I wander from this path,
may I have the integrity to return.
If I grow prideful,
may wisdom humble me.
If I despair,
may the Liberator awaken life and joy within me again.
Before the sacred mysteries, before the secret Gods,
and before the memory of those who walked this path before me,
I speak this oath sincerely and with reverence.
This I swear before the vine-crowned God, Dionysos Asterios,
Master of the Labyrinth, and may I bring destruction
down upon my own head, and the heads of those I love,
should I waver in my loyalty to him,
or forsake this solemn vow.

Since I’ve got a bunch of new readers I figure I’ll mention this again: all of these prayers are part of a project I’m putting together, basically a Book of Common Prayer for Dionysians (especially of the Starry traditions, but not limited just to them) and I’m curious to see what you guys would like to see included. Please comment below with your suggestions. 

O Dionysos, whose worship always contains
an element of artistry to it, inspirer of countless
souls who came before and will come after,
may those dear to you never be forgot,
or go thirsty in the kingdom below.
Remember the poets who sang your praises,
the dancers who moved to your rhythm,
the painters, sculptors, and actors
who gave form to your mysteries.
Honor their voices that echo still,
bodies that transcended limitations and pain
to put on a show worthy of you,
those who presented truths to tyrants
who wanted only lies and flattery,
everyone who chose poverty, alienation from their families,
constant struggle, and failed more than they succeeded,
because nothing compared to a life devoted to art.
Whether we remember their names today,
or they were forgotten even before their deaths,
may they feast in your hall, and be honored
with the title of Dionysian Artist. Grant, too, that I may
join their lineage, and make my own art with skill,
with honesty, with passion, and with reverence.
O giver of vision and the sacred fire of inspiration,
bless the artists of past, present and future,
and may all their works live on in your Labyrinth
forever and ever.

O Mardöll, radiant Lady of love and beauty,
and Óðr, Lord of ecstasy and boundless joy,
bless this union with both passion and tenderness.
O Champion of the Vanir and Mistress of Magic,
let your gifts flow freely like wine between us,
let our love be strong as the gates of Sessrúmnir,
and let us experience delight and devotion without loss of self.
O Divine Ones whose love endures through every trial,
ever guide this marriage, that it may flourish
like ivy, like the linden tree; may our passion be kindled,
not consuming, and our devotion deep, not binding.
In times of plenty, help us to be grateful and pious,
in times of strain, help us to remain gentle and steadfast,
a support for one another come what may.
O Dionysos and Freyja, bless this marriage with gladness,
strength, trust, fearlessness, passion, and enduring care—
now and in all the seasons to come.

O Dionysos Lyaios, Gynaimanēs, Eleutherios,
bearer of burdens, breaker of chains, bestower
of rage, you who dance beyond the laws of men,
hear this prayer! You who love wild women,
and are honored by the free-roaming Mainades
upon the mountains, grant strength to all women
who seek their voice, their dignity, their rightful place
beneath the Sun. Teach the world to unlearn its cruelties,
its ignorance and prejudices, to loosen its grip on unjust power,
to remember that no soul was born to be inferior. When society
would silence women, inspire them to speak their truths,
O loud-roaring One, regardless of the penalties imposed.
Banish fear, and pour out courage like your ever-flowing wine,
God of liberation. In lands where there is oppression,
grant them the strength and cunning to resist and bring down
those corrupt regimes, causing fathers, husbands, and sons
to stand with their women against the unjust authorities.
O Dionysos Nēpenthēs, be with those who struggle,
lift up those who are cast down, and kindle in every heart
the fire of justice, dissolver of bonds, shatterer of walls,
you who cause us to thirst for righteousness and equity.
May freedom grow like ivy — persistent, unstoppable,
and strangling all who would impede its progress.
Let every voice rise in your ecstatic cry, “Io evohe!”
And may they know its true meaning, dear Dionysos.