Chastisement I

O Dionysos Dakryotimos,
God who crowns the humble
and casts down the proud,
I tremble before your mighty works.

You are patient,
yet your patience is not without measure.
You call, and those who answer find life;
you warn, and those who harden their hearts
invite their own ruin.

I remember the daughters of Minyas,
who despised your holy festivals
and mocked the sacred dance.
They chose the labor of their own hands
over the joy you freely offered.
Therefore frenzy overtook them,
and terror became their companion,
that all generations might know
that no one scorns the God
of Ecstasy with impunity.

I remember Ino,
who wandered in dreadful madness,
until grief swallowed her house.
I remember Agavē,
who, in blindness of mind,
lifted her hand against her own son
and afterward awoke to unbearable sorrow.

These things came about
not because you are capricious,
but because your judgment is exacting.
Therefore teach me reverence,
lest I become wise in my own eyes,
and a terrible lesson to others.
Keep me from the arrogance
that laughs at sacred things
and calls darkness light
and falsehood truth.

Give me instead a humble heart,
quick to repent, ready to rejoice,
and eager to obey your call.
Let me enter your mysteries with clean hands
and an honest spirit,
seeking neither to command others,
nor to test the God, but only to walk
faithfully in the path you have opened.

For you break the stony-hearted,
yet you heal the honest seeker.
You humble those who exalt themselves,
yet you raise up those who bow before you.
Your discipline is fearful,
but your mercy is sweeter than new wine.

Therefore I will honor your name,
keep your festivals with gladness,
welcome the stranger,
care for the weak,
and rejoice in the gifts you have given,
that I may dwell in your favor
all the days of my life.

For yours is the wild mountain,
the fruitful vineyard,
the dance, wise judgment,
and joy to the righteous.

Io euoi! Io io Dionysos!

Chastisement II

O Lord Dionysos,
God of mercy and righteous judgment,
whose hand both chastens and restores,
whose vine is pruned that it may bear sweeter fruit,
look upon me according to your divine wisdom.

If I stray from your holy way,
do not leave me to the counsel
of my own Titanic heart.
Correct me before I become hardened.
Wound my pride, but heal my soul.
Break whatever in me resists the truth,
that I may become a worthy servant
of your mysteries.

As the Tyrrhenian pirates sought to bind you,
thinking the God could be bought and sold,
yet found themselves overwhelmed
by ivy, wine, and the roaring of the sea,
deliver me from the greed
that would make merchandise of your gifts.
Let me never seek to possess
what can only be received with reverence.

As the daughters of Proitos
withheld your worship
until suffering taught them
that no household flourishes
when it forgets the Giver of Joy,
teach me never to neglect
the sacrifices of gratitude
or the festivals of thanksgiving.

As Ikarios learned
that even holy gifts require wisdom,
grant that I may receive your blessings
with discernment and humility.
Keep me from misusing what is sacred
through ignorance,
carelessness,
or pride.

If I cling to falsehood,
scatter my counsels.
If I seek empty glory,
bring my ambitions to nothing.
If I delight in my own strength,
show me how frail I am.
Take from me every comfort
that leads me away from you,
for better is a bitter correction
than a pleasant destruction.

Yet remember your mercy,
O Liberator.
You sought Ariadnē
when she had been abandoned,
and crowned her with unfading stars.
You descended to the house of Haides
to bring Semelē into immortal light.
So also remember me,
when your discipline
has accomplished its purpose.

May every rebuke
become wisdom.
May every loss
become purification.
May every trial
become steadfastness.
May every tear
water the vine of righteousness
until it bears abundant fruit.

For your judgments are not born of wrath alone,
but of love that refuses to surrender the soul to ruin.
The knife of the vinedresser cuts only
that the vine may flourish.

Therefore chastise me, O Dionysos,
but never cast me away.
Correct me, but do not abandon me.
Lead me through repentance into joy,
through discipline into freedom,
and through your holy mysteries
into the fullness of life.

Chastisement III

O Dionysos Eleutherios,
may your devotees, priests,
and religious specialists
remember that they are not the source,
but the conduit of tradition;
not the wine, but the mixing-bowl;
not the God, but the opening
through which the God may pass.

Let them not profane the silence with haste,
nor wound the mystery with excess of speech.

Free them from impurity of intention,
from the hunger for praise,
from the desire for power,
and from the illusion
that the mysteries belong to them.

Let them remember
that every hymn is borrowed,
every gesture received,
every flame already kindled
before they arrived.

Where they purify,
let it be true purification.
Where they instruct,
let it be remembrance, not invention.
Where they lead, let it be toward you
and never toward themselves.

But if they abuse the trust
that has been placed into their hands;
if they seek disciples rather than devotees,
obedience rather than reverence,
or honor for themselves
instead of glory for the Gods;
then do not leave them
to prosper in their corruption.

Withdraw the sweetness
that has become poison.
Scatter every work
built upon vanity.
Let every falsehood
be brought into the light,
every hidden motive uncovered,
every proud heart brought low.

For abandonment is the greatest judgment.
Do not surrender them
to the blindness of their own desires,
but correct them
while correction is still possible.
Better to suffer sparagmos
than lose their souls.

As you humbled Pentheus,
who mistook dominion for wisdom,
and as you cast down Lykourgos,
who raised his hand against what was holy,
so also humble every Boukolos, Mantis,
Hierus, Hymnod, or Orpheotelest
who would place himself
between the seeker and the God.

Let them learn
that no office is secure
without humility,
no authority endures
without obedience,
and no mystery remains
where pride has made its dwelling.

Yet remember your mercy,
O Dionysos Lusios.
The hand that chastens
is the hand that heals.
Let every rebuke
become repentance,
every humiliation
become wisdom,
every fall
become the beginning
of return and restoration.

For those whom you love,
you do not abandon.
Dionysos Lusios,
loosen whatever binds them falsely.
Dionysos Eleutherios,
free them from the illusion of control,
that they may become
faithful guardians of your mysteries,
and transparent vessels
of your holy presence once again.

Chastisement IV

O Dionysos, never cease to rebuke me.
Better the wound that heals
than the peace that abandons.
Better your pruning knife
than a vine left wild to perish.
Better your severe mercy
than the terrible freedom
of a heart surrendered to itself.

Candle Lighting I

Dionysos of torch-lit processions,
and the Sun that shines underground,
I light this candle in your honor.
As its flame awakens, so may clarity
and understanding awaken within me.
As it burns steadily, so may my devotion
remain steady and true.
O light of Dionysos, drive away darkness,
fear and confusion, and fill this space
with awareness, warmth, and divine presence.
Dionysos, bringer of illumination and transformation,
may this light be a small reflection of your greater mystery,
guiding thought, heart, and spirit toward what is good and true.

Candle Lighting II

Dionysos, Lord of sacred flame,
I light this candle
in your precious name.
May its light bring clarity,
its warmth bring peace,
and its glow carry
my love and devotion to you.

Candle Lighting III

O Dionysos, loosener of all bonds,
Leader of the choir of fire-breathing stars,
Lord of the vine, who brings wild, liberating joy,
I light this flame in your honor, my God, my Savior.
As this candle burns, may its glow awaken
the hidden places within me—
the places that long to dance,
to revel, to hunt, to feel abundantly,
to indulge in every kind of excess, to be free.
God of ecstasy and transformation,
you who dissolve boundaries and awaken truth,
bless this moment with your presence, and be with us
as long as this flame dances in your honor.
Let this flame be a spark of your infinite fire—
a reminder that life is meant to be drunk deeply,
felt fully, and lived without fear.
Where there is restraint, bring release.
Where there is heaviness, bring laughter.
Where there is silence, bring the sacred song.
Io euoi!
Io Bakcheios!
Io Lusios!
Io Asterios!
Io io euoi!
Dionysos, companion of the Wild-hearted Ones,
accept this light as an offering.
Walk with me in joy, in mystery, and in truth.

Candle Lighting IV

Hail Dionysos born in fire;
as this flame is kindled,
may my devotion be kindled also.
May the glow of this candle
honor you and illuminate my path.
Be present in this rite
and accept this offering of light.
Rejoice, Dionysos!

Candle Lighting V

Hear me, O Dionysos,
twice-born, ivy-crowned, loud-crying Lord,
you who wander the mountains with your frenzied Retinue,
you who bring the vine’s gift and the loosening of care
to the wearied and suffering all over the world.
I kindle this flame in your honor,
bright as the stars that witness your sacred revels.
May it be pleasing to you,
O Bromios, shaker of the soul,
O Eleutherios, giver of freedom,
O Phanēs, manifester of impossible things.
Come, Blessed One,
and be present in this fire.
Fill this space with your divine breath,
with joy unbound, and truth unveiled,
driving back the darkness with your luminesce.
Where hearts are burdened, bring release;
where minds are closed, bring holy madness;
where spirits falter, pour out your wine of life.
Accept this light, O Lord of the thyrsos,
as offering and remembrance.
Grant me to walk in your mysteries,
to know the dance, the song, the sacred ecstasy.
Rejoice, Dionysos—
and be gracious.

Candle Lighting VI

O Dionysos Pheraugēs,
as I light this candle,
may its flame become a sign
of your presence and blessing.
Let this light drive back
fear, confusion, and despair.
May it awaken joy where there is heaviness,
wisdom where there is uncertainty,
and courage where there is doubt.
As the flame burns steadily,
may my spirit also remain steady—
open to wonder, honest in heart,
and alive to the beauty of the sacred.
May this light honor you
and all that is life-giving,
creative, and free.

Candle Lighting VII

O brightest star in the dark heavens,
Iakchos, son of Semelē, bestower of wealth,
joy of the feast, and guardian of sacred gatherings,
I light this flame for you, a gift of honor and devotion.
May its brightness please the Blessed Immortals
who accompany you in your nocturnal revels.
May its warmth bring harmony to this place.
May its glow welcome friendship, wisdom, and joy.
As the torch is carried in the sacred procession,
so may this light guide our steps.
As the Sun awakens the Earth,
so may this flame awaken
goodness within us.
O Dionysos Lamptēr,
torch-bearing God,
shine favorably upon this household,
this altar, and all who stand
in the presence of your blessing.
Let there be
peace among companions,
abundance upon the table,
and gratitude within the heart.
May you receive this offering kindly,
O starry Dionysos, husband of Ariadnē,
Queen of the Corona Borealis.

The last couple posts remind me of an email that became a blog post.

May Dionysos bless the roads
that collapse beneath your feet,
the tattered plans, the beckoning abyss,
for they will force you to discover
paths no map remembers,
and your true measure.

May your certainties ripen,
split open, and spill their seeds
into stranger soil.

May you never become
so comfortable
that wonder cannot find you.

May your failures
ferment into success,
your grief
into tenderness,
your anger
into justice,
and your joy
into generosity.

May you meet
the right people
at the wrong time,
and discover,
years later,
that the Gods
keep better time
than you ever could.

May every closed door
teach you to look for hidden gates.

May your enemies
become your teachers.
May your victories
leave you humble,
your losses
leave you grateful,
and your questions
remain larger
than your answers.

When the world demands
that you become smaller,
may the Lord of the Vine
teach you instead
how to become immense.

And when your life
has been crushed
like grapes beneath the press,
may those who drink
from the vintage of your days
taste courage,
kindness,
laughter,
and freedom—
and give thanks
to Dionysos,
who wastes
nothing.

Beginner I

O Dionysos Phileleos,
please accept my veneration
though my words are clumsily spoken,
and I cannot always recall all of the things
I am supposed to do at your shrine.
I was born into a society which does not
teach its people proper reverence,
and I am lacking in mentors
or wise models to emulate.
I do what I can with what I have,
and I am figuring things out as I go along,
striving always to improve
the quality of the worship I offer
to you and to your blessed family,
for my heart swells with love of you,
and I wish only to give you the best,
for you have been so gracious
and understanding with me,
though I am just one person,
alone, fumbling in the dark.
O Dionysos Euphrōn, I pray, increase
my knowledge and confidence;
with every rite performed let it
become easier to approach you
and conduct worship in the ways
which are proper, and pious,
and pleasing to you, the God of the Bacchants,
whom I hope one day to be worthy to be counted among,
that I may spend both this and the life to come
in joy and perfect celebration with my own kind.
Io Dionysos! Io io euoi!

Beginner II

Dionysos who has concern
for even the chickpea, though it is
considered a small and worthless thing,
protector of all young life, from the budding
flower to the unsteady fawn taking its first steps
away from its mother’s side, I pray, strengthen the
hearts of those who have begun to place their hope in you.
Grant them a true vision of your life-transforming mysteries
so that they will always thirst for more,
and never be satisfied with the false things.
Lead them to one who can correctly
instruct them in your rites and lore,
and model proper piety, morality,
and professionalism through
their every word and deed.
Guard their minds against pride,
doubt, delusion, acedia, modernity,
and all other errors that can corrupt
and destroy their relationship with you.
Bless them with inebriation, wonder,
joy, health, vitality, creativity, abundance,
and all other things that flow
from your sacred madness,
and stir up in them a yearning
to be known as a Bacchant,
and not just one of those who bear the wand.

Beginner III

O you who have just begun your journey,
may Dionysos, the Bull-horned Lord,
bless the path before you.
May he grant you joy in times of celebration,
strength in times of trial,
and wonder in the mysteries yet to unfold.
May your prayers rise like sweet incense,
your heart remain open to beauty and truth,
and your devotion bear abundant fruit in its season.

Beginner IV

Dionysos,
holy and gracious Lord,
hear the prayer of one
who is just starting out
on your path.

I come before you
with an open heart
and unsteady steps.

Teach me to walk
the sacred road
with humility and joy.
Give me patience
when I do not understand,
courage when I struggle,
and wisdom when the path is unclear.

Let me learn without pride,
seek without fear,
and grow without forgetting
the blessings that surround me.

May the vine teach me renewal,
the dance teach me harmony,
and the mysteries teach me reverence.

Guide me, Liberator,
as I take my first steps.
Correct me when I wander,
strengthen me when I falter,
and lead me always toward truth.

May my devotion deepen,
my understanding increase,
and my soul become worthy
of the gifts of the Gods.

Dionysos, walk with me at the beginning,
and remain with me until the end.

As I said all the way back in 2023, I have conceded your point and stopped using Himmler’s Sonnenrad to represent the Black Sun. I use the Labyrinth or an Illyrian 8-point Sun Wheel, like so:

The ancient Illyrians, who were descendants of the exiled Kadmos and Harmonia and thus of the same bloodline as Dionysos, were not Nazis, nor were the Albanians, who suffered greatly under Ottoman occupation, during WWII and even worse under the communist regime they had to fight to free themselves from. Don’t besmirch Albanians just to score some imaginary points in a one-sided online argument.

If my use of the Black Sun is your only reason for thinking I’m a Nazi, you can stop. If you don’t think that the Sol Niger or Cor Ardens or Nyktelios experience has anything to do with Dionysos you should first educate yourself on what that actually signifies, and then take it up with him. And may he reveal that mystery to you in its fullness.

If there’s something else I’ve said or done that you feel is in error please have the courage and integrity to bring it up to me directly rather than talking about me. We all need correction, guidance and support at various times. I will listen, and give your words due consideration. I don’t know that we’ll end in agreement, but conversation is how real change is made in the world, not gossip and character assassination and blatant lies. That just hardens hearts and increases unnecessary strife in the world. If you love the Gods and want to see their worship flourish we have no beef.

Currently in the Prayer Book those for the birth of a child are followed by the Black Sun. That arrangement feels appropriate. It’s close to six hundred pages, and there’s still more territory to cover. Then I’ll work on the Hymnal and the Book of Imprecations. The Hieros Logos and Chrēsmologion are already completed, as is the guide to observing the Starry Bull festival cycle. And yet this is how people think I spend my time. How delightfully absurd. Here’s an amazing song by A Perfect Circle:

O Dionysos Nyktelios,
Black Sun whose light is hidden
within the marrow of the world;
you who blaze beneath appearances,
whose radiance is known
only by those who have entered the night—
receive me.

Strip from me
the coward’s bargain,
the illusion that life
can be preserved
by clinging to itself.
Break the narrow law
that measures every breath
by profit,
every love
by safety,
every mystery
by utility.

You are the God
whose abundance spills beyond all measure,
whose wine is poured
until the cup overflows,
whose ecstasy is squandered
upon forests, deserts, and forgotten graves.
Nothing living is miserly in your presence.
The vine exhausts itself in fruit;
the stars lavish fire upon the darkness;
the heart is made holy
only by learning how to give itself away.

Black Sun,
teach me the wisdom
that blooms where fear is consumed.
May I not flee
the sacred wound,
the fertile darkness,
the silence where the old self
falls into the Earth
like a seed.

For death is not your enemy.
It is your hidden altar.
Life feeds upon death;
joy rises from grief;
the vine drinks decay
and returns it as sweetness.
What the timid call loss,
you reveal as transformation.
What the world buries,
you awaken.

O hidden fire,
burn away the hunger
to possess.
Let me spend myself
without calculation
in love,
in beauty,
in worship,
in generosity,
until nothing remains
but laughter echoing
through the caverns
of your eternal night.

Then,
when I behold
your impossible radiance
shining from the center of darkness,
I shall know
that the deepest light
has never belonged to the day.

Euoi.

I wasn’t satisfied with Blessing XVI so I reworked it.

Day of Helios
May Dionysos Ismerios,
Lord of the Equal Measure,
grant you balance between light and shadow,
knowledge between certainty and doubt,
labor and rest,
speech and silence.
May you walk the middle path
where every ending becomes a beginning,
and every twilight reveals
the hidden face of the Gods.

Day of Selēnē
May Dionysos Aiolomorphos,
the Changeful One,
teach you to flow with every season of the soul.
May you fear no transformation,
welcome every holy becoming,
and discover beneath each new face
the immortal self
that no change can destroy.

Day of Arēs
May Dionysos Orgilios,
whose righteous fury burns away corruption,
strengthen your heart against injustice,
your hand against cruelty,
and your spirit against despair.
May your fire consume only what is false,
leaving behind
the pure gold of the soul.

Day of Hermēs
May Dionysos Euagros,
the Fortunate Hunter,
guide your steps upon hidden paths.
May you pursue what is true,
recognize opportunity when it appears,
and return each evening
bearing the gifts
that destiny prepared for you.

Day of Zeus
May Dionysos Ulaios,
Guide through the Sacred Woods,
lead you safely through every wilderness.
When the path disappears,
may instinct become your compass,
the Gods your companions,
and every forest
a temple of living mysteries.

Day of Aphroditē
May Dionysos Ēdumanēs,
whose sweet frenzy awakens the heart,
fill your life with beauty,
your friendships with laughter,
your loves with tenderness,
and your soul with the joyful ecstasy
that draws all things
toward the Good.

Day of Kronos
May Dionysos Ōrophoros,
Bearer of the Seasons,
teach you the sacred rhythm
of growth and decay,
planting and harvest,
silence and song.
May you receive each season as a gift,
trusting that beneath every winter
the vine is already preparing
its return.

Boatphobia has no place in our communities.

If I keep up at this rate I should probably have the Prayer Book completed by the end of the week. Since I’m sure that there are topics I’ve missed, are there any prayers that you would like to see included in the collection? Comment below or email me with your suggestions.

Originally I was going to write a manual for Orpheotelestai of the Starry Bull tradition. One section was going to be a divination manual; another would contain lore and recipes; another would consist of material on spiritual combat, another hymns for various purposes and occasions, including holidays; and another a collection of sundry prayers. Well, just the collection of prayers has hit 420 pages — so I think what I’ve ended up with is a library instead of a single volume. I’ve also done a lot of thinking about how to organize the tradition and the roles and responsibilities of Akousmatikoi, Boukoloi, Orpheotelestai, and Hymnōdai. This has been a very productive period for me and I can’t wait until I have all of these books finished and can start training folks again. (The prayer book, for instance, is only about 2/3rds of the way done, even at 420 pages.)

O Dionysos Orgilios,
guardian of those who wander through uncertainty,
watch over me in the seen and unseen places of life.

Protect my body from harm,
my mind from deceit,
and my spirit from despair.
Let no cruelty, hatred, or corruption take root around me.
When fear rises within me, replace it with courage;
when confusion clouds my judgment, grant me clear sight.

Stand beside me in lonely hours,
and place a living fire within my heart
that no darkness can extinguish.
Guide my steps away from danger
and toward wisdom, truth, and peace.

May I walk beneath your protection with dignity and strength,
neither ruled by fear nor hardened by bitterness.
And may those I love also be kept safe beneath your sacred care.

Blessed be Dionysos,
friend of wanderers, artists,
revelers, and seekers of hidden truth.

Blessed be the Bacchic God
who teaches that joy is holy,
that laughter can heal
what sorrow has wounded,
and that even broken spirits
may rise again, renewed and restored.

May your superlative name
continue to be spoken
with reverence and joy
wherever music is played,
wine is shared, stories are told,
and hearts are awakened to wonder.

May musicians, dancers, poets,
and creators feel your presence
in fleeting moments of inspiration
and sacred delight.

May the theater remain
a place of truth and revelation.

May the vineyards flourish
through your blessing.

May your sacred fire endure
through every age,
unextinguished by fear,
tyranny, forgetfulness,
or despair.

May every feast shared
in fellowship and truth
be filled with your spirit.

May your mysteries continue
to inspire those who seek
freedom of soul through
passionate celebration,
and ecstasy united with wisdom.

O Liberator, Loosener, Releaser,
you who lead your people beyond
rigid boundaries, who shatters false
perceptions and unrighteous chains,
bless all who struggle for dignity, joy,
and the right to live fully human lives.

Stand beside the outcast, the weary,
the silenced and the grieving.
Bring courage to those afraid
to reveal their true selves,
and renewal to those crushed beneath
unbearable sorrow or isolation.

Blessed be the living God, the True Vine;
may your followers always remember
that your freedom requires compassion,
self-knowledge, and responsibility,
and may your ecstasy lead toward
a deeper understanding of life in all of its
beauty, tragedy, and mystery.

May every cup poured in your honor
dissolve boundaries, excite ecstasy,
inspire visions and prophetic verse,
and be shared with gratitude
and due reverence.

May every flame lit in your name
become a beacon of hope
against dissolution.

May every song and dance offered to you
awaken the spirit to life more abundant.

And when despair threatens to consume the heart,
may your presence return like spring after winter—
wild, renewing, untamed, and alive.

Blessed be polyonomous Dionysos,
now and through all generations!
May your joy endure,
your mysteries deepen,
and your liberating spirit
never fade from this world.

Dionysos Melpomenios,
who pours out words like wine,
whose wisdom is sung
before it is understood,
still the restless movements of my mind.
Let me not seek only what confirms my opinions,
nor overlook what calls me to change.
Open my ears to hear beyond the sound of words.
Open my eyes to behold the symbols
hidden within the symbols.
Open my heart to receive what cannot
be taught by argument alone.
If these sacred words comfort me,
let me give thanks.
If they challenge me,
let me remain humble.
If they confuse me,
grant me patience and persistence,
until I untangle the knot.
If they illumine me,
keep me from pride.
May Mētis dance with you Dionysos as I read,
weaving together memory,
reason, intuition, and revelation.
Grant that these texts become
not merely something I have read,
but something I have lived.
May every verse draw me deeper
into your mysteries,
until the reader,
the reading,
and the One who is read
are joined in sacred communion.

Let us remember those
whose lives became vessels of Dionysos,
whose words, deeds, courage, and imagination
nourished the Vine across the generations.

Dionysos Bakcheios,
we thank you for every soul
who has carried your flame,
whether by song,
by scholarship,
by beauty,
by courage,
by suffering,
or by joy.

Grant that we may remember them with gratitude,
learn from their examples with humility,
and continue the work they began with faithfulness.

May we never preserve their memory
without also preserving their courage.

May we never repeat their words
without also seeking the truth they sought.

May we become worthy companions
of this great chorus,
adding our own voices
to the eternal song of the Vine.

Io euoi!
Io Dionysos, the Starry Bull!

Hail to the heroes and heroines of the Vine.
May they always be remembered,
and may they never thirst.

Lord Dionysos,
God of Orpheus and Melampos,
God of Empedokles, Pythagoras, and Nonnos,
God of Nietzsche, Ivanov, Bataille, and Morrison,
inspire us to read the Holy Words
of your Starry Bull tradition
and to reflect upon them day and night.
We implore you to grant us illumined understanding
of what we truly need, that we may put these teachings
into practice and embody them in our lives.
Yet we know that understanding and good intentions
are empty things unless they are rooted in your gracious love.
Therefore we ask that the Holy Words
may not be merely signs upon a page,
but channels of grace engraved upon our hearts;
not only words remembered by the mind,
but living seeds planted within the soul.
Dionysos Bakcheios, help us keep your Holy Words before us
and to meditate upon them constantly, persevering in prayer
and remaining watchful against every spirit of confusion,
every force of delusion, and every passion that would
twist their meaning or cloud our understanding.
Guard us, that we may receive with humility the wisdom
you have poured into the hearts and minds
of those inspired souls who preserved these teachings,
that they might endure through the centuries
and help us know you more deeply,
follow you more faithfully,
and walk more correctly upon your sacred path.
May we honor your traditions
with our entire bodies, minds, and spirits,
and may the Holy Words transform us
into worthy members of your thiasos.
Io euoi! Io Dionysos, the Starry Bull! Hail to your
prophets, poets, and performers, who have shown us the way.
May they always be remembered, and may they never thirst.

I believe in Dionysos Bakcheios,
the Starry Bull, the Liberator;
continually born, continually dying,
and continually experiencing rebirth;
whose presence in its fullness
fills heaven, earth, and the realms below.

I believe everything dances;
that nothing is ever truly lost,
but that life simply returns
in different forms.

I believe that joy is holy,
that beauty is revelatory,
that suffering is transformative,
that love is stronger than despair,
and that every ending
conceals a new beginning.

I believe that every soul
is called to awaken,
to be purified,
to seek wholeness,
and to draw ever nearer
to the divine through
love, ecstasy, wisdom,
and right action.

I believe that the Gods
reveal themselves
through nature,
through dreams,
through poetry,
through music,
through philosophy,
through ritual,
and through the hearts of those
who seek them with reverence.

I believe that the Holy Words,
the Sacred Rites,
the Mysteries,
and the living thiasos
are gifts through which
Dionysos continues
to teach, transform,
and bless his people.

I believe that our calling
is to cultivate virtue,
to cherish fellowship,
to care for the earth,
to honor our ancestors,
to welcome the stranger,
to seek wisdom,
to celebrate life,
to worship the divine,
and to become worthy members
of the thiasos when we die.

I believe that the heroes and heroines,
the prophets,
the poets,
the performers,
the philosophers,
and the warriors
who have carried the flame before us
remain our companions in memory,
our teachers in wisdom,
and our inspiration
in the work that lies ahead.

Therefore I will strive
to live with courage,
discipline,
reverence,
joy,
creativity,
compassion,
justice,
and wisdom,
that I may better perform
this work, both here and there.

I believe that death
is not the end of the journey,
but another mystery;
and I await with hope
the further unfolding of the soul
beneath the gracious gaze
of Dionysos Bakcheios.

Io euoi! Euoi euoi!

Io Dionysos Bakcheios,
the Starry Bull,
now and through
all the turnings
of the eternal dance.

I’ve now had three people ask about Galina’s whereabouts. I think that is incredibly sweet. (No one inquires when I take an unannounced hiatus from the internet.) You can find an explanation here. (I’m not saying it’s the truth, but it is an explanation.)