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, 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.)

O Dionysos Puribromos, place your protection
around my spirit like a consuming fire.
Let deception be revealed in the light of truth,
fear be diminished, and harmful influences
lose their power over me. Keep my heart steady,
my mind clear, and my soul rooted in fire
that cannot be extinguished. May I walk unharmed
through darkness and uncertainty, guided by wisdom,
courage, and sacred light, O Dionysos Puribatos.

O Dionysos Bromos, guard my spirit
from fear, deception, and despair.
Keep my mind clear, my heart loving,
and my soul steady through every trial.
Let no darkness take root within me,
and let no harmful force turn me away
from truth, wisdom, or joy.
Walk beside me through all uncertainty,
and keep the sacred flame within me strong.

O Dionysos Cor Ardens,
surround my spirit
with your protective inferno.
Where there is fear, bring courage.
Where there is confusion, bring clarity.
Where there is heaviness of soul,
bring renewal and living light.
Keep me guarded from malice,
mistrust, and meanness.
May my spirit remain pure,
my mind discerning,
and my heart rooted
in compassion and truth.
Through darkness and uncertainty,
remain beside me, and let no shadow
overcome the eternal flame within me.
O Dionysos Dialusos,
protect my spirit and steady my soul.
Drive away fear, falsehood, and fatigue,
and let truth, courage, and peace
remain within me, not just in adversity
but in ordinary days too.
O Dionysos Zacholon,
stand as a shield around my body.
Let fear lose its hold,
let deception slide off of me,
and let my heart remain steady
and contain no emotions
whose origins lie outside me.

Blessed be Dionysos Diallaktēr,
golden son of mystery and transformation,
whose footsteps awaken the sleeping spirit
and whose presence turns ordinary moments
into sacred celebration.
May your blessings flow like wine
poured freely among companions.
May joy arise where sorrow has lingered too long.
May weary hearts remember how to sing again,
and may those burdened by fear
rediscover joy and freedom within themselves.
Blessed be the Cor Ardens,
who teaches that life is
not only endured but also celebrated.
Through feast and music, dance and poetry,
laughter and tears, may your mysteries remind us
that the soul grows not only through suffering,
but also through beauty, fellowship, passion, and wonder.
May artists receive inspiration beneath your gaze.
May actors speak truth through masks and stories.
May musicians stir the hidden depths of the spirit.
May every creative fire become an offering in your honor.
O Lord of the Labyrinth,
guide those who wander
through confusion, grief, and inner darkness.
Teach them that transformation is possible,
that brokenness is not the end of the story,
and that even after devastation
the soul may flower again like vines after winter.
May your blessings rest upon gatherings
filled with goodwill and devotion.
May cups be raised in gratitude rather than obligation.
May celebration become a bridge between souls
instead of a weapon of pride or cruelty.
Let those who honor you remember
balance as well as freedom,
reverence as well as ecstasy,
and compassion as well as passion.
Bless the forests, mountains, rivers,
deserts and vineyards sacred to your spirit.
Bless the earth that nourishes all living things.
Bless the friendships that sustain us through hardship.
Bless the moments of laughter that keep
despair from hardening the heart.
And when the world grows cold, rigid, or joyless,
may your wild and sacred presence break through
like spring rain upon dry ground.
May your followers carry living warmth
into places darkened by hatred and hopelessness.
May they defend beauty, creativity, dignity,
and the freedom of the human spirit.
Blessed be Dionysos Agriotauros,
whose mysteries endure beyond
the passing of kingdoms and ages.
May your name continue to be honored
wherever human beings gather to create, celebrate,
mourn, love, and live fully beneath the open sky.
So may your blessings endure through all generations.

Virtue I

Seilēnos to Dionysos, over the grave of Ampelos:

Beloved child, born of thunder,
do not let grief consume
what love has planted.
The vine has withered,
but the Vine-Lord must yet endure.
Learn, therefore, the virtues that
neither death nor sorrow can uproot.
Let Chara be your companion,
for joy is not the denial of tears,
but the courage to sing again.
Practice Eusebeia,
and honor the Deathless Ones,
for even the Gods bow before Necessity,
and every season has its sacred order.
Keep Enkrateia within your heart.
Drink the wine,
but do not let the wine drink you.
Rule your passions,
that they may become sacred fire
rather than a consuming blaze.
Walk in Andreia.
Do not flee the wound.
Enter it, and discover
the hidden road
that leads beyond despair.
Guard Aletheia.
Do not hide from what has been lost.
Name it.
Mourn it.
Only truth may become holy.
Remember Charis.
The gifts you have received
must become gifts freely given.
Let blessing answer blessing,
and love answer love.
Show Eleos
to every creature that suffers,
for no heart escapes sorrow,
and compassion waters the roots
of the world.
Remain open to Thauma.
Though death has darkened your sight,
the stars still burn,
the ivy still climbs,
the earth still dreams of spring.
Become a maker through Poiēsis.
Where grief has torn, create.
Where silence has fallen, sing.
Where emptiness remains, plant.
Embrace Metamorphosis,
for nothing beloved is ever wholly lost.
The vine falls into the earth
only to awaken in another season.
Stand firm in Karteria.
Winter is long,
but no winter reigns forever.
Seek Sophia,
which knows the measure
of feast and fasting,
of laughter and lament,
of pruning and harvest.
And above all,
remember Eleutheria.
Do not let grief become your master.
Become greater than your sorrow,
not by casting it away,
but by carrying it
until it ripens into wisdom.
Then Ampelos shall not be forgotten.
His blood shall become the wine.
His memory shall become the vine.
His death shall become the joy
of generations yet unborn.
Go now, child of Zeus.
Carry these virtues
as the hidden roots
of your thyrsos.
For this is the mystery:
the vine is cut,
yet it bears fruit;
love is wounded,
yet it blesses the world;
the heart is broken,
yet through its cracks
the wine of immortality is poured out.

Virtue II

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 this difficult lesson upon my heart,
O gracious and most generous Lord.

Virtue III

Dionysos,
Lord of the Vine
whose roots reach into both joy and sorrow,
grant me Wisdom
to know what is mine to cultivate
and what belongs to Fate.
Grant me Courage
to embrace every season
without shrinking from hardship.
Grant me Justice
that I may honor Gods and mortals alike,
giving to each what is rightly due.
Grant me Temperance
that I may delight in your gifts
without becoming their servant.
Teach me,
as the vine teaches,
to bend without breaking,
to endure without hardening,
and to bear fruit in its proper season.
Pruning-Knife in your hand,
cut away all that keeps me
from living according to Nature
and in harmony with your sacred mysteries.
Hail, Dionysos,
Gardener of souls,
and make of my life
a well-tended vineyard.

Virtue IV

O Dionysos,
Gardener of souls,
prune from me every false image,
every shadow mistaken for substance,
every desire that loves appearances
more than beauty itself.
Lead me from the scattered
to the whole,
from forgetting
to remembrance,
from the visible vine
to the eternal vineyard
whose fruit never withers.

Virtue V

Dionysos,
strip from me
every borrowed mask,
every empty title,
every fear of another’s judgment.
Let me own little,
desire less,
pretend nothing,
and speak the truth
with laughter on my lips.
If the world calls me a fool,
let me be foolish for what is real.
Give me the thyrsos
instead of the scepter,
the open road
instead of the gilded cage,
and a heart
too free to be bought.

Virtue VI

Hear me Dionysos,
Lord of the Living Vine,
whose mysteries root themselves
in earth below and stars above.
Plant your holy vineyard within my soul.
May joy blossom in me,
that I may praise life in every season.
May reverence guide me,
that I may honor Gods, ancestors,
spirits, and all sacred things.
May stewardship strengthen my hands,
that I may tend what has been entrusted to me
and leave it richer than I found it.
Grant me courage to walk
where transformation calls,
and self-mastery to govern
my passions with wisdom,
never fleeing from them,
never becoming their slave.
Unveil truth when I cling
to comforting illusions.
Let every mask that separates
me from you fall away.
Teach me reciprocity,
that I may give as gladly as I receive,
remembering that every gift
seeks another gift in return.
Awaken compassion
for all who hunger,
all who wander,
all who suffer,
for every living being
shares in your sacred life.
Fill me with wonder,
that the world may
never become ordinary,
and with creativity,
that I may join your endless work
of bringing beauty from chaos.
Bless me with the grace of transformation,
that I may shed each season’s dead wood
without fear, trusting the hidden roots
that endure beneath the winter earth.
And crown these gifts with wisdom,
that I may know
the right measure,
the proper season,
the fitting word,
and the fruitful deed.
O Dionysos Agroikos,
Vine that binds heaven and earth,
Pruning-Knife that cuts away
all that cannot bear fruit,
Wine that gladdens the heart,
and Fire that renews the soul—
cultivate these virtues within me,
until my life itself
becomes a fruitful vine,
offering shade to the weary,
wine to the joyful,
bread to the hungry,
and praise to the Deathless Gods.
Hail Blessed Dionysos,
Gardener of souls,
make me worthy of your vineyard.

Womanhood I

O Dionysos Liknitēs,
son of Zeus and Semelē,
who brings forth life from hidden places,
look kindly upon the women
who walk the ancient paths of virtue.
Bless the mother who nourishes,
the wife who steers the household,
the daughter who honors her lineage,
the sister who strengthens her kin,
and the elder who shares the stories.
May they be honored
as preservers of tradition,
guardians of the hearth,
weavers of community,
bearers of luck and blessing.
Let their homes be well-ordered,
their words be few but wise,
their hospitality generous,
and their hearts unfailing.
As the vine requires
both root and branch,
as the earth receives the seed
and returns abundance,
so may womanhood flourish
in harmony with divine order.
Dionysos, giver of joy,
bless those who embody
the noble virtues of womanhood:
strength joined with honor,
beauty joined with integrity,
love joined with piety,
and all the rest.

Womanhood II

O Dionysos Thēlyphrōn,
who honors the hidden strength within all
who increase the number of their people,
bless the sacred path of womanhood,
Lord of Life and its Protector.
May the woman who walks this road
be crowned with wisdom, with strength,
with grace, and with steadfastness.
Grant her the courage of the lioness,
the patience of the cow,
the cunning of the weasel,
and the fertility of the hare.
May she be the nurturing heart of her home,
never want for anything— but know how to get by
in times of scarcity, find fulfillment in the fine
achievements of her children, and be loved
by a man who continually proves that he
is worthy of her submission.
Let her hands bring forth beauty,
her voice bring forth truth,
and her presence bring warmth
to hearth and community.
Honor the caregiver,
honor the defender,
honor the healer,
honor the memory keeper,
and honor the producer of generations.
May she possess both gentleness and strength,
both obedience and authority,
both devotion and dignity.
For you, Dionysos, delight
in the many forms of human flourishing,
and every life lived with wisdom
and virtue is a song of praise
that deserves singing.

Womanhood III

O Dionysos, calf in the lap of Pasiphaē,
sacred seed, unfolding potential, renewer of life,
friend of the women who dance beneath the moon,
ivy-crowned and free, hear this prayer.
Bless the women who bear the ancient mysteries,
the daughters who preserve the honor of their ancestors,
the wives who enrich their households
with prudence and love,
the mothers who bring forth life,
the grannies whose words are fountains of wisdom.
O Dionysos, generous in blessings,
grant them the steadfast heart of Hera,
Queenly and enduring;
the industry of Athenē,
wise in counsel and craft;
the fruitful abundance of Dēmētēr,
whose hands sustain the world;
the radiant grace of Aphroditē,
whose beauty stirs creation;
the fierce independence of Artemis,
who hunts alone beneath the stars.
Let them be gentle without weakness,
strong without bitterness,
beautiful without vanity,
and dutiful while retaining
a rich interior life.
For woman is not merely an empty vessel:
she is the earth that contains the hidden seed,
the moon that guides the night,
the hearth at the center of all things,
the makers of protective charms and curses.
Dionysos, lover and deifier of women,
honor those who walk this path.
May they be favored by the Gods,
be free and fulfilled in their life,
be esteemed among their people,
and be no stranger to virtue.

Womanhood IV

Dionysos, who cherishes women
as you love your own daughters
by Ariadnē, by Althaía, and by Mardöll.
Teach me to walk fearlessly in your ways,
and to rejoice in the traditions
that I have been entrusted with.
Clothe me in true modesty,
not only in my dress,
but in my speech,
my thoughts,
and the desires of my heart.
Guard me from pride,
from vanity,
and from the jealousy that
cheapens my own achievements.
May my greatest joy
be to do your will,
whether seen by many
or known only to you.
May my words be truthful,
my hands ready to help,
and my home filled with peace,
generosity, and reverence.
Bless my parents,
bless my family,
bless my my teachers,
and bless all who devote
themselves to your worship.
May I be a faithful wife
who serves with gladness,
is willing to receive
correction when needed,
celebrates with my husband
in times of triumph,
and supports him
during our trials.
May I greet each day
with gratitude,
each challenge with faith,
and each blessing with humility.
Blessed are you, Dionysos
who hears the prayers of all
who call upon you in sincerity.

Womanhood V

Dionysos Thēlymanēs, son of Thyonē,
Bull-Horned Lord of your Mountain,
Liberator of women, hear your daughter.
You who taught maidens to leave behind
the weight of fear, who replaced chains
with ivy, who gave them the power
to rend wild beasts, awaken in me
the holy madness that reminds me
what the Gods made me to be,
beyond just the property of my father
and then my husband.
Let me be gentle where gentleness gives life,
and fierce where justice demands it.
Teach my feet knowledge of the mountain,
my hands the labor that nourishes and destroys,
my laughter the medicine that restores
weary and burdened hearts.
Grant me courage to stand beside my sisters,
to protect the vulnerable, to welcome the stranger,
and to refuse every yoke but yours Dionysos.
May my voice rise in holy song,
my body become a living sanctuary,
my home a place where the ancestral Gods
will forever be honored, and my work
an offering laid before your peacock throne.
When sorrow comes, make it fertile.
When joy comes, make it generous.
When love comes, make it fearless.
May I wear the mystic fawnskin in humility,
bear the fruitful thyrsos with sacred purpose,
and carry your untamed freedom with pride and ferocity.
As the vine climbs toward the Sun without abandoning its roots,
may I never lose touch with my ancestors
and the Bacchants who came before,
nor my descendants of blood and tradition.
O Dionysos, Leader of the Mainades,
dance before me, dance beside me,
dance with me, and dance inside me.
When I reach the end of my days,
I pray my God, allow me to join your eternal thiasos,
where every faithful woman is crowned with stars,
and the dance quickens the life in our fields.
Io Dionysos Mainadikos! Io euoi! Io io euoi! Io Bakcheios!

Womanhood VI

Dionysos, shaker of the earth,
bless the woman who breaks
down boundaries,
destroys the competition,
and keeps on rising.
Give her the courage
to create where others only criticize,
to lead where others hesitate,
and to walk boldly
where no path has yet been made.
Grant her the wisdom of Athena,
the ambition of Hera,
the vision of Aphroditē,
the tenderness of Artemis,
and the endurance of Dēmētēr.
May her ideas take root,
her labor bear fruit,
and her voice carry
beyond the walls
others built to contain her.
Let her success not harden her heart,
her victories not make her forget
those who are coming up behind her,
and her achievements, no matter
how glorious, never be sufficient.
May she negotiate with wisdom,
dream without limits,
command with grace,
and transform every obstacle
into a stepping stone.
Let her be fearless and unapologetic,
confident without arrogance,
ambitious without blindness,
and powerful without compromise.
Dionysos, God of transformation,
guide her toward the fullest expression
of who she was born to become.
May she build,
may she flourish,
may she inspire,
and may the world become richer
because she dared to enter it.

Womanhood VII

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 euoi!”
And may they know its true meaning, dear Dionysos.

Womanhood VIII

O Dionysos Thēlytheos, stand beside
all women who seek freedom, dignity,
safety, and equal voice. Break the chains
of violence, oppression, and silence.
Strengthen those who speak truth
in the face of fear, and protect those
whose rights and humanity are denied.
May every woman be free to live,
create, lead, learn, and flourish
without domination or cruelty.
May justice rise where there
has been exploitation, respect grow
where there has been contempt,
and solidarity endure where people
struggle together for equality.
Teach us to build a world
where no woman is treated
as lesser, disposable, or voiceless.
And may courage, wisdom,
and compassion guide all who work
toward liberation and egalitarianism.

Womanhood IX

Dionysos Eleutherios,
friend of the forgotten
and breaker of unjust bonds,
strengthen every woman
who seeks freedom,
justice, and the fullness
of her own becoming.
May fear give way to courage,
silence to truth,
and oppression to dignity.
Let every chain be broken,
every wound find healing,
and every life flourish
beneath the gaze of the Deathless Gods.

O Dionysos Abanausos,
who pours forth gifts
according to hidden wisdom,
deliver me from the poison of envy.
Let me rejoice in another’s vision
without despising my own path;
to celebrate another’s blessing
without forgetting the gifts
you have already placed
within my hands.
Teach me that no soul
is diminished
because another shines,
for your wine is inexhaustible
and your grace knows no scarcity.
Grant me humility to learn,
patience to grow, and gratitude
for the road you have appointed me.
May I seek not another’s crown,
but faithfulness to my own calling.

Dionysos Eleutherios,
free us from hatred,
deliver us from prejudice,
and teach us to honor
your divine image
within every people.
May justice flourish,
peace take root,
and every nation
share one table
beneath the eyes
of the all-seeing Gods.

Dionysos Kalokagathos,
you have walked among
Greeks and Thrakians,
Lydians and Phrygians,
Egyptians and Syrians,
the peoples of India,
and every nation that
welcomed your mysteries.
You have never belonged
to one race alone,
for the whole earth
is your vineyard.
Teach us to see
neighbors before strangers,
kin before enemies,
and fellow pilgrims
before divisions of blood.
May every people
offer its own songs,
its own wisdom,
and its own gifts,
until the many become
a single chorus of praise
to the Deathless Gods.

O Dionysos, Lord of Many Faces,
whose divine light shines
through every people and nation,
tear from our souls
the blindness that divides
what the Gods have made one.
Teach us to behold
the deathless spark
hidden beneath every face,
every tongue, and every lineage.
Where there is hatred,
bring understanding.
Where there is contempt,
plant respect.
Where there is injustice,
raise up those who walk
in truth and courage to challenge it.
May we honor the sacred image
that lives within every human being
which your prophet Orpheus taught us to see,
and rejoice in the countless forms
through which Life reveals its beauty.

O Dionysos Xoatōr,
when I am caught in a storm
of anxious and morbid thought,
be the stillness at the center,
the one certain thing I can cling to
in a world of constantly shifting forms,
and menacing shadows that resemble
my innermost fears and doubts.
Unwind what is knotted in me.
Loosen what is clenched. Lead me
to stillness and confident resolve,
so that I may face down my worries,
and all the friends they’ve brought along,
with the strength and endurance my foes
have taught me over the years.

O Dionysos Meilichios,
Gentle Presence who is there
for us in times of peace and of
greatest stress, I call upon you,
fig-sweet Lord, for I am pulled
in too many directions,
like branches in a restless wind.
My mind will not rest,
my body will not settle,
my spirit forgets its own pace.
and though it shames me to confess it,
I am even distracted when I try
to perform the household rites.
Gather what is scattered in me,
and with your power of renewal
restore me to wholeness.
And in the stillness that follows,
may I rediscover myself,
without the glow of a screen
reflected in my eye; without
a barrage of distractions,
most of which I can’t do
anything about anyway.
And so I breathe, and I breathe,
and I breathe—
and in the moments between breaths
you, my God, Dionysos Melamphaēs,
work a miraculous healing.
Like water finding its level,
like night arriving without haste,
like breath returning after running—
you bring me back to myself.
And remind me that I do not have to
be everywhere at once, that I am not
responsible for every little thing
that does not go according to plan,
that my portion is mine to tend,
and everything else is someone else’s.
Respecting that boundary clears up
space in my head, and in my life,
to focus on the Gods and sacred things,
which brings me abiding joy and peace,
and a sense of purpose unmatched
by anything in this modern, secular world.
Let me lose myself in service to the holy,
let every action and every thought rest
upon my Gods and spirits as I straighten up shrines,
light candles and incense, recite the prayers, and pause
to reflect on them, sinking into their presence until it is
time to move onto the next shrine, and the next after that.
I thank you, Dionysos Meliouchos, that I am a polytheist
and have so many wonderful Gods, and spirits, and dead
woven into my life. I feel the last of the stress depart,
melting like wax, rising like a fragrant cloud, spilling out
like the rich, dark wine poured in libation. With all that
stress gone, I’m free to stand before you, beloved Dionysos
Mystophylax, pure and yearning to connect with you. Io! Io!
Io euoi! Io io Dionysos! May I prove worthy in your eyes.

O Wild Father,
Dionysos Oinōtres,
Lord of the lost highway,
King of the Midnight Carnival,
I call to you beneath
the moon’s electric wound.
The city is dreaming in neon,
the dead are whispering
through telephone wires,
and somewhere a lonely train
is carrying another soul
toward the edge of the world.
Open the hidden door, Dionysos.
Let me walk beyond the walls of habit,
beyond the prison of names,
beyond the mirrors that teach me
to fear my own face.
Protector of the untimely dead,
protector of maidens,
protector of the unripe grape,
whose laughter shakes the bones of kings,
whose tears become rivers of wine,
lead me into the deep country of the heart.
When I lose myself, it is in wonder.
May my suffering become a song,
and my joy a death’s head moth.
If I must die, let me die a thousand
little deaths so that I may awaken
larger than before.
The night is full of stars,
the stars are full of fire,
and the fire remembers your name.
Dionysos of the mystic, heated wine,
friend of wanderers, companion
of outcasts, rider of ecstatic winds,
break open the locked gates,
and on and on the river flows.
Teach me the language of wolves,
the patience of stones,
the secret music hidden beneath
the noise of the world,
the golden ratio, revealed through
great golden copulations.
Have you been born yet,
and are you alive?
Everything dances,
and breaks apart.
And when Dawn arrives
with her pale, indifferent face,
let me rise laughing,
dust-covered,
half-mad,
and wholly alive.
Thank you Dionysos, for your inebriating blood.
Thank you Dionysos, for the visions that mushrooms give.
Thank you Dionysos, for the smoky revelations
of your green-haired daughter.
Thank you Dionysos, and may I have
a profound and meaningful trip
and return with precious knowledge
for my people.
Watch over me, Kirkē.
Watch over me, Melampous.
Watch over me, Mēdeia.
Watch over me, Orpheus.
Watch over me, Pythagoras.
Watch over me, Empedoklēs.
Watch over me, Kleopatra Philopatōr.
Watch over me, Mithridatēs Eupatōr.
Watch over me, Jim Morrison.
Let the carnival bells ring. Let the servants sing.
Is everybody in? Is everybody in?
The ceremony is about to begin.

Euoi

O Dionysos Kerōntaios, I adore you,
you who make the streets into sacred precincts,
and transform the crowd from witnesses into participants
in the spectacle. I call upon you Joyful Stranger,
God of fantasy and the mask; invert what is false within me,
overturn the tyrannies of habit and unthinking conformity,
unseat the inner archons of fear and mediocrity.
Open my eyes to the vibrant beauty and boundless possibility of life,
the thrill of the unexpected, the terror of taking risks,
of being truly unfettered, the freedom of indulging in fantasy and play,
of acting out the parts of one’s self that normally exist only in dream
and shameful, secret imaginings. With you, Dionysos,
I cannot help but be honest; all the walls come down,
my carefully constructed personas crumble like brittle terracotta,
the arbitrary rules and structures that govern my life
are revealed to be hollow and meaningless at your arrival, my God,
and I long to take it further, to give more of myself to you,
Savage One who hunts by night,
and the best and nobler part of myself at that.
If I am to be a victim
of Dionysos the Devourer, the Eater of Raw Flesh,
I will strive always to be the best victim possible.
I will be more authentically myself. I will not hold back.
I will chase after my dreams, and believe in impossible things.
I will live fearlessly and free, taking risks no sane man would
so that I can stuff myself full of experiences to make your feast
more enjoyable. Hail Dionysos who turns things upside down,
who upsets the expected, who takes it to the extreme;
if I cannot trust in you, I cannot trust in anything,
so I give my life up to your guidance, counsel and judgment.
My heart is overflowing with love of you, Dionysos,
in all your forms and roles, and there is no part of you
that I do not accept and adore. Io Dionysos! Io io Dionysos!

Happy anniversary, Jim. Today he joined the heroes.