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, 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.