On the Other Side

Written by thehouseofvines

While I was away I worked on numerous projects, but two of them were more successful than the others: developing a monastic order for the Starry Bull tradition (basically Pythagoreanism, with less math) and a Bacchic Orphic system of demonology and exorcism.

The latter project necessitated immersing myself in systems ranging from Babylonia, Egypt, the Levant, Greece, Mandaeism, Manichaeism, Eastern and Northern Europe, Medieval Christianity, Oriental Christianity, Charismatic and Evangelical Christianity, Catholicism, and Judaism from ancient times to the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds, and from there to Kabbalah and similar strains of mysticism, as well as Goetia and various Left-Hand Paths.

I then took this material and synthesized it until I had something that I could give an Orphic and Dionysian spin to.

Amusingly this is exactly what itinerant religious specialists have been doing from time immemorial. I encountered a ton of formulae through thousands of years and vastly differing cultures. While sometimes the mode of transmission was obvious to scholars, other times it beggared description. Having experimented with this material I can say why certain things keep cropping up, and why others are specific to times and places.

I intend to share some of this material with y’all over the coming weeks, though much will be held back for students and colleagues.

Why?

Because we are living through extraordinary times. Anyone who is dealing with the demonic can attest that there has been a radical uptick in encounters and possessions within the last 5-10 years; anyone who watches the nightly news or keeps up with social media has no doubt noticed the consequences of all this, even if they didn’t have a name for it, or resisted seeing it for what it so obviously is.

I want to provide folks with the spiritual framework and tools necessary for dealing with such things, and to bring glory to the name of Dionysos, our Defender and Redeemer.

I have no illusions that by doing so I am going to provide my enemies with ammunition, and those who once called me friend or studied under me good cause for distancing themselves even further from me.

So be it.

Since I got online in the late 90s my goal has never been to be liked. I spoke out about the issues facing our communities years, even decades before anyone else, and more often than not I was proven correct, though by the time that was apparent I’d burned so many bridges that few, if any, would acknowledge the fact. I have no reason to believe that this time will be any different.

What I do hope is that when the time comes people will have the resources needed to combat this evil and keep their loved ones safe, and that this will engender an even deeper love and devotion for Dionysos.

19 thoughts on “On the Other Side”

    1. After following you online for the last 8 years, I want to thank you for all the sacred writings on Dionysos that you’ve shared with us. In the madness of this world, your guide is has been the bedrock platform to reach out to Dionysos, thousands of years after great civilizations honored him. I, living in the margins, barely surviving in a hostile society, find consolation in your teachings, and feel Dionysos is speaking to me. I don’t have the means to purchase your books, nor to pay for any private formative meetings, and that’s why I appreciate profoundly the wisdom in thehouseofvines, thank you for your generosity, great master Sannion.

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      1. The best teachers don’t see it. But I hear you. You’ve had some wonderful and exquisit teachers that have helped shape you. Hail Dionysos. May He ever shape us.

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        1. I see a lot more failures than successes in my history. Partly it’s my personality. I lack many of the qualities that make for a good teacher. My mother was a very gifted teacher; I’ve seen enough of them in the community to recognize what I’m lacking. I might be able to compensate if it wasn’t for the nature of what I teach. There comes a point where choices have to be made by the student; few are willing to make the sacrifices or accept the consequences that come with doing so. So I go it alone (with a handful of colleagues) and share what information I can. I’m a better apologist and pastoralist than a teacher. We each have our roles to play on the grand stage of life.

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            1. Oh, I’m very conscious of my strengths and weaknesses, especially those shaped by my personality quirks. I’m also willing to go beyond them when necessity and Dionysos dictate, even if that leads to completely unfamiliar territory I’m not in the least suited for. As much as I dislike that, there often isn’t anyone else willing or able to step in. So I mold myself to the role, with mixed results. Like all of this demon shit. Definitely NOT how I anticipated this phase of my life going, and I’d much rather be writing about the nuts and bolts of devotion, and leading large Bacchic celebrations like I was in my 30s, and exploring and transmitting the deeper mysteries of the God to his people. Instead I’m doing massive amounts of research, battling demons, and performing exorcisms. On the plus side, I suppose, at least my life’s not boring. It was the one thing I requested of him when my walk with Dionysos began, and boy has the God delivered!

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              1. Thank you for taking the time to share a bit about yourself. It’s quite a relief to speak with someone I don’t have to shield from or battle through their demons or my own. That kind of balance is rare, and I appreciate it. I can see why you were called to cleanse and peel off demon shit. I do it in my own way, I suppose, nothing formal. I write it into poetry, bringing light to the places demons hook into and subjugate people from. Really, it’s just my own internal healing work, though. I guess we all cleanse them off in our own ways. And some of your prayers have helped a great deal just from reading them. It lets me know that prayer and poetry still can reach people and that’s very hopeful to me.

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                1. Oh yeah, even before the spiritual shit hit the fan I’ve advocated for thorough and frequent cleansings; it’s one of the first and most persistent things I’d drum into my students, as well as advocating through my writings. I don’t believe one can do solid work if they are not free of the grime and bottom-feeders it attracts.

                  And that’s wonderful! We each have our own gifts, and there is great power in the word, both spoken and written.

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                  1. It is humility to cleanse and keeps every being in mind and perspective. I went a very long time trying to do solid work and was unable to without basic cleansing and protection skills. I didn’t know what to do, so I just had to start healing anything that came up to get free of bottom feeders and other energies. I was always racing to find more to heal inside and get free and in balance. That has since slowed, thankfully. We do, it’s so beautiful that we each have our own gifts. I love that we do. Yes, words can be curses or blessings and can carry a great deal of energy, true.

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              2. “I requested of him when my walk with Dionysos began, and boy has the God delivered!”

                This made me smile. I asked the Gods to set me on the path of love. Turns out it’s excruciatingly painful, but They saved and preserved me expertly as my life fell to pieces. I love Them dearly for it. They sure do deliver.

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                  1. Ha ha! I tried to go back to madness. I was very comfortable there. I miss it, lol. Way fewer boundaries and rules. Love’s creativity is a lot different to work with. I’m constantly humbled, whereas in madness the humility dance only made me go more mad.

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  2. He’s also given me leave to Norse-ify them. And I will share both those and the original as he does.

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