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