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.