On Monday I’m going to share some of my previous posts as well as a bunch of academic articles on Dionysos’ presence in Israel and Palestine in preparation for offering up some of the Jewish-themed Katares. But before I do so I have a little something to take care of.

When I’m finished compiling the Ἱερός Λόγος for the monastic strain of the Starry Bull tradition I am going to have a book printed. I go back and forth on whether I should release it to the public or just keep it for members of the Order.

One of the chapters, containing Κατάρες (“Imprecations,” which are a kind of prayer slash incantation recited against hostile spirits) became so large it is now its own book. Katares can be prayed individually or as part of a larger ceremony, such as an exorcism or an attack on that entity (preemptively if need be — I am a firm believer that the best defense is a strong offense.) Many of them are modeled on spells and similar material from antiquity to the early modern period, and even some contemporary examples.

I believe that such a volume is needed because it taps into the current created by previous itinerant religious specialists; these malign entities are causing trouble in the world today; and the most important reason — in composing the historiolae I was given pieces of Dionysos’ lacunose backstory. It is especially frustrating when an ancient author refers to something we know little to nothing about as a commonplace, which his readers would have instantly picked up on no matter how cryptic the allusion. Sometimes this material came through visions, like I was viewing an episode of Legion. Other times the knowledge was just plopped into me noggin. Then there were the times it just flowed out of me, and I had no idea what I was typing. I’d read it afterward and go, “What. The. Fuck.”

One of the most interesting stories that has emerged from these historiolae is Dionysos’ activities in Judea and his relationships with Yahweh, Ašerah, Ašmedai, and Michael (among others.) I’d known he had a strong presence in the region from archaeology and references in authors like Philo, Plutarch, Tacitus and Livy but over the course of working on this a whole secret mythology emerged. It certainly wasn’t something I’d planned; indeed, most of the Katares were written while heavily inebriated or in other altered states of consciousness, which means I had even less control over what was coming through than normal.

I might be inclined to dismiss this material except that through experimentation I discovered that this shit actually worked when the formulae and other odds and ends were included. These show how important the power of story is. Despite that I readily admit that the material could be false without affecting the efficacy of the κατάρα; after all, the two most important components in my estimation are the inspiration and grace of Dionysos on the one hand, and my conservative approach on the other. I start from the assumption that my predecessors knew what they were doing. I don’t tinker unnecessarily, and if I don’t understand both how something works and how it fits within the whole, I leave that shit alone. That’s why a lot of this will be familiar to students of magic and esotericism rooted in the ancient Near East. But that still doesn’t explain where the historiolae came from in many cases. It all still requires a great deal of research, ritual work, and divination but this may be the opening of another strain of Dionysianism, alongside the Starry Bull (Southern Italy) and Starry Bear (Eastern and Northern Europe) traditions. I suppose it makes sense since the Jews and their neighbors had a reputation for exorcism and magic in antiquity and that’s clearly a core part of what this is about. I’m further uncertain if this should include Egypt or if Dionysos’ activities there constitute their own thing, and if there’s really any point in dividing and organizing things this way. It’s all centered on Dionysos, and Dionysos is what Dionysos is.

Either way I’ll start sharing the Dionysos Abraō material next week; I have some other stuff to take care of first. (Abraō means “of or worshiped by the Hebrews,” and comes from a votive inscription from the Decapolis. It’s what I’ve taken to referring to this aspect of the God as, like Asterios and Óðr for the other strains.) It does amuse me that I returned to blogging in the middle of Ḥag hasSukkōṯ, the Jewish festival most commonly associated with Dionysos by Greco-Roman authors.

And don’t forget one of our simplest and most potent prayers, the Oration of Aristides.

Body of Bacchus, save me;
Soul of Bacchus, fill me with frenzy;
Suffering of Bacchus, strengthen me;
Blood of Bacchus, inebriate me;
Tears of Bacchus, wash me clean.

Dionysos the Conqueror,
King of Nysa and Prince of Olympos,
passes through every land victorious
but does not take captives
and does not lay waste.
Instead he overthrows the oppressor,
frees those who are bound,
soothes the suffering of the afflicted,
and dispenses blessings to all
who will have them.
O Dionysos, Giver of Grace,
I ask to obtain and receive from you
life, health, reputation, wealth,
influence, strength, success, charm,
favor with all men and all women,
and victory over every obstacle before me,
Beneficent one, Savior, Liberator.

O Dionysos, kindly prince of the Olympians,
I pray that you have mercy upon us who are
of the blood of the terrible Titans that splashed upon
the thigh of the fertile Earth when the children of Ouranos
waged war against King Zeus and his family;
through your liberating madness
and rites of deliverance we are able
to transcend our savage nature
and develop the strength and virtue
to cease doing the thoughtless, hurtful
and wicked things which we humans
so easily do to one another, O you who forgave
your foes and their kinsmen, and even admitted them
into your mighty army to fight beside you
against a much worse enemy.
If even such beings can be redeemed by you Lusios,
then I have hope that my stains may be washed away
in the pure stream of your compassion, my Lord.
[Confess anything that is troubling your conscience.]

O Dionysos flourishing in fruit,
you have called us into your vineyard,
and poured sweet longing into our hearts,
so that we may joyously labor in your vineyard;
grant me also the grace that I might complete
this task that I am starting rightly,
in a manner that brings you glory,
and without any sort of hindrance,
so that your vineyard may increase.

O Worthy Bull, son of the Dragon,
you who won your Olympian throne
through the valor, endurance, and power
that you displayed, heroic Dionysos I pray,
may I never fail to think brave thoughts,
to speak brave words, and to do brave deeds,
especially in defense of my land, my people,
and my traditions; O great Leader
of Gods and spirits and men and beasts,
may I one day prove worthy
to be counted among your Furious Host.

O Dionysos Ptoaleos who protects his people
from the heart of envy, from the eye of evil,
from the deceitful tongue, and every sort of wickedness;
hear my prayers, Dionysos Rōmaleos, and help me
to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes
against me or mine; and should conflict ensue,
may I fight like you fought, Dionysos Aimaleos,
when you liberated the Indian land from wicked king Deriadēs,
or avenged the vines that maniac Lykourgos hacked up,
and slaughtered many a foe during the Gigantomachy;
my God, I dedicate these lives to you,
and shall throw a lavish feast to celebrate
the humbling of my enemies, and their utter defeat.

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.

And that was a selection from the Εὐχολόγιον or collection of common prayers I’ve compiled as part of my codification of the Starry Bull tradition’s liturgy.

On Friday our household will be performing a rite in honor of Dionysos and his Blessed Dead, so if you’d like something said on your behalf submit your request to sannion@gmail.com by 5:00pm Eastern time tomorrow.

Wine Blessing I

Bless,
O Agriampelos,
Lenaios, Methusos,
Oinodotēs,
and all the rest,
this rich beverage which you have made.
May it be a joyous medicine against sorrows
for all who drink of it, I pray, and grant
by the invocation of your holy names
that whoever tastes of it may,
from your generosity, sweet Lord,
receive wellness of both body and soul,
leading to inspiration and blessed madness
through the blood of great Dionysos, our Deliverer.

Wine Blessing II

King Bromios, as we drink this wine
let us remember that you are the giver of life,
the one who sets free;
you bring deep peace to our souls,
and your love flows within us like waves of purple.
As we pour out this wine
we see your sacrifice poured out for us.
We are witness to the depth of your grace and goodness,
and the pain you continuously suffer for us.

Wine Blessing III

This, O large-hearted Polygēthes,
is your greatest gift to care-worn mortals,
for it eases our suffering,
and when we are drunk from it
we are filled with joy and a lively spirit.
Without wine there would be no fine banquets,
no festivals, no sacrifices for the Gods,
and love would completely disappear from the world.
But wine is even more precious than that,
for this wine is your blood,
O Mad and Maddening One,
first poured out upon the black Earth
when the Titans set upon you
with their terrible knives.
A part of you dwells in each sip of wine,
and dwells within us when we drink it.
So hail, and thank you, O Bakcheios,
for your splendorous gift.

Wine Blessing IV

Bios. Thanatos. Bios.
It is through your death
and resurrection, Dionysos,
that we have both wine
and the eternal revelry
conferred by initiation.
Thanatos. Bios. Thanatos.
This cup is full
of your blessed mysteries,
and as we drink from it
may the remembrance
of them be awakened
within our hearts
and our minds.
Bios. Thanatos. Bios.

Wine Blessing V

Oh benevolent Bacchus,
most excellent master,
who loves and smiles upon
all his devotees,
our gratitude to you,
maker of the fruit of the vine,
bestower of countless blessings,
deliverer, and loosener of cares,
sacrificed bull whose spirit lives on
in the wine, and when drunk
arouses, excites, maddens,
inspires poetry and beatific visions,
and leads our hearts into deeper
communion with your own holy heart;
may this cup of your precious blood
crown our festivities, and give us a taste
of the joys that await your blessed initiates
on the other side.

O gracious Dionysos, by the great suffering of your indestructible heart
I implore you to come and heal my damaged heart, mind and body.
I implore you to banish the worrisome and obsessive thoughts
that are causing unceasing stress and anxiety in my life.
I implore you to loosen and release the psychological conditions
that keep me in harmful and unhappy patterns of behavior.
I implore you to dissolve any traumas and torments
that have scarred and stunted me
going all the way back to childhood,
and any generational curses or guilt
that have traveled through the blood
to maim and distort my life,
and the lives of those who are close to me.
I implore you to release the hold that bitter memories have on me,
and the hatred I have allowed to fester in my soul as a result
against those who have wronged and offended me.
I implore you to take away my soul’s anguishes,
especially those which are the root cause
of my bodily pains and illness.
O gracious Dionysos, by the great suffering of your indestructible heart
I fervently pray that you help and heal me
in all these ways, and in ways I have not thought to ask for.

Remember, O Dionysos who intercedes
with the Lady Persephonē, that I am
a child of Earth and starry Heaven,
a creature of conflicting impulses
madly running through the dark,
confusing corridors of the Labyrinth
searching for answers to questions
I don’t even know how to frame.
I want to do right, to be pious,
to glorify you, and to bring honor
to my people through my words and deeds,
and yet it is so easy to fall short,
to act wrongly, to think the things
that I should not, to give in
to pessimism and doubt,
or worse the haughtiness
and violence which are in me
because of my Titanic ancestry.
Force of Liberation,
Breaker of Chains,
Loosener, I implore you,
Dionysos grant me
strength of will,
and the grace to subdue
my old self to the new,
and the new self to you,
that I may be counted worthy
to bear the blessed name of Bakchos,
and celebrate your orgies in the afterlife
with the other wine-rich initiates.
Strengthened by love of you,
I shall renew my struggle
and sacrifice to you the best
version of myself I can produce,
day by day and night by night
until I reach your surpassingly beautiful mountain,
where I may dance forever with you, Loudroaring One.

Hail to every last God and spirit
gathered round the throne
of Zeus’ indomitable son,
the King of Nysa,
Dionysos the Starry Bull;
may they never thirst!
Hail to his wives,
and to his lovers,
his brothers and sisters,
his mothers and his children,
and any divine friends who may be visiting
from far off lands;
may they never thirst!
Hail to the Titans and the Toys; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Nymphs and Nurses; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Muses and Sirens; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Centaurs and Gryphons; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Satyrs and Silens; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Fauns and Paniskoi; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Korybantes, Kabeiroi, and Kouretes; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Kallikantzaroi, Kukeri and Kobaloi; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Fairies and Goblins; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Harlequinade; may they never thirst!
Hail to the Furious Host; may they never thirst!
Hail to those who have joined his mighty Army
from numerous places and pantheons;
may they never thirst!
Hail to the myriads of Dionysian Dead;
the Martyrs and Prophets; the Blessed Initiates;
the Orpheotelestai and all those who performed
his sacred rites and dances;
the Boukoloi; the Nyktipoloi; the Rhizotomoi;
the Bakchoi and Bakchai; the Bassarai; the Lenai;
the Thyiades; the Aletides; the Klodones; the Mimallones;
the Komastai; the Technitai; the Basileis;
the Tragic Heroes and Heroines;
the outcast, the lost, the drunkards, the insane,
and all the rest; may they never thirst!

Dionysos, sin-devourer,
master of many kinds of catharsis,
inventor of rites of liberation,
establisher of customs of holiness,
cleanse from us any impurity
wherever it may be found in us.
Dionysos, render and weaver,
fill our hearts with a loathing
for that which is wicked, ugly, and false,
and ardent longing for that which is
beautiful, good, and true.
And may we immerse ourselves
ever deeper in your traditions,
and walk always in your ways,
Dionysos who releases, and who saves.

O Dionysos on whose stage
great tragic truths are acted out,
O Dionysos who taught Orpheus mellifluous
charms to make even beasts, and trees, and stones
join in your intoxicating, contagious dance,
O Dionysos who punished the daughters of Thebes
for the slanders they spread about your dear mother;
I pray, gracious Lord, protect us from the evils
that lurk online, as well as in the things
that we read, and watch, and discuss with our fellows.
Guard our minds and hearts from the barrage
of filth, and negativity, and the countless lies
intended to manipulate and lead us astray
which run rampant in our world today.
Grant us discernment, and the strength to choose
what is right and noble, uplifting and pious,
no matter how difficult and unpopular
such decisions may prove to be.
For it is better to incur the wrath of the many,
than to risk the corruption of our soul,
and worse, your displeasure
O Dionysos, granter of salubrity.

Hear my prayers, O Dionysos Doseros,
for I am one who has burned incense for you,
and recited your sacred hymns,
and adored your image in its shrine,
and set out bread and meat to nourish your body,
and poured cool water and sweet wine
to quench your thirst.
I have kept the memory of you alive in my heart,
and I have tried to walk upright in your ways,
and shun all those deeds
that are hateful before your eyes.
You are the indomitable one,
who hears all prayers
and has the power to grant them,
and you never turn aside a supplicant.
Hear my words, O Dionysos Dotēs,
for this is what I pray!
Burn away every sign of weakness within me,
and grant me strength of arm, nobility of spirit,
keenness of mind and pious reverence
for the Gods and their ways.
When my soul rages about worldly things,
deliver me purified by your soul-stirring rituals.
Teach me how to transform suffering into joy
and never let me lose heart.
Make my thumos to shine as brilliant
and pure as Helios upon the horizon.
Fill my ears with the harmonious music of the heavens;
make my speech ring with your prophetic truth.
Drive me always to be savage and free,
impervious to persuasion and coercion.
And may swift death overtake me
if I should ever forget your name
and beautiful face, my sweet Lord.

I exultantly greet the day,
my heart in awe at the beauty of the world.
Hail to you Gods of the Heavens, and the Earth, and those Below.
Hail Gods of the mountains and forest,
Gods of the mighty rivers and the towering trees.
Hail Gods of the desert, the ocean and the sweeping plains,
Gods of the fertile fields and the bustling cities.
Hail to the Gods of love and frenzy,
of dance and poetry,
of wisdom and prophecy,
of justice and piety,
of strength and prosperity,
of all the virtues and blessings
that make life rich and worth living.
Hail to the mothers and fathers who came before me,
to all those who have experienced the ecstasy of Dionysos,
carried the thyrsos, and danced in his sacred orgies.
Hail to the Gods who guide my heart,
and the helper-spirits who show me the way.
Hail to the whole Divine Assembly
– I rejoice in your presence
on this beautiful day of manifestation,
the world refreshed and vital
as it was upon the first day.
Let today be like that first day
full of limitless possibility,
and boundless fecundity.
All the bad things
and the failures of yesterday
are sunk in the water.
They are forgotten.
They are no more.
Today I begin anew
and shall shoulder my responsibilities
with a proud and joyous heart.
Today I shall do everything in my power
to increase justice and holiness,
and strive to improve my community
however I can, so that we will have
something worthy of them
to pass on to those who come after.
Today let every word that I speak be true.
Today let equanimity guide every action that I perform.
Today may I offer comfort to those in need,
and show kindness to the stranger.
Today I shall be temperate and disciplined
and do the good things necessary
to make my life prosper.
Today I shall set aside all petty grudges
and refuse to let needless anger
or unjust violence take root in my heart.
Today I shall remain ever mindful of the Gods
and seek them out in the world around me.
This is the vow I bind myself to
for today and today only,
witnessed by the all-seeing Sun
and Earth who is everyone’s mother.
And lastly, I pray to all the Gods of my people,
my family, my fellow adherents and initiates
in the Starry Bull tradition; may you walk with them
today, O Gods, and grant them life, health, and stability.
May you make their hearts joyous and fill their souls
with courage, love, beauty, wisdom, and creativity.
May all obstacles be removed from their path
and may any enemies who come against them
be struck down and trodden under foot.
May the community prosper and grow
and continue eternally to do the work
of King Dionysos and his Furious Host.