Here is the first draft of the ritual for Dionysos and his dead.My own particular devotional style is very streamlined and action oriented, and there usually aren’t a whole lot of talky bits. When there are it’s usually spontaneous and ex tempore stuff. That approach works pretty well when you’re by yourself or doing ritual with a couple of other experienced people — but not so much with large groups of folks you’ve never even met before, let alone done ritual with. So I whipped this up and sat with it for a couple days to see if it really felt like the thing we should be doing. It didn’t. I Can’t really say what was off about it, except that it felt a little sparse and confined. But mostly it didn’t feel like what was called for on this occasion. So I checked through divination to see whether I should rewrite it or if I was just experiencing pre-ritual jitters and the message came back that I needed to not just rewrite it but do something entirely different. Judging by the results we got, they were right.
The Feast of Friends: a theoxenia for the Dead of Dionysos
Version One
The participants gather in a semi-circle and sit. Each is given a cup of wine.
The semi-circle is formed around a shrine to the dead with offerings and images and candles aplenty. There is also a bowl full of wine and beside it an empty bowl and a ladle.
The Priest will proclaim a holy silence for the dead.
When the Priest has inwardly said “Hail to you Opener of the Door” nine times he is to shout:
“Hail the Dead of Dionysos!”
All shall shout in response:
“Hail the Dead of Dionysos!”
The Priest leads them in this nine times.
Then the Priest reads from the scroll:
“Let us drink to the memory of the prophets of Dionysos, the honored dead who saw visions and traveled to distant lands to make the mysteries of the vine manifest to all who would receive them.”
With each name the participants will take a sip from their cup.
The Priest reads from the Scroll:
To Saint Melampos, hail!
To Saint Akoites, hail!
To Saint Orpheus, hail!
To Saint Arion, hail!
To Saint Archilochos, hail!
To Saint Olympias, hail!
To Saint Ptolemy Philopator, hail!
To the Etruscan Stranger Saint, hail!
To Saint Marcus Antonius, hail!
To Saint Nonnos, hail!
To Saint François Rabelais, hail!
To Saint Friedrich Nietzsche, hail!
To Saint Jim Morrison, hail!
When the Priest reaches the end of the list of names he is to say:
“And let us drink to all of the other prophets of the god, the honored dead who are with us and inspire us still.”
All shall shout in response three times:
“Hail the Dead of Dionysos!”
Then the Priest says:
“Next we honor the blessed martyrs of Dionysos, those noble souls who gave up their lives so that men might know the freedom of Dionysos and find joy and ecstasy in the dance.”
The same procedure is followed as before.
The Priest reads:
To Saint Ikarios, hail!
To Saint Erigone, hail!
To Saint Prosymnos, hail!
To the Sainted Women of the Sea, hail!
To Saint Chorea and those who fell at Argos, hail!
To Saint Skyles, hail!
To the Saints who perished in the suppression of the Bacchinalia, hail!
To the Saints who died in the Alexandrian riots defending his mystic emblems, hail!
To the Saints who broke the law to wear satyric masks at the grape-harvest, hail!
When the Priest reaches the end of the list of names he is to say:
“And drink to all those who suffered a tragic fate and earned an honored seat at the bridal feast of Dionysos, the martyrs of the vine.”
All shall shout in response three times:
“Hail the Dead of Dionysos!”
The same procedure is followed as before.
When all are settled again the Priest proclaims:
“Dionysos desires to be worshiped by all. His gifts and grace are open to any who will freely receive them. His is not just a religion of prophets and martyrs; he loves his wand-bearers as fully and fiercely as he loves his Bakchoi. Let us remember all those who danced and went mad before us and are with us still, the whole band of merry faithful. We shall go around and each speak the name of one who belonged to Dionysos or who reminds you of him by their life and its impact on your own. We will go around as many times as we need to or as long as the wine lasts.”
When the names stop coming the Priest will say something to the effect of:
“The Dead of Dionysos live in him and he is here with us whenever the wine is poured out and his spirit loosens. Open yourself up. Feel the god. Feel his dead. Feel the wine and the music and feel this moment and everything that’s in it. We’re going to experience Dionysian communion now. Go with the flow and do what feels right for you. If you want to sit quietly with your thoughts, sit quietly. If you want to get up and dance, dance. If you feel moved to say something, speak. Whatever your spirit and the spirits direct. Just don’t interfere with what another person’s doing – the god hates that. Communion will last as long as it lasts. When you’re done bring your cup up to the shrine and go chill in the other room for as long as you need to. Let’s begin.”
The Priest then starts the music. If the participants have drums and other instruments that would be ideal, but one should also prepare a playlist as a backup.
There is no formal closing of the rite.
Notes:
All participants should wear black or red or black and red. No other colors are permitted. They should also have stephanoi or crowns of ivy and flowers. The shrine should be red and black, with images of Dionysos and his head. The wine must be red. Offerings, which are laid out before the start of the rite, consist of pork, honey, garlic, beeswax candles, milk, olive oil, beans, barley and other grains, and anything else that seems appropriate from Greek or African traditions.
Tagged: dionysos, religious practice, spirits
