Just a heads up that I won’t be around much over the next week or so

In my absence I don’t want you guys to forget about some of the important things we’ve got going on here at the House of Vines.

There’s been so much interest in the basics of Dionysian devotion course I’ll be teaching in January that I’ve decided to increase its size to thirteen students. Don’t worry if you don’t get in this time around – I suspect I’ll be offering this one fairly regularly from here on out. I’m also putting together something in depth on working with the oracular leaves of Dionysos system, but that probably won’t be offered until summer.

On Wednesday, November 20th Galina (who is doing some classes of her own) and I will have Anne as our guest on Wyrd Ways Radio to talk about making stuff with your hands and worshiping bears.

Also, the communal play we’re writing on Dionysos and Hephaistos’ role in the Gigantomachia is kind of … brief. I’m fine with that being the play we present to him on the Dionysia because I’m a Dadaist – but if anyone wants to add to it before then they are more than welcome to.

And lastly, because of all the stuff that happened with Kronos over September and October while I was tracing back the purple thread I’ve been thinking about more directly incorporating elements of the Saturnalia into my winter festivities, which are already a mash-up of Brumalia and pridie Kalendas Ianuarias.  Specifically I want to come up with ways of celebrating with you guys through the House of Vines via thematic posts, games and contests, online chats and that sort of thing. But since gift-giving is such a large part of these holidays and I am a poor man with a fairly limited skill-set I figured I would offer those skills to my community free of charge. Over a period of three days I intend to do a bunch of intense, fully immersive ritual during which I’ll perform divination, make petitions on other people’s behalf and work magic for them. I owe a massive debt to my gods and spirits for what they have given me recently and if I can repay even a small portion of that through this sacrifice I will be a thrice-happy man.