Dionysus

[Twilight Storm]

Hi all,

I have a code for a spirit stone and would like an Immortal. Trouble is, I'm in two minds over whether to go for Dionysus, who seems to jump out at me in the listings.

I don't drink, hate drunk people and have real problems with hedonism and the effect of alcohol on society - and yet Dionysus is, essentially, the fat drunk bloke :lol: I'm also vegetarian, so the idea of ripping flesh apart ain't appealing.

But equally I can see all kinds of things I really like: the musical connection, wanting people to all get on with each other, the not quite 'fitting in', overcoming other people's prejudices and manipulation, experiencing moments of great inspiration and creativity, and learning lessons from being a bit TOO drunk.

I imagine that most immortals will have something about them I don't like, so I was wondering whether anyone had any thoughts on this? Is there someone more suitable? Am I perhaps going about choosing in all the wrong way?

[Twilight Storm]

Ah well, I've gone for it, we'll have to see! :sly:

[Sovereign]

Good for you, Twilight! I think you may be pleasantly surprised with Dionysus. :thumbup:
He's on my watch-list. He and Prometheus. :lol:

I'm not a drinker either, though born an alcoholic. I'm rather reserved in social situations - read anti-social - so I thought Dionysus would be an interesting Immortal to have, to feel more at ease in groups of people. Among all the other qualities that he has. Legend says that there is a part of Dionysus in every one of us.

One part of his legend that I only recently learned of is the fact that when he was made part of the pantheon his first act as a god was to take his mother out of Hades and place her with him. Very nice of him, considering the fact she died before he was born.

[Maythen21]

Although he did not have an immortal stone, my husband worked with Dionysus for several years.

My husband doesn't drink At All, and comes from a family with a great deal of addiction issues. I love him, but he's a pretty uptight guy, and at that point in his development, still quick to judge others. When Dionysus first came to him, it seemed like a terrible fit, I couldn't imagine anyone less in tune with that energy than my logical, reasonable, analytical, sober husband.

But in the end, he gained a tremendous amount of understanding and compassion from his time with the God, he improved his social skills, and learned to lighten up on other people and himself.

I find that I am often taught the most difficult lessons by energies I wouldn't have otherwise invited into my life.

[Twilight Storm]

I think I've made a good choice :thumbup: On one hand I totally identify with some of the qualities and any I don't appear to actually be an interesting message...difficult to explain but I reckon I got it right! Enruit appears to agree so this should be interesting. Peace, social skills and magnifying unique qualities sounds good to me! :superman:

[Noctua]

It is good that you realise some things in common you and this immortal have, but otherwise I would just have to say - sometimes opposites attract! We can learn a lot by balancing ourselves out, if there is a spirit or immortal that seems to come from a completely different side of things then it may not feel like it will work - but in truth it will be rewarding for those who want to learn about things that they can't seem to get into themselves.

[Twilight Storm]

He's here, in a fantastic stone I shall post a picture of when I have finished squealing over the rest of my items :flower:

Oddly, since I placed the order, two of my friends from work have admitted they have alcohol problems and need to sort themselves out...

[Alys-RaccoonReadings]

Really, really enjoyed this perspective on Dionysus.

From https://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/201 ... outsiders/:

Dionysus is considered a god of those on the edges of society, especially LGBTQ+/rainbow folk and immigrants. He himself was considered an outsider. From his birth he was cast out by Hera, and then cast out again by Zeus for his own protection. His origin story varies; the place he is said to have been raised, Mt. Nysa, could be in Egypt, Phoenicia, India, or Arabia. He’s a god of indeterminate and ever fluctuating borders.

There are numerous long and droning texts about all the foreign cities he visits in his adulthood in what seems to be a conquest across the Eurasian/ African continents....

While traveling he conquered/liberated various cities and left a peaceful, civil society with fair laws in his wake. This leads me to believe those who say he was a conqueror or an antagonist were those in positions of power; those who benefitted from the status quo had the most to lose. He has always been on the side of the underdog, the marginalized.

Various texts refer to him as effeminate or womanly; in today’s understanding of gender, many of us who work with Dionysus consider him nonbinary or genderfluid. He’s also had relationships with [both] men and women...

In my experience, Dionysus is hard to pin down by design, and any attempts to fit him in a rigid box are doing him a disservice. Fluidity is an intrinsic component of his energy.

Dionysus knows how it feels to be told you are unwelcome and unwanted; he knows that pain, and he knows how to fight through it and carve a home out for yourself, and knows when to leave and find somewhere that will nourish you. He’s a god for the modern age, a god of the revolution to come.

He is here to remind you you’re not alone here.

[Alys-RaccoonReadings]

Thought this (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/201 ... mysteries/) was a good find:

A Ritual For Ecstasis and Dionysus Mystes

It’s recommended that you put out an offering for Dionysus first- wine, honey, a candle, incense, or any combination thereof are solid places to start, but feel free to get weird. Personally I recommend listening to Dead Can Dance’s Dionysus album.

You should do this somewhere you can dance, and ideally with a fire of some sort.

Become present in your body by closing your eyes and bringing your attention to your other senses.

What do you hear?

What do you smell?

Feel your breath and follow it in and out.

Focus on your feet, then your calves; let your awareness travel up your body, up through your tailbone, your spine. Feel the energy flowing into you from the earth and out through your hands.

How does it feel?

Relax all the tension from your body. Consciously soften the knots in your neck, in your back, in your shoulders.

Release, fully.

We call to the Liberator.

Imagine that before you is a bridge.

Imagine that all of your burdens and insecurities and self doubt are tangible and in your hands. Perhaps what they look like is significant. Perhaps not.

Throw them over the edge of the bridge.

Continue to the other side, lighter and with a freer mind. From the banks of the river the bridge crosses, there is forest. You smell fire. You follow a trail of broken underbrush and the occasional footprint. You walk through the forest, aware of the entities and spirits weaving through the trees. Music rides the breeze from the end of the trail. You are nearing the bonfire, a circle beaten down around it from years and years of dancing. There is a sourceless laughter, so full of mirth it causes something to bubble up inside your chest.

There is a tone, a sound deep inside you. It resonates in your bones.

Echo it aloud. Let it come from your core.

Release all the tension from your body. Allow yourself to loosen, to sway, to move.

Stomp the earth, yell, laugh, sing, hum, dance, trance; cast aside your inhibitions. Exist only in this moment.

Join the dance of the Bacchae.

[Dmg]

Ive recently learned to have Dionysus in my bloodline, so I too became recently interested in gathering some more information about this immortal. If I'd never had gotten a bloodline reading for this information, I never would have thought to look in his direction.

Interestingly enough, though I do not drink or consume any other drugs, I feel a deep and longing connection to him after learning more of his character, attributes, etc, etc, that deeply resonate with my soul. E.g... Connection to nature and the elements, "on the move" (physically active), an ability and personal desire to lightened up the mood of an atmosphere (even though I'm also naturally introverted), having optimism and an optimistic attitude (not negating the opposite side of the coin but embracing the optimistic side instead), self expression, raw sexual energy, creative, verile, musical, raw emotions, healing, having both a "beastly" and "godly" form/expression (a dualistic nature) etc.. Does anyone have any more invocations and rituals to explore a further connection to him?

My first attempt (and my only success, even after multiple future attempts) of invoking him didnt involve any offering or ritual. Only an intention to meet/experience his presence through means of meditation in a quiet room, after reading this article:

https://betweenthepillars-wordpress-com ... made-up%2F

Anyways, from my one and only experience, I can say his presence is extremely calming and inviting. The further I basked in his presence I then became influenced to lay down, where I then felt pressure on my chest, as if being pushed and held down. I tried to control this feeling at first but immediately was overcame by a drunkenness. It was intoxicating and healing. All my intention of controlling the experience was exhausted and left only with satisfaction. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. It was like feeling satiated with ease in every sense of the word.

After some time, I was then called to get up from laying, to go on a walk outside with the rest of nature. My steps were wobbly and my cognizance still drunkenly altered but a little more upbeat and playful instead of calming. When my walk was complete, I went straight to bed with a dreamless sleep.

From this experience, I dont think alcohol or any other type of chemical influence is needed in his rituals to make proper connection due to his influence of having the ability to spiritually intoxicate. Which feels a whole lot cleaner and without the negative side effects of a chemical induced drunkenness. In my opinion, I feel like ingesting any intoxicant to connect with him could possibly interfere with his own energy signature of intoxication, leading to a less fulfilling experience. Again, just an opinion from my limited interaction.

Hope someone else might have some suggestions