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Author Topic: Hellenic: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus  (Read 5689 times)

Morbid

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #15 on: May 10, 2018, 10:57:23 pm »
Thank you for that link. I am reading it now and will almost certainly return to it later, too.

One of the things that surprised me was how kind the entity I experienced was—almost like a benevolent much older brother who knows me better than I know him. It was a healing and gentle encounter, and not what I associate with Dionysus. That said, no sparkly promises were made, just an invitation to work with him in a new way.

Maybe this is an aspect of the god that I have forgotten. I will have to review my mythology. I tend to get sidetracked by the madness, Agave ripping her son’s head off, etc.

He is also a deity of rebirth, having been born twice and reconstituted after being ripped to pieces...

You have given me a lot to think about. And maybe I should take Dumbledore’s words to heart...

I only have a little bit to add to the conversation, but thought it might be helpful for you.  I don't work with Dionysus at all, so I can't comment on those specific parts.  I did want to share with you, however, my experiences when it comes to working with Anubis. 

I've found that the typical description of Anubis, and perhaps other Gods, is wildly incorrect.  You know with Anubis, there's a lingering image of him being cold and uncaring.  But I can say in all honesty he's one of the warmest entities I've ever experienced.  The prep room at work is always kept chilly - helps to preserve the bodies and prevent the spread of germs.  But I've had times whilst at work where it suddenly feels like I've had a warm cloak thrown over my shoulders and I know that Anubis is near.  My hands which sometimes hurt and shake from the nerve damage and what not grow calm. 

I often see Anubis as a father figure.  One who guides and offers comfort.  One who holds your hands steady even though they want to shake and rattle.  Is it just my imagination?  Possibly.  Is it worth it to me?  Yes, yes it is. 

A lot of us work with deities and in our work find ourselves aligned with a particular deity based on our work.  I'm a funeral director/mortician, and we all know that Anubis is closely related to the funeral and burial rights.  So in that regards it seems fairly fitting that I would align myself with Anubis. 
For he who has truly lived never truly dies.

TheGreenWizard

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #16 on: May 12, 2018, 08:10:54 pm »
A lot of us work with deities and in our work find ourselves aligned with a particular deity based on our work.  I'm a funeral director/mortician, and we all know that Anubis is closely related to the funeral and burial rights.  So in that regards it seems fairly fitting that I would align myself with Anubis.

And as an add-on to your reply, Morbid, that the negative of your statement is also true. I work with Dionysos, but my career path doesn't necessarily align with what he's known for. For me, Dionysos came into my life (and is still here) when I needed a lot of self-love and care - namely with regards to limits (which makes sense seeing he is a liminal God who favors breaking down boundaries).
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go

Morbid

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #17 on: May 13, 2018, 07:41:41 am »
And as an add-on to your reply, Morbid, that the negative of your statement is also true. I work with Dionysos, but my career path doesn't necessarily align with what he's known for. For me, Dionysos came into my life (and is still here) when I needed a lot of self-love and care - namely with regards to limits (which makes sense seeing he is a liminal God who favors breaking down boundaries).
Oh most definitely.  Least not forget too that our relationship with a particular diety can and does change over time, as well.  So it is possible in that sense TGW that when Dionysos decides that he's done all he can do for you, your relationship may change. 
For he who has truly lived never truly dies.

demoiselle

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #18 on: May 15, 2018, 10:23:05 pm »
The important thing is this: Dionysos is okay with you continuing to honor him, and he's okay with you moving on. It's up to you to decide which you want to do. Like Eastling said, maybe you want to continue your spiritual practices and talk with DIonysos to see where he can point you to.

He may be letting me choose, but he sure is popping up all over right now: in my dreams, in synchronicities (I was invited to participate in a poetry reading out of the blue, I found a store of 70% off art supplies), and in stores where I keep seeing things that my hands itch to put in a shrine.

I thought to myself "what is up?" and a voice in my mind laughed and said "You are welcome to choose your path freely, but I never promised not to seduce you."

Eastling

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #19 on: May 16, 2018, 11:41:37 am »
He may be letting me choose, but he sure is popping up all over right now: in my dreams, in synchronicities (I was invited to participate in a poetry reading out of the blue, I found a store of 70% off art supplies), and in stores where I keep seeing things that my hands itch to put in a shrine.

I thought to myself "what is up?" and a voice in my mind laughed and said "You are welcome to choose your path freely, but I never promised not to seduce you."

Sounds like him to me.
"The peacock can show its whole tail at once, but I can only tell you a story."
--JAMES ALAN GARDNER

TheGreenWizard

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #20 on: May 17, 2018, 06:33:48 am »
He may be letting me choose, but he sure is popping up all over right now: in my dreams, in synchronicities (I was invited to participate in a poetry reading out of the blue, I found a store of 70% off art supplies), and in stores where I keep seeing things that my hands itch to put in a shrine.

I thought to myself "what is up?" and a voice in my mind laughed and said "You are welcome to choose your path freely, but I never promised not to seduce you."
Yep - that last line is completely Dionysos. Which reminds me I still need to meditate sometime this week with meeting him as my intention...

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“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go

demoiselle

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #21 on: May 17, 2018, 12:21:25 pm »
Yep - that last line is completely Dionysos. Which reminds me I still need to meditate sometime this week with meeting him as my intention...

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What brought you to Dionysus?

TheGreenWizard

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #22 on: May 20, 2018, 12:07:49 pm »
I think it was a combination of factors. My husband is in theater, we have an open relationship and I'm still exploring my sexuality. But there's more:

1. I had a coworker who is Wiccan and she and I talked a lot about that and my studies. Before I had told her about this dream I had she said that she felt several presences around me, namely Artemis and Bacchus. After telling her about the dream she urged me to do some more research into those deities and to do some more meditation to try and contact them.

2. I met Dionysos in a guided meditation (from Penczak's Gay Witchcraft) and at the time I had personal issues - namely my relationship felt like it was not in great shape, I wasn't loving what I was doing, and I was having self doubts. During the meditation, I met a beautiful young man with wavy/curly brown hair lying down on a hill. I went to lay down next to him but slipped and fell on top of him... And he just proceeded to French kiss me. I didn't feel repulsed - surprised yes, but I felt so comfortable with him. And I felt like my self-imposed limits and doubts were cast aside and away.

3. Since that meditation I keep seeing references to him - just this week I saw a store selling fig trees. I told myself I'll buy it the next day if it's still there and sure enough it was! Now it's in my living room waiting for a pot.

When I meditate in front of my altar with that picture of Dionysos, I feel so much love, calm, and peace. And no judegement. I know that for some outside of my practice, they would say that I'm psychologically adjusting myself through the lens of a deity that I constructed but I find that to be too cynical/pragmatic/realistic? And even now, I'm exploring other deities in the Hellenic pantheon, namely Apollo.

That's what drew me to Dionysos 

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Rodney_Dawn

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #23 on: February 09, 2021, 05:45:11 pm »
I am sorry I didn’t get this finished yesterday as I hoped. I wanted to make sure I wrote up my memory accurately (and wanted to compare this account with the notes I made right after my experience).

CONTEXT
I am a late-30s woman who began working in theatre in her mid-teens, and dedicated herself to it with an almost single-minded intensity until my early 30s. I loved it, but also often felt taken advantage of and used for my talents by more powerful people who would often fail to credit me or even be kind to me. I finally left the field involuntarily when my academic advisor died suddenly and six years ago. It was like a door firmly shut, and in the years since I have rarely even attended theatre because my feelings are so complicated. It would not be an exaggeration to say that my entire identity shattered.

Since then, I have been working to develop myself as a well-rounded person with hobbies, a social life, a healthier mind, etc. I’ve also finally been diagnosed with a chronic illness that I’d suffered from since childhood and am getting treatment (alas no cure!). I’ve been doing a lot of work on myself in terms of meditation, exercise, therapy, soul-searching, and workbooks like The Artist’s Way. In many ways, I feel I’ve been reborn in the last year.

Because of my previous field, I’ve known a fair amount about Dionysus for years, at least in an academic fashion. Despite working in theatre, I have always been rather frightened of his seeming volatility. In recent weeks, I have been considering whether other gods might be better archetypes for me—gods of craftsmanship rather than inspiration.

A few weeks ago, I visited Athens and spent a fair amount of time in the Theatre of Dionysus and the ruins dedicated to Dionysus nearby. I felt very little, and was disappointed by that.

THE EXPERIENCE
This happened on May 3.

Recently, I had been having a nagging feeling that my relationship with the idea of Dionysus was somehow not right, that there is unresolved business there. I have been pondering seeking deities as models who have a more measured, craft/artisan type of approach and reputation, but this thought of unfinished business with Dionysus stayed with me until my evening meditation, when the thought came to me that I didn’t have to agonize over the question, I could . . . Just ask and see what happens.

I sat on my zafu, lit my meditation candle, closed my eyes, and after I got settled into a quiet place, I started mentally intoning Di-o-ny-sus, Di-o-ny-sus, Di-o-ny-sus. I got a feeling, suddenly, that I was no longer alone. Then, in my mind’s eye, I saw the silhouette of a young, slender man with a sort of staff standing before the candle in my mind. I couldn’t see any features, just a form, but I recognized that I was being visited by Dionysus (whether for real, or in my subconscious).

I couldn’t get any words out, but I could feel my emotions radiating in all directions: surprise, some fear, amazement, doubt, and even anger. Before I could formulate a question, the entity greeted me as if he and I were already bonded/related in some way.

He made me know that he was satisfied with me. In his eyes, I had served him and his art well and faithfully for half my life. He indicated that my break from theatre had not been a curse or punishment. Instead, my time dedicated to the art had ended because he had released me from my obligation.

I had a vivid image of myself in white, as if I were some sort of handmaiden or priestess who had completed a term of service and had been sent out into the larger world. I could practically see myself leaving temple grounds.

At this point, tears started to come from my eyes. I felt confused because I anticipated an angry and disappointed god, and had never considered that a deity might be satisfied or even pleased with me.

The objection rose in me, “But I’m a failure!” And Dionysus responded that my work in art had continued life, that my participation and inspiration had been vital and meaningful and they contribute to “the whole” even now. At this point, my job is to live a full and rich life.

I felt a wave of sorrow that I did not know this earlier, that I didn’t recognize that Dionysus had been with me, and now that part of my life had ended.

And then Dionysus told me that I was not forsaken, that I could still serve him should I choose to, but it doesn’t have to be in the same way I chose in childhood. I understood from him that there is a spark of creative power in me that had dimmed during my years of work and self-denial. Now that I am healing, I could rededicate myself by embracing my nature, even the mad, wild, impulsive parts of me. Inside me is a source of power that I can use.

I still had tears running down my face and I knew I needed to give a response. I didn’t want to make any long-term promises, so I thanked Dionysus for speaking to me and promised to make him an offering the next day. The shape of the god faded away and I was again in the quiet darkness of my meditation.

The next day, I put together an offering bowl with a flower, cranberries, home-made bread, and some sherry. I lit a candle and sat before it with the intention of honoring and appreciating Dionysus. I have since then added a pine cone and another wildflower that I found on a walk. I’ve taken it out every time I’ve meditated since then.

FALLOUT

I’ve spent the last couple days alternately excited and confused. On the one hand, I felt a god connected and communicated with me. On the other, I’m actually an agnostic/atheist (though curious about pagan faiths) and part of my mind says that I just have a vivid imagination and my mind told me what it wanted to hear.

A third part of me wonders if the difference between the two is meaningful, if the encounter has had a real impact on me.

Right now, I’m not sure what to do next. The offering felt right to me, but where do I go from here? Especially if I am not sure what, exactly, Dionysus wants from me?
Dionysius can be a great teacher who is often underestimated due to his association with debauchery.  While that association is accurate to an extent,  it is not his sole purpose. He is much deeper than simply that stereotype.  My advice :  Take your time, listen to what it is that he wants from you and wants to teach you, and take it from there.  my experience, Dionysius can both be easily amused, and just as easily offended if he feels he is being ignored.

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Re: My Encounter with (Maybe?) Dionysus
« Reply #24 on: February 11, 2021, 06:07:23 pm »

A Reminder:
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