Quotes from Pagan Graces by Ginette Paris

"In Greece the Dionysian festivals were associated with primitive feasts."

"Gastronomical rituals that require sophisticated service, formal dress, white linen and fragile china are just the opposite of the noisy, rustic and bucolic Dionysian feast."

"One must not confuse Dionysian appetite with bulimia or chronic overeating; eating without appetite is anti-Dionysian."

"The Dionysus who tears off chunks of juicy meat with his teeth, enjoys licking his fingers, and squirts wine from his flask sometimes approaches sexuality with the same rustic manners. This approach can be interpreted more as a sign of sexual appetite than as an expression of vulgarity or sexist violence."

"It's Dionysus who makes us tear off our clothes (or at least pop our buttons), messes up our hair, knocks over things and disturbs the neighbors. Dionysus' sexual energy is powerful, deep-rooted, gutsy, making us drink at the very source of animal life."

"Originally, the word orgy meant a religious event recognized by the authorities. A Dionysian orgy was therefore a form of Dionysus-worship, accepted as such by the city."

"Dionysus brings madness to king Lycurgus and to his cousin king Pentheus, because they won't recognize his divinity. The story is worth telling. One can read this as a fable about the danger of having an exclusively rationalistic point of view on life."

"Dionysus can't bear people who value reason and moderation above all else, who repress all grunts, spasms of laughter and tears, this naive enough to think they can rid themselves of all darkness, or all madness."

"In Greek mythology there are many warnings: don't try to match a divinity, ever! Where societies have allowed them, Dionysias have always been well-defined in time, like a break in the daily routine, as if to underscore the exceptional quality of the moment which cannot and should not last."

"Dionysus, God of carnivals and masquerades and patron saint of actors, is also the masked God or God of masks."

"The ascetic, who will never allow a little fun, a little drunkenness, who forbids excess and fears intensity, is not the only anti-Dionysian type. The fantasy that one day I will find my authentic self, the one behind the mask, behind the mirror, behind the roles, is also anti-Dionysian."

MODERN THOUGHTS

The last full blown Dionysia I attended, occurred last Saturday. I was sitting in a nightclub with three women that I barely know, drinking Long Island Ice Tea, talking about sex in loud voices, occasionally beating like goats and just generally having a good time. None of it was planned and no one was directing or stage-managing it. Before I left, they asked me to do a pagan ritual for their prosperity. I pulled out my Pocket Witch Kit (TM) and we all did a ritual to honor Aphrodite and Dionysus. (I don't believe any of them are completely pagan, although they are considering it.)

IMHO, this sort of full Dionysia must be performed no less than once monthly and no more than an average of once a week, to stay healthy. A small prayer (or worship) of Dionysus happens every time you enjoy the texture as well as the taste of a meal or are moved to tears (or laughter) by a movie or book. This sort of mini-Dionysia should not be performed less than once a week and no more than an average or once a day for continued health.

Acting, role-playing games and other out-of-personality experiences are also Dionysia (although slightly more controlled). A true Dionysia can be limited in time and you can prepare to minimize the consequences afterwards but, while it is happening, it can't be controlled.