All praise to Dionysos, caster of shadows,
so bright you sear the eyes of men, god of all things
that touch our souls, we seek you at the edges
of our lives, in all that we hide from ourselves,
stepping past the threshold, past safety, past the known.
Dionysos, beacon of faith and desire,
you transcend the limits of culture, of nature;
you grant us euphoria, escape, self-knowledge;
you hold us, you transform us, you call us to you
and we follow. In you we find solace, O god,
in you we find inspiration. In you we find
freedom within our grasp at last, dare we take it.
Dionysos, kind one, seductive one, we know you
in the body’s pleasures, the mind’s furthest flights,
the rhythms theat shake us, that open our hearts,
the soul-deep rages that pass like summer storms,
the moments of passion, held still in space.
Dionysos, nearest of gods, I thank you
for flashes of truth, for visions of self,
for that measureless piece of life between two breaths.
Dionysos, granter of ecstasy, granter
of growth, granter of perception, I honor you.