THE ONLY BOOK EVER PUBLISHED, GIVING THE COMPLETE MYTH & CULT OF DIONYSUS A BOOK THAT EXPLAINS HIS RELEVANCE AND MEANING TO US TODAY!
DIONYSUS, MYTH & CULT OF THE FORBIDDEN by James F. Cullinan, who writes: There is no god in the western pantheon more controversial than Dionysus! He was controversial 2000 years ago and is still so today! For this is the god who expresses the unspeakable, forbidden realms of the human psyche!
LET’S MAKE ONE THING ABSOLUTELY CLEAR FROM THE OUTSET: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE AVERAGE READER.
No attempt is made to sell it to the casual reader! And yet people ignore it at their peril. To the ancients, Dionysus was the one god they most definitely wanted to be on the right side of! This talk of ‘gods’ – is it not nonsense? In any event, weren't they all overturned by the coming of Jesus and the establishment of the Church? So you may think! ‘The gods are dead.’ Well … so you may think! What I have learnt and experienced of the god is that for me, there is no going back! To live a life without awareness of this particular god, is to live in darkness! Yet, Dionysus is the god of darkness! HE IS THE FORBIDDEN! The original devil! And without him, there would be no Jesus! What a tiny universe the religionist lives in! ‘Believe in Jesus and you will be saved.’ ‘Do right and you’ll be OK.’ ‘Keep the commandments, do good deeds!’ ‘All else is the devil’s doing!’ What person with an open mind wants to live in a universe like that?
DIONYSUS IS OUR DESTINY!
Enslaver and liberator! And you ignore him at your peril!
He is the bestower of riches … luxuries … mirth … inexhaustible blessings! He heals the soul! He liberates the soul! There is no way of going back when this god is acknowledged! The gods are alive: they didn’t disappear with the coming of Christianity; but they will be here long after Christianity, just as they were here long before it!
I AM NOT TRYING TO SELL YOU THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT! DON’T BUY IT!
It isn’t entertainment! It takes people into territory where most fear to go! Dionysus is both a god and a bogeyman! Dionysus is Christianity’s worst nightmare! BUT WITHOUT HIM THERE COULD BE NO JESUS!! Since I became aware of him I have not been the same. My inner life has expanded in a manner I could never have imagined! And I was formerly an agnostic – almost an atheist! So you think there is no such thing as ‘gods’: they were figments of superstitious people’s imagination – right? We got over all that stuff when Christianity came along to save us – right? Or maybe you don’t believe in the Christian ‘God’ either? He who sends some to heaven and others to hell? He who had his only begotten son come down and die for us? You don’t believe all that either? I don’t blame you! And you may lead a saner, duller life than me!
BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I CAN DENY THE GODS’ EXISTENCE. I DON’T HAVE TO BELIEVE IN THEM – I DON’T NEED TO!
Of all the gods, Dionysus is the most lethal! And yet liberating! When I began writing this book, I felt I couldn’t carry on. I had never come across anything like this before. I was not prepared for it! Yet, I continued, for I always try to finish what I start – no matter what.
YOU MIGHT THINK I AM CRAZY: BUT I URGE YOU NOT TO BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT! ‘Some things are best left alone.’ How many times have you heard that? You may think the same. SO LEAVE THIS ALONE. IT IS NOT FOR NOTHING THIS IS CALLED ‘FORBIDDEN’!
Do you wonder why there is so much wickedness in the world? Such evil? Are you nauseated, when they say, ‘It’s God’s will’? Do you become irritated when they blame the Devil – whoever he may be? ‘The Devil’: ah, where would the Church be without him? Dionysus is every bigot’s worst dream! Before the religious nutters ever dreamt up the Devil, Dionysus was there. Before Jesus came along, he was there. In the Dionysian world, you will see things in a way you were not prepared for. But for me, there is no going back. Sometimes I think I’m ‘mad’ – but I would not trade this feeling for anything in the world. My book consists of 100 pages. It gives the god’s biography and then, in depth, describes his cult. THIS IS NOT EASY READING. Some might find themselves mesmerized by how bizarre it is, but, I repeat, IT IS NOT FOR MOST PEOPLE.
WHEN SOMETHING IS ‘FORBIDDEN’, THERE IS A REASON FOR IT.
Most of humanity has to be told not to do certain things. But those rare folk with imagination and a daring nature will go where ‘wise men fear to tread’. But then I think it isn’t very ‘wise’ to avoid the forbidden. Avoiding it is akin to avoiding yourself. Is that what you want? It is certainly what most want! The ancient cult had a terrifying aspect: I am sorry, but there is little that you will be spared in this book. I felt I couldn’t continue it – but am glad that I did.
THIS BOOK BRINGS YOU HEAD ON INTO THE UNSPEAKABLE.
‘Wickedness’? Do you want to read about it? Do you actually think we should shun wickedness’ … pretend it’s not there? The Church offers us such a little universe: we don’t have to accept it. WICKEDNESS MUST BE CONFRONTED: NOT IGNORED. (Centuries of ignoring it haven’t made it go away: on the contrary, there is more than ever.) In the Dionysian world, everything is turned on its head.
THERE ARE NO SAFE AND EASY ANSWERS HERE. FORGET ABOUT MORALITY!
Yet, Dionysus, god of paradox, enlightens. He liberates! He opens doors. He dares you! He invites you into your self … and out of it! I will show you what I have found. I will show you the ‘forbidden path’. Religious orthodoxy hates the old gods because it can’t get its head around them. In my book, Dionysus explodes everything! He opens the door: don’t go in if you wish to remain ‘safe’ and ‘comfortable’. But if you enter, you may not wish to come back. I certainly don’t. There is a Hobson’s Choice here. Not to enter is to close the door on yourself. But at least you will be ‘safe’ (?) I know sales of this book will be limited. But I had to write it. Every author wants everyone to read his book. But I cannot in all honesty tell you that you should have it, if you are in any way disinclined. We’re in ‘crazy’ territory here! I have never felt crazier … or saner! Nothing is the same anymore for me. Neither am I bound by some set of religious precepts and rules. Dionysus demands that you enjoy yourself.
As for ‘wickedness’: if you do not know the god, then you cannot deal with it. If we are guilty of one thing, it is this: we keep short-changing ourselves. Most of us are chained to our ignorance. We live in darkness and call it ‘light’. In ancient Greece, those who paid particular homage to Dionysus believed they were protected by the god. When the Athenians were outnumbered by a staggering 50 to 1 against the Persians, with not a chance in a million of victory, they invoked Dionysus. Against all possible odds, the next day they inflicted a decisive defeat on the Persian mass! Later, an Athenian general, home after a long campaign, needed a new horse and a wad of cash in a hurry. He petitioned the god and received both on the very same day! These examples are documented in the ancient sources (Persians in Herodotus; the general in his memoirs, Xenophon) and they were typical. What a god!
He was a transvestite! He was a drunkard! Some thought he was insane! When I began, I couldn’t believe the ancients could worship such a one! Then there is his life: a story of persecution, murder, incest, debauchery, betrayal – AND THAT’S BEFORE WE GET TO THE BAD PARTS!
I just couldn’t understand why such a god was so honoured. In fact it took me 22 years to figure it out!
HERE IS A TRULY ‘DEVILISH GOD’: ONE WHO CAN LEAD YOU RIGHT UP THE PROVERBIAL GARDEN PATH … YET INTO YOUR TRUE SELF! In my book I show how to access the god – without ritual, magic words, or any other occult accoutrement. ANOTHER UNIVERSE CAN BE OPENED TO YOU … THE UNIVERSE OF YOUR OTHER SELF – THE ETERNAL UNKNOWABLE YOU!
But this is not, I say it again, for everyone.
It is only for those who dare know the Forbidden.
