"Mysteries of Dionysus: God of Ecstasy" Zoom Talk-Rietveld-Th March 13, 8pm

Join us on Zoom for another Salon lecture on "The Mysteries of Dionysus: God of Ecstasy" for Ipso Facto by Dr. James Rietveld on Thursday, March 13, 8 pm.

Follow this link to join us:
Pay What You Wish: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1202781203959

Explore the Mysteries of Dionysus: god of ecstasy, wine-making, festivity, theatre, fertility, a son of Zeus and Semele, born from Zeus’ thigh, known as Bacchus to the Romans.

Constantly accompanied by his troops of maenads and satyrs, Dionysus was a god reveling in ecstatic celebration, dancing with his devotees within dark forests and upon open glades, spawning festivals Dionysia, Anthesteria and Bacchanalia held in his name. Western theater was literally invented for him, with the first plays debuting at his festivals and the profession of acting, with its' masks and duality, originating in Dionysian worship.

To truly understand the god Dionysus, one must examine his liminality, a dual nature occupying the space between human and divine, between sane and insane, between sensual and spiritual, male and female, with underworld aspects. Embodying the darker traits of alcohol, with debauchery, raw carnality and ferocity at the core of his mysteries, Dionysus earned the fearsome attribute “eater of raw flesh.” He led his followers in wild, excitatory trance of divine inspiration and power, a near mania, with dancing, drumming, screaming, and sex, interwoven with shamanic, shapeshifting elements, culminating in spiritual ecstasy.

There was also a dark, gentle, somber version of Dyonysus, represented by a figwood mask, as god of viticulture, alluding to the fermentation stage of winemaking . When the matured wine was opened, the bright, wild, unrestrained version of Dionysus would appear.

Dionysus became intimately associated with the seasons, the natural processes of life, death and renewal. He lived in the spring and summer, died by winter, and rose again the following spring as a god of resurrection, his life restored by the power of the gods, transcending death.

Many believed if Dionysus could rise again, so could they, holding fast that participating in his sacred energies held the key.

But what exactly were these mysteries and how do they influence the history of western religious thought?

And how does Christianity, whose Jesus was also sacrificed and resurrected through the power of God, fit into the picture?

Join us for this virtual Zoom lecture which promises to provide details on Dionysus to stimulate many conversations to come!

This lecture will be posted on the Dr. James Rietveld Salon Lecture You Tube channel, where you can also watch previous lectures: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jamesrietveldsalonlectu2903
Dr. James Rietveld is a professor at CSU, Fullerton and Cal Poly Pomona, CA of History, Anthropology, Religion with a PHD from Claremont School of Religion, is author of two books, and can be seen on History channel's "Crazy Rich Ancients."

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