Dionysus (Bacchus)
Dionysus was the youngest god of Olympus. He is the Baby New Year who takes over from old Father Time (Hades) on New Year's Day. He is born with the new year (early spring in ancient Greece), is young and playful in the spring, more mature and settled in the summer, dies with the harvest, and goes to the underworld in the winter, where he becomes Hades. Then he starts all over again the next spring. Dionysus represents new life, rebirth, rejuvenation. His energy is revitalizing. The life-giving fluids - sap, blood and wine - are his domain. When we encounter Dionysus, we come away renewed, refreshed, alive again. Sometimes Dionysus is too much for people and they go insane, into a frenzy like his female followers the Maenads, the original groupies. A nature god, Dionysus was the male counterpart of Aphrodite (who rejuvenated people as well, and who was the aboveground counterpart of Persephone) and Persephone (who also lived and died with the seasons). He was surrounded by women: his mother and nurses as a child, his wife Ariadne, and his groupies.
Modern Dionysuses have a rejuvenating energy to them. They are charismatic, intense, emotional, alive. They are also idealistic, open minded, empathic, dreamy, mystical, sensual, relaxed, imaginative, sensitive, gentle, sweet natured, and boyish. They are androgynous mavericks, poets and bohemians. They love nature, children (who are full of life), and animals. They may have a shamanic, mystical streak, and are often drawn to New Age practices and exotic religions (e.g. Native North American, Buddhist, Indian). These days, they're just as likely to be yoga-practicing vegetarian non-drinkers as wine lovers or drug users. Dionysuses are into girl power - they like hanging around with women, are fun for women to hang out with, and are generally feminist. Other men call them girly, and people often wonder if they're gay (or at least used to), but usually they're not. Relationships are important to them.
Themes
the Green Man; the bohemian; the dying god (Jesus, James Dean, Elvis); the hippie; the neopagan; the ecstatic; the mystic; the dreamer; the visionary; the poet; the guru; Baby New Year; the environmentalist; nature boy; girl power; kid power
|
Ancient symbols
the grape vine
the ivy
the fig
the pine tree
the bull, the goat, the panther, the fawn
the lion
the leopard
the tiger
the ass
the dolphin
the snake
Modern symbols
holly, ivy, mistletoe
the dolphin
the dove
|