"O Lord, intoxicate me with the wine of Thy Love. Place the chains of Thy slavery on
My feet; Make me empty of all but Thy love, And in it destroy me and bring me
Back to life. The hunger Thou has awakened culminates In fulfillment." - Sufimaster Sheikh Abdullah Ansari
"Zeus stretched out on Semele's bed in the form of a bull
with human limbs. Then he was a panther. Then a young man with
vine shoots in his curls. Finally he settled into that most
perfect of shapes: the serpent. Zeus prolonged their union
like some story without end, a rehersal of the life of the
god about to be generated. The snake slithered over Semele's
trembling body and gently licked her neck. Then, gripping
her bust in one of his coils, wrapping her breasts in a scaly
sash, he sprnkled her not with poison but with liquid honey.
The snake was pressing his mouth against Semele's mouth, a
dribble of nectar trickling down onto her lips intoxicated her,
and all the while vine leaves were sprouting up on the bed and
there was a sound of drums beating in the darkness. The earth
laughed. Dionysus was conceived just as Zeus shouted the name
with which for centuries he was to be evoked: 'Evoe!'"
(Roberto Calasso. The Marriage
of Cadmus and Harmony, pg 47)
"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has
no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are
free." - Jim Morrison
"Walk with me my little child,
To the forest of denial,
Speak with me my only mind,
Walk with me until the time,
And make the forest turn to wine,
You take the legend for a fall,
You saw the product,
Why can't you see that you are my child,
Why don't you know that you are my mind,
Tell everyone in the world, that I'm you,
Take this promise to the end of you." - System of a Down, Forest
"The destiny of death by burning runs through the stories
of Apollo and Dionysus like a scar. Semele is burned to death,
and she is Dionysus's mother; Coronis and Asclepius are reduced
to ashes, and they are Apollo's lover and son. The divine fire
devours those venturing outside the human sphere, whether they
be betraying a god, bringing a man back to life, or seeing a
god bereft of the cloaking veil of epiphany. Beyond the limit
laid down for what is acceptable, burns the fire. Apollo and
Dionysus are often found along the edges of that borderline,
on the divine side and the human; they provoke that
back-and-forth in men, that desire to go beyond oneself,
which we seem to cling to even more than to our humanity,
even more than to life itself. And sometimes this dangerous
game rebounds on the two gods who play it." (Roberto Calasso. The Marriage
of Cadmus and Harmony, pg 59)
"New, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder, disorder,
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence,
Sacred silence and sleep,
Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep,
Disorder, disorder, disorder.
When I became the sun,
I shone life into the man's hearts,
When I became the sun,
I shone life into the man's hearts." - System of a Down, Toxicity
"I've always liked reptiles. I used to see the universe as a
mammoth snake, and I used to see all the people and objects,
landscapes, as little pictures in the facets of their scales.
I think peristaltic motion is the basic life movement.
Swallowing, digestion, the rhythms of sexual intercourse.
We must not forget that the lizard and the snake are identified
with the unconscious, with the forces of evil. There's
something deep in the human memory that reacts very strongly
to reptiles. Even if you've never seen one, the snake embodies
everything we fear." - Jim Morrison
"Plutarch, priest of Delphic Apollo, claimed that Dionysus
was just as important in Delphi as Apollo. In the freezing
winter months, the months when the dead rise and the torches
wander about the slopes of Parnassus, Dionysus is lord of
Delphi. But then Apollo returns from his nordic quest among
the Hyperboreans, and for the other nine months of the year
he reigns supreme. No victory is ever complete, nor ever
enough to last the whole year. Neither Apollo nor Dionysus
can reign forever, neither can do without the other, neither
can be there all the time. When Apollo reappears and squeezes
Dionysus's arm, we hear the last notes of the dithyrambs, and
immediately afterward the first of the paeans. The only
continuity is sound." (Roberto Calasso. The Marriage
of Cadmus and Harmony, pg 148-149)
"Where is the wine we were promised, the new wine...?" - Jim Morrison
"Life is a waterfall,
We're one in the river,
And one again after the fall.
Swimming through the void
We hear the word,
We lost ourselves,
But we find it all?
Cause we are the ones that want to play,
Always want to go,
But you never want to stay,
And we are the ones that want to chose,
Always want to play,
But you never want to lose.
Aerials, in the sky,
When you lose small mind,
You free your life.
Life is a waterfall,
We drink from the river,
Then we turn around and put up our walls.
Swimming through the void
We hear the word,
We lost ourselves,
But we find it all?
Cause we are the ones that want to play,
Always want to go,
But you never want to stay,
And we are the ones that want to chose,
Always want to play,
But you never want to lose.
Aerials, in the sky,
When you lose small mind,
You free your life.
Aerials, so up high,
When you free your eyes,
Eternal prize.
Aerials, in the sky,
When you lose small mind,
You free your life.
Aerials, so up high,
When you free your eyes,
Eternal prize. " - System of a Down, Aerials
"I bring love to give you solace
In the darkness of the night,
In the Heart's eternal light.
You need only trust your feelings;
Only love can steer you right.
I bring laughter, I bring music,
I bring joy and I bring tears.
I will soothe your primal fears.
Throw off those chains of reason
And your prison disappears."
The cities were abandoned,
And the forests echoed song.
They danced and lived as brothers;
They knew love could not be wrong.
But the winter fell upon them
And it caught them unprepared,
Bringing wolves and cold starvation,
And the hearts of men despaired. -
Rush, Hemispheres III. Dionysus: Bringer of Love
"Sometimes...I like to think of the history of rock & roll
like the origin of Greek drama. That started out on the threshing
floors during the crucial seasons, and was originally a band
of acolytes dancing and singing. Then, one day, a possessed
person jumped out of the crowd and started imitating a god..."
- Jim Morrison
"I know the feeling
It is the real thing
The essence of the truth
The perfect moment
That golden moment
I know you feel it too
I know the feeling
It is the real thing
You can't refuse the embrace...
It's like the pattern below the skin
You gotta reach out and pull it all in
And you feel like you're too close
So you swallow another dose
The pinnacle of happiness
Filling up your soul
You don't think you can take any more
You never wanna let go
To touch the roots of experience
The most basic ingredients
To see the unseen glitter of life
And feel the dirt, grief, anger and strife
Cherish the certainly of now
It kills you a bit at a time
Cradle the inspiration
It will leave you writhing on the floor...
This is so unreal, what I feel
This nourishment, life is bent
Into a shape I can hold
A twist of fate, all my own
Just grit your teeth, make no sound
Take a step away and look around
Just clench your fist and close your eyes
Look deep inside, hypnotize
The whisper is but a shout
That's what it is all about
Yes, the ecstasy, you can pray
You will never let it slip away
Like the sacred song that someone sings through you
Like the flesh so warm that the thorn sticks into
Like the dream you know one day will come to life
Try to hold on just a little longer, stronger
It's the jewel of victory
The chasm of misery
And once you have bitten the core
You will always know the flavor
The split second of divinity
You drink up the sky
All of heaven is in your arms
You know the reason why
It's right there, all by itself
And what you are, there is nothing else
You're growing a life within a life
The lips of wonder kiss you inside
And when it's over the feeling remains
It all comes down to this
The smoke clears, I see what it is
That made me feel this way...
This is so unreal, what I feel
Flood, sell your soul, feel the blood
Pump through your veins, can't explain
The element that's everything
Just clench your fist and close your eyes
Look deep inside, hypnotize
Yes, the ecstasy, you can pray
You will never let it slip away
Like the echoes of your childhood laughter, ever after
Like the first time love urged you to take its guidance, in silence
Like your heartbeat when you realize you're dying, but you're trying
Like the way you cry for a happy ending, ending...
I know"
-Faith No More, The Real Thing
More quotes....
Quotes from Thiasos Dionysos site
Wine among the ancients
Temple of Dionysos