Dionysus: Death, Rebirth, Transformation

Ian and I discuss the Greek-Roman god Dionysus-Bacchus. He reads an Orphic poem and then I gloss various stories put together into a narrative in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. This is a fascinating discussion of a god with opposing features: of gentleness, compassion, and persuasion, but also of wild revelry, frenzy, and terrible violence. We discuss this divinity of the vine, of natural vitality cultivated on a structure, and of rebirth after dissolution, whose product leads to new “creativity” and destruction. He is a god of death and rebirth, and hence, of transformation, and we talk about his spirit’s contribution to the transformation and rebirth of individuals in life and civilizations in their lives.

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For the full video episode:

https://youtu.be/B6fIc44N64s

Audio episode:

https://benomtad.podbean.com/e/howard-pyle-s-robin-hood-little-john-lives-with-the-sheriff/

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About our guest:

Ian Reclusado is currently off exploring the poetic wilds of psychology, neuroscience, and spirituality.

He also offers guidance services for those interested in delving into their own inner wilderness.

You can find his weekly dispatches at www.thekindknife.com or follow him on Instagram: @ian_reclusado

I plan to conduct more interviews with various guests, so please check back later for those.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:12 The Meaning of BenOMTAD

01:01 Format of this Episode

01:25 Recalling the Oracle

02:46 Ian on the Orphic Hymn

04:05 Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology” on Dionysus

14:56 Thoughts on the Murder of Pentheus by the Maenids

18:05 A Possible Earlier Version of Dionysus

23:26 A Dionysian Lineage

26:45 Humanity Born from the Titans, in this Telling

28:20 Gold Leaf Possible Evidence for Dionysus’s Role in Creating Humanity

30:46 This Interesting Side Myth

32:25 Liking the Multiple Local Myths and Thinking of Renewal

34:51 We are an Ultra Social Species

36:04 Multiple Facets of Dionysus and Renewal

37:16 Dionysus’ Rebirth from Semele

39:03 Unwelcome Dionysus

40:17 A Bit on Nietzsche’s Dionysian vs Apollonian

42:53 Why Dionysus May Be the Patron of Theater

44:22 The Transformative Place of Theater in Greek Culture

50:58 How is Dionysus Transformative?

59:42 The Direct Metaphor of Grapes to the Character of Dionysus

01:05:14 Orpheus

01:14:30 Theme: If You Do Not Dissolve in the Transformative Process, You Will Be Destroyed

01:18:50 Balancing the Dionysian and Apollonian in Meditation

01:19:18 How Orpheus Lost His Faith

01:26:18 A Prophetic Warning for Our Civilization

01:28:29 This Balance is Also Our Challenge Every Day

01:37:32 If We Don’t Have Faith, It Could Come and We Won’t Even See It

01:41:25 My Own Story of Ignored Creativity

01:44:03 Our Intention with This Podcast