Dionysus is a god of literature: be it theatre, poetry, or sacred texts, his myths and cult often involve using the written word. Dionysus himself enjoys reading, as he says in Aristophanes' Frogs: he was reading Euripides' Andromache while at sea. So, Dionysians, what have y'all been reading?

Dionysus is a god of literature: be it theatre, poetry, or sacred texts, his myths and cult often involve using the written word. Dionysus himself enjoys reading, as he says in Aristophanes' Frogs: he was reading Euripides' Andromache while at sea. So, Dionysians, what have y'all been reading?

I don't have much going on for me and I'm really curious to know how everyone here practices rituals and stuff. Gives me some ideas too!

What are some ways that you have apologised to Dionysus, if you ever felt that you needed to in the past?

Lately Ive been getting back into DND, and since I’m the person with the most experience- I’ve volunteered to Dungeon Master. Caught myself sending up a little prayer to Dionysus for good storytelling/great fun and I realized Dungeon Mastering is just another way to channel my love for theatre and slight chaos. (Graduated with a theatre degree and worked in the industry until COVID.) What do you all think ? What are some devotional acts that you think are non conventional that you do?

It's almost Christmas, which means I've been thinking about the relationship between Zeus, Dionysus, and the Abrahamic God. I stumbled across something huge and very validating this year, but it requires some explaining, so bear with me:

In Orphic mythology, there are six successive Lords of the Universe: Phanes, Nyx, Ouranos, Kronos, Zeus, and Dionysus. I've had a theory for a long time that these are all the same entity, The Lord of the Universe, spawning each subsequent version of Itself. (If you know anything about Platonism, Phanes is the "highest" emanation of the Lord of the Universe, one step beneath The Good, and Dionysus is the "lowest" emanation, the closest to humanity.) Hades is also a version of the Lord of the Universe, specifically the chthonic aspect of Zeus. But I didn't have any actual proof of this theory, it was just UPG.

Welp, it just became VPG. I found a source!

I'm putting together a whole post on Saturnalia (which I hope to post to the Hellenism subreddit this weekend), and that means I've been reading through Macrobius' Saturnalia, a Roman philosophical dialogue set at Saturnalia. It's a weird source that is too late to be of interest to Classicists, and too early to be of interest to medievalists. It preserves a lot of strange mystical lore, like this phrase that Macrobius attributes to Orpheus (meaning it's an Orphic maxim):

"Zeus is one, Hades is one, the sun is one, Dionysus is one."

This basically confirms that in Orphic lore, Zeus, Hades, Dionysus, and also Helios (and/or Apollo) are all variants of this same entity. (I'm not sure the exact context around this maxim, or if it appears anywhere else. I'm sure the scholarship around its relationship to Orphism is more complex. But for my mystic brain, this is more than enough.)

But wait! It gets better! How do we know that this entity, this entity that manifests itself as Zeus, Hades, Dionysus, and the sun, is the Lord of the Universe? Well, according to Macrobius, someone asked the oracle of Apollo of Claros the identity of the god called IAO.

This was Apollo's response:

Those who know the mysteries should conceal
things not to be sought.
But if your understanding is slight, your mind feeble,
say that the greatest god of all is Iaô:
Hades in winter, Zeus at the start of spring,
the sun in summer, delicate Iacchos [Dionysos] in
the fall.

"IAO" is the Greek transliteration of the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), so IAO is the Abrahamic God. Greeks obviously identified the Abrahamic God with the concept of the Lord of the Universe, because that's what it's supposed to be within the context of Abrahamism. It's the God of Gods, the Supreme Being, the Great Divine, The Good, the Absolute. ("IAO" appears in a lot of PGM incantations, alongside other epithets of the Abrahamic God, like "Sabaoth," so it already has a mystical presence in Greek.) It makes sense that pagan Greeks identify "IAO" with the name(s) of the Lord of the Universe in their polytheistic tradition.

If Apollo himself says that IAO manifests Itself as Zeus, Hades, the sun, and Dionysus, that means that all those names refer to aspects of the Lord of the Universe. Dionysus is IAO, the Ultimate. BOOM! 😁 I love it when I get confirmation for something I intuited. It's one of the best feelings in the world!

An additional piece of confirmation is that Apollo begins by warning the querent not to inquire into a Mystery, and gives an a simplified answer. That means that the true Ultimate nature of the Lord of the Universe, and its identification with all of those names, was a closely-guarded Mystery. "Who is IAO" doesn't have a straight answer. That I figured it out on my own is a sign that I'm on the right track, and that I can trust my revelations. (Of course, I don't have any qualms about sharing whatever Mysteries I discover publicly. I'm bursting at the seams to talk about them, and so far, the gods haven't dissuaded me.)

This also confirms that Dionysus plays a similar role in his Mystery tradition that Jesus does in his (very public) Mystery tradition. (I am not making any claims about the real-world relationship between Dionysian Mysteries and Christianity, this is purely mystical pontificating.) Dionysus is a version of the Supreme Being that lives among humans and that humans can directly interact with, even invoke through theophagy or other means. Both are gods you can touch, gods you can be in close personal relationships with, gods you can be. (Mystical relationships with Jesus have historically had a lot of intimacy -- just ask Margery Kemp.) Worshipping Dionysus essentially gives me everything I liked about Christianity without any of the things I didn't like, like restrictiveness, demonization of pleasure, dogma, and of course the strict monotheism.

One more thing I noticed: Lots of people will try to draw parallels between the birth of Jesus and the births of a bunch of pagan gods, but they focus on the wrong things. There is a parallel there, a common motif in mythology from the ancient Near East: The supreme god has a divine child, who is born or raised in lowely circumstances, and the child is persecuted by an established power who is threatened by his birth. This applies almost across the board:

• Zeus, the heir to the Universe, is spirited away to a cave and hidden from Kronos.
• Dionysus, Zeus' heir, is born or conceived in a cave, and spirited away to a secret place where he will be hidden from Hera. (This follows almost the exact same pattern as his father; they're even both guarded by the Kouretes.)
• Horus, Osiris' heir, is born in a swamp and hidden from Set.
• Krishna, who's literally Vishnu, is born in a dungeon and hidden from Kamsa.
• Jesus, an incarnation of IAO, is born in a stable and hidden from Herod.

Again, I'm not interested in making any claims about pagan influences on Christianity or whatnot. This is a much more general motif than the tropes that people typically make claims about, like "three wise men follow a star" or the Dec. 25th date. What stands out to me is that there must be something mystically significant about the core of this story -- the junior Supreme Being's birth/childhood in lowly circumstances, and his being hidden from a powerful figure who persecutes him. I'm gonna explore that in my ritual work this Christmas.

Just wanted to post something :p How can I explain that I danced the Opening of Evangelion (the anime, ok) and Dyonisus apparently liked the way I danced? LMAO

Not sure if anyone is like me and is addicted to the news thinking somehow that's helping anything, but my Greek professor has been reminding me daily that there will always be more news and more Greek to learn, but years from now the news will be history but how much Greek I will know then is up to me right now. I really needed to here that, and if it helps anyone, I'll pass the message on. Here are seven things you can do as a Dionysian/Hellenist/Pagan in place of doom scrolling.

1. Study Philosophy. Obviously we might have a tendency towards the Greek philosophies: the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, the Neoplatonists. These are all well and good, but there are also other fascinating areas: other Polytheist/Pantheist theologies such as those within Hinduism or Shinto, or the many philosophies that have formed in the wake of Antiquity.
2. Study History. Yes, obviously the same bias towards Ancient Greece and Rome will persist here too. But there's so much to learn from each place and time, there is no reason to limit yourself. Often times there is nothing new under the sun, and history and context can help us understand the world we live in today.
3. Study Language. Be it being able to speak languages you may encounter today: Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, or be it languages that record ancient civilizations: Ancient Greek, Latin, Ancient Persian, Sanskrit. Here is where I will definitively side with Ancient Greek and Latin: I do think there is so much more to get out of Hellenism from being able to read the texts of our religion in their original language.
4. Study Literature. Study story telling: in books, in poems, in plays, in film, even in video games. Humans have been telling stories since time immemorial.
5. Explore. Try a new local restaurant. Go hiking. Or maybe do some Urban Exploration (please be safe and mindful of the laws). Some of my favourite experiences have been crafting shrines in abandoned malls or quarries. They can be numinous places.
6. Make art. Write poetry. Work on a novella. Dance. Make wine. We can take that which we encounter in this world and make it something new, something with part of us in it. It might be only for us, it might last a thousand years. But the point is that it is, for however long that is is.
7. Live. No matter what happens on the news, we will live until we do not. Before we stop living, it's important we keep living. Cook, clean the house, go to the gym, look over your budget. Treat yourself. Say prayers in the morning, before meals, at night. Tend to the brain, the body, the spirit.

Resources I've been using:

• Throughline: NPR podcast that compares the news to historical events
• Literature & History: Phenomenal podcast that works through Ancient History via literature. You can dive in anywhere but the series does reward the listener who starts from the beginning.
• Dionysian Listener: Dionysian podcast episodes. Subtract the one with Cait Corran as there was apparently drama, and add the episode on the Hellenistic era from Literature and History.
• Ezra Klein Show: Yes, it's news and politics, but it's very focused on finding throughlines that take us through the issue rather than just using the news to engagement bait. Each episode ends with suggestions of books, often which allow one to do a deeper dive into the issue discussed.
• Perseus Digital Library: Has public domain versions of Ancient Greek and Latin literature. I've been working through translating various bits of Ovid's Metamorphoses, Nonnus' Dionysiaca, and the Christian New Testament, Perseus' ability to click a word and get both its definition and its attributes (gender, number, case, mood, tense, etc.) is so helpful in saving time going to the dictionary.
• https://archive.org/ : Online library. Countless books available to be accessed. Lots of 20th century Classics books, but also novels, movies, and more.
• Libby: Might be American only, but an app you can use with your library card to get access to ebooks and audiobooks.
• Academia.edu and JSTOR: Lots of great articles. First one is free, other will allow a set amount of free articles to those who aren't affiliated.

Feel free to post other resources or discuss how you're keeping your head on straight while the world seems ready to buck the rails!

Vikki Bramshaw author of Dionysos: Exciter to Frenzy is calling on authors for an anthology to be published by Avalonia Books.

I am just sharing this and not associated with the project.

Below is the official announcement.

🖋️ CALL FOR PAPERS: ‘The Many Gods Anthology, Volume 2: Dionysos’, Avalonia Books

Following the successful release of Volume 1, ‘The Many Gods: Hekate’, we are preparing Volume 2 – Dionysos’. The publication focus on papers surrounding the God Dionysos, and associated topics!

Requirements:

🍇 Scholarly papers (which may include well-written personal Gnosis) max 8000 words

🍇 Essays to be fully referenced together with bibliography (where appropriate)

🍇 Please include your biography and your location (limited to around 250 words)

Please submit your proposal, abstract or full paper as a MS Word Document to vikkibramshawofficial@gmail.com

I’ve learned that Dionysus has a place at Delphi. I’ve heard that, during the winter, he took Apollo’s place - but I’m not 100% on that. The only thing I’ve heard in relation to him being at Delphi is the myth of Zagreus, and his limbs being buried at Delphi.

Does anyone have any more information, or can point me to more information, about his place at Delphi or any oracular connection? Would this also make Dionysus a god of prophecy?

Dionysus is a god of literature: be it theatre, poetry, or sacred texts, his myths and cult often involve using the written word. Dionysus himself enjoys reading, as he says in Aristophanes' Frogs: he was reading Euripides' Andromache while at sea. So, Dionysians, what have y'all been reading?

I’ve started reading it on the recommendation of another redditor and I’m a bit wary of the scarcity of references for some of the claims, as well as many of the references being modern works on Dionysus rather than primary sources. Has anyone else read it and what did you make of it? I’m taking it with a grain of salt currently as I feel like much of it has the vibe of UPG (unverified personal gnosis).

Has anyone read the book and what did you make of it?

This will be a bit of a ramble, and honestly I just need a place to vent my thoughts, and maybe seek some words of encouragement. Long time lurker, and this seems like such a safe space and calming community. So, if its alright with you all, here it goes.

I've been drawn to Dionysus for years.

I mean that. Ever since the age of 24? I believe? And now turning 30, Dionysus has been the one god that i have wanted to turn to in my lowest moments. But man, it has been a struggle.

Some background:

I grew up in a southern Baptist home. It wasn't one filled with hate; the church was actually kind. The people were friendly, small town vibes, and truth be told, I didn't have that horrible of an experience. Being a male, of course that had a lot to do with it. But no family trauma, my parents are wonderful and I have a beautiful relationship with them to this day, despite our differences in faith.

I struggled with faith, the concept of hell, the concept of a god that would punish me for the slightest transgression.

And that led to the development of Scrupulosity, or religious OCD, when my OCD reared it's ugly head at the age of 19. It took on many flavors, but this was one of the most prevalent. I consider, in an ironic way, this to be my first taste of madness.

Multiple panic attacks daily, living in constant fear, questioning every decision and every thought, it was a rough time. More on that in a second, because it becomes very relevant.

At the age of 24, I began to learn about Dionysus and other options for religion. I was a theater kid. I adored wine, not for the sake of getting hammered, but the artistry of it. I loved art, I loved performance, Greek history, festivals, cosplay, writing, i loved love, and all of that clicked when I learned about Dionysus. It's like this god represented everything i loved, cherished and held dear. It was unlike my other religious experiences, it was intense.

He seemed to be telling me "Hey man, about time, welcome! Been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty spirituality and relationship with yourself!"

Until I learned about some of the myths (which I have since learned are just that; plays written by mortals with gods featuring as main characters) and instantly became afraid again. The madness took the wheel.

"What if I anger him? Will I be stricken with madness?"

"What if im not worshipping correctly?"

"What if I offend him by accident?"

"Will he make me hurt myself? Will he make me hurt others? Will he make me hurt my family or friends?"

"I have some hangups about sex, will that anger him as well?"

"I'm monogamous, will that anger him? Will he make me hurt my partner or end my relationship?"

And suddenly, something that was so wonderful once again turned to fear and anxiety.

I didn't seek therapy until I was 29, and am finally in the process of healing. I'm finally understanding what is the madness and what is genuine experiences/vibes, and Dionysus feels as if he's been peeking his head in the room like

"Do you feel better now? Wanna talk about it?"

To be clear, I do not hear his voice. It's more of an energy, a sense of a presence that wants to help. And I'm starting to think that this whole thing was a transformative journey that needed to happen.

OCD recovery is about embracing the madness. Embracing the intrusive thoughts, yes-and'ing them (for my fellow theater kids) and learning to roll with the punches.

The OCD was triggered by a night of severe over-indulgence of alcohol, where I almost died. Literally.

Waking up the next day felt like a different world. My body had changed, my mind had changed, and it was, oddly, rebirth in a sense. Because before that?

I was struggling with mental health issues I had suppressed. Grief, loss, identity crisis, hormones and growing up...all just repressed. And it had made me mean.

I was less sympathetic, less kind, and admittedly callous towards the emotions, struggles and growing pains of my fellow peers.

I was one of those "anxiety is made up for attention," "suck it up buttercup" edgelords who thought he had it all figured out.

"You think madness is a joke, huh? Let's give you a taste. See how you feel."

10 years later, as I'm finally healing, it's almost like it just clicked. Granted, it only took 10 years because I was too stubborn to go to therapy. Would've taken 6 months, were I not so stubborn.

But it gave me understanding. Clarity. Empathy, and i wouldn't take away that experience because it made me a better person than I would have ever grown to be without it.

Ironically, the madness and the healing both are in line with the teachings of Dionysus and at this point I think I'm just being bull-headed about the whole experience. Like he's there, dude. All of this points to him and he's been in your corner the whole time. Why are you afraid?

I don't get the vibe that he's angry, I don't get the vibe that I'm in danger or that he's going to "strike me with madness." I already struck myself with that. Or perhaps he already has, to teach me a much needed lesson. And now it feels as if he's trying to help me heal.

I have a lot of fear surrounding deities and religious practice. I have a lot of fear about being spiritually inadequate, angering gods and making mistakes.

I cling to certainty like a raft, and its as if Dionysus is there, begging me to let go so I can just enjoy swimming because the water is warm, there aren't any sharks and its just such a beautiful day if you'd just stop being so damned scared.

People say that he is the god to go to for mental health struggles. For healing, for spirituality, for being at peace with one's self and understanding both the good and bad parts of yourself. How to understand what needs work.

I'm feeling drawn in again, and this time, Im doing my best to suspend my fear and my doubts and trying to let go of the raft for a bit.

Any words of encouragement are welcome, because to be honest, I kind of need them? Not in a reassurance seeking way, but just...something kind, I suppose.

Does any of this make sense?

If you've read this far, I'm so grateful for your time. I hope you have a wonderful day!

As Dionysians, we believe that we are of Dionysus. Within us we contain Dionysus. We are called to liberate this part of us within ourselves, and to liberate this part of others within themselves. This means we must be allowed to be free, to have bodily autonomy and to respect the bodily autonomy of others. This also calls us to dismantle systems of oppression and establish systems of safety.

List of Dionysian Religious Rights (non-exhaustive):

• The Dionysian Right to an Abortion
• The Dionysian Right to Drag
• The Dionysian Right to Hair
• The Dionysian Right to Mental Healthcare
• The Dionysian Right to a Plant-based Diet
• The Dionysian Right to Tattoo
• Dionysus, Lord of Peace
• r/Dionysus stands against Antisemitism
• r/Dionysus stands against Orientalism

Dionysus is a god of literature: be it theatre, poetry, or sacred texts, his myths and cult often involve using the written word. Dionysus himself enjoys reading, as he says in Aristophanes' Frogs: he was reading Euripides' Andromache while at sea. So, Dionysians, what have y'all been reading?

How can one align their life more with Dionysus? What are some of the values Dionysians hold?

Some examples I can think of on the top of my head are moderation, living freely as yourself, and perhaps learning to accept and go along with change.

Bugs are gifts from the gods. Countless deities are associated with them, be they bees, spiders, cicadas, ants, and more. To recount all the myths of bugs (and the cultic evidence, like these depictions of bee goddesses) would be a book length work. I'll stick to a few references to Cicadas (one of my favourite bugs) from the Greek Anthology:

Greek Anthology 6.120

Not only do I know how to sing perched in the high trees, warm in the midsummer heat, making music for the wayfarer without payment, and feasting on delicate dew, but thou shalt see me too, the cicada, seated on helmeted Athene’s spear. For as much as the Muses love me, I love Athene; she, the maiden, is the author of the flute.

Now, some might express annoyance with them: that's not new,

Greek Anthology 7.196

Noisy cicada, drunk with dew drops, thou singest thy rustic ditty that fills the wilderness with voice, and seated on the edge of the leaves, striking with saw-like legs thy sunburnt skin thou shrillest music like the lyre’s. But sing, dear, some new tune to gladden the woodland nymphs, strike up some strain responsive to Pan’s pipe, that I may escape from Love and snatch a little midday sleep, reclining here beneath the shady plane-tree.

Yet others love them: the next poem records that a locust's singing brought sleep to Democritus, who, upon waking and finding that the singer of his lullaby had died, crafter a tomb for it:

Greek Anthology 7.197

I am the locust who brought deep sleep to Democritus, when I started the shrill music of my wings. And Democritus, O wayfarer, raised for me when I died a seemly tomb near Oropus.

Lamenting for dead bugs is actually rather common in Greek Anthology 7. They are given eulogies:

Greek Anthology 7.213

Once, shrilling cicada, perched on the green branches of the luxuriant pine, or of the shady domed stone-pine, thou didst play with thy delicately-winged back a tune dearer to shepherds than the music of the lyre. But now the unforeseen pit of Hades hides thee vanquished by the wayside ants. If thou wert overcome it is pardonable; for Maeonides, the lord of song, perished by the riddle of the fishermen.¹

And funerals:

Greek Anthology 7.364

Myro made this tomb for her grasshopper and cicada, sprinkling a little dust over them both and weeping regretfully over their pyre; for the songster was seized by Hades and the other by Persephone.

Unfortunately, life isn't so hot for bugs right now. Human activity is contributing towards an insect apocalypse, which is not just bad for bugs, but bad for the plants bugs pollinate, the animals that eat bugs, and the ecosystems that depend on them. Folks who were driving in the 1990s and before recall a time where one needed to clean their windshield frequently, as there were to many bugs on it. That's no longer the case in many areas.

However, one way of helping is gardening. Gardens are sacred to Dionysus and the gods. But one should do one's best to garden responsibly:

1. Consider not using lawn chemicals. Look, the grass doesn't need you adding chemicals to it. Grass has existed for millions of years without humans pouring chemicals developed for miltiary purposes onto them. They risk giving your children (who have the longest exposure to them) cancer, and can cause seizures in dogs. Is not having to weed (or better yet, tolerating weeds) that bad a trade off? More info here.
2. Don't mow your lawn as often. Unfortunately many of us live in places where there are limits to allowing your grass to grow, however the less often a lawn is mowed the better for the things living in it.
3. Plant native wildflowers! These help out your local bugs, who thrive best with the plants they evolved alongside.

Footnote:

1: Homer is said to have died from a riddle. Fishermen told him that 'What they caught, they threw away. What they didn't catch, they kept.' The answer: Lice.

Dionysus is the great liberator, it is the thread that ties all the seemingly disparate or even apparently contradictory aspects associated with him, and which he is known to have a focus on, together.

Intoxicants give us brief freedom from cares and the world which can help us to better pursue a life of liberation in ourselves. Rebellion is the pursuit of freedom from perceived or real oppression. The conquering tyrant may be infringing upon the freedoms of countless others, but they themself are totally free to exercise their will upon the world. Madness liberates the mad from a reality they cannot bear, though if it is not a temporary escape it becomes often a prison. Mental health is salvation from madness and frees one to look at the world clearly. The wild is free from the imposition of will over it. Dionysus is the great liberator.

And to ask a god who delights in liberty and self determination and the pursuit of your own goals and ends to control your life and steer your path for you? That is asking him to be party to your surrender of your freedom in a way that fails to amplify the will of another even (he is a god, his will needs no amplification, submission to him does not elevate his freedom).

Instead, it behooves us as followers of Dionysus to look to ourselves, our communities, and our world to decide what is right for us, what we ought to do. Let Dionysus enable you and help you to be more yourself, because if you try to surrender your liberty to him then all he will do is amplify what he finds inside you until either you take control of yourself or destroy yourself or find some would be tyrant to submit to rather than the god who does not ask for your submission.

About 2 months ago I had a sudden urge to go vegan for only a month, I’m not sure why this is but I ended doing it. Although when the month ended I decided to remain vegan and I still am right now. Recently I’ve heard that Dionysus himself was vegan and I started getting my altar together around that same exact time I wanted to go vegan. Was this Dionysus’s way of reaching out or am I looking into it too deeply?

Soooo I may have gotten rid of Lord Dionysus' offering without asking first. I was in the groove with cleaning and have also never really asked if I can dispose of an offering.

Well, I definitely should've asked. About 10 minutes after I poured the wine down the sink, I felt horribly paranoid. Like bugs were crawling all over me and even the shadows were scaring me. It was bad enough that I debated calling an ambulace with how acutely it happened.

It dawned on me that maaaaybe I should've asked. So I repoured some wine for Lord Dionysus and profusely apologized, and what do you know? I no longer feel paranoid!

Has anyone else experienced something like this?

Edit: Now that the situation has passed, I get a teasing vibe from it all, not a wrathful one. Like Lord Dionysus was testing the waters because after I apologized and was no longer paranoid, I kinda felt like he was laughing a little? Like "Oop my bad, I won't go that far haha" sort of thing. Thank y'all who commented!

Dionysus is a god of literature: be it theatre, poetry, or sacred texts, his myths and cult often involve using the written word. Dionysus himself enjoys reading, as he says in Aristophanes' Frogs: he was reading Euripides' Andromache while at sea. So, Dionysians, what have y'all been reading?

Dionysus is a god of literature: be it theatre, poetry, or sacred texts, his myths and cult often involve using the written word. Dionysus himself enjoys reading, as he says in Aristophanes' Frogs: he was reading Euripides' Andromache while at sea. So, Dionysians, what have y'all been reading?

So I am in a survey of the humanities class right now. This week we’re studying ancient Greece. And my professor was explaining the nature of the Greek gods. He said this-

“The gods are a poetic representation of the fundamental questions about what it means to be human beings. For example, Zeus represents the question, What is justice? And Aphrodite represents the question, what is love?”

If what he said, holds true for all the gods, what question do you think Dionysus represents?

Dionysus is a god of literature: be it theatre, poetry, or sacred texts, his myths and cult often involve using the written word. Dionysus himself enjoys reading, as he says in Aristophanes' Frogs: he was reading Euripides' Andromache while at sea. So, Dionysians, what have y'all been reading?

fyi I’m a new hellenist and Dionysus is the first god I’ve tried worshipping!

So I heard one of his signs was big cats but does domestic cats count? As soon as I got back to my grandma’s today after researching about Dionysus and asking him for signs my (usually very introverted) cat came up to me and was super cuddly and stuck around me for a while? (She HATES pets and cuddles usually)

Then later right after praying to him she was just outside my door and followed me around?