Dionysus: Rave, Ritual and Revolution

In this course, Chiara Baldini invites you to take a deep dive into a cultural lineage that accompanied Western history since primordial times, that defines our identity in deep resonance with other non-Western cultures and can support us in rediscovering meaningful aspects of European and, more specifically, Mediterranean indigeneity.

By meaningful, Chiara means stories, myths, archetypes, ritual practices that express a yearning for a direct, ecstatic, mystical contact with the elemental forces of nature, while also embodying a pre-patriarchal value and belief system where the greater power is that of giving and nurturing life, rather than the one of taking life. A cultural lineage where collective rituals of maddening rhythm patterns of the shamanic drum, furious dancing, ingestion of psychotropic substances, spontaneous sexuality, were some of the methods to tap into the untamed powers lying deep within each of us, in acts of profound devotion towards the more-than-human. Rituals where there was no sanity without madness and no madness without sacredness, where healing could come from above or from below, and paradox and ambiguity were the keys to understanding reality. But also where the intensity and the vulnerability shared in the rites could foster solidarity and connection across social, gender, ethnic boundaries, in the expression of allegiance to something older than the oldest of our ancestors. What is that something?

In this course, you will explore the many facets of the cult of Dionysus aka Bacchus, as one of the many “masks” of the most ancient human religious practice that in the Greek and Roman times took the form of the worship of the god of vegetation, fermentation, fertility, ritual sexuality, ecstasy, (spiked)wine, theatre, queerness, madness, dance and… revolution!

You will start from the rituals offered four millennia ago in honour of his Mother, the Mountain Mother, the Earth Goddess, the Snake Goddess of the Minoans of Crete, the first “European” civilisation – and, possibly, the ONLY non-patriarchal one among ALL the archaic civilisations. We will consider the Minoan use of shamanic “techniques of ecstasy” as a remnant of an even older tradition, but also the extraordinarily unique way in which their egalitarian value and belief system informed their socio-political organization. You will find out how these values were preserved in what later became a controversial, disruptive and extremely seductive cult in honour of a “male” god.

You will discover how, a few centuries later, by the time patriarchy was the established cultural norm, the egalitarian and “countercultural” spirit rooted in the associations devoted to organising Dionysian initiations, or Thiasoi, made a fundamental contribution to the birth of both the theatre and of Athenian democracy itself. You will reflect on how Dionysus, far from being an “outsider” was actually foundational and instrumental to the preservation of social cohesion and in the fostering of democratic citizenship in ancient Athens. But you will also remember how the important role of women, and what we now call queer people, was perceived as an exception and a threat especially when Dionysus was imported to the Roman Empire and became Bacchus. You will rediscover the solidity of the bond created among people sharing a Bacchic worldview and practice, and the power of that bond to challenge the status quo of a militaristic, hierarchical, misogynist and homophobic society, like that of Rome.

In drawing the history of such a unique and fascinating religious lineage, you will deepen the understanding of our past as a fundamental aspect of understanding who we are now and in the possibility of choosing our future, away from patriarchal ways of thinking and doing. However, you will also balance idealistic views with the reality of a deeply ambiguous tradition, where nothing is what it seems, the light brings the darkness of its shadow and everyone is called to navigate uncertain and multidimensional terrains using knowledge, intuition and common sense.

With a solid foundation in academic research and archaeological, iconographical and literary evidence, you will delve into the mythological, historical and anthropological dimensions of the Dionysian cult. Expect to be taken on an exciting journey through the bewildering visuals of ancient frescos, vase paintings, jewelry, textiles, architecture, weaving the narratives of established knowledge with those of the latest research, where a queer-feminist lens is taken as a reference, but also questioned in its most extreme positions.

Lastly, you will venture into a reflection on the contemporary “masks of Dionysus”: those modern events and practices that could be seen as spontaneous re-enactments of the cultural lineage of this shape-shifting god, be it raves and psychedelic festivals, sex-positive events or political and ecological activism.

Are you ready? Dionysus is waiting for you.

Stay in contact with Chiara via email on [email protected] or Instagram here @iamalwayschiara