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The Orphic Hymns

and their use in practical magic

Sara L. Mastros Sara@MastrosZealot.com www.OrphicHymns.com www.Facebook.com/SaraMastros

Ancient Magic Symposium Spring 2021

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Optional Silent Invocation while you Wait...

Blessed Goddess of the Krokopeplos, you are Liminality, who guards the doors of initiation, and so many call you Propylaea, or She Who Stands Before the Gates. You are Liberation, who helps us choose the right path, and so many call you Trioditis, or She of the Forked Path. You are a goddess of Learning, who guides us from ignorance to understanding, and so many call you Daeira, or She Who Knows.

Blessed Goddess of the Krokopeplos, in the name of Python Drakaina I ask: Be with me now as I open my mind.

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

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🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

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What will you learn today?

  • Invocation of Orpheus
  • Who was Orpheus?
  • What is Orphism?
  • What are the Orphic Hymns?
  • How can I use the hymns in Magic?
  • Closing ritual for the Ancient Magic Symposium

Thoth says:

Blessings on your studies!

Honk Honk Honk!

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Invocation of Orpheus

Breathe deeply.

Watch carefully.

What color are his eyes?

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If they open...Don’t panic!

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Who was Orpheus?

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  • The eldest of four great ur-bards of Greece:
    • Orpheus, Mousaios, Homer, Hesiod
  • Son of Kalliope by a Thracian king (4th century)
  • The four myths of Orpheus:
    • Murder by Maenads, establishment of oracle in Lesbos (5th c. BCE)
    • Argonautica (3rd century BCE)
    • Eurydike (1st century BCE)
    • Studying in Egypt. Planting Hekate in Aegina; Aphaea? (3rd c. CE)
  • Orpheus as oracle-bard-magician

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What is Orphism?

  • “As for 'Orphism', the only definite meaning that can be given to the term is 'the fashion for claiming Orpheus as an authority'.
  • Very few primary sources; primarily known from polemic.
  • A low-class cult primarily for women, slaves, and foreigners.
  • Dionysus,-Zagreus, Persephone-Hekate, Primordials
  • The Orphic Mystery: When you die, do not be afraid.

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What did Orphics do?

  • Not really a religion...
  • a style of worship: “charismatic” or “ecstatic”
  • Great Bacchanal aka Orgies (ὄργιον):
    • precession, torches, drugs, masks, trance,
    • animal sacrifice, snake-handling. women led?
  • Initiatory degrees, unclear how they work:
    • Mystics (wand bearers) Oxherders (pastors), Bacchants

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What are the Orphic Hymns?

  • 88 sacred invocation songs (ὕμνος) to a variety of gods.
  • Sacred liturgy of the Orphic Rite.
  • Hot Take: core is VERY old...
    • ...preserving indigenous religions of Aegean.
  • Themes, theogonies, and style well attested 6th c. BCE

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History of Transmission

  • Probably transmitted orally for a long, long time.
  • Current form written between 300BCE-300CE
    • Probably in Izmir, possibly in Pergamon. We don’t know.
    • Probably written down by a single person.
  • When Western Rome fell...
    • they remained in circulation in the Eastern empire...
  • thence into Arabic keeping.

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Modern History of the Orphic Hymns

  • Re-entered Europe in the 1400s CE
    • from Constantinople to Venice
  • 36 surviving European Greek codices...
    • Not identical but all very similar.
    • All based on single copy from Constantinople.

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Translations into English

  • Thomas “the Pagan” Taylor: Familiar translation, 1780s
    • Very rhythmic. Rhymed couplets. Loose translations.
  • Apostolos Athanassakis: Very literal. Useful notes.
  • Patrick Dunn: Poetic. Literal. Includes Greek.
  • Me: Rhymed couplets. Strong rhythm. Loose translation.

I recommend “triangulating” between multiple translations.

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Using the Hymns in Magic

  • As devotional prayers
  • As invocations
  • In sequence, as the Great Bacchanal
  • As petitions
    • Can rewrite the final couplet to customize

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Some especially useful ones

  • Hygeia: General Healing. Mental health. Chronic illness.
  • Asklepios: Injury. Acute illness. Hospitalizations
  • Pan: Against madness. Safe possession. Blessing over drugs.
  • Hermes: Smooth communication. Safe travel.
  • Nemesis: Political malefica. Other malefica.
  • Titans: Settle the restless dead.
  • Dike: Justice. Court cases.
  • Hypnos: Sleep.
  • Oneiros: Dreams.
  • Muses: Inspiration

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Hymn 54: Silenus, the Satyrs, and the Bacchae

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  • Last of a series of Dionysus hymns
  • Followed by Aphrodite’s hymn
  • The energetic peak of the sequence
  • Good for parties & festivals.
  • We’ll use it in the closing rite to follow.

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  • Silenus (Σειληνός) means “wobbly (with) wine”
  • Tutor or Caretaker of young Dionysus
  • Early horse/forest god; Silenoi are horse-satyrs
  • Prophecies when drunk
  • Creativity, Nurturance, Ecstasy, Wisdom,
  • Drunken Joy, Prophecy, Art, Mystery

Who is Silenus?

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Who are the Satyrs?

  • Male nature spirits
  • Counterparts to nymphs
  • Part horse (or sometimes goat)
  • Often rapacious. Always lusty.
  • Wise fools.
  • Puckish punks

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Who are the Bacchae?

  • Priestesses of Bacchus
  • AKA Bacchantes
  • AKA Maenads
    • Maenads have “mania”
  • Kill Orpheus in ecstatic frenzy
  • Leaders of the Thiasus...
    • ...the sacred entourage of Dionysus

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Hymn 54: For Silenus, Satyrs, and Bacchae

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On this holy triennial festival night,

Gods and mortals together make the great rite!

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...ctd

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We call out to Silenus, foster-father of Bacchus,

Best of the silenoi, favored by the Great Goddess.

O majestic band-leader, and founder of our orders,

You first taught bacchanal to your all-blessèd daughters.

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...ctd

We rave with the wet-nurses, wakeful and lively,

With Naiads and Bacchants, crowned in green ivy,

With Satyrs and Beast Men performing great rite,

We howl out for the prince of bacchanal night!

You bacchante of the festival of pressing the wine,

You’re all done with work; come make the night shine!

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...ctd

Howl out, thyrsus lovers, feel the innermost tightening,

Orgiastic initiates, feel the bacchanal heightening,

And then the quiescent calm of the sacred enlightening.

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Ask me Anything!

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Closing Rites for the Ancient Magic Symposium

  • I hope you’ve all learned as much....
    • ...and had as much fun as I have!
  • Thank you to our hosts!
  • Thank you to all the great teachers!
  • Now that we’ve done the Work...
    • ...it’s time for the Sacred Play!
  • We’ll invoke Silenus, the Satyrs, and the Bacchae...
    • ...to inspire our night.

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Offering

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A goat has been offered (to a farming family in need)

on behalf of us all.

I encourage you to donate more if you feel so called.

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https://www.heifer.org/gift-catalog/animals/Gift-of-a-Goat.html

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What to Expect

  • If you’re headed to bed, expect...
    • ...delightful, inspiring, possible sexy dreams
  • If not, expect a good time...
    • ...but not a practical or productive one.
  • If you want to observe, but not participate...
    • ...keep your fingers crossed...
    • ...and your volume muted to opt out.

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Set your specific intention

  • Close your eyes, breathe deep.
  • Decide what you’d like to request of the Thiasos.
  • Here’s what I’m asking for:

Bliss, Wisdom, and Ecstatic Grace

  • You can use that, or make your own request.

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Summoning the Thiasos

  • Headphones are helpful
  • Smoke em if you got em. Ώπα!
  • Align yourself with Dionysus and his attendants.
  • Chant your request to the beat.
  • To avoid feedback, please keep your mic muted...
    • but please chant your request.

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Orphic Hymn #54

For Silenus, the Satyrs, and the Bacchae

From

Orphic Hymns Grimoire

By Sara L. Mastros

wwww.OrphicHymns.com

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On this holy triennial festival night,

Gods and mortals together make the great rite!

We call out to Silenus, foster-father of Bacchus,

Best of the silenoi, favored by the Great Goddess.

O majestic band-leader, and founder of our orders,

You first taught bacchanal to your all-blessèd daughters.

We rave with the wet-nurses, wakeful and lively,

With Naiads and Bacchants, crowned in green ivy,

With Satyrs and Beast Men performing great rite,

We howl out for the prince of bacchanal night!

You bacchante of the festival of pressing the wine,

You’re all done with work; come make the night shine!

Howl out, thyrsus lovers, feel the innermost tightening,

Orgiastic initiates, feel the bacchanal heightening,

And then the quiescent calm of the sacred enlightening.

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EUOI εὐοῖ

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oooooo-eeeeee!!

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