Diogenes said:
I think it's time we initiated the JREF
"Brass Balls"
award...
I suggest it be a monthly award, and we can vote on ' Brass Balls of The Year ' in December...
I nominate Iacchus for January 2004...
Dionysus aboard his ship. Exekias 540 B.C.
One of the surnames of Dionysus -- which, by the way is where the name Dennis comes from -- was the "betesticled one." Hmm ... Must have had something to do with all those grapes I guess?
While here's an excerpt from
Chapter 5 of my book concerning the visions I had in Northern California (Sonoma County), which is normally referred to as
The Wine Country ...
The Russian River
4) And yet a more significant experience happened only two nights later, on March 4th. I had driven my truck from my mother's house, up Highway 101, to a place north of Cloverdale. I pulled off the highway and found a place to park, right alongside the Russian River (which runs from Mendicino County, near Ukiah, south towards Santa Rosa, and out to the Pacific Ocean).
5) I had been living with my mother for six weeks now, and was going through one of the most troubled periods of my life. I had no place else to stay, and had reached a complete state of decline: my whole personal life had collapsed in on me. The fact that I was staying with her severely compounded the situation, as I'd always had problems with her. We weren't relating well at all as I sank lower and lower into the depths of despair. In fact it was so bad that all I could think about was dying: it was the sole thing on my mind and I was hoping I would just go to sleep and not wake up again.
6) So I went to bed that night in the front of my truck, and fell asleep on the front seat. And after a couple of hours I began having a disturbing dream: about three race cars—a red one, a white one, and a blue one—all racing around a race track and running into each other, then bouncing off and running into each other again. This happened several times before I awoke.
7) When I awoke, I looked up and saw a vision of a man, "wearing a white robe." And as I peered up he came into such a view, that I found myself looking underneath his gown—at his testicles coming into full view! Mind you I was wide awake! For some reason it reminded me of my father, who had died a little over a year earlier. Perhaps because of a similar experience I had when I was a boy about ten: I remember seeing my father in a similar fashion when he was sitting on the couch and wearing only a bathrobe.
A Newborn Baby
8) I fell back asleep shortly after this while laying on my back. And was only asleep a short while when I re-awoke to this incredible screeching noise—wailing in my ears! And I opened my eyes to the sight of this newborn baby, which completely filled my vision before me! (I lay on my back looking up at the ceiling of the cab.) Again I was wide awake! It was a breathtaking sight to behold, and when this child cried, he cried in such a demanding way (it was a boy and he cried about ten times), letting the whole world know he had just been delivered and required immediate attending to. I soon became uncomfortable, due to the immediacy of the moment, and desired that the child be removed, for fear I would cause it harm. I kind of backed away, as I lay there crouched in the front seat, and the child was removed, and taken up into heaven.
9) I lay there for a moment, as my mind was struck with wonder. And I heard a song, from up above. It was faint and barely audible but still discernable. It was the song,
Age of Aquarius, by the popular musical group,
The Fifth Dimension. I know they say we're living in the
Aquarian Age, but I'm still not sure what that means? And for another moment I lapsed into a state of unconsciousness. When I re-awoke, there was a vision of a cross, held suspended in the middle of the sky and arrayed in a very special way (as portrayed in the next chapter).
10) Once again I fell asleep, and when I awoke I saw another vision. I was half asleep and it was unclear, but it was the face of a man. It reminded me of George Washington. I immediately fell back asleep and had another dream: I was going to my cousin Judy's house in Fortuna, California (about 200 miles north of Cloverdale on Highway 101), which obviously correlates with Judith (12) of Gerarai and, New Church. (While Fortuna was a Roman fertility goddess, and later the goddess of chance; compare the
wheel of fortune.) And I dreamt I was playing Chinese Checkers with her children, a game played with played colored marbles and a round gameboard, within a colored hexagram or six sided star. Which obviously correlates with the symbolism on the front cover and, the color wheel (and loosely coincides with the Seal of God, portrayed in the next chapter).
11) I awoke once more and had a final vision. I opened my eyes and there it was, Humboldt State University, of Arcata, California. It was clear and distinct and looked just as it did when I drove by a few months earlier. And there was a voice, which resounded,
Wilmaton University! It was clearly unusual, but I understood what it meant: it ties in my stepmother, whose name is
Wilma—she is/was a professor there—with my father, whose last name is Hamilton. And when conjoined you get, Wilmaton. And no, George Washington didn't cross the Delaware River at Wilmington (as I suspected he did). I have a better idea about this in the next chapter, regarding the
Masonic Connection. I had also been working with my visualization technique earlier, and wondering what college I might address in my mind, to channel my spiritual energy there. I was living in Santa Rosa at the time, and considered Santa Rosa Junior College, but it didn't seem suitable. So I left it as an open question, while Humboldt State didn't even occur to me. And when I had this vision, I knew it was the fulfillment of that.
The Anthesteria
12) That which makes these experiences even more unusual are the dates they occurred: "March 2nd and the 4th." For these are the proximate dates of the ancient Greek festival of
Dionysia (among other festivals by this name), held in honor of Dionysus, god of
Wine and Ecstasy. This particular festival was called the
Anthesteria, and/or
Lenea, and centered about the sanctuary of Dionysus (or
Lenaeum), whose shrine was opened on only one day in the year. Its dates were from the 11th to the 13th of
Anthesterion or, about March 2nd to the 4th. (And it was attended by the fourteen
Gerarai!) While at the time I had no knowledge of Dionysus, nor of this festival in his honor. It's equally interesting that my name, Dennis, comes from Dionysus, something I also found out later. (The name Dennis also means,
discerner of excellence.)
13) Dionysus was also called the
god of confrontation, and was known for his many epiphanies: he had more epiphanies and manifestations than any other god. One epiphany of particular interest, that occured during the Anthesteria, happened when he sailed across the Aegean Sea, in his black ship: from the coast of Asia Minor (Turkey) to the mainland of Greece, before making his appearance in Athens—with his ship on wheels. Similar to a pickup truck? I've seen depictions of Greek art with Dionysus aboard his ship, and there's a remarkable similarity between his ship, and the ancient sailing vessel in my dream. The only significant difference was that of the color, his was black while the one I was aboard was made out of gold.
14) Dionysus was also called the
twice-born god, and his advent (rebirth) was often celebrated by placing a newborn baby in a cradle (winnowing basket?), and having him roused from his slumber by attendant female nurses. It usually occurred during the winter, and these nurses were the
Maenads, the attendant followers of the god. Strikingly enough, it compares with my rebirth experience in the front of my truck.
15) I might add that when Dionysus was first born, he was born at the destruction of his mother, Semele, a mortal and a virgin, who had conceived him by Zeus. She was destroyed, when she mistook the treachery of Hera—the ever-jealous and vengeful wife of Zeus—for friendly counsel. Hera persuaded Semele to ask Zeus to reveal himself to her, "in all his glory," as he did with his wife (Hera herself). Consequently Zeus revealed himself to Semele, as thunder and lightning, and she was incinerated to ashes. All that was left was the six month old fetus (six weeks?), which Zeus, through the aid of Hermes, picked up and sewed into his thigh—to further the gestation period. Dionysus was thus born a second time by his father Zeus. And so correlates with the vision of the man I had prior to the rebirth experience: whose testicles came into view and, had reminded me of my father, suggesting I was born a second time by my father as well; either my earthly or,
heavenly father.
