Gods of Love and Ecstasy: The Traditions of Shiva and Dionysus

by Alain Daniélou

Book Overview

Shiva and Dionysus are the Hindu and Greek gods of magical power, intoxication, ecstatic sexuality, and transcendence who initiate us into communion with the creative forces of life. Revealing the earliest sources of the traditions of Shiva and Dionysus, Alain Danielou reconstructs the fabric of our ancient relationship with creation, vividly relating practices that were observed from the Indus Valley to the coasts of Portugal at least six thousand...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892813741
• ISBN13: 9780892813742
• Release Date: May 1992
• Publisher: Inner Traditions International
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

I agree 100%

Having studied religion for many, many years as a personal endevour, i found this book to be both informative, exact, but also lively and very entertaining to read. While i can not say that my research has gone to the same depths as the author, i did make the exact same conclusion as he does: namely that Shiva is the original deity. I began my studes as a christan all those years ago. I have studied the egyptian religion, the greek religion and many others - but the shock came when i realized that the God of the old testament can be none other than Shiva (with rudra being represented as the pillar of fire). It was thus no shock to find Dionysus to be very popular in the "holy land", and even less surpricing to learn that the cross actually comes from the cult of Dionysus. It is further my conclusion that advocates such as Paul of Tarsus (saint paul) became christian (or actually dionysian) because he understood that "this is the original religion". To bad they (the christians) screwed it up. The book is worth every penny.

Beautiful scholarship

This is a well written document that brings together a number of the world's most important spiritual traditions.

Gay Sex

Daniélou's book is rare in its international cultural outlook. Ancient mediterranean paganism becomes much clearer through approaching it from an Indian perspective. However, his readings of Old and New Testament sources should be read with care, as he does not really seem to be familiar with them. There are several misquotations, e.g. Moses coming down from the mountain did NOT wear horns on his head, Saul was NOT the son of Samuel. Also, the bible texts make a very clear distinction between pagan and jewish-christian sources of ecstacy.For Daniélou exstacy and sex are means to release tensions resulting from a bourgeois lifestyle, a typical promiscuous gay view. However, anyone familiar with really deep sex knows that this is kind of tension-release thing is sex for beginners who never went through hell for someone beloved. Also, Daniélou does not seem to be familiar with modern neurological Feldenkrais techniques, which are very western and lead to sex on a level as deep as tantra practices.

Western religious thought is misguided...

Danielou provides insight into the eastern logic behind religion and spirituality. The tolerance of Hinduism and its basic acceptance of individuality is undeniable. what Danielou does is to illustrate the worthy points of the oldest religion in the world.

An amazing book on the roots of the Shivaite tradition

Alain Danaielou has written a fascinating look at religion before it was bastardized by modern man. The Shivaite tradition, and its Bachannalian equivalent in the West, is the basis of all world religions, and this book does a great job of explicating and delineating concepts in terms of yesyeryear and today.