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

by Alain Daniélou

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 years ago.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620550236
Publisher:	Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
Publication date:	05/01/1992
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	943,599
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

One of the most distinguished living Orientalists, Alain Danielou was an intimate of Stravinsky, Jean Cocteau, and Nabokov, and spent more than 20 years in India studying music and philosophy with eminent pandits of the Hindu tradition. Danielou is the author of Myths and Gods of India; While the Gods Play; Yoga: Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe; Virtue, Success, Pleasure, and Liberation; The Phallus; The Complete Kama Sutra and Music and the Power of Sound. He is the founder and former director of the International Institute for Comparative Musicology in Berlin, is a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, and Officier du Merite National.
Alain Daniélou (1907-1994) spent more than 15 years in the traditional society of India, using only the Sanskrit and Hindi languages and studying music and philosophy with eminent scholars. He was duly initiated into esoteric Shaivism, which gave him unusual access to texts transmitted through the oral tradition alone. He is the author of more than 30 books on the religion, history, and arts of India and the Mediterranean.

Table of Contents

Gods of Love and Ecstasy
The Traditions of Shiva and Dionysus
Foreword
Introduction
1. Origins
2. Aspects and Legends of the Gods
3. The Goddess
4. Sons of the Goddess and the God
5. The Companions of the God
7. Sacred Places
8. Man in the World
9. Rites and Practices
10. God of the Dance and the Theater
11. Life and Society
12. the Modern Age
Chronological Table
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"While written nearly thirty years ago, the message of Gods of Love and Ecstasy is more critical today than ever, as it points the way towards reestablishing our links to the energies these archetypes represent, and their power in the material world."

Dec 2007 The Institute of Hermetic Studies

"Gods of Love and Ecstasy makes compelling reading with so much information on the role played by gods and goddesses, revealing the theological complexity of this ancient cult. This book also includes many references and sources along with a fascinating chronological chart dating back to 15,000 BC. Highly recommended!"

Jane Lee

"Danielou's books are remarkable for their clarity, scholarship, and uninhibited celebration of erotic and mystical ecstasy."

Interview Magazine