Ἰσιφόρος

☤ 𓃵 ♄ greco-kemetic magus & heretic "catholic". orphic mystery religion enjoyer and isaic cultist. desert-dwelling butch on akimel o’odham land. my gods still kill fascists. 20s, 18+ blog. cowboys do magic, too!

[outlaworacle]

introduction post

howdy, i'm shay isiphoros! you can call me shay, izzy, or oracle; i do not care which name you use, so long as you use he/him (or whatever neopronouns you can think up) to refer to me. i'm an autistic, gender non-compliant butch lesbian in my 20s. i'm also a poet and writer; i'm working towards becoming a death doula and eventual hospice chaplain. my practice is best summarized as follows: i just really fucking love ancient religions and the desert. i'd love be mutuals and interact with any fellow pagans (of whatever persuasion), witches, spiritualists, etc! my tagging system is pretty simple. #i'm a rambling man (yes, like the waylon jennings song) is my tag for personal or otherwise miscellaneous text posts. all other tags are pretty self-explanatory, for the most part: #isis (and variations) for the goddess isis, #ancient art for ancient art, #greco kemetic pagan for things relating to my greco-kemetic polytheist practice, and so on.

my isis resources master post (always a WIP, i’m always adding stuff so check back periodically!): here !! my "grimoire" sideblog, where i post spells, ritual outlines, and more: wildwestwitchery other links: spotify (i have public deity-specific devotional and UPG playlists!) tiktok, ko-fi, youtube

the about-my-practice aretalogy

i am primarily an isaic cultist, a greco-kemetic polytheist, a magus, a deathworker, and a sonoran desert bioregional practitioner of eight plus years. what does all of that mean?

isaic cultist: i am devoted to the goddess isis and celebrate her mysteries as best as i can, given the fact that actual ancient mystery cults left so little ritual evidence behind lol. i'd also love to work towards becoming a hiereus, or ritual specialist, of isis, if possible. in short, i am dedicated to studying the cult of isis in depth, and i seek to develop a set of practices for my personal "cultic" use. of course, i am happy to share any resources, information, and most personal practices/rites with anyone who asks! greco-kemetic polytheist: i (try my best to) reconstruct and/or revive the spirit of ancient greek and kemetic polytheism, specifically the polytheism practiced across the eastern mediterranean from the classical (and especially hellenistic) period. i also dabble in anatolian and levantine/canaanite paganism. i worship (and will actively post/rb about): my longtime patron and spiritual mother isis, wepwawet, dionysos, hermes, prometheus, kybele, ba'al hadad i venerate: all of the theoi and netjeru, helios/selene/other titans, nymphs and other nature spirits, the akhu, the saints, mother mary IMPORTANT: i'm not trying to reconstruct the social order of ancient greece, egypt, or rome; i just want to worship the gods the way my siblings in faith did thousands of years ago. magus: i practice mageia, as in "non-normative religious practice" [from edmonds's drawing down the moon (2019)]. i also practice pharmakeia [herbalism meets more general green/hedge/kitchen witchcraft] and some straight-outta-the-PGM goeteia.

deathworker: i perform funerary rites, guide the spirits of the deceased to their afterlife (with their consent!), and perform healing rites for those left behind. i also consider my ancestor work to be part of this, as this is something i was initiated into by my ancestors.

sonoran bioregional practitioner: that's just a couple of long-ish words to say that i take care of the land, and i often find it taking care of me. the political and the spiritual are deeply intertwined for me, particularly in this area of my practice. fighting for restoring stewardship of the land i adore and live on is as much a part of my bioregional work as picking up litter, greeting the hill-guardian spirit i live by, harvesting creosote and brittlebush for spells, or complimenting the birds on my daily walk.

[portalibis]

Bacchus, facing forward, holding a scepter in his left hand, Anonymous South German artist circa 1530-1550, Musée du Louvre

[outlaworacle]

i love working with isis because she really does show up in so many ways <3

sometimes she’s weret-hekau and iset rekhiet — teaching me new forms of magic, passing on her immense wisdom, helping me have a bigger and better impact on my community.

other times she is the queen of heaven, master over fate. sometimes she even lets me in on her work; she allows me to do the equivalent of sitting in her office, spinning on her fancy CEO chair while she works away at ordering the cosmos.

on occasion she is isis uraeus, iset neseret, nebt-neru; the fiery one, the lady of awfulness. she is furious on behalf of her children; she rages and fights back against the forces of isfet because of her great love for humanity.

in quieter moments she is iset khunet-noferet, the foremost beautiful one. when i am lost, she is iset-sopdet, the dog star in the sky, the luminous one who lights the way. when i sing for her, she as shemayet, the chantress, harmonizes with me. when i dance or play or share my interests with her, she is the one whose heart is satisfied with revelry. she is the lady of life, present in all things, from the family of quail outside my window to the rising of the sun and moon to the nourishment i get from food and water.

but she is always, always isis soteira dikaiosyne, isis the savior-who-is-righteousness. she is the goddess that saves all because it is just, it is right; because everyone deserves to be saved from a bad death; because her role in the cosmic order is to be the compassion that goes OUTSIDE of mortal conceptions of right and wrong, of deserving-ness and undeserving-ness.

my ocd tells me that deep down, i am a horrible and impure person that taints everything i touch, that i am inherently wrong and bad an undeserving. i will never know if that is true; i will never be able to “get to the bottom” of that and discover my true nature. attempting to do so is futile, since it only feeds the ocd further, and there is no proof convincing enough for my ocd. but isis says: it doesn’t matter if i am inherently good or bad. it doesn’t matter if humanity as a whole is evil or good at its core. isis will be a saving, compassionate force because that is what is owed to everyone, because justice is compassion, because everyone is deserving of her saving grace.

[outlaworacle]

do you have any resources for learning about isis? 🫶

OH BOY DO I!!!!

first off, shameless self promo — i, shay, outlaw oracle, make short-form researched, educational content about Isis on tiktok, if you’re on that platform, under @outlaw_oracle. i’m also working on putting together a bunch of PDFs of primary sources and secondary research into a google drive. if you want to shoot me a message, anon, i can send you a link when i’m done! i’ll also update this post at a later date with the link.

your next best bet, other than myself and whatever content i put out, is isiopolis, which has a metric TON of articles put out by Isidora Forrest. it’s a great jumping-off point for prayers and devotions to Isis!! another great blog is fiercelybrightone; Chelsea Bolton has a number of excellent prayers and rites available for free on there.

for more scholarly and academic resources — RICIS is a database compiled by Laurent Bricault, a top scholar in the field of Isaic Studies (which, yes, is a thing!). you can look at a WHOLE bunch of inscriptions & other material culture evidence of Isis across the mediterranean and beyond, and it’s not paywalled! academia.edu has a bunch of Isaic studies papers available — look up Gordon, Gasparini, Bricault, Martzavou — but a lot of it is behind a paywall (which is why i’m compiling these papers so you don’t have to shell out the money yourself!)

book recommendations, all pretty pricy unfortunately — Isis Magic and Invocations to Isis, both by Isidora Forrest; Isis Pelagia: Images, Names, and Cults of a Goddess of the Seas ed. by Bricault (available as a pdf on Scribd); Individuals and Materials in the Greco-Roman Cults of Isis, ed. by Gasparini and Veymiers (only available through Brill, so get ready to shell out $423 for this one). Chelsea Bolton of fiercelybrightone has a handful of books about Isis, all available through Amazon in paperback and kindle.

if there is anything specific you’re looking for, please let me know and i can try to point you in the right direction!!

[outlaworacle]

sorry i’ve been MIA i’m highkey tweaking out about isis dikaiosyne

[chaos-and-catnip]

Don't forget to wear red today for national day of awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and relatives! (US and Canada)🌹 Native women face murder rates over 10 times the national average and there are currently over 4k unsolved cases! 🚨

❀ ·˚ ༘ * ᙭ᗩᑎᗪᖇᗩ ·˚ ༘ ꫂ❁

[outlaworacle]

god i just. i just really love dionysos :’)

[child-of-earth-and-starry-heaven]

Epithets of Dionysus

Abrokomas (Ἀβροκόμας), “with delicate hair.”

Agathos Daimon (Άγαθός Δαίμων), “good spirit.”

Aglaomorphos (Άγλαόμορφος) “fair-formed.”

Agnos (Άγνος), “holy.”

Agrios (Ἄγριος), “wild, savage.”

Aigobolos (Αἰγοβόλος), “goat-slayer.”

Androgynos (Άνδρόγυνος), “androgynous.”

Anax (Ἀνᾰξ), “king.”

Anthion (Ανθιον), “the blooming.”

Anthroporraistos (Ανθροπορραιστος), “render of men.”

Areios (Ἄρειος), “warlike.” 

Arretos (Άρρητος), “ineffable, unutterable.”

Bakkhos (Βακχος), “frenzied.”

Bassareus (Bασσαρεύς), “the fox.”

Boukeros (Bουκερως), “bull-horned.”

Bromios (Βρόμιος), “the roaring.”

Botrokhaites (Bοτρυοχαίτης), “with leaves in his hair.”

Dendrites (Δενδρίτης), “of trees.”

Dikeros (Δικέρως), “two-horned.”

Digonos (Δίγονος), “twice-born.” 

Dimetor (Διμήτωρ), “of two mothers.”

Dimorphos (Δίμορφος), “two-formed.”

Diogenes (Διογένης), “son of Zeus.”

Diphyes (Δῐφῠής), “dual-natured.”

Dithyrambos (Διθύραμβος), “of the dithyramb.”

Eiraphiotes (Ειραφιωτης), “insewn” [referring to his birth]

Eleutherios (Έλεύθεριος), “the liberator.”

Eubouleos (Εὐβουλεύς), “of good counsel,”

Eukhaites (​​Ευχαίτης), “lovely-haired.” 

Euios (Εὔιος), “howling” [referring to the ecstatic cry “euoi.”]

Eumenes (Εὐμενης), “fair-minded, kind.”

Gelotos (Γελωτος), “of laughter.” 

Gethosunos (Γηθόσυνος), “joyful.”

Gonoeis (Γονόεις), “virile.” 

Himertos (Ίμερτός), “desirable.” 

Hiraphiotes (Ίραφιώτης ), “hierophant”

Hulēeis (Ύλήείς), “forest-dweller.”

Hyes (Ὕης), “of moisture/the dripping.”

Karpios (Καρπιος), “of fruit.”

Keraos (Κεραός), “horned.” 

Kharieis (Χαρίεις) “graceful.” 

Khoreutes (Xορευτές), “the dancer.”

Khthonios (Χθόνιος), “of the Underworld.”

Kissios (Κισσιος), “of the ivy.”

Kissobryos (Κισσόβρυος), “adorned with ivy.”

Kissophoros (Κισσοφορος), “ivy-bearer.” 

Kissostephanos (Κισσοστέφανος), “ivy-crowned.”

Komastes (Κωμαστής), “reveller.”

Kryphios (Κρύφιος), “hidden.”

Lenaios (Λήναιος), “of the wine-press.”

Limnaios (Λιμναίος), “of the marsh.”

Lyaios/Lysios (Λυαῖος/Λύσιος), “loosener/deliverer.”

Lyknites (Λυκνίτης) “winnower/in the cradle.”

Mainoles/Mainomenos (Μαινόλης/Μαινομενος), “the mad.”

Melanaegis (Μελαναιγις), “of the black goat-skin.”

Meilichios (Mειλίχῐος), “the mild/gracious.”

Melpomenos (Μελπομενος), “singer, of the tragedy.”

Methydotes (Μεθυδώτης), “giver of wine.” 

Mystes (Μύστης), “of the Mysteries.”

Nebridopeplos (Νεβριδόπεπλος), “clothed in fawnskin.” 

Nyktelios (Νυκτελιος), “of the night.”

Nyktipolos (Νυκτιπολος), “night-stalker.”

Nyseus (Νυσεύς), “of Nysa.” 

Oineus (Οἰνεύς), “of wine.”

Oinops (Οινοψ), “wine-faced.”

Omadios/Omophagos/Omestes, (Ώμάδιος/Ώμοφάγος/Ωμεστης), “eater of raw flesh, carnivore."

Orthos (Ορθος), “erect, upright.”

Phleon (Φλεων), “the luxuriant.”

Philomeides (Φιλομειδης), “laughter-loving.”

Phriktos (Φρικτός), “scary.” 

Ploutodotes (Πλουτοδότης), “giver of riches.”

Polygethes (Πολυγεθής), “of many joys.”

Polykomos (Πολυκῶμος), “of many revels.”

Polymorphos (Πολυμορφος), “many-formed.” 

Protogonos (Πρωτόγονος), “first-born, primordial.”

Psilas (Ψιλας), “giver of wings.”

Psilax (Ψιλαξ), “uplifted on wings.”

Psykhodaiktes (Ψυχοδαϊκτής), “render of the soul.” 

Soter (Σωτηρ), “savior.”

Staphylites (Σταφυλίτης), “of the grape.”

Tauropos (Ταυρωπός), “bull-faced.”

Teletarkhes (Τελετάρχής), "Lord of Mystery Rites"

Thelymorphos (Θηλύμορφος), “womanish/effeminate.”

Theoineos (Θεοινος), “god of wine.”

Thyonidas (Θυωνίδας), "son of Thyone/raving."

Thyrsaphoros (Θυρσοφόρος), “thyrsus-bearing”

Trigonos (Τρίγονος), “thrice-born.”

Trieterikos (Τριετηρικός), “of the three-year period.”

Zakholos (Ζάχολος),  “very angry”

This is maybe the longest list I've compiled so far! (And it's not even all of them!) Sources include the Theoi page, Otto, The Bacchae, Orphic Hymn 30, and the alphabetical hymn from the Anthologia Palatina.

[dionysianivy]

Dionysus Eleutherios

“The Liberator.” A surname of Dionysus, derived from Eleuther (eleútheros; freedom). This epithet is used for Dionysus as the one who liberates people through ecstatic rituals, wine, and dance. Freeing them from their everyday self, from fears, social constraints, toxic ties, and anything that keeps them stuck and unable to enjoy life. As Eleutherios, Dionysus unbinds what holds people back, removing constraints or limits, and gives them the freedom to feel, to celebrate, and to live fully.

[wiisagi-maiingan]

You are not too smart to fall for propaganda, you are not too smart to be scammed, you are not too smart to be recruited into a cult.

[outlaworacle]

some “low-magic” bealtine workings!

we’ve got — a queer joy jar (image 1) with the stele of aphrodite (PGM VII. 215-218) in it and a pink rhodochrosite charm; a sun tea (image 2)made with rose hip, pomegranate, white tea, tulsi, angelica, lemon & honey. and then me, image 3, with the mycenaean suns on my cheeks as glamour magic!

[outlaworacle]

the sun’s got me feeling like a femme boy. as fuck

[outlaworacle]

april 2026 shrine(s)

[hesy-bes]

My doubt fills my heart,

isfet lingering in the shadows,

you set me free.

Wings spread,

sheltering me from the bite of isfet,

you bring your essence and meaning to my khat,

killing my nostrils with life.

Dua Ma'at!

[enodia-polymorphous]

PLEASE tell us about the samothracian mysteries!

Thank you for your interest Anon + the folks who commented on my post about my special interest in the Samothracian Mysteries! My essay isn't for public viewing at the moment since it contains information about my mystery reconstruction, but I can share sections of my essay. Here is my introduction to the Samothracian Mysteries!

An Introduction to the Samothracian Mysteries

The Samothracian Mysteries were a renowned ancient mystery cult based on the island of Samothrace, an island in the northern Aegean Sea. This sanctuary was in use from the 7th century BCE to the 4th century CE, having risen to prominence in the second half of the 4th century BCE (Cole, 1984). It is said that the cult had over seven-hundred initiates with some being of prestigious background such as Philip II and Olympias, and some of mythological significance such as Herakles, Jason, and Orpheus. A few ancient writers refer to or speak directly on the Mysteries of Samothrace, including Herodotus, Plutarch, and Strabo (Cole, 1984; Dimitrova, 2008; Herodotus, 1920; Plutarch, 1919; Strabo, 1924).

There are many unique aspects that set these mysteries apart from other mystery traditions, particularly the Eleusinian Mysteries. Rather than the rites taking place on specific dates each year, inscriptions of mystai and epoptai from the sanctuary reveal that the rites took place from April to November, corresponding with Samothrace’s sailing season (Dimitrova, 2008). An inscription from the Roman period reveals that a prospective initiate could become a mystes and epoptes in a single night, rather than needing to wait months at a time between the Lesser Mysteries and Greater Mysteries, though initiates did not always proceed to epopteia in the same night and the number of epoptai are far lesser than mystai (Cole, 1984; Lehmann, 1960). There was no consistent number of initiates for each of the rites with small and large groups initiating together. Initiates originated from a range of places such as Macedonia, Thrace, Asia Minor, Egypt, the Aegean Islands, and more, including individuals who couldn’t speak Greek (Cole, 1984). These rites were also not restricted by gender or social class (Dimitrova, 2008).

The sanctuary was also a popular destination to send theoroi, representatives of foreign home cities who were to take part in festivals at Samothrace (Cole, 1984). Cole (1984) describes this as a custom of the island. Inscriptions about the theoroi suggest that they participated in festivals to honour the Great Gods and received privileges on Samothrace. Some were also initiated (Dimitrova, 2008). This reveals the significance and status that Samothrace held with its pantheon and festivities.

Many buildings and areas of the sanctuary have been excavated or written about since 1444, from Cyriacus of Ancona who wrote of remains in the sanctuary in that year, to the current American excavations team in association with the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University and Emory University who began in 1938 and continue to the present day under the direction of Bonna D. Wescoat (Wescoat, 2019a). From this research, we have a state plan of the sanctuary which reveals more information about the structures of the cult and how the mysteries might have proceeded. 

There is a consensus on the purpose of these mysteries. The Mysteries of Samothrace were said to promise individuals protection at sea from storms and the winds (Blakely, 2024; Cole, 1984). Diodorus states that initiates became “more pious and more just and better in every respect than they were before” (Siculus, 1939, p. 235), implying an incentive to act with more devotion, or possibly a transformation that led to this. 

Figure 1

Plan of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace

Note. 1–3, Late Hellenistic buildings; 4, unfinished early Hellenistic building; 6, Milesian dedication; 7, dining rooms; 8, 10, unidentified niches; 9, archaistic niche; 11, stoa; 12, Nike monument; 13, theater; 14, Altar Court; 15, Hieron; 16, Hall of Votive Gifts; 17, Hall of Choral Dancers; 20, Rotunda of Arsinoë II; 22, sacristy; 23, Anaktoron; 24, dedication of Philip III and Alexander IV; 25, theatral area; 26, Propylon of Ptolemy II; 27, southern necropolis; 28, Doric rotunda. Drawn by J. Kurtich; Lehmann 1998:plan IV. Courtesy Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

This differs from an agricultural mystery cycle as seen in Demetrian Mysteries. There is only one claim that these mysteries promised a better afterlife, as stated in an epitaph of Isidoros (Dimitrova, 2008); there are much stronger associations with protection during life for these rites, rather than salvation after death which some later mystery rites attest to (Burkert, 1987; Dimitrova, 2008).

Despite ongoing efforts by scholars and archaeological excavation teams working directly with Samothrace, there are many key factors or areas we don’t know about. Some might say that we are unaware of the most significant factors of this cult, introducing limitations to our current knowledge and ability to accurately reconstruct these rites.

References

Cole, S. G. (1984). Theoi Megaloi: The Cult of the Great Gods at Samothrace. Brill.

Blakely, S. (2024). The Ritual Promise. Samothracian Networks. http://scholarblogs.emory.edu/samothraciannetworks/

Burkert, W. (1987). Ancient Mystery Cults. Harvard University Press.

Dimitrova, N. M. (2008). Theoroi and Initiates in Samothrace. Hesperia Supplements, 37, III–280. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42615017

Herodotus. (1920). The Histories (A. D. Godley, Trans.). Harvard University Press.

Lehmann, K. (Ed.). (1960). Samothrace: Excavations Conducted by the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (Vol. 2). Princeton University Press.

Plutarch. (1919). The Parallel Lives (B. Perrin, Trans.). Loeb Classical Library.

Siculus, D. (1939). The Library of History (C. H. Oldfather, Trans.). Loeb Classical Library.

Strabo. (1924). The Geography of Strabo (H. L. Jones, Trans.). Loeb Classical Library.

Wescoat, B. D. (2019a). About. American Excavations Samothrace. https://www.samothrace.emory.edu/about/

[grimoiremanifest]

finding somebody who will laugh at your shitty jokes is joy-inducing but finding a motherfucker who can yes-and all the esoteric bullshit you put out is pure cocaine. this must be the shit all those racuous but good-natured scoundrels down at the tavern are on

[homey-worshiper]

hestia's fire burns ice