The founder of The Dionysus Group learnt magickal practice through several linages. Including English Witchcraft, The Oxford Golden Dawn, Thelema, and Chaos Magick. Two years after he had been initiated into witchcraft The Dionysus Group was formed specifically to explore the sexual and ecstatic aspects of witchcraft and magick. This was partly inspired by his discovery of the SM scene the same year. An older mentor and key member of the Jomsvikings with a focus on the Norse traditions had taken him to a fetish club in London. That meant that the group was small and mainly comprised of partners from the SM community. A few years later in 1996 he was invited by Mogg Morgan (author of Sexual Magick and others) to the London lodge of an eclectic Golden Dawn group with headquarters in Oxford.

The Golden Dawn group then became the focus and involved deep practice and research into Thelema. During this era a lot of study was also undertaken into left-hand path Tantric philosophies during three visits to India. Members of the group were especially intrigued by the Aghori and their practice of breaking taboos.

During the Golden Dawn time two of the current Dionysus Group members were initiated by Steven Ashe (author of The Complete Golden Dawn Initiate, Sexuality & the Soul: Sacred Sexuality – Tantra & Sex Magick, and others). During that time the founder of the Dionysus Group also met visionary and author Andrew D. Chumbley while performing the group’s first public ritual in Oxford, he inspired a deeper interest in traditional English Sabbatic Witchcraft. This also resonated with earlier initiatory work and connection with Goddess and Earth centred traditions.

When the London Lodge of the Golden Dawn group stopped meeting, many of the members remained friends and continued work on various areas including alchemy and astral projection.

Around that time members independently explored other active groups in London including Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth (ToPY) and a lodge of the Chaos Magick order The Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT) which included Dave Lee, Trevor Watson aka Nathaniel Harris, and Peter Mastin among its membership. We also explored Goëtic evocation during this period and gave a public talk on the subject alongside many leading occultists including Chaos magickian Phil Hine, and the writer Alan Moore (author of V for Vendetta).

In 2002 the basis for much of what is now the core of the Dionysus Group was set in motion during a retreat in Italy focused on trance, meditation and internal development.

Solo retreats into nature also became a central part of our practice of witchcraft that would often last more than 10 days. Periods of intense BDSM practice became central as a way to reach deep ‘sub/top’ space experiences in the late 2000s.

Now the Dionysus Group’s focus is on teaching and exploring a full system of sexual magick and ecstatic witchcraft, especially within the context of BDSM.