Thysia

Thysia
The offering of the Order of Nocturnai.

Thysia is the offering made by those who petition for the Order of Nocturnai, our fellowship for initiation and structured growth.

The Old Offering

For nearly two thousand years, seekers walked the Sacred Way from Athens to Eleusis to enter the Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone. The story at the center of the rite is a descent into the dark and a return to the light. Women, slaves, and the poor were initiated beside the wealthy. Each initiate brought an offering, which paid for the sanctuary, the priesthood, and the festival that kept the doors open. The Greeks had a word for such an offering, thysia.

The initiates fasted, walked in procession, and drank the barely drink together. Then they entered the Telesterion, the great hall of initiation, and saw something they swore never to speak of. Whatever it was, it changed people. Cicero wrote that the Mysteries taught the Athenians to live with joy and to die with better hope.

We take two things from Eleusis. The first is the offering. A fellowship lasts when its members tend it, and a one-time gift keeps the Night Stage lit, the texts in print, and the work of the Order funded. The second is the descent and return behind our motto, In Tenebris, Lux.

We go into the dark to find the light.

What Thysia Includes:

• Membership into the Order of Nocturnai
• The petition path through the degrees, by review of completed study, practice, and service
• Order fellowship, study, and reflective practice
• Order-only channels, rites, mentorship, and discounts at First Fire Press and Partners

How Thysia Works

Your petition comes first. Once the Temple approves it, you pay the joining fee. Fees go to the Night Stage, our teaching materials, our publishing, and the charitable work of the Temple.