The sacrifice occurred today. A devotee of Dionysus performed the ritual; my colleague, being experienced in the art of sacrifice, did the actual sacrifice. Several friends were present. Normally I would have done the sacrifice myself but I am traveling right now and we determined it was best not to wait. So the rabbit was sacrificed (Dionysus gets the feet, which will be dried for His altar, as well as the blood, but the meat will be cooked and shared). In addition to the rabbit, offerings of good wine and olive oil were poured out for Him.
The place where the offerings were made is in the woods not too far from a grove sacred to Artemis. The rock over which everything was poured is now dedicated to Dionysus and will be His place, His outdoor shrine from here on out.
One thing of note: once I chose the rabbit, it went mad. It kept trying to tear apart its cage mates and had to be separated from them until the ritual. For that reason, we named the rabbit Maenad. I’m taking that as a sign that the offering was accepted.
The picture above was taken by my friend E.
Here is a lovely prayer to Dionysus written by author and Dionysian priest Sannion:
http://thehouseofvines.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/the-99-adorations/
Praise to the God of pleasure and wine.
Praise to the God of wisdom and madness.
Always.