My journey with the Orphic Hymn to Thanatos ("Death") began back in January of this year.  Right about when my father turned 86, on January 7th, he fell badly ill with pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital.  He had had Alzheimer's for a grueling, incomprehensible two decades, just about, and we knew that every hospitalization might be his last.

Halloween happens to fall on a Wednesday this year, and as I know you know perfectly well, Wednesday belongs to my lord Mercury, otherwise known as Hermes, sometimes known as Thoth, also known as ἑρμηνεῦ πάντων (interpreter of all), λυσιμέριμνε (releaser from care), φίλε θνητοῖς ἐν ἀνάγκαις (helper of mortals in need).

The Orphic Hymn to Dream is one of the last to appear in the sequence of Orphic Hymns. The final three hymns form an intriguing triptych: To Sleep (#85), To Dream (#86), To Death (#87). The Dream hymn presents the spirit of dreaming as a moral force - one who has the power to offer truthful messages from the gods, as well as actionable advice!