Orphism is based on the secret, closed cult of Dionysus, created by the Orphics; in their ascetic form, which replaced physical spiritual intoxication, it became one of the pillars of Greek philosophy

The intoxication the Orphics sought was “enthusiasm,” union with the god. This mystical element was brought to Greek philosophy by Pythagoras, the same reformer of Orphism as Orpheus was in relation to the religion of Dionysus. The teaching of the Orphics was one of the manifestations of ancient universal dualism, the opposition of light and darkness, order and chaos, primarily Apollo and Dionysus. One of them personifies unity and harmony, the other - diversity and fragmentation

According to the Orphics, man is also dual. There are two principles in it: the lower, bodily, titanic, and the higher, spiritual, Dionysian. If for Homer earthly life is preferable to the afterlife, then for the Orphics, on the contrary, life is suffering. The soul in the body is incomplete. The body is the tomb and prison of the soul. Therefore, the goal of life for an Orphic is the liberation of the soul from the body. This is not easy, since the soul is doomed to move from body to body. It was the numerous cleansing rites of the Orphics, and indeed their very way of life in the community, that served to get rid of the curse of endless rebirths

Recognizing the spontaneity of the universe, the Orphics naturally looked for ways to influence it. They searched with intelligent power and this is how magic became for them. From the Orphics many different spells have come down to us, they practiced various mantic systems, they made atonement sacrifices for the living and the dead, the gift of prophecy manifested itself

Orphism had a huge influence on all ancient Greek and European philosophical thought in general. In its original form, the teaching of the Orphics fell into decline in antiquity, leaving behind a very small amount of evidence. The revelations of Orpheus, even reinforced by Pythagoras, painted a picture of existence in a form that promised little success for a person surrounded by chaotic forces superior to him