#ecstatic dance

[of-ether]

drop it low at the altar 🩸❤️

#personal #curly hair #brown girl magic #mirror selfie #ootd #good vibes #aesthetic #dark feminine energy #room inspo #womban #womb #dark femme #femme fetale aesthetic #fairy #solo female #solo #ecstatic dance #dancer #wet #naturally curly #medicine woman #herbalist #herbs #women in nature #divine female #feminine #femme

[arlechinav-blog]

Using a Working Altar for Trancework

A working altar is something that I use in trancework. It is basically a community tool station and everything that is placed upon it has a specific purpose. Everything on it gets used by everybody who has come to trance. That altar is doing business. It is not there to look pretty, though it can also do that. Every item sitting on it plays an active role in the trance process. A trance altar is a hypnotic trigger (one of many) that aids in the process of trance. The same things are found on it every single time without much deviation. There will be incense (though the type may change depending on the type of trance being done), there will be flowers and herbs for tea (the type may change), there will be some kind of “grounding” food (chocolate, fruit, or dark bread are normal), there will be a plate for money, there will be a bowl and a pitcher of scented water, there will be oils and perfumes (types may vary), there will be votives for those who want to make them, and there will be salt. 

(Pictured: The left half of my working altar. Just off camera to the right, you would find a pitcher of scented water and a basin to pour it over. Plus a whole heap of scented oils and wake-up water.) The photo above was taken just before a trance session in either 2016 or 2015. For basic trance, the color of the altar cloth does not matter. It can be anything that you are proud of that only gets used for trance. Everything placed on a trance altar has to be used, consumed, burned, or buried. (Not counting the bowls, plates, and jars.) This encourages a type of reverence and concentrated focus on trance that makes it easier to accomplish--part of the hypnotic trigger that now is time for trance. When these items come together in this way, trancework always follows.

There is a strong emphasis on responsible sourcing of materials. Take time and pay attention to detail when acquiring things for a trance altar.

ITEMS

Flowers & Herbs: Fresh picked or hand dried. Grow your own if you can or pick them wild. Edibles with heavy scents or flavors are best. Flowers can be dried afterwards and harvested for seeds. Beauty, scent, and nature establish a space of spiritual cleanliness.

Foods: Place small amounts of food on the altar but no meat. Fair-trade chocolate is good. Homemade breads are good. Homegrown fruit is good. Those who trance have to eat something when they are done.

Plates & Bowls: Glazed and unglazed pottery and brassware is always nice. Take the time to clean each item before and after trance work. You will need a water pitcher and a basin to catch the water so that people can wash their hands and face before you begin. Keepin' things clean here.

Scented Oils: Choose a scent for yourself that you will only use for trance and use it every time you practice and every time you sit down for a trance session but do not use it in your regular day to day life. It can be anything that has meaning to you but you have to be consistent in how you use it to gain its full benefits.

Votives: Candles, clay, stones--these are all foci that can be used according to your personal religious or spiritual practices. Some people like to light candles and make prayers, some like to shape clay offerings, some like to charge stones. We have diverse backgrounds. Some of us are religious, some of us are not. This is a way of synchronizing what we do together with who you are as an individual.

Salt: Funny thing about salt... “they” say it is used for “purification.” What that means is, “it keeps crawly bitey bugs away.” It also burns in pretty colors and is traditionally very valuable. I lay down chunky koshering salt around the area to keep things away from the places creepy crawly things don’t need to be.

BURNED OR BURIED?

Anything that doesn’t get used or consumed that has been placed on the altar, and is not reusable, should be either burned or buried. This is a pretty standard formula for Mediterranean ritual items. That which is burned goes to the gods/spirits of life. That which is buried goes to the gods/spirits of death. This includes flowers, herbs, leftover food, votives, and any salt that has been left on a plate. This does not include money, vials of oil, boxes of incense, your altar cloth, or your plates & bowls. If you/ your group are non-spiritual, you can either adopt this method, alternate between the two, and file it mentally under hypnotic suggestion OR come up with a different reverent manner of handling these items. No matter what you choose to do or why, there is a psychological benefit to treating trance/ritual items differently than you treat everything else so it is worth it to go through.

MONEY

How your group wants to handle money is totally up to you. I include it mostly because I want to prepare people for what the spectrum of normal looks like in living traditions of trancework around the Med. Just fostering an awareness and good manners. It is okay to ask for donations to cover using a space and buying supplies but you should never expect a single penny. When I lived in a place where busking was more prominent, I used to take whatever money was placed on the trance altar and give it all to the first busking musician I saw after. This was my way of thanking the spirit of the arts. Money given freely is the key. If you are the acting agent of the spirit of the arts and you keep that money, be prepared to accept what that means and what role you play.

When money is placed on a trance altar, it becomes a votive offering. The giver is asking whatever communal forces are at work for something in exchange. It is a very serious thing. There are multiple layers to it as well. The metal of coins, which used to be common currency, had/has a spiritual value. The metal was and is used as an apotropaic focus to break the evil eye, to drive away angry spirits, and to give the gods back what was borrowed to begin with.

Many living trance cults in the Mediterranean use the donations that people bring in to provide for their livelihood but those are almost entirely for possession cults. The people who do this traditionally are born into it and it is all they do. The people who come to them are not learning to trance or learning about trance. They already know what it is and they know exactly what they are paying for. Should you ever find yourself with them, do as they do and understand that it is a part of the experience.

INCENSE

(Pictured: My trance wife taking a smoky bath with stick incense. Note how the fabric is tented over the smoke to catch and hold the scent in. This takes a few minutes. Aim to saturate everything with the scent and be careful not to let hair or fabric come into contact with the burny bits.) Every scent has a purpose. Basic trance uses only one or two fragrances to keep things consistent while you are still building up your hypnotic associations. Catalyst trance utilizes a different scent for each type of trance. Possession trance uses a different scent for every type of spirit. Religious trance uses a different scent depending on the religion/deity involved.

If you are new to this, I recommend starting with labdanum resin or benzoin resin. Labdanum is specifically associated with protection, which is why I use it. Benzoin is also associated with a polite, warm, and welcoming place. Both are very appropriate for this kind of work. Pine resin is also good and easy to gather in some parts of the world.

I buy most of my resins from Greek Orthodox monks because few people take incense more seriously than they do and I know that it has been meticulously prepared. Also, I use a lot of the same scents. Source your incense however you want to and use whatever scents you want with your own group but have a reason for the ones you choose and stick to the same scent every time. Be consistent.

Incense is used to smoke bathe everyone and everything to include drums, votives, all trance wear, and all people involved with the trance session. Resin incense needs to be tended to so that when the resin has burned out, it can be quickly replaced.

Scent is the most spiritual of the senses. Good scents are believed to attract good spirits and bad smells attract harmful spirits. This is why many living traditions for trancework are extremely fragrant affairs. Incense is used in offering to all manner of gods and spirits. It is considered “spirit food.” In many cases, incense is viewed as a gift from a particular spirit or deity. Burning it sends the suggestion that the area is ready for good spirits to attend and be fed. One of the most impolite things you can do at a trance session is show up unwashed and reeking of BO.

That's the basics! Good luck with your magic floppy time!

#trance work #ecstatic dance #hellenic polytheism

[infinitehealer]

International Women’s Day 💜♾️

#black goth girl #dark feminine energy #the sacred feminine #alien girl #body movement #pole dance #ecstatic dance

[xlelife]

Chiara Baldini is currently running a gorgeous, image-saturated course for ADVAYA.LIFE on Dionysus: Rave, Ritual and Revolution.

She delves into the mythological, historical and anthropological dimensions of the Dionysian cult, a cultural lineage that accompanied Western history since primordial times. One that defines our identity in deep resonance with other non-Western cultures and can support us in rediscovering meaningful aspects of European and, more specifically, Mediterranean indigeneity.

This is part of her PhD work at the California Institute for Integral Studies and a longtime fascination of hers.

XLE.LIFE's Kai Altmann is enrolled and enthralled in the course as a guest.

ADVAYA.LIFE offers regular free webinars, paid courses and meetup events, with a primary hub in London. Focusing on ideas around spirituality, culture, history and theory, they present comparative lectures and exploratory discussions on pressing de-colonial and holistic issues, featuring some of the world's leading thinkers on the topics. Vandana Shiva and Timothy Morton have been recent presenters!

(Bursaries are available for the courses, apply at their site.)

#advaya #advaya.life #chiara baldini #rave #revolution #ritual #dionysus #minoan #pagan #pre-patriarchal #fertile crescent history #indigineity #queerness #pre-western #feminist #shamans #ecstatic #ecstatic dance #mediterranean #crete #greece #rome #xle #xle.life

[passifloramoonlight]

Everyday we dance and praise Her

#Queen Isis #contact improv #ecstatic dance #Venus #Aphrodite

[priestessdandelion]

Los Angeles !

Join me for an evening of Ecstatic Dance in Pasadena, CA ✨

An hour of movement focusing on releasing what no longer serves us and welcoming that which we want to manifest.

Get your tickets now for this fun night of healing.

https://www.priestessdandelion.com/event-details/dance-of-the-dandelion-ecstatic-dance-3-13-23

#Los Angeles #event #class #ecstatic dance #ecstaticdancela #la #dance #tickets #fun #movement #dancing #dance class #dance class La

[napalmfairy7]

#witch #coven #the sacred feminine #ecstatic dance #goddess #spirituality #fire dancer #witchcraft

[theyearofhalloween]

#Ecstatic dance #maenades #death #i will be a skeleton

[guadalupemiro]

#ecstatic dance

[mozlotusbeing]

a creation in soul-making

#marion woodman #body soul #5rhythms #art #raw truth #psychedlicart #solitude #inner knowing #sublime #ecstatic dance #creature #creation #imagination #experience #experimental

[of-ether]

Pre ecstatic dance hype hype

#personal #hippie vibes #hippie living #happy hippie #curly hair #brown girl magic #hippie aesthetic #ootd #mirror selfie #good vibes #mirror pic #hippie #brown eyes #divine feminine #nature #ecstatic dance #dance #forest #forest fairy #fairy #goddess #tan #sun #sunlight #tattoos #femme fatale #femme fetale aesthetic #aesthetic

[arlechinav-blog]

Helpful guidelines for trancework:

Just some general suggestions. 1. Do not trance without a monitor. Have a designated trance buddy to watch over your body while you go on adventures. Bonus points if you equip your trance buddy with all the tools they will need to make their life easier. (Flat sheet, water, snacks, scented wake-up oil, medications you may need, etc.) 2. Do not touch or talk to the entranced while they are doing their thing. If it is important, talk to their monitor. No touchy without prior consent. 3. Establish a safe space to do your trancework on that is nowhere near that big ol' bonfire--or any fire. Use a rug or a large mat of some kind that you can feel the boundaries of with your eyes closed. 4. Take the time to talk to your monitor about your needs and have a plan of action for anything you know could be an issue. (Like asthma, allergies, medical conditions, or your rude ex showing up demanding to talk to you at the worst possible moment.) Minimize the unexpected. 5. Go all the way or not at all. Going into and out of an altered state repeatedly in the same night is just asking for pain tomorrow. Get in there and stay in there, you goof. You are going to give your whole body whiplash for a week if you keep playing with it. 6. Do not use a catalyst to achieve an altered state without the consent of the space/ other people involved. That produces a different kind of trance and the people who have to take care of you should have a say in how the rest of their night is going to go. 7. Do not invite yourself into someone else's trance ritual. Just because they are doing something that looks interesting, it doesn't mean they have signed up to watch over a complete stranger. The stuff below is not essential but it is still helpful and can make everyone's life easier. 1. Wear clothes that you can depend on. I recommend wearing trance whites--all white clothing picked out for the rigors of trancework. If you decide to trance out in something flimsy, do not be surprised when that article of clothing rips apart or abandons you. You can always bleach and blue your whites. This also identifies what you are doing to any onlooker who has an understanding of trancework and helps to nonverbally communicate intent. You have fewer awkward conversations that way. 2. Please do not try to do this. (See below.)

Respect the process, the skills, the gear, the commitment. There are a lot of moving parts to spiritual trancework and you will get way more out of the experience if you take your time and do the work.

Much love and good luck with your magic floppy time.

#trance work #ecstatic dance

[eternal-spirit-soul]

CHANDRAJA _  AMA  

Enjoy, 

Chandraja aka me, eternal-spirit soul 🌌  

Find more music at soundcloud.com/chandraja 

#ethnic house #chandraja #ama #music #dj #remix #exstatic #ecstatic dance #ecstatic #dance #mandala #ethnic beats #beats #cosmic beats #cosmic music

[theserpentpharmakiea]

Movement, Meditation and Trance Dance Intro Class 6 Part

Regular price$150.00 USD

Are you drawn to dance? Do you feel that you are in need of moving your body more? Are

you needing to release your energy?

What is trance dance? What are the practices used for? Is this a practice that can be used

for healing?

If this sounds like you, and if these ate the questions that you have and are interested to

learn more, then consider joining my new class on Movement Meditation and Trance

Dance.

In this 6 week course we will discuss the different practices of trance dance around the

world, what trance dance is, how it’s used, healing with trance dance, how to build your

own practice using trance dance and movement meditation in healing, magic, and much

more.

During this practice we will dedicate our practice to a specific intention as well as 3 guides

we feel called to work with. These guides are, a spirit guide or one of the divine, an animal

spirit, and a plant spirit. We will use the practices of our mind, body, and soul to learn to be

at one with these guides, build a relationship, and a regular practice.

Class 1: what is trance?

Class 2: the basics of movement are in trance dance?

Class 3: connecting to the spirit of the divine.

Class 4: what is your trance dance animal spirit?

Class 5: the work of a Plant Charmer, what is your plant spirit ally?

Class 6: Putting your trance dance into practice

Each class will be roughly 1 hour long. Every one must wear comfy clothes, nothing super

baggy. Come ready to move and sweat.

If you gave a yoga mat you are encouraged to bring one. Bring plenty of water!

Cost for class series is $150

Schedule:

May 11, 18 and 25 (4:30pm)

June 1, 8 and 15 (4:30pm

#ecstatic #ecstatic dance #italian folk magic #folklore #ancestors #italian folk medicine #ancestral healing #irish witch #irish witchcraft #folk magic #witchcraft #streghe #dance #folkways #folk dance #working with spirits #spirit dance #tarantella #pizzica #Tarantismo #trance #trance dance

[passifloramoonlight]

Time to loop these Drums of Liberation from here to all higher planes

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #op spoilers #ONE PEAK #drums #ecstatic dance #Youtube

[priestessdandelion]

#witch #wicca #pagan #wiccan #witchcraft #paganism #youtube witch #witchblr #wiccablr #youtube #ecstatic dance #ecstatic #movement #dancing #spiritual #practice