Common steps and sub-activities
Frenetic Dancing
Dancing is and has been used extensively worldwide throughout the ages to achieve the level of activity required to promote ‘trance states’. Please note that we also have an entry for more gentle dancing and an entry for rave dancing, this entry is thus a sort of catch-all for any remaining sorts of dancing that involves frenetic exercise.
A period of continuous aerobic ‘dancing’ in which glucose is burned must be followed by a very intense period of anaerobic ‘dancing’ when after this long continuous prolonged period of physical movement, you exercise when the body is low on glucose and you are not getting enough oxygen – you have gone beyond your VO2 max. It is at this stage [or not long after] that you will get the spiritual experience.
When I say dancing, however, I mean you really really have to dance - really dance, frenetically, madly, not just waltz around the room in your ballet slippers.
Most tribal dances are both frenetic and prolonged incorporating steady aerobic style dancing with periods of anaerobic dancing. The added advantage is that most tribal dancing is accompanied by drums and drums have their own special place in inducing spiritual experience - see Listening to beating sounds. But rave style dancing is just as good.
Whereas those people who attend rave dances tend to go just for the ‘high’ plus the euphoria or overall feelings of love and bliss generated – many tribal dances particularly those in Africa are very strongly associated with religion and spiritual experience.
For a person attending a rave it is a personal thing and unconnected with any religious or spiritual associations.
Dancing in tribal societies, in contrast, is a sacred act.
Observations
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