Ecstatic Dance

Dance is one of the oldest traditions. It has spanned the entirety of civilization, from dances around a flickering fire, to modern raves in abandoned ruins. The communal dance has been a place to seek catharsis, to sweat out sin, to abandon the self, and to call upon or banish away spirits.

Dancing together can be transcendent. As the beat of the drums syncs with the beat of the heart, a crowd of dancers become instead like a group organism. Each beat becomes a pulse of energy that the organism responds to. When people truly lose themselves to the music, they slip into a liminal space where they connect not only to the crowd around them, but all dancers of all time. Past, present, and future all merge into one.

Others channel the crowd, stepping up on stages and stereos to serve as vessels for the collective.

Related Sects

The dancefloor is diverse. People from all faiths and cultures meet, and

Some sects use drugs to enhance the experience, or to ease themselves into the liminal space faster. Others are straight edge, meaning they avoid any intoxication.

Mystery Cults

The mystery cults want the raves to be secret and only for those in-the-know. They hide away in forgotten spaces. The invitations are often coded, requiring the participants to complete a trial before they can join the dance.

Viral

The core of the viralist movement is the belief in a so-called empathogen, a trascendent and infectious form of love. They believe that ecstatic dance is a carrier of the empathogen, and want to spread their love with the world.

The First Beat

The liturgy of the First Beat, says that music was the first language. The first beat was the first heartbeat of civilization.

All-Culture

Pursuers of the All-Culture seek a merging of all cultures and all religions. They dress themselves in eclectic mix of religious and cultural imagery, appropriating whatever they fancy to accessorize. Their beliefs are equally eclectic. Some believe that all religions come from a singular wellspring, others are revelationists who believe that all cultures must join for all people to transcend to divinity, others take a synchronistic approach.

Bacchanalia

Pilgrimages

Pulses through flesh, loud all-consuming music. Catharsis in the crowd, a complete cohesive collaboration. Kinaesthetics

The primary tradition of the rave. ( Festivus, underground, techoprimitivism, technomadic, ascensionism/ascensionist )

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Important Locations

• Svulst