This is the deepest investigation and dialog ever made about some breakthrough footage that was filmed by NASA. This footage records high numbers of disc shaped objects, ambiguously classified, and until now, unidentifiable as any known phenomenon.

UFOlogist David Sereda spent the past six years conducting scientific investigations with NASA (in written dialogs between several of the Agency’s top scientists) and through other sources about alleged UFO sightings. He is convinced that NASA has evidence of alien contact captured on video now in Sereda’s possession and available to the public on these programs.

David Sereda appeared in an unprecedented face to face showdown with NASA press correspondent and former Houston Control Operator, James Oberg, on the Late Night “Art Bell” radio show, broadcast to some 5 million listeners all over the world. Never before had NASA participated in such a large public debate on UFOs. It was an intensely furious debate over some of NASA’s very own Space Shuttle mission video footage, for it clearly depicted 2-3 mile long disc shaped objects (easily measured behind a 12 mile long tether), moving behind the tether, and thus, disproving any theories about dust particles coming from the camera equipment.





Suddenly, in the middle of this broadcast, the satellite used to broadcast the show and the live internet broadcast were obscured by a powerful ultra-high energy signal and shut down. 18 minutes of the show was nipped from the airwaves, and mysteriously the satellite turned back on just as the show was finishing. Art Bell’s technicians went live to reveal that they could not find mechanical reason for the failure. Two days later, Art Bell received a letter with circumstantial evidence of his broadcast being sabotaged.

Now, with this cornerstone evidence, Sereda presents this NASA footage and his remarkable discoveries in this book. He shows proof of intelligent craft through the process of elimination of other plausible phenomena; fundamental principles of faster than light technology and corroborating evidence found on the disc shaped objects; links to the supposed spacecraft and an identifiable star system. Over 2 hours of coverage.


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There is you, there is me and there is the vast unknown beyond our knowledge and understanding. There have been multiple UFO sightings over Mexico and other parts of Southern U.S.A. There is ample evidence to prove that there is alien life out there trying to reach out and communicate with us. However, you might not see any of it in our reflecting world for reasons best known to the ones sitting on the power switch in fear of the worst. I wonder if this comes from the guilt of mass murder in the name of peace !

These sightings were made by none other than the highly sophisticated planes along the border of Mexico which recce the area to control the trafficking of Narcotics into the U.S.A. Wonder if there is a connection !!! :)



There have been various theories on Alien Existence and what could be there possible purpose to hover around in the skies. Humanities oldest known civilizations have the mention of gods who descended from the heavens in ancient scriptures and records.


The possibility of the existence of multiple parallel universes where life forms have evolved and have somehow learnt to surpass the space and time continuum is not ruled out. The Blink On and the Blink Off theory states that there is a parallel existence however we are unable to see it because as soon our universe blinks on, theirs blinks off. They make way through a time warp to enter our universe and disappear in the blink of an eye. The movements of these objects are perfectly synchronized and they move along in geometric formations (Which looks like some alien script up in the sky) which we're yet to decipher.




Also, some almost reliable sources tell us that there have been numerous such paranormal sightings and related experiences at outdoor trance gatherings all around the world... {{{Wonder Why}}}

Ghosts, Spirits or Angels... they exist and are out there somewhere in another dimension watching and occasionally reaching out through subtle recognizable ways if you only you pay close attention ! Could there be some connection between Angels and Aliens ?

Everything and everyone is connected. Everything is energy !

Man has always been fascinated with the Moon and it's effects on the human consciousness. On Full Moon nights, something happens to us. With the initiation of the trance dance experience Full Moon nights turn out to be unforgettable experiences ranging across the spectrum of extreme polarities. There are some of us who take the opportunity to rejuvenate our connection with the Moon, dancing to the mystical vibe we collectively create when we come together on higher ground of collective consciousness. The beauty of our thoughts manifests as our collective experience as we individually transcend our acquired identities and commune as ONE, Cosmic Spirit ! Infinite ! We see everyone as reflections of the ONE divine source of all creation ! Everything is God ! God is Love ! Love is All !




One of the biggest Full Moon Festivals is the Full Moon Festival, Germany held each year at a picturesque location in Germany for a period of 4 days. They have a Psychedelic / Full On Stage, a Progressive-Electronic Stage, a Chill Out-Ambient Stage and this year they had a special Dark Psychedelic Stage with about 150 major Global Artists spinning foot stomping music non stop for 4 days ! Organizing a festival as big as this takes a whole lot of planning and ensuring all accounts are taken care of. You can see the details about the festival on their home page.

The Boom Festival Portugal has come really strong over the years bringing together music, art and creative innovation to all these wonderful people from all cultures of the world. The Healing Area was a novelty at Boom 2008. With therapies and holistic projects being held every day, a new concept of entertainment was being made at Boom. Going to Boom Festival should be on your things to do list !



Shanti Jatra Full Moon Festival held in Nepal each year is one of Asia's most sought out destinations for a fulfilling Psychedelic Himalayan Experience. This year would be the 2nd edition and it looks like it's going to be a gathering to remember. With a special non stop chill-out zone where they would also show movies and documentaries at night. The Organizers encourage people to come up and set up workshops on environmental awareness, spirituality (yoga/meditation)... Astral travel, Buddhism, Indian classical music, chakra massage, drugs awareness, healing ....


Nepal has an ancient heritage of Shamanic rituals on Full Moon Nights. One of Nepal's most famous religious places of pilgrimage is Gosainkunda lake situated at an altitude of about 4312 m. Surrounded by high mountains on the north and east, this lake is grand and picturesque. Every year during Janai Purnima in August, thousands of Hindu pilgrims come here for pilgrimage and it is quite a sight.


The large rock in the center of the lake is said to be the remains of a Shiva shrine and it is also claimed that channel carries water from the lake directly to the tank at the Kumbheshwar Temple in Patan, 60 km to the south. Shamans ("Dhami") come from all over Nepal arrive to the lake and on full moon night.

There is much dancing and singing. This day is considered holy by the shamans whereby apprentices or "Jhankris" graduate into full shamans. Trekking in August can be a bit wet as the monsoon is at its last stages, but the greenery is at its best and since it is not peak season, it is best for people who do not want to be part of the crowd.

There are many more Full Moon Festivals and we shall cover each of these individually, including the BoOm Festival which deserves an exclusive article to it's name !

The virgin experiences that were made to grow
Build into a monster ready to explode
There is so much yet nothing around
I tread this road, homeward bound
Concepts and theories and all thats fact
Fade away as they were never built to last
I escape the pain and seek refuge
Somethings that use me and somethings i use
Stumbled and I found meaning around
Each little action every little sound
Foray into curious country
Experience the unknown, smell the flavor, set it all free
Sometimes it's easier to just BE
The love the hate the pain and the sorrow
All this and so much more tomorrow
The smiles the frowns the tears the gore
Yet each day i discover more
The wild the tame the wind the thunder
I wonder would i ever cease to wonder ?!

:)

Here in Goa, close to 3 weeks since i let me gypsy heart find familiar ground in new territory. 45 kilometres from North Goa, here in Colva sweating it out for the winter. Once winter is here, there will be no looking back ! All the hard earned money shall be invested in the pursuit of enlightenment. What could be a better way to find yourself, yet again, through the trance~dance phenomena ?

Life cruising through the by-lanes in Anjuna and Vagator with the chill in the air piercing through the heavily beaten ear drums ( Thank you Lord for all the Magic we cherish )... I could go around in circles forever, yet find something new each time. The sound of an Enfield revving it's way towards you now is a flash of energy: The flying hippy... he is gone ...

Everyone seems to come to Goa to break free from the routine they are caught in, however there are some who stay back, because they've realized that the city life and the concrete was not how it was intended to be. We as humans have made that choice and we live by our choices till the very day we succumb to the inevitable ( Unless you wanna go the Huxley way ;) ) There is so much in abundance yet it looks like it's all diminishing. It's the view from a city high rise that shouts out loud in claustrophobic disbelief.

Fresh Air is what we need ! (Let the greens flourish)

The heavenly abode of God and other uplifted lives, the Himalayas, they hold an experience for all who dare to go that distance. Within the conscious state and in complete awareness (i could do with some psychedelic interference of the 3rd kind ;), the extremes shall teach what nothing could ever do! Through, persistence, you shall find !

Time to get back ON !

Ever looked at the Moon and wondered if there was intelligent life like us up there ? If you haven't, then maybe its about time you find out the truth about a definite presence on the Moon which is seen in the massive buildings and structures discovered on what is called 'the dark side of the moon'.

Is there an "Alien Base" on the Moon? More people are coming forward with stories that might prove this is true. Rumors say that there is an Alien Moon Base on the far side of the moon, the side we never see from Earth.

Did you ever wonder why the Moon landings stopped and why we have not tried to build a Moon Base? It does seem like a better and easier idea than a floating space station with no access to any raw materials or supplies? According to the NASA Astronaut Neil Armstrong the aliens have a base on the Moon and told us in no uncertain terms to get off and stay off the Moon!


Sounds far fetched? Wait till you hear what the Astronauts and other officials have to say ... Milton Cooper, a Naval Intelligence Officer tells us that not only does the Alien Moon Base exist but the U.S. Naval Intelligence Community refers to the Alien Moon Base as "Luna," that there is a huge mining operation going on there, and that is where the aliens keep their huge mother ships while the trips to Earth are made in smaller "flying saucers". LUNA: The Alien base on the far side of the Moon. It was seen and filmed by the Apollo astronauts. A base, a mining operation using very large machines, and the very large alien craft described in sighting reports as mother ships exist there. - Milton Cooper According to hitherto unconfirmed reports, both Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin saw UFOs shortly after their historic landing on the Moon in Apollo 11 on 21 July 1969. I remember hearing one of the astronauts refer to a "light" in or on a carter during the television transmission, followed by a request from mission control for further information. Nothing more was heard. According to a former NASA employee Otto Binder, unnamed radio hams with their own VHF receiving facilities that bypassed NASA's broadcasting outlets picked up the following exchange: NASA: What's there? Mission Control calling Apollo 11... Apollo: These "Babies" are huge, Sir! Enormous! OH MY GOD! You wouldn't believe it! I'm telling you there are other spacecraft out there, lined up on the far side of the crater edge! They're on the Moon watching us!


In 1979, Maurice Chatelain, former chief of NASA Communications Systems confirmed that Armstrong had indeed reported seeing two UFOs on the rim of a crater. "The encounter was common knowledge in NASA," he revealed, "but nobody has talked about it until now." Soviet scientists were allegedly the first to confirm the incident. "According to our information, the encounter was reported immediately after the landing of the module," said Dr. Vladimir Azhazha, a physicist and Professor of Mathematics at Moscow University. "Neil Armstrong relayed the message to Mission Control that two large, mysterious objects were watching them after having landed near the moon module. But his message was never heard by the public-because NASA censored it. " According to another Soviet scientist, Dr. Aleksandr Kazantsev, Buzz Aldrin took color movie film of the UFOs from inside the module, and continued filming them after he and Armstrong went outside. Dr. Azhazha claims that the UFOs departed minutes after the astronauts came out on to the lunar surface. Maurice Chatelain also confirmed that Apollo 11's radio transmissions were interrupted on several occasions in order to hide the news from the public. Before dismissing Chatelain's sensational claims, it is worth noting his impressive background in the aerospace industry and space program.

His first job after moving from France was as an electronics engineer with Convair, specializing in telecommunications, telemetry, and radar. In 1959 he was in charge of an electromagnetic research group, developing new radar and telecommunications systems for Ryan. One of his eleven patents was an automatic flights to the Moon. Later, at North American Aviation, Chatelain was offered the job of designing and building the Apollo communications and data-processing systems. Chatelain claims that "all Apollo and Gemini flights were followed, both at a distance and sometimes also quite closely, by space vehicles of extraterrestrial origin-flying saucers, or UFOs, if you want to call them by that name. Every time it occurred, the astronauts informed Mission Control, who then ordered absolute silence." He goes on to say: "I think that Walter Schirra aboard Mercury 8 was the first of the astronauts to use the code name 'Santa Claus' to indicate the presence of flying saucers next to space capsules. However, his announcements were barely noticed by the general public. It was a little different when James Lovell on board the Apollo 8 command module came out from behind the moon and said for everybody to hear: 'PLEASE BE INFORMED THAT THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS.' Even though this happened on Christmas Day 1968, many people sensed a hidden meaning in those words." Rumors persist. NASA may well be a civilian agency, but many of its programs are funded by the defense budget and most of the astronauts are subject to military security regulations.

Apart from the fact that the National Security Agency screens all films and probably radio communications as well. We have the statements by Otto Binder, Dr. Garry Henderson and Maurice Chatelain that the astronauts were under strict orders not to discuss their sightings. And Gordon Cooper has testified to a United Nations committee that one of the astronauts actually witnessed a UFO on the ground. If there is no secrecy, why has this sighting not been made public? A certain professor, who wished to remain anonymous, was engaged in a discussion with Neil Armstrong during a NASA symposium. Professor: What REALLY happened out there with Apollo 11? Armstrong: It was incredible, of course we had always known there was a possibility, the fact is, we were warned off! (by the Aliens). There was never any question then of a space station or a moon city. Professor: How do you mean "warned off"? Armstrong: I can't go into details, except to say that their ships were far superior to ours both in size and technology - Boy, were they big!... and menacing! No, there is no question of a space station. Professor: But NASA had other missions after Apollo 11? Armstrong: Naturally-NASA was committed at that time, and couldn't risk panic on Earth. But it really was a quick scoop and back again. Armstrong confirmed that the story was true but refused to go into further detail, beyond admitting that the CIA was behind the cover-up. (thanks to BBS) More information: Sensation: Cities Found on the Moon! Reasonable activity of an alien civilization showed up unexpectedly close to us. We were not ready for it psychologically We still can come across publications trying to find an answer to the question: Are we alone in the universe? At the same time, presence of reasonable creatures has been detected just close to our home, in the Moon. However, the discovery was immediately classified as secret, as it was so much incredible that even could shake the already existing social principles, reports Russia's newspaper "Vecherny Volgograd."

Here is an extract from the official press-release: “NASA scientists and engineers participating in exploration of Mars and Moon reported results of their discoveries at a briefing at the Washington national press club on March 21, 1996. It was announced for the first time that man-caused structures and objects had been discovered on the Moon.” The scientists spoke rather cautiously and evasively about the functioning objects, with the exception of UFO. They always mentioned the man-caused objects as possible, and pointed out the information was still under study, and official results would be published later. It was mentioned at the briefing as well that the Soviet Union used to own some photo materials proving presence of reasonable activity on the Moon. And although it wasn't identified what kind of reasonable activity it was, thousands of photo-and video materials photographed from the Apollos and the Clementine space station demonstrated many parts on the lunar surface where the activity and its traces were perfectly evident. The video films and photos made by U.S. astronauts during the Apollo program were demonstrated at the briefing. And people were extremely surprised why the materials hadn't been presented to the public earlier. And NASA specialists answered: “It was difficult to forecast the reaction of people to the information that some creatures had been or still were on the Moon. Besides, there were some other reasons to it, which were beyond NASA.”

Specialist for lunar artifacts Richard Hoagland says that NASA is still trying to veil photo materials before they are published in public catalogues and files, they do retouching or partially refocus them while copying. Some investigators, Hoagland is among them, suppose that an extraterrestrial race had used the Moon as a terminal station during their activity on the Earth. The suggestions are confirmed by the legends and myths invented by different nations of our planet. Ruins of lunar cities stretched along many kilometers, huge transparent domes on massive basements, numerous tunnels and other constructions make scientists reconsider their opinions concerning the lunar problems. How the Moon appeared and principles of its revolving around the Earth still pose a great problem for scientists. Some partially destroyed objects on the lunar surface can’t be placed among natural geological formations, as they are of complex organization and geometrical structure. In the upper part of Rima hadley, not far from the place where the Apollo-15 had landed, a construction surrounded with a tall D-shaped wall was discovered. As of now, different artifacts have been discovered in 44 regions. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the Houston Planetary Institute and specialists from the bank of space information are investigating the regions. Mysterious terrace-shaped excavations of the rock have been discovered near the Tiho crater.

The concentric hexahedral excavations and the tunnel entry at the terrace side cant be results of natural geological processes; instead, they look very much like open cast mines. A transparent dome raised above the crater edge was discovered near the crater Copernicus. The dome is unusual as it is glowing white and blue from inside. A rather unusual object, which is unusual indeed even for the Moon, was discovered in the upper part of the Factory area. A disk of about 50 meters in diameter stands on a square basement surrounded with rhombi walls. In the picture, close to the rhombi, we can also see a dark round embrasure in the ground, which resembles an entry in an underground caponier. There is a regular rectangular area between Factory and the crater Copernicus which is 300 meters wide 400 meters long. Apollo 10 astronauts made a unique picture (AS10-32-4822) of a one-mile long object called Castle, which is hanging at the height of 14 kilometers and casts a distinct shadow on the lunar surface. The object seems to be consisting of several cylindrical units and a large conjunctive unit. Internal porous structure of the Castle is clearly seen in one of the pictures, which makes an impression that some parts of the object are transparent. As it turned out at the briefing where many NASA scientists were present, when Richard Hoagland had requested originals of the Castle pictures for the second time, no pictures were found there at all.

They disappeared even from the list of pictures made by the Apollo 10 crew. Only intermediate pictures of the object were found in the archives, which unfortunately donut depict the internal structure of the object. When Apollo-12 crew landed on the lunar surface, they saw that the landing was observed by a half-transparent pyramidal object. It was hanging just several meters above the lunar surface and shimmered with all rainbow colors against the black sky. In 1969, when the film about astronauts traveling to the Sea of Storms was demonstrated (the astronauts saw the strange objects once again, which were later called “striped glasses”), NASA finally understood what consequences such kind of control could bring. Astronaut Mitchell answered the question about his feelings after a successful return the following: “My neck still aches as I had to constantly turn my head around because we felt we were not alone there. We had no choice but pray.” Johnston, who worked at the Houston Space Center and studied photos and video materials done during the Apollo program, discussed the artifacts with Richard Hoagland and said, the NASA leadership was awfully annoyed with the great number of anomalous, to put it mildly, objects on the Moon. It was even said that piloted flights to the Moon could be banned in the programs network. Investigators are especially interested in ancient structures resembling partially destroyed cities. The orbital shooting reveals an astonishingly regular geometry of square and rectangular constructions.

They resemble our terrestrial cities seen from the height of 5-8 kilometers. A mission control specialist commented on the pictures: “Our guys observed ruins of the Lunar cities, transparent pyramids, domes and God knows what else, which are currently hidden deep inside the NASA safes, and felt like Robinson Crusoe when he suddenly came across prints of human bare feet on the sand of the desert island.” What do geologists and scientists say after studying the pictures of lunar cities and other anomalous objects? They say, such objects can't be natural formations. “We should admit they are artificial, especially the domes and pyramids.”

In a world of madness and miracles ... There comes along a friend who shows hope of togetherness and continues to until the day he turns his back on you and leaves for god knows where, and who knows how long... Don't misunderstand my words for misery and pain and no matter what i say it will do little or nothing to make you change your mind (or mine too for that matter :)). It's this design which i figure out to be, beyond human comprehension. I am one among the mystic beyond time and space and there is no need out there.


I am the ghost that lurks in the shadows of night and i am the light that transcends all life exposing all that was dark. I'm the force that runs the rAnDoM ShIfT in your Winamp playlist bringing forth meaning in muse. I'm the bump on the road when you look away while driving. I exist and i am humanly measured in ergs. I'm also given a name that is, all that IS. ... Energy ! E Pluribus Unum... I exist in all illusionary mulitplicity and existential singularity. I'm nothing and everything within the consciousness endowed to me in the form of life. I seek the unknown, the unfamiliar and echo words from the deep caves within. Inspired and delusional, my mind never fails to expose the possibilities that behold the future or which shaped my present, somewhere, sometime in the past. Contradictions speed up the process and the search continues ...


tHe uNkNoWn... tHe nO mInD sTaTe ...... nO nEeD ....... nO NoThiNg :) !!!

It's a couple of hours since the sunset and here we are somewhere in the middle of the 'Flea Market', closer to the beach following a distant rumble of thick basslines and alternating midi sequences. We get there and find an alien vibe with little or no calling, hence choose to chart maybe a different terror-tory in hope to have an experience to remember !

Swoosh and I are accompanied by our friend within, the Shiva Valley Samurai !

We drive down towards "Bamboo Forest" (Dolce Vita) and find ourselves slowly illuminating walking towards the entry. Euphoria catching up alongside ! We find our space ( We needed a lot of space that night, trust me :) )

An hour since we got in... Maybe less... Magic ( That's the best word i could think of, to describe the unknown mystified entity that merges with pure consciousness) takes over the self (ego) and unleashes a chain reaction which would not cease until sunrise. The sky lightens up in a purplish hue and stars dance in synchronous with the dark stomping beat on this mAd nIgHt At dOlCe viTa !!! I see white orbs of oscillating energy (some in the human form standing, some just flying) in the not so distant sky and a couple in close proximity ! Expression of the entity and perception of the human mind at it's best !

We all have a deep longing and need for ecstatic experience. We spend a great deal of our lives thinking, planning, talking, reading – being rational. Even when we take time off, we tend to fill it with activities where our brain waves are predominantly within the rational, thinking beta frequency range. The brain is like a complex muscle. While it needs to be exercised, it also needs and craves various forms of rest – but sleep alone is not enough.

During sleep, our brain wave frequencies fluctuate between deep sleep (delta) and dreaming (theta) with the associated periods of REM (rapid eye movement). This is a natural, unconscious process, vital to our survival. Studies have shown that even short-term deprivation of REM sleep seriously affects health. Whilst awake, we consciously determine our states of mind by what we do. We mostly limit ourselves, through the conditioning of competitive society, to the beta frequencies. We need a break, time out from concentration and rationality – we need to experience states of trance or ecstasy in our waking lives, as a balance to all that thinking.

There are many ways of inducing conscious trance states which slow the brain wave frequencies from the predominant beta, down to the relaxed, intuitive alpha, or even the theta frequencies which are associated with dreaming and deep trance. Meditation, chanting mantras, guided imagery, hypnosis, holotropic breathwork and tantric sex are some of the ways humans have developed over the ages, but perhaps the oldest of all is trance dance.

In many primitive societies, ecstatic dance rituals were of great importance and were practised extensively. I am sure that many of these ancient traditions have been lost but some are still with us today. The San or Bushmen of southern Africa still dance themselves regularly into ecstasy. The Masai of Kenya, the Bwiti of Gabon, the Gnawa of Morocco and the Sangomas (traditional healers) of South Africa all practice ritualistic trance dance. However, the practice is certainly not confined to Africa. Australian Aborigines, Sufis, Druids, Siberian shamans, the native peoples of North and South America all practise(d) some form of ecstatic or trance-inducing dance. Even in modern Europe, old trance dance traditions still survive. Among them are the Tarantella or spider dance of southern Italy, Spanish Flamenco and the Cornish floral dance with its Celtic roots.




A deep-seated longing for ecstasy, for a break in the tedium of day-to-day survival, has, I believe, led many of the younger generation in modern, industrial society back to trance dance. It is surely no coincidence that the drug most associated with the dance culture is known as ecstasy. Electronic dance music also reflects this association through the Goa or psychedelic trance genres. Twenty years ago hardly anyone had heard of house parties, even in Chicago where they first started. In that short space of time, a dance culture has developed and spread all over the world with its raves, techno or Goa parties. Using modern technology, young people are recreating a space in their lives for trance and ecstasy, with or without drugs.

It seems to me, that in this age of virtually unlimited information and communication, the experience of our ancestors, possibly dating from the stone-age, is re-awakening in us and urging us to dance ourselves into trance. It is not only in the dance culture that we find a renewal of interest in trance dance. There are many people who have written about it, some of whom are Felicitas Goodman, Gabrielle Roth and Frank Natale. There are loads of web sites about ecstatic dance, mainly in the U.S.A., with information and events of all kinds.

So what is trance dance? How can it lead to ecstasy and what is it good for? Here I am going to describe only my own personal experiences and observations.

When I am in a state of trance, I call it being in the flow. I don’t think about how to do anything or what I may be doing. I am the action. So, if I am dancing, I am the dance. It is hard to express. I might also say: it dances me. Thoughts, feelings and sensations come and go; they flicker through my mind and body like the lights that accompany me in the dance. My boundaries dissolve and I lose my sense of self – a drop of water falling into the ocean, becoming part of everything. “I” am no longer there; my tiny, separate self melts into the infinite, all-embracing “WE”. Time becomes elastic to the point of timelessness. This is sometimes blissful, even ecstatic; sometimes meditative and tranquil. Dancing is my meditation, my gateway to an altered state of consciousness which I need just as much as I need to think and function as an individual in society.

There are many shades of trance experience, varying from light to very deep. I can fall into a light trance whilst doing the washing-up – watching my hands as they work away, seemingly by themselves. It is a great way of making tedious jobs fun but trance dancing, for me, is the best fun of all. Far more than fun, it is deeply healing and rejuvenating. It strengthens my self-esteem while increasing my capacity for empathy. Regularly dancing myself into a state of ecstatic trance greatly reduces my tendencies to be irritable and depressed.



I am not young. I was born in 1949; so, as I write this in 2007, I am nearly sixty. Never too old to dance, I’m gonna bop till I drop. The younger generations of ravers and party-people in the dance scene richly deserve my thanks. They have made it possible for me to enjoy my passion for trance dance to an extent which was not thinkable before the arrival of electronic dance music, at least not in Berlin where I live. There aren’t many shamans practising ancient trance rituals here and it is a long way to the Kalahari where the remnants of the San still live and dance. The rock concerts and the discos I went to in the 1960s, 70s and 80s were not the ideal venues for trance dance. The music was not appropriate and the social constraints were far greater than at a rave.

Here in Berlin, I can go dancing every weekend to music which I have grown to love with people who are generally younger than my oldest son. These people always seem very welcoming towards me despite my deeply lined face. They are often amused to see me partying with my daughter who is 22. Unfortunately though, I am becoming more and more worried about these beautiful, young people.

It seems to me that the consumption of drugs has continually increased and broadened since the early 1990s when I went to my first techno party. Drugs have always been associated with the dance scene. Here we find another similarity with ancient, shamanic trance rituals where substances such as cannabis, psilocybin, peyote, ayahuasca, datura, iboga and Amanita muscaria are regularly used to help open the doors of perception and induce altered states of consciousness. The shamans, however, regarded these plants with great respect, to be taken sparingly and only mixed when they were known to be complementary, such as cocoa and psilocybin. But these days, in addition to higher dosages and far too frequent use, people think nothing of mixing all kinds of drugs at raves: for example, cocaine and/or speed with alcohol. High dosages of these antagonistic drugs taken together can produce a very dangerous cocktail. Apparently, many party people want to get “out of it” every weekend rather than “into the flow”.

By practising techniques which are simple to learn, it is possible to dance ourselves into trance with little, or no help from drugs at all. These techniques include de-focussing of thought and vision, careful, rhythmic hyperventilation combined with movement (used by both Sufis and San Bushmen in trance rituals) and grounding in the here-and-now. Together with the sensory over-load of appropriate music at high volume, light shows and the accepting club ambience, this can be a powerful and far more healthy cocktail for trance.

When many people dance together in trance, they experience a sense of community. This shared activity, which is a celebration of life, strengthens the bond of our shared humanity. The awareness of being part of a single, all-pervading consciousness helps us to empathise more deeply with one another – to be more accepting not only of others, but also of ourselves.

Fulfilling that longing for the ecstatic, transforming experience, trance dancing is remembering; like coming home to a wonderland where we all belong – one infinite, shared consciousness.

Rob Bennett in Berlin August 2007