Adventuring into weirdness: Ecstatic Dance

A ritualistic experience of joy, and movement that spurs questions into how weirdness is integrated within our journey to self

Ecstatic dance is an ancient practice that has been around since the dawn of community. It draws on our ritualistic roots and gives us an opportunity for psychological and physical catharsis. In recent years, it has become quite popular and casts a wide net of influence, drawing in spiritual devotees, aesthetically driven influencers, and mysterious characters who seem to have emerged from some distant jungle wearing nothing but a piece of fabric.

Yesterday, I received the call to venture into this strange world of ritual and community. I have had my fair share of mystical experiences and I have always been drawn to anything that resembled ritual, so I wasn’t entering this experience blindly. That being said, I didn’t really know what to expect and I was excited at the possibility of surprise. I purchased my ticket, took off my shoes, patted a beautiful golden retriever that guarded the entrance to the space, and ventured into the ‘realm’…

Techno beats blended with ritualistic soundscapes. Bodies moved off of impulse and sweat coated the edges of every wall and window. My eyes darted across the room as energy became manifest in every inch of my muscular form. There was no room for thought. Movement was the only option. A deep breath in. Release. Move. Flow. Breathe. Close eyes. Feel. Move. Feel-move. Open eyes. Connect. Sweat. Move. Breathe out.

For just under two hours, I released all judgment of my body and the bodies of those around me. I relinquished any need to be anything for anyone else, to be anywhere else, or to wish for anything other than the present impulse. In all honesty, it was weird. It felt weird to release so fully into the chaos of impulse, and relinquish control of my mind-body connection. I felt possessed by the music and the energy of the space, existing in a trance-like state, both individual and connected. Like most mystical experiences, the anatomy of these words struggles to articulate the true arteries of the experience, but its weirdness is inarguable. It is beautifully weird. Profoundly weird. So weird in fact that it feels liberating.

I feel that this weirdness is a common thread connecting much of the profundity I've experienced in Bali and throughout the spiritual experiences that have shaped my evolution over the past few years. Spiritual growth, personal growth, and the journey of self-development is inherently weird. It requires a vulnerability that feels and looks weird. A vulnerability that would not be possible without embracing one’s own weirdness. I did feel weird when I first walked into the ecstatic dance. I can guarantee that If you had teleported me from that room into the bustling streets of Brisbane city, you would have looked at me and thought I looked weird. Because I did look weird; arms reaching in opposite directions while my legs gyrated across varying angles and slopes. Please see reference image 1 for an accurate depiction of one of my most liberating and weird physical states during my ecstatic dance experience.

Anything that pushes us outside of our comfort zone is going to make us feel weird. Weird is a state of calibration wherein we venture past the boundaries of our own self-inflicted boundaries. Through weirdness, we discover new aspects of ourselves and new ways to push those boundaries further and further away from us. I would argue that this is a good thing. A productive thing for us to do both for ourselves and our community. Boundaries are by definition limiting. We are deterred from weirdness, and its’ associated awkwardness, throughout our adolescence (and beyond) because we fear isolation. This is a natural and primitive instinct that gives power to social hierarchies and conformity. As we grow older and begin recontextualising our place in the world and within ourselves, we are given the opportunity to journey deeper into our weirdness. We discover new hobbies, passions, and interests. We become conscious of aspects of our own spirituality that have been dormant or left unexplored. We learn that we have agency in discovering who and what we are. All of these discoveries and adventures require the embracing of our weirdness. They require us to step into ourselves and embrace new experiences with the courage to be weird, the humility to laugh at ourselves and the love to not take ourselves too seriously. Our weirdness is our gift, and it is our pathway to growth.

Weirdness is also fun. Moving your body in any which way in a room free of judgment and fear is fun (at least it was for me). There’s a reason people have been doing this kind of thing for thousands of years. There’s a reason why ecstatic dance is gaining in popularity around the world and why more and more people are exploring their spirituality in new and exciting ways. It doesn’t all have to be serious. It doesn’t all have to look cool or interesting or Instagram-worthy. Each of our journeys toward self-development and spiritual growth is going to be uniquely correlated with our own unique weirdness. It’s going to feel weird, look weird, and smell weird (sweat, blood, and tears make a beautiful natural deodorant), but that’s the point. Embrace that weirdness and see where it takes you. Whether it’s to an ecstatic dance or a private space in a distant mountain range, enjoy it. And enjoy this photo of me doing my new favorite yoga pose - The Happy Baby.

Until we chat again,

Zed