Adam Blatner

Words and Images from the Mind of Adam Blatner

Lords of the Dance

Originally posted on October 6, 2013

Well, actually a Lord in the British hierarchy of nobility is not all that high of a status. ("Lord" is how Marquess, Earls and Barons and their sons as well as the sons of Dukes are addressed.) But really I’m referring to third- or other lower order spirits of each dance, as if each dance could have its own spirit.

I’ve done folk dancing on  and off since age 18 and probably have done many  tens of thousands of probably over 2000 dances (many of them hundreds of times). It has occurred to me that as a fictional myth each dance has its own sprite or spirit that is able to co-dance if one has learned the steps well enough so that the movements aren’t too  controlled by the ego-will. Thus, it might be said, that one of our functions, as well as “love your neighbor” is open to allowing these spirits to co-dance through us—and by extension, also, co-sing when we sing, etc. This is not so weird—many indigenous peoples believe this sort of thing: We are here so that the gods can dance and sing through us, since our bodies are the only extension into more specific, material existence. We costume, make rituals, purify ourselves in various ways to open to spontaneity and ecstasy this way.

Losing oneself in such circumstances is far from insane; it’s the height  of sanity,  a belief system that we don’t just live for our own pleasures. Many religions support this, but people become distracted by the specifics of the overlay of myth. The point is to consider that a measure of literal ecstasy is a fundamental part of spirituality.


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