drums, painted bodies, dancing naked around a fire ..

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Dec 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ferrous	03 Dec 2001
i've just finished (re)reading "the clan of the cave bear" by jean m. auel & really enjoyed it, as i knew i would. the ceremonies that the women have, as i described in the subject, really inspired me. now at the risk of being a big dork, is there anything like that that goes on anywhere? to me, the thought of total abandonment of masks & fears & everyday thoughts seems wonderful. can you imagine dancing & stomping unashamedly around a fire at 2am with other like-minded women, faces & bodies painted with stripes & symbols, beating drums, getting lost in the rhythm, simply celebrating 'earth'? it sounds brilliant to me. mind you, i'd have no idea how to start something like this, or even a proper reason for being there doing it .. i just love the thought of it. i suppose modern day raves are similar but involve men & women (& usually an eccy or two .. or eighty). i'd like something like that but more primitive. no music, just the beat.

bec	03 Dec 2001
Awwww, you just send me back to all the children of the earth :) Now I know what to do in my days off ;D as if I didn´t before - but Ayla is defently gonna be apart of it - as she has before and she will again, and again and again. About their celebrating earth, I´ve never tried it, never heard of anyone doing it - but it is one of my fave chapters :D

deso	03 Dec 2001
Hi Ferrous! You might want to start your own women's circle. This is what a friend of mine did a couple of years back. I'm part of that group and it is going very strong. We have two clan mothers (changes with each meeting) who are in charge of the meeting and any materials needed. We've had some great times: drumming and chanting; doing yoga and meditation; dressing as your favourite goddess and being her for the evening; etc..... so I don't see why you couldn't incorporate dancing naked around a fire into your own circle. I must admit, we've done some fire rituals, but not naked - YET, LOL!!! It's great fun all around and the trust and love we have built up for each other is incredible!!!! They truly are my spiritual/soul-sisters!!!

Kiama	03 Dec 2001
Well, I'm a fairly isolated Pagan, so I don't know of any groups aroud my area. I weish I could find some, cuz I think the idea of dancing naked around a fire must be exhillarating: Just to kick off you clothes and not fear judgement or a trip to the police station! I think it must be a great way to get in touch with your body, and accept it. I know that there are so many people nowdays who are embarrassed about their bodies, to the extent that som need to keep their shirts on when making love. This is such a shame, because the body is a gift: A house for your soul, ad no matter what it looks like, it's absolutely gorgeous. I used to be really self-conscious about my body. Then, one ay, I was inmy room, lone in the house, with some Peruvian music playing loudly (Anyone heard of a band called Caliche?) and I was naked (Just outta the bath. I began tapping my feet to the beat, and one thing led to another, and i found myself dancing naked around my room in front of the mirror! Okay, so didn't paint my body, but if I could've, I would've! It was great thing that happened, and I would be worse off today if it hadn't happened. It's a shame you're in Oz, Ferrous, and I'm in the UK (Sunny, sunny England!) otherwise I'd help you start a circle up! Kiama

ferrous	03 Dec 2001
hmm .. not a bad idea, deso. i'll have to think about it, although i have no idea where i'd start. it is a pity that you're in the uk, kiama, or we might just have two members already .. lol!

Kaz	04 Dec 2001
This sounds like fun, here in Holland it is to cold most of the time, I have seen this happen though.... Can't remember the place where it was, but it was some festival in Holland. The bodypainting was really beautiful, and it was great to watch them dancing around a huge fire. I wish we had a different climate here... Although maybe you can do it when it's freezing cold, you go in the sauna first and to cool down dance around the fire in the cold.... Kaz

jade	05 Dec 2001
i did my initiation into being wiccan skyclad and i sure would have liked a fire! LOL it was flippin cold. sounds like a wonderful idea. a great way to increase your self-esteem and self-love. in light, jade

Greenman	07 Dec 2001
hmmm... this just makes me consider how lucky i am. here in Oregon we have alot of large festivals in which this kind of behavior occurs. fire, drums, naked painted bodies dancing. i guess i've come to take these things for granted. i have many wonderful pictures of fire breathers and sword swallowers, bellydancers and fire dancers, and all kinds of beautiful talents being displayed. this, to me, is what being a Pagan is all about. freedom. freedom to explore alternate lifestyles and values. freedom to enjoy the type of expression 'normally' looked down upon. most of my fondest memories of Pagan gatherings revolve around drums and fire. go figure!

Kiama	07 Dec 2001
Quote: Greenman (07 Dec, 2001 17:43): hmmm... this just makes me consider how lucky i am. here in Oregon we have alot of large festivals in which this kind of behavior occurs. fire, drums, naked painted bodies dancing. *Kiama hails the nearest taxi, and orders the driver to take her to the airport, where she hurriedly buys a ticket and jumps on the next plane to Oregon* In the UK we have something a bit like this at the Edinburgh Beltane Bash. Haven't been to it yet, but I hope to be going someday! Kiama

ferrous	07 Dec 2001
Quote: Greenman (07 Dec, 2001 17:43): hmmm... this just makes me consider how lucky i am. here in Oregon we have alot of large festivals in which this kind of behavior occurs. fire, drums, naked painted bodies dancing. i guess i've come to take these things for granted. i have many wonderful pictures of fire breathers and sword swallowers, bellydancers and fire dancers, and all kinds of beautiful talents being displayed. this, to me, is what being a Pagan is all about. freedom. freedom to explore alternate lifestyles and values. freedom to enjoy the type of expression 'normally' looked down upon. most of my fondest memories of Pagan gatherings revolve around drums and fire. go figure! wow .. that sounds absolutely awesome!! excellent & brilliant even .. :-)

northsea	07 Dec 2001
I heard the Oregon Country Fair (2nd weekend of July yearly, near Veneta, Oregon (due west of Eugene)) has been closed by the authorities. You may also consider the Harbin Hot Springs church (a clothing-optional communal hot springs spiritual community (near Middletown, California, 2 hours north of San Francisco) though they are not pagan per se.

Greenman	08 Dec 2001
no, the Country Fair is still open, although it's not nearly as cool as it used to be. uniformed meanies roaming the grounds, no nudity or 'herbal freedom' like it used to be. it is really cool here in Oregon. the Pagan community is very large and strong. my Priestess even did the session opening invocation for the Oregon State Senate a couple of years ago. and although there was a bit of controversy, the fact that she was allowed to do it at all was amazing! it's been said that the Pacific Northwest has the largest concentration of Pagans in America, although the Midwest is rather cool too. and the army base with the biggest Wiccan population is in Texas of all places! but i really want to go to Nevada for 'Burning Man' one of these days soon. now THAT is a wild Pagan affair!

ferrous	09 Dec 2001
Quote: Greenman (08 Dec, 2001 16:42): [snip] .. i really want to go to Nevada for 'Burning Man' one of these days soon. now THAT is a wild Pagan affair! i saw some pics & read a bit about it one of the sites by the guy that refers to himself as cocky bastard (you can see one of his sites at cockybastard.com, there are links to all his other sites there as well .. the guy has about five sites i think, he must do nothing else but work on them). it looked like the most amazing thing to behold.

nexyjo	10 Dec 2001
i've been to a few local pagan festivals. the politicians in new jersey are a bit too prudish to approve a permit for naked dancing, but some of the people get pretty darn close. i belong to an all woman's coven. most of the woman are a bit too self conscious to do the skyclad thing. actually, i'd be a bit uncomfortable skyclad in the group setting until i have my surgery. after that, i think i'd like to try it. luv and light, nexy

The drums, painted bodies, dancing naked around a fire .. thread was originally posted on 03 Dec 2001 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.