Rave Culture and Religion


Book Description

Vast numbers of western youth have attached primary significance to raving and post-rave experiences. This collection of essays explores the socio-cultural and religious dimensions of the rave, 'raving' and rave-derived phenomena.




Rave, Ritual, Religion


Book Description




Trance Formation


Book Description

Robin Sylvan combines colorful firsthand accounts, extensive interviews with ravers, and cutting edge scholarly analysis to paint a compelling portrait of global rave culture as an important new religious and spiritual phenomenon that also serves as a template for mapping the future evolution of new forms of religion and spirituality in the twenty-first century.




Traces of the Spirit


Book Description

Sylvan examines the religious dimensions of popular music subcultures, charting the influence and religious aspects of popular music in mainstream culture today.




From Rave to Revelation


Book Description

In "From Rave to Revelation: A Journey of Faith Renewed," readers embark on an intimate journey through the raw and unfiltered reflections of a seasoned preacher who has undergone a profound spiritual transformation. This compelling first-hand account vividly narrates a tumultuous path through a maze of highs and lows, doubts and affirmations, stale rituals, and fresh encounters with the divine. Spanning over two decades of ministry, from the early 90s to a pivotal turning point in 2008, we walk through the preacher's self-professed "dead years" - a time characterized by disconnection and disillusionment where rituals felt empty and God seemed far away. Despite the external successes, the noisy crowds, and the arduous travels across the nation, a void lingered - a longing for something more real and tangible. The narrative takes a transformative turn as desperation gives birth to a fierce resolve to seek a deeper, more authentic connection with God. With heart-wrenching honesty, the preacher shares the relentless pursuit of the divine - a journey of pressing in and crying out for a fresh touch from heaven. It's a story of waiting, of persisting, and finally, of experiencing an unprecedented revelation that breathed life into dry bones and ignited a spirit of revival not just in the preacher, but in a whole community. Readers will be captivated by the vibrant depictions of a spiritual awakening that takes shape within the preacher's small but faithful congregation. It's a testimony to the power of unity, of prayer, and of the open heavens that can pour out when we dare to break free from religious complacency and denominational barriers to embrace a God who is ever pursuing us. As the preacher navigates the newfound freedom in Christ, glimpses of vibrant ministry moments come alive in the pages - a stirring tapestry of miraculous healings, prophetic utterances, and individuals being touched in profound ways. We witness a church that evolves from being inward-focused to one that reaches beyond its four walls, impacting the wider community and even drawing attention from the nation. Yet, at the heart of "From Rave to Revelation" is the preacher's authentic voice - a voice that pulsates with a vibrant rhythm of "hallelujahs" and a heartbeat synchronized with the divine, leading readers on a roller-coaster of emotional peaks and valleys as it seeks to articulate an indescribable encounter with God. A clarion call to all who yearn for spiritual authenticity, this book is not just a testimony but a beckoning, urging readers to step beyond the familiar, to dare to press in closer, to break free from the chains of ritual and religion, and to embark on a personal journey of faith renewed. It's an invitation to experience the transcendent joy that comes from a living, breathing relationship with God - a journey from rave to revelation.




Mysticism, Ritual and Religion in Drone Metal


Book Description

This is the first extensive scholarly study of drone metal music and its religious associations, drawing on five years of ethnographic participant observation from more than 300 performances and 74 interviews, plus surveys, analyses of sound recordings, artwork, and extensive online discourse about music. Owen Coggins shows that while many drone metal listeners identify as non-religious, their ways of engaging with and talking about drone metal are richly informed by mysticism, ritual and religion. He explores why language relating to mysticism and spiritual experience is so prevalent in drone metal culture and in discussion of musical experiences and practices of the genre. The author develops the work of Michel de Certeau to provide an empirically grounded theory of mysticism in popular culture. He argues that the marginality of the genre culture, together with the extremely abstract sound produces a focus on the listeners' engagement with sound, and that this in turn creates a space for the open-ended exploration of religiosity in extreme states of bodily consciousness.




Consuming Religion


Book Description

Introduction: being consumed -- Practicing commodity. Binge religion: social life in extremity ; The spirit in the cubicle: a religious history of the American office -- Revising ritual. Ritualism revived: from scientia ritus to consumer rites ; Purifying America: rites of salvation in the soap campaign -- Imagining celebrity. Sacrificing Britney: celebrity and religion in America ; The celebrification of religion in the age of infotainment -- Valuing family. Religion and the authority in American parenting ; Kardashian nation: work in America's klan ; Rethinking corporate freedom -- Corporation as sect. On the origins of corporate culture ; Do not tamper with the clues: notes on Goldman Sachs -- Conclusion: family matters




Traces of the Spirit


Book Description

Sylvan examines the religious dimensions of popular music subcultures, charting the influence and religious aspects of popular music in mainstream culture today.




Pagan Christmas


Book Description

An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture, magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from cultures all over the world--practices that give plants and plant spirits pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christmas effectively transforms the modern-day living room into a place of shamanic ritual. Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling show how the ancient meaning of the botanical elements of Christmas provides a unique view of the religion that existed in Europe before the introduction of Christianity. The fir tree was originally revered as the sacred World Tree in northern Europe. When the church was unable to drive the tree cult out of people’s consciousness, it incorporated the fir tree by dedicating it to the Christ child. Father Christmas in his red-and-white suit, who flies through the sky in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, has his mythological roots in the shamanic reindeer-herding tribes of arctic Europe and Siberia. These northern shamans used the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, which is red and white, to make their soul flights to the other world. Apples, which figure heavily in Christmas baking, are symbols of the sun god Apollo, so they find a natural place at winter solstice celebrations of the return of the sun. In fact, the authors contend that the emphasis of Christmas on green plants and the promise of the return of life in the dead of winter is just an adaptation of the pagan winter solstice celebration.




Technomad


Book Description

A cultural history of global electronic dance music countercultures, Technomad explores the pleasurable and activist trajectories of post-rave culture. The book documents an emerging network of techno-tribes, exploring their pleasure principles and cultural politics. Attending to sound system culture, electro-humanitarianism, secret sonic societies, teknivals and other gatherings, intentional parties, revitalisation movements and counter-colonial interventions, Technomad investigates how the dance party has been harnessed for transgressive and progressive ends - for manifold freedoms. Seeking freedom from moral prohibitions and standards, pleasure in rebellion, refuge from sexual and gender prejudice, exile from oppression, rupturing aesthetic boundaries, re-enchanting the world, reclaiming space, fighting for "the right to party," and responding to a host of critical concerns, electronic dance music cultures are multivalent sites of resistance. Drawing on extensive ethnographic, netographic and documentary research, Technomad details the post-rave trajectory through various local sites and global scenes, with each chapter attending to unique developments in the techno counterculture: e.g. Spiral Tribe, teknivals, psytrance, Burning Man, Reclaim the Streets, Earthdream. The book offers an original, nuanced theory of resistance to assist understanding of these developments. This cultural history of hitherto uncharted territory will be of interest to students of cultural, performance, music, media, and new social movement studies, along with enthusiasts of dance culture and popular politics.