The Ecology, Cosmos & Consciousness salon, The October Gallery, London, 23rd February 2016 #

Mad women running on top of the mountains without the supervision of their husbands, ingestion of mind-altering concoctions, ecstatic nocturnal dancing to the rhythm of the frame drum, ritual sexuality; men voluntarily practicing self-castration, these and more are the ingredients composing the compelling worship of two deities which turned the world upside down back in ancient Greece and Rome.

Dancing & Nonduality: Chiara Baldini #

Starts at 27’ where more information is given over the frist video. Specially the relationship with military society and the “fist witch hunt” in 186 BC, the repression of the Bacchanalia. Written down in Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus

CONCLUSIONS by Chiara #

The cult of Dionysus is a Greek adaptation of ancient shamanic cults That used ASC as spiritual practice to reach experiences of non-duality

Their values questioned the very core of the newly born patriarchal culture and because of their disruptive potential they were brutally repressed.

Elements of this lineage can be found today resurfacing in different cultural manifestations:

• psychedelic culture
• sacred sexuality
• club and festival culture
• Earth-based spirituality (wicca, pagan)
• Feminism
• Reclaimining of non-binary gender identity

My notes #

I saw those video so many year ago that I can’t recall how long it was. Since then I wanted to travel to Crete to meditate at the places were the cult was practiced.

Chiara is saying the same that Peter Kingsley, Pablo D’Ors and my whispers, we must remember our European shamanic tradition.