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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3303 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 3, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Between recently attending a rave for my first time, and a fair bit of Joe Rogan consumption, I'm interested in what I would naively term "ritually induced altered states of consciousness". I was struck by the stimulating effect of a good DJ, some flashing lights, and being surrounded by people in a similar headspace. I was stone-cold sober, but it was better than coke. It occurred to me that the ability to induce intense emotional states (or inverse, with meditation?) through ritual is something that seems to be a constant across cultures and times. I'm thinking of stuff like glossolalia or "quaking" in certain sects of Christianity, to Buddhist meditation, perhaps even political rallies that induce patriotic/nationalistic fervor.

Does anyone have recommendations for books or other resources on this, or some scattered thoughts to share? I'd almost venture to say that this is something modern society sorely lacks, but that might be veering into culture war territory, so perhaps we'd best discuss the phenomenon itself.

Apologies if this would go better in the small scale questions thread.

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