From: SOrmsby@aol.com
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 16:29:03 -0400
Subject: the two c's

fellow travellers,

i'm new to the rave world, new to the experience of X, and new to this list. the new moon last week X'ed virginity and left something expansive and wonderful in its place. then on sunday, i went to the point isabel gathering, danced with all the spirit i had, smiled at strangers, felt the sun and music wash through me, swam through the wet music with gyrating hips, webbed toes and a sober but ecstatic mind.

i write you collectively to share with you the perspective of this beginner's mind. what i've recently found at the new moon, at the park, and at sfraves@hyperreal.com is community and consciousness - two of the most important things in my life. what i seek is a marraige of community and consciousness. there's clearer way to say this: wholesome, functioning community creates and supports increased consciousness and increased consciousness in turn nourishes and adds life to the community. some people speak of an enduring tribe that will survive the ravishes of consumerism, militarism, the contract with america, & etc. we're talking about the same thing, using different images.

i'm aware that i'm writing of ideals, abstractions. what is important and real is the energy and enthusiasm we bring to the events. whether we call them "raves," "happenings," "be-ins," or "joints," they are created entirely by the people who attend them. we create the feeling, the tone, the mood. we have the power to create experiences in ways that they meet our deepest needs. no, we are that creative power.

an earlier posting spoke about trying to bring the "common people" into the rave-fold, to educate them about the spirit of our gatherings, and so, change the world. i agree that we should welcome any people interested in our sub-culture, that we should welcome them as new friends as i was welcomed - but i think that our emphasis ought to remain on developing our consciousness and our community. if we are successful in this respect, if we treat ourselves and each other with love and respect, if we develop our minds while opening our hearts and freely expressing our creativity (through music, dance, writing, poetry, painting, sculpture - through simple intimacy, honesty, and compassion), we won't be able to keep the interested people away from our gatherings.

we live in a culture of radical separation and disaffection. my hunch is that nearly everyone from california to new york craves a supportive community of fun-loving people and the consciousness to know how to best interact with those people - but they don't know how to find it. so instead, they stop listening to voice of their inner needs and instead they watch homer simpson slap his forehead and say "doOOH!" for the upteenth time.

we're a sad group of people, we americans. we have every luxury of the world at our disposal and yet so many of us are in the depths of our selves lonely, isolated, and anxious about our lives. we've convinced ourselves that we're unable to follow our dreams, so we grab for whatever sensual pleasures there are on the shelf.

for me, X is not just another sensual pleasure. it is a powerful tool with which to explore the mystery of my own mind, and to connect with like minds.

disclaimer: i'm not speaking for anyone other than myself. these are my observations, not universal truths. and they are the observations of a newcomer.

why am i writing this? to give thanks to the community, to share my vision of what we could be with you, and to stick my neck out and emphasize the transfomational and artistic aspect of the experience over and above the escapist or purely recreational aspect. in other words, let's heal, nourish and develop ourselves first and foremost, both as individuals and as a community. and goddamn: let's enjoy it every step of the way...

shalom
sormsby@aol.com