Okay, it's terrible that I missed my last lesson, so I'll make this one extra special. It's going to be sort of like a Q&A.
What is dancing to me?
In my own words, dancing is a good way to get in touch with the spirits and gods. Think of yourself like a radio, and the gods the channels. You want to get the frequencies on the same level so that you can hear what the people on the station are saying.
Well, that's exactly what I do, if you understand what I just said. To me, dancing is just a nice way to talk to my spirits and deities. The more I get into the dance, the more of their energy I feel. And I also use dances toask them for things.
How do I prepare for one?
Well, I start by mentally preparing myself. I sit and meditate for about 10 minutes, praying to the spirits and tell them exactly what I'm going to do, grounding and centering, and all that good stuff.
I then take a spiritual bath to cleanse myself of all the negativity that might be stuck on me. Then, just before I start dancing, I forbid unwelcome negative spirits to come. If I'm asking for something, I state what I want clearly.
Do you cast a circle while dancing?
No, and I have a good reason for not doing it. While I'm dancing, I can go all out. When I'm dancing, there's no telling where I'll go. And having a limited area throws me off. When I'm dancing, I want to keep one thing in mind: pleasing the spirits, and dancing. If I have to worry about not going outside of a perimeter, I can't focus.
Do you dance with your eyes close?
Yes. When I have my eyes closed, it helps me to block out the outside world, and focus on the spiritual world.
Don't you ever run into things when you dance with your eyes closed?
Actually, no. It's always been a mystery to me, but I never run into things. I can sort of feel when I'm closing in on something, so I alter my course. Plus, if I ran into something, I think that would give the spirits and deities something to laugh about, haha.
What do you do while you dance?
Well, I try to imagine releasing bursts of positive energy, banishing away all negativity, things like that. Sometimes I find myself doing the same moves, so I try to relax a little, and go with the flow.
So, what do you do after the dance?
I thank my spirits for attending, and bid them farewell.
Are specific dances meant for specific things?
Yes, they are. For example, if I'm dancing to a love song, I'm making an offering to my deities to attract love to me. The dance itself is like an offering, but sometimes I'll throw in something extra.
When did you first notice you were good at dancing?
Well, I first noticed it when I was dancing to a rap song. But I try to leave out the hip shaking in my ceremonial dances, and be more spiritual and professional.
Do you have any specific genre of music you dance to?
I typically dance to japanese music, but some english music might be thrown in here and there. I try to maximize japanese music because that's what I feel most connected with, and the more connected I feel, the more into it I get.
So, you guys, I hope you enjoyed my little Q&A lesson. If you have any ways that I can improve my dancing rituals, leave a comment.
