1. Ecstatic Postures: Accessing the Alternate Reality

2. Dr. Felicitas Goodman Discovered that certain works of non-Western art are ritual instructions. Posture is combined with rhythmic stimulation Body undergoes dramatic neurological changes Visionary experiences arise particular to the posture.

3. Einstein “Problems can’t be solved by the consciousness that created them.”

4. Ecstatic Postures  The body is the common denominator with built-in capabilities  We use our bodies to enter non-ordinary reality  Our bodies provide the doorway and the posture is the Key  Postures are done through experience versus a teaching.

5. Five Elements of Ecstatic Trance 1. Preparing 2. Creating the Space 3. Silencing the Mind 4. Queuing the Nervous System 5. Shaping the Experience

6. Preparing  Positive anticipation  Ready to surrender to the experience  Fully awake to a different perceptual field  Smudging is a cue through smell neurologically  Smoke exists in both ordinary and non-ordinary worlds

7. Creating the Space  Identify a space as sacred; separating it from everyday use  We do something physical to define the space  The Four directions, above and below, marked with prayer ties  Creates a sphere with a point in the circle  Create an altar in the center to place sacred objects  Invocation; calling in the spirits of each direction

8. Silencing the Mind  A stilling of the mind to empty ourselves  Preparation through breathing; 50 counts

9. Queuing the Nervous System  Auditory stimulation  Rhythmic sound  Opens the older part of the brain that uses images, symbolism, and color  200-210 beats/minute

10. Shaping the Experience  The Posture  Ritual postures focus the experience  Posture provides the doorway to a particular domain in the Alternate Reality  Ending the sound of the rattle and dropping the posture allow us to easily return to ordinary consciousness.

11. Common Indications You are in a Trance 1. Auditory shifts 2. Body temperature changes 3. Involuntary movements 4. Physiological changes

12. Types of Postures Healing Divination Metamorphosis Spirit Journeys Initiation: Death and Rebirth Living Myths Celebration