Using one of the three methods described in requirement 6, describe in depth a single experience you had while in the trance state from an experiential point of view (i.e. what did you feel, see, sense, etc.). (min. 300 words)
One of the coolest trances I ever experienced was at our old farm, where I had Caryn, Will, my dad, and a few others over for a small fire, meal, and drumming. Caryn, Will, and I decided to start drumming around dusk. A fire was burning in a metal barrel, tall enough that you could see the flames from the top. The heat from the barrel was soothing and the night was crisp.
As we continued to drum, everything else was silent around us except for the sounds of nature (we were on a farm, afterall, very peaceful). The rhythms were in-sync, the fire was mesmerizing, and we were all quietly attaching ourselves to the rhythm and the moment.
I noticed my father sitting next to me just watching the fire and enjoying the music. He was very quiet and contemplative, which is not abnormal for him, and he always enjoys supporting my spiritual endeavors so he’ll come out and participate now and then.
After the drumming stopped for this round, dad smiled and said that he zoned out during that and he had never done that before (lets face it, he’s a farmer, they don’t do this kind of stuff). He was pretty tickled and felt refreshed and reconnected to the earth afterwards. And of course, I was tickled pink because I got to experience that moment with him and interlink with him on a level we never have before. It was an important moment for me and was really rather easy to obtain a trance-like state, even from someone who had never done anything like that before, or had any thoughts towards trying it. It just happened naturally due to the ambiance of the light, the darkness of the night, the cool sounds of the earth, and the rhythmic beats of the drum.
(Word Count: 305)
