Wisdom of Presence

While moving around on the festival grounds of Psy Fi, I was divinely being lead into a workshop with this butterfly woman: Eve Olution.

The first words she spoke went straight to my heart. I sat there in awe and with tears in my eyes throughout her entire workshop. She shared and embodied the wisdom of ‘Presence in Performance’ – and how we can use our art as a message to the divine. The medicine she gave me in that moment is still vibrating into my very being. May it inspire you as well..

TAPESTRY OF MAGIC
As a dance facilitator and DJ, I am constantly in the midst of large group of dancers, communities and tribes.. I keep being honored about the fact that the dancers who show up for Ecstatic Dance are trusting the guidance of the ceremony leader and the DJ. They enter the space and – when experiencing a safe and held container – are able to fully dive into the journey that we create all together. Together we weave a tapestry of magic, through vibration, movement and sounds.

ANCIENT ROOT OF PERFORMANCE
So what is the magic behind a ‘safe and held container’? Some of us might have already heard about the notion of ‘holding space’, but still, it’s a fairly new concept in Europe. In these times, many of us are talking about consciousness, presence and Goddesses – but what does it actually mean? Do we use the power of our consciousness to make a change? Do we truly know the stories of the Goddesses?

Tapping into the old mythologies and stories, Eve started working with women and female archetypes. She experienced that we can consciously use awareness as a vehicle to connect deeper to the ancient roots of performance. When we use the embodiment of presence during performance, we can radically transform ourselves and others. The presence of the performer will become a mirror for the presence of the observers. The dancers will become the dance – and the divine will become the vessel.

As Eve noted, directed attention of a witness is being received like fire to the performer. In the example of my own work: when I am doing the ceremony or DJ’ing for Ecstatic Dance, I am receiving attention from the dancers which creates huge fire beams directed at me while doing my craft. At times, when all of the energies come together, the space becomes one breathing body and we all get a deep and embodied sense of spaceousness. At other times, when I feel off centered myself, the space can become overwhelming or chaotic – and the dancers can feel this as well. My presence affects the presence of the others in the space. And the more I can channel that energy of fire into a divine source larger than me – the more magic we can create all together.

FUTURE OF ANCIENT WISDOM
Eve is a story teller, an actor and director. She tells ancient stories with her hands, her face and her soul. She taps into the source of what we always have known. As a partner of Yaygon Lamagier (Kalya Scintilla/Merkaba), she performs on stage during his sets. Seeing her perform truly gave me more insight into the power of presence during performance. She brought together the entire crowd, creating a tapestry of connection. As Eve also said: can you imagine what would happen if the people performing on stage are fully present? A whole crowd of 40 000 people could sink into their embodiment! What a gift!

“Claim what we are through art.”