Spectrum of Spirit: A Digital Sanctuary for Spiritual Discourse and Community

In my NIV version of the Bible, there are multiple references to dancing in the Old Testament. In books like Job, Ecclesiastes, Jeremiah, dance is referenced as things that children enjoy, an activity in opposition to mourning, and an activity to engage in when the Israelites city is rebuilt. However, I would like to think dancing is much more than a performative activity. I believe dancing is a form of ritual, spontaneous or scheduled, and a way of communicating without words. I have heard of some cultures who practice dance as a spiritual act, connecting with those who have passed. Like the Biblical examples, dance has been used by many cultures to bring people out of a troubling time, and transform them into something new. Dancing has been seen as a way for an individual to renew their energy, but even more so, as a way for a community to rejoice and bring a new energy.

Before I start, I want to give a shout out to the Women in Animation NYC chapter. I attended their animation festival in the summer and came across the film “Ceiba Y Sus Raices” by Jacqueline Ferreira, Brithney Rivera, and Megan Schmitz. The film explored the collaboration between Ceiba, a young disabled woman and the Spirit of Protection, Yucahu, against a hurricane caused by the Spirit of Chaos, Guabancex. This story is the motivating influence for this blog and I would encourage everyone to follow all the great work WIA is doing.

Movement Dance

My story starts in the ancient lands of India, in the lands near the Sacred Ganges river. We are in a small village hosting their annual festival honoring the Spirit of Prosperity, Lakshimi. One of the villagers is a young girl named Rani, with bright beautiful eyes and an even brighter heart. However, young Rani has been blind since her birth. I believe festivals are a vital part of a society’s culture. The recently passed Easter holiday reminded me of the festivities that bring family and friends together from all over. I believe some of these gatherings are filled with a time of prayer or a time of expressed hope for what the spring season will bring.

Continuing with the story, a powerful Spirit of Drought, Ravana, awakens from beneath the earth after years of slumber. The villagers do not notice the Spirit’s awakening and as the festival begins, the sky darkens. The ground begins to murmur and grow into a great rumbling as the smooth breeze disappears into the void. The Ganges River water is swallowed up into the ground and the people are thrown into a fearful panic. The crops wither at a frightful pace and the fields crack under the risen presence of Ravana. No words were spoken upon Ravana’s arrival. Presence and movement sent shockwaves through the village, destroying what they once knew as their home of lively vegetation. Even though their understanding of their culture may be shattered, I believe times of chaos are the most flippant opportunities for bridges to be built. I believe all it takes is for one person to move into action, one person to dance amidst disorder.

Darkness Dance

Rani, though blind, feels the suffering of the earth, through her heightened senses. Rani has even obtained a sixth sense, allowing her to connect to the spirits, hearing them whisper in the air, and feeling their presence in the sun’s rays. Rani attends to the screams of their villagers, using her cane to tap around the dusty ground, feeling the rhythm of the earth’s logarithm. Rani eventually makes her way to the ancient banyan tree at the edge of the village’s territory. The tree is storied to be the home of the Spirit of Protection, Vishnu. Rani’s blind movement through the chaos is symbolic of the movement I believe is needed in times of apparent darkness. I believe Rani’s rhythmic tapping is the rhythm one could benefit from in times of uncertainty. I believe Rani’s rhythm brought her into a calm enough state of mind to be present with her surroundings, similar to the Native American Drumming practice discussed in a previous blog. Through despair, Rani processes her village’s grief and moves closer to a source of harmony.

Rani kneels before the tree in reverence, calling upon Vishnu with her powerful heart, instead of her words. Rani shares with Vishnu the pain she’s perceived from her fellow villagers, the death of the crops, and the Ganges River that has died and dried. Rani pleads Vishnu for protection, for life, for a return to their once beautiful land. Vishnu is moved by Rani’s bright heart, her pure spirit, and descends from the heavens as a golden light that wraps around the banyan tree. Rani’s blindness brings her to her knees, feeling the life that has left the plants and the river. In her state of physical and emotional darkness, Vishnu shows itself in a caressing light beginning the transformation into something new.

Vishnu knows defeating Ravana will not be an easy task, and balancing the world requires more than just the protection it offers. Vishnu knows to stop the curse of the Spirit of Drought, harmony has to be brought between all forces, even chaos and destruction. Vishnu speaks to Rani, telling her the only way to save her village requires her to dance. Not just any dance, but a dance that would bring the spirits into balance. Vishnu knows the solution Rani is looking for is outside of its own capabilities. Vishnu reveals Rani’s plea for help is something she can conjure through her own movements. Rani’s dance can transform her dark village, physically and spiritually, even in a time of unprecedented crisis.

The Spiral of Dance

Rani receives this message with awe and confusion. How is someone who has never seen the world supposed to take on this task? Vishnu comforts her and tells her to feel the rhythms of the world, the rhythms that have guided her in all her years to this point. Rani rises to her feet, and the golden light surrounds her as she begins to dance. Rani, filled with anxiety, moves slowly, tracing the patterns of the earth and sky. As moments pass, Rani’s movements become stronger, embodying the force of creation and destruction simultaneously. Rani, guided by Vishnu and pushed by Ravana, dances through the physical space wrestling with both Spirits of Drought and Protection, or destruction and creation. Her dance is essential to the balance of her village, yet could be misunderstood by those who may see her. However the interpretation of Rani’s expression, I believe interpretation can always be redirected for the purpose needed in the moment.

Rani continues to dance, and the villagers draw near, sensing the sacred energy flowing around her. The energy softens the dry winds, the sky begins to glow with light, and the earth trembles with vigor. Ravana emerges from the depths of the earth, a colossal figure fused with flames and dust. Ravana shares its intent to continue its destruction and ravage the village to nothing. As Ravana approaches, Rani’s beautiful and harmonious dance strikes it to a stop. Rani’s dance brings tension to Ravana’s devastating intentions. The contrast of Rani’s goal of rebuilding and Ravana’s goal of deconstruction brings the conflict to its highest peak. Ravana vs Rani, one will be triumphant, one will need to surrender, and through the power of dance, I believe sometimes unpredictable movements can lead to unpredictable change.

Ravana, enticed by Rani’s dance, begins to dance with her. Ravana’s flames cool, and its dust begins to settle. Ravana and Ranin begin to engage in a never before seen dialogue, a blind drought, a conversation between destruction and creation, chaos and order. Vishnu jumps alongside them, protecting their dance through its weaving movements. The village comes closer to restoration, and this ritual dance brings the previous balance back to the land. Ravana, once being the enemy, joins Rani in her immaculate dance. The two opposing forces came face to face, their past shadows being left behind. The supposed inevitable destruction was upheld by the spiraling dance of assumed rivals.

Choreographing Dance

The dance between Rani, Ravana, and Vishnu comes to an end. Ravana’s giant stature bows before Rani, and vanishes into the earth, its rampage subsiding with it. The skies are fully opened, and rain drizzles from the clouds, rising into a billowing storm that nourishes the dry land and filling the Ganges River. The astonished villagers celebrate with a cheerful noise. They recognize their help did not only come from Vishnu, but from the unity of all the spirits. The trio’s dance moved Ravana to its feet, propelled to feel empathy for the pain it caused. The trio’s dance brought cohesion amongst conflicting forces, and all the spirits of the region. The trio’s dance brought mutual cultural understanding from spirit to spirit, spirit to human, and human to human.

Rani concludes her dance and is physically exhausted, however her spirit is filled with joy. Rani returns to the village and her heart is at peace. The festival honoring Lakshmi, the Spirit of Prosperity, goes on, but now all the spirits dancing are in harmony. Their dance is led by Rani, even though she cannot see, she understands the nature of balance. The original annual festival honoring Lakshmi was a village gathering that became more than just a social or cultural gathering. The inclusion of all the spirits dancing transformed the event in a spiritual movement.

The village is filled with a new found energy, and the tale of Rani and her Dance of Spirits is passed down from generation to generation. The story is a reminder of the power of balance and harmony in the face of danger, and how unity and understanding can be cultivated without the use of sight or words. I believe this story can be powerful for some, and is the hope I have for our world. I believe when we learn to understand one another, and express/move ourselves together in a form of unison, appearing choreographed, any bridge can be danced upon across faith, experience, or beliefs.

Reflection Dance

Encourage your world. Read through the lines. Dance without thought. Move through the moment. Drive through darkness. Find help in the spiral. Choreograph your spirituality. Reflect on your emotions. Invite yourself to ancient cultures. Create from the unknown. Join the blind. Kneel in ritual. Defeat being alone. See the room. Participate in gatherings. Begin cooling. Celebrate the end.