BACK COVER #
Trance Formation is an ethnographically rich look into the spiritual dimensions of rave culture froma theoretically informed religious studies perspective. Robin Sylvan takes the reader on a colorful journey from San Francisco to London, from Burning Man to the Love Parade, and reveals a synaesthetic spiritual world of sound, sight, motion, and deep trance. As religious studies converges on a new understanding of emerging forms of spirituality, Trance Formation will be welcomed by scholars and students, music-lovers and trance-dancers, spiritual seekers and fans of cutting edge culture, as well as the ravers about whom this book is written.BLURBS #
"Millions of people on every continent of planet Earth, regularly coming together in ecstatic trance-dance celebrations held and energized by pulsing electronic beats, are having the deepest spiritual experience of their lives. In this thoroughly fascinating study, religious scholar Robin Sylvan makes a convincing case for regarding the global rave culture as an authentic expression of a unifying spiritual vision that integrates across all languages, religions and nationalities. Reading this book, as well as going to a rave, will leave you inspired and hopeful for our sadly fractured world."-- Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., co-author of The Psychedelic Experience and author of The Unfolding Self