LAURA SHANNON

FOLK DANCE - CIRCLE DANCE- SACRED DANCE - WOMEN'S RITUAL DANCE

Sacred Dance As Mystical Practice: Caroline Myss Educational Institute (2005)

This text was written in 2005 for Caroline Myss when I was a guest presenter at her CMED Institute in Chicago, on the workshop series‘From Intuition to Mysticism: A Personal Journey into Our Passion for God’


Sacred dance is inherently a mystical practice. The dancing body serves as a bridge between the sacred realms of earth and sky, while the simple act of holding hands creates a valuable link between self and community. As we dance, the circle becomes a sacred space which lovingly holds our work of healing and transformation.

Simple traditional dances from Eastern Europe and the Near East, as well as inspired meditative choreographies, will help us connect to Divine energy in all its manifestations. Each dance pattern contains symbols invoking the benevolent powers of nature, such as the cross, circle, crescent, zigzag, and Tree of Life. As we learn to decipher this symbolic language, we discover hidden messages handed down to us from our ancestors in the human family.

This way of learning how to listen, both in and through the body, opens the door to a little-known tradition of mystical practice which transcends race, religion and nationality. For today's modern pilgrim – the 'mystic without a monastery', in the words of Caroline Myss – Sacred Dance can be a sanctuary, an oasis, a way station, where all seekers are invited to re-experience the joy of being alive.