David Cates borrows from the science of neurobiology to describe the ways in which human beings relate, and proposes that the rhythmic entrainment of music, dance and breath is a way to reduce the tension between “large mammals in close proximity.” He puts this idea into action, showing how we can switch off the high-alert signals of social anxiety and emotional guardedness, and flood the body with oxytocin. And he invites us to notice that the human nervous system is not independent of others, and that tension operates not just at the muscular level, but at the electromagnetic level too. Meditation may bring about the cessation of thought, he says, but enlightenment is a function of the cessation of all tension at all levels in the system.
The Ontology of Ofrenda (Part I)
Ritual offerings represent portals that bridge the material with the metaphysical, breaching linear ideas of space-time by creating a dialogue with manifold unseen, more-than-human sentiences
